black_horse
Well-Known Member
Question: What do you do with a spooky and highly strung mare?
Answer: Take her to a venue where a suicidal goat is present, the geese have more to say then the owners, and horses like to stampede in fields over looking the test arena.
Despite my nerves yesterday, i decided to continue with my plans and take Delicia to the show, it was only going to be used as a warm up for our championships at the end of the month, so was going to use these tests to 'discuss' with Delicia certain evasive issues she seems to be having.
Not supprisingly she traveled really well, what can i say, the horse lives to eat, so if she is eating, she is happy. Was lovely to tack up and get on. But she planted herself by the horse box. hmm, we discussed this and eventually she saw the errors of my ways and made her way to the test arena :roll:
.
Snort, snort, snort. Delicia has never been to this venue, it was big, lots of horses around, a gaggle of geese, white boards, planted pots, the works. Very scarey. Bless her. She didnt spook as such but her ears were so forwards i was afraid they would fall off her head, her eyes on stalks and i had a difficult time to get her on my side. I did lots of transitions, using my voice as well as my aids and eventually she was listening, popped her into canter, went down the long side, a goat stuck his head through the arena fence....WOAHHHHHH WTF WAS THAT! If Delicia could talk i think this is exactly what she would have said. Short of laying down to die there wasnt much she didnt do to over react. Shes rather hot at the moment and has a tendency to be spooky in unknown areas. Nevertheless, i settled her, and she was nice, not as soft as i owuld have liked but better.
I then had her walking on a long rein, riding her off the bradoon and droping my curb rein, she was stretching, nice and relaxed....then the blooming goat sneezed... -.- I actually had air between my fat ass and the saddle as she jumped and stood there, snorting. Least her lungs seem to have a nice, large capacity.
My first test was elementary 44, it was held in an oversized 30m by 60m arena, so the white boards were out to mark off the area and OMG WTF ARE THOSE MONSTERS! Delicia was rather unsure of the whole thing, the tension didnt necessarily show until she took a dislike to the planted pot at 'F'. So we had a few discussions mid test, but i made her continue, perhaps not in the pace warrented for the test but she went forwards, and did a rather nice halt at the end. Over all i wasnt that pleased, the test was appauling but i didnt really care, was using it for the experience and not the score. Ended up scoring 59% (not great) and came third.
I had ten minutes between tests so went and walked her around the warm up arena again, the whole time she was spying the goat with utter suspicion should he try and lunge at her with his ninja-style moves.
The next test was a long arena elementary 43. I prefer this test as it seems to suit Delicia better. It started off so brilliantly, again, thought she wasnt quite on my side she was listening, she broke in the medium trot but that was ok, she was just being a bit hot. I was managing to control it until it became apparent it was bringing in time for the resident horses. I couldnt see them but i could hear them, and Delicia definetly could. The thundering off hooves was short of the trumpets of the charge of the light brigade. She didnt bolt, she did spin and was running through my bits. I was half halting but she was ignoring it. I did a really exaggerating give and retake and she planted, jolly head in air and turn her face to actually look at me to say 'yeah, and what you going to do now?!'. She had a pat and continued at trot. It was truely our worst test ever, didnt actually end up riding the test kind of free styled it whilst i schoold delicia around it, reminding her to work with me. She did a wonderful centre line and four square halt however.
Two words summed up today, Bad Pony!
However, i have found out the reasoning why dee is very strong and very forward going suddenly. My lovely mother has been lunging delicia for me whilst i am busy at work, 5 lunge sessions a week, been doing it for two months. Apparently she misunderstood me and when i said i wanted her stretching, she thought i meant going fast and long. So mum has had dee doing medium trot and fast canters...no wonder dee thinks im a boring fart when i ask her to balance Never mind eh, accidents happen. We giggled it off and have discussed a new lunging regime. Mum had thought dee had been enjoying herself rather a lot on the lunge with all the bucking and farting :rolls:
So a bad day on paper, we did walk away with a second and a third, but delicia has been exposed to more situations and has learnt no matter how she tests me, im not going to whip her.
I think this pic sums up her feelings on the day:
Answer: Take her to a venue where a suicidal goat is present, the geese have more to say then the owners, and horses like to stampede in fields over looking the test arena.
Despite my nerves yesterday, i decided to continue with my plans and take Delicia to the show, it was only going to be used as a warm up for our championships at the end of the month, so was going to use these tests to 'discuss' with Delicia certain evasive issues she seems to be having.
Not supprisingly she traveled really well, what can i say, the horse lives to eat, so if she is eating, she is happy. Was lovely to tack up and get on. But she planted herself by the horse box. hmm, we discussed this and eventually she saw the errors of my ways and made her way to the test arena :roll:
.Snort, snort, snort. Delicia has never been to this venue, it was big, lots of horses around, a gaggle of geese, white boards, planted pots, the works. Very scarey. Bless her. She didnt spook as such but her ears were so forwards i was afraid they would fall off her head, her eyes on stalks and i had a difficult time to get her on my side. I did lots of transitions, using my voice as well as my aids and eventually she was listening, popped her into canter, went down the long side, a goat stuck his head through the arena fence....WOAHHHHHH WTF WAS THAT! If Delicia could talk i think this is exactly what she would have said. Short of laying down to die there wasnt much she didnt do to over react. Shes rather hot at the moment and has a tendency to be spooky in unknown areas. Nevertheless, i settled her, and she was nice, not as soft as i owuld have liked but better.
I then had her walking on a long rein, riding her off the bradoon and droping my curb rein, she was stretching, nice and relaxed....then the blooming goat sneezed... -.- I actually had air between my fat ass and the saddle as she jumped and stood there, snorting. Least her lungs seem to have a nice, large capacity.
My first test was elementary 44, it was held in an oversized 30m by 60m arena, so the white boards were out to mark off the area and OMG WTF ARE THOSE MONSTERS! Delicia was rather unsure of the whole thing, the tension didnt necessarily show until she took a dislike to the planted pot at 'F'. So we had a few discussions mid test, but i made her continue, perhaps not in the pace warrented for the test but she went forwards, and did a rather nice halt at the end. Over all i wasnt that pleased, the test was appauling but i didnt really care, was using it for the experience and not the score. Ended up scoring 59% (not great) and came third.
I had ten minutes between tests so went and walked her around the warm up arena again, the whole time she was spying the goat with utter suspicion should he try and lunge at her with his ninja-style moves.
The next test was a long arena elementary 43. I prefer this test as it seems to suit Delicia better. It started off so brilliantly, again, thought she wasnt quite on my side she was listening, she broke in the medium trot but that was ok, she was just being a bit hot. I was managing to control it until it became apparent it was bringing in time for the resident horses. I couldnt see them but i could hear them, and Delicia definetly could. The thundering off hooves was short of the trumpets of the charge of the light brigade. She didnt bolt, she did spin and was running through my bits. I was half halting but she was ignoring it. I did a really exaggerating give and retake and she planted, jolly head in air and turn her face to actually look at me to say 'yeah, and what you going to do now?!'. She had a pat and continued at trot. It was truely our worst test ever, didnt actually end up riding the test kind of free styled it whilst i schoold delicia around it, reminding her to work with me. She did a wonderful centre line and four square halt however.
Two words summed up today, Bad Pony!
However, i have found out the reasoning why dee is very strong and very forward going suddenly. My lovely mother has been lunging delicia for me whilst i am busy at work, 5 lunge sessions a week, been doing it for two months. Apparently she misunderstood me and when i said i wanted her stretching, she thought i meant going fast and long.
So mum has had dee doing medium trot and fast canters...no wonder dee thinks im a boring fart when i ask her to balance Never mind eh, accidents happen. We giggled it off and have discussed a new lunging regime. Mum had thought dee had been enjoying herself rather a lot on the lunge with all the bucking and farting :rolls:So a bad day on paper, we did walk away with a second and a third, but delicia has been exposed to more situations and has learnt no matter how she tests me, im not going to whip her.
I think this pic sums up her feelings on the day:
