How much attention do you pay to the way your horse goes?

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Pidge

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Ok so after the major saga of Pidge's saddles I have come out of it realising that I hadn't been paying that much attention really to the way he was going.
He was hollow and upside down, had stopped mouthing the bit, and was running out of fences (unheard of for him as he is the original cruise missile when it comes to jumping
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Since having a jump saddle on loan for just over a week that has been fitted properly I have noticed that he has gone back to being Mr Whippy with his mouth
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and he is starting to work in an outline far far easier than ever before
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and as for his jumping well he popped a 2'9" bounce followed by a stride to a 3' with no hesitation whatsover (no with me on board mind
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Nice Amerigo saddle coming on Saturday for me to trial as well
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So have mentally told myself off really harshly for not paying that much attention to the signs he was unhappy and have resolved to pay far more attention in the future.
So cookies if you've got this far and question for you? Even if you have regular saddle, back and teeth checks do you still look for signs that things aren't right or do you trust those that come out to check saddle, back and teeth?
 
Well I was convinced there was something wrong with Jack as he never went on the bit or worked in an outline. So after getting new saddle (would have had to do this anyway to be fair as he didn't come with one) and having equine body worker and McTimoney chiropractor out it would appear that rather than anything being wrong my boy is just a lazy sod and won't do it cause he doesn't have much topline muscles so finds it difficult. I have since been instructed to stop being such a mollycoddler and make him work through the initial stiffness cause he can do it. Ooops - so sometimes I think I perhaps look too much for things to be wrong other than admit I'm a big soft lump that cannot ride
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Yep, I am paranoid. Recently changed to using a prolite pad as felt G wasnt going as softly in his jump saddle to how he does in his jump saddle, immediately got a better result when riding him. Am very aware of if he is feeling stiff/one sided and work through any probs as opposed to just thinking he is being difficult. I know how much little things can have an effect on me, so why should it be any different for them?!
 
I used to be a vet.... so as one who was called out to check back/teeth/saddles.... I'd keep on looking.

as my mentor and trainer says: 'we go to people for opinions and horses for answers' - which is to say the experts can give all the opinions they like, but if Pony isn't happy, then something is wrong and given I'm the one with the bigger set of grey cells and the ability to change things, it's up to me to find out what's happening and do something.

which in my case means waiting 6 weeks for Kay Humphries to make me a saddle. I've gone back to lunging/long-reining and walking out in hand which is showing me exactly how many holes there are in Pony's education. I suspect she was backed by the 'throw a saddle on and jump on' technique. But we're coming on and it's all fun

I'm a clicker-trainer, with classical training so I'm obsessed with *how* my horse is going. It's good to find someone else acquiring the same obsession.
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good luck!

E
 
I am always looking at horses in general but I have experience in this field and now I can't help it!!!
One thing though you should always trust your intuition. I have thought at times that I was imagining things but when I called out my chiropract they have always confirmed the same thing.
Unfortunately many of these 'specialists' are unregulated, and anyone can pick up a rasp and say they are a dentist, the term master saddler can mean that the person is just a retailer. It is such a shame and I have fallen foul of some and ended up with horses with big problems. I am lucky in that I work with a lot now, know what to expect and who is good and who is crap.
 
I've just swapped my saddle as Meg started to go worse in the last month. She was napping in right canter, and not as happy going forward out on hacks.
Straight away with a wider saddle she was much happier, and after trying on 6 I've managed to swap mine for one which is much better.
She's very good at letting me know if things aren't right. One saddle I tried looked great, until she had to be dragged out of the stable block. I put on a different one, and it was like I was leading a different horse!
Her teeth are checked every 6 months by an EDT, but I do saddle and back checks myself, and can now fit my own saddles with the remote help of my local saddler
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Chloe is a lot more tolerant, probably more like Pidge. In fact the last saddle was such a bad fit our saddler said that a less generous horse (or cleverer one!) would have been bucking, rearing and messing as soon as it went on their back.

Chloe didn't let on at all that it was hurting her and it had probably been a couple of months like that... The only sign from her was that she was freerer in her shoulders with a wider saddle
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And by the way jacksmyboy don't put yourself down and doubt yourself you've done teh right thing which is more than a lot of people do!
 
I am very aware as I keep being told that if a horse isnt going right 9 times out of 10 it is the rider. So I can have all the lessons I could squeeze in but you still need to check the other 1/10th!

I had changed my mares bit and my saddle cloth arrangement and boy did I get told she didnt like it. I hacked her out and she has horrid. Put her other bit back in and went back to the polly pad and WOW amazing change.

Currently I am not happy with the fit of my dressage saddle
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but I really dont know who to trust to get to check it
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[any recommendations please pm me, horse is in Stafford/Telford area].

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I pay very close attention to my horses' way of going, it's one of the only ways he can communicate with me about how various parts of him are feeling.
I can tend to overanalyze however when the physio comes out to check his back I leave her to get on with it and then talk to her after about where I think he might have been a little tight etc and I'm normally right!
I have had this particular horse for 9 years though, so I would like to think that I can read what he is trying to tell me!
 
I'm obsessed! My horse is fairly vocal when it comes to not being quite right so it's easy for me to tell if there is anything wrong. I can pick up on even something really slightly out in his back or if his teeth need doing. Usually he goes really nicely and is very agreeable to ride, so if he starts playing up I know to get his back checked.
 
I am paranoid and analyse everything and anything!

I will look at tack, back, teeth, shoeing, weather, feed, hay, turnout, competitions you name it I study it and make minor and major adjustments as needed.

I compare every ride or competition to the previous one and then look at year-on-year and compare where we are today to where we were at this point last year.

I have a DVD library of each horse we own which documents their time with us. If we have ever had a rubbish lesson or felt it wasn't progressing we spend time and re-watch them which is usually enough to convince us that we are making progress.

I think it is important to continually assess but then I am a teacher and assessment is drummed into us on daily basis!

My YO joked that I would be bringing a progress chart up for our horses at the rate I was going!
 
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I am paranoid and analyse everything and anything!

I will look at tack, back, teeth, shoeing, weather, feed, hay, turnout, competitions you name it I study it and make minor and major adjustments as needed.

I compare every ride or competition to the previous one and then look at year-on-year and compare where we are today to where we were at this point last year.

I have a DVD library of each horse we own which documents their time with us. If we have ever had a rubbish lesson or felt it wasn't progressing we spend time and re-watch them which is usually enough to convince us that we are making progress.

I think it is important to continually assess but then I am a teacher and assessment is drummed into us on daily basis!

My YO joked that I would be bringing a progress chart up for our horses at the rate I was going!

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Is that where your name comes from?
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SO....

of those of us all paranoid about how our horses go, how many of us have:

- abandoned nosebands so we can tell they're not resisting through their jaw

- taken lessons from a classical trainer to learn how to help them work from behind, rather than dragging them into an outline from in front

- taken their shoes off and found a sane, reliable, useful barefoot trimmer

- had the paddocks resown with mixed grasses to mimic a more natural diet

I haven't done all of these, but thought about most of them

open to other ideas

E
 
[ QUOTE ]
SO....

of those of us all paranoid about how our horses go, how many of us have:

- abandoned nosebands so we can tell they're not resisting through their jaw

- taken lessons from a classical trainer to learn how to help them work from behind, rather than dragging them into an outline from in front

- taken their shoes off and found a sane, reliable, useful barefoot trimmer

- had the paddocks resown with mixed grasses to mimic a more natural diet

I haven't done all of these, but thought about most of them

open to other ideas

E

[/ QUOTE ]

I went further and married my classical dressage trainer
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Saved a fortune on lessons which I now spend on physio, magents and massage machines, comfort bridles expensive bits, supplements and lotions and potions

I'm always on the hunt for something else to waste my money on in the vain hope it will make them go better!
 
I pay alot of attention to how my horse goes and ive had it drilled into me to do so.

I do think a lot of people have a tendency to look for external factors rather than looking at their own riding however. While, obviously, a correctly fitting saddle and good maintenance of teeth and back is essential, the rider has a huge effect on the horse and yet frequently, dont seem to make efforts to change this.

If you ride as you always have, you'll get what you always got is how the saying goes, yet often, people prefer to switch bits endlessly or play with gadgets blaming a variety of reasons for why their horse doesnt work correctly.

Im generally distrusting of dentists (although we dont have them here thank god), saddlers and "back people". Thankfully (i think), ive developed enough knowledge these days that i can make accurate judgements myself.

I always wait for chiros to tell ME what they think is wrong rather than feeding off me (so many owners practically spill their life stories at these people - enough so for the uneducated and less truthful out there to make a diagnosis about what they have found, purely from the rider!)

Saddlers have a nightmare with me because im incredibly picky in this area and i always ask to feel round my horses teeth after anyone has attended to them. (We have no equine dentists here however, the only people allowed to touch teeth are vets and then its usually the ones who have done additional courses in dentistry).
 
Abandoned noseband - nope. I use a cavesson and always will i think
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Classical trainers - classically trained from a young age

Take shoes off - not a chance in hell
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I have NB shoes on my warmblood. He'd be in an awful state without shoes
 
I think alot of us very amateur riders assume flaws in our horse's way of going reveals more about us as an inept rider, than assuming immediately that it's a pain response in the horse.
 
And Eceni, I reglarly ride without a noseband, his old exercise bridle has no noseband on and he didnt get ridden in a noseband until he had been ridden for a year

Always been taught to ride from the leg to hand

Would no way take his shoes off, I event and need shoes to put studs in!! Wouldnt fancy galloping on wet grass barefoot....but do pay v.close attention to my horses feet and way of going

No, not my land unfortunately, but my horse gets a wide range of different fibre forms to be as natural as possible.
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[ QUOTE ]
SO....

of those of us all paranoid about how our horses go, how many of us have:
- abandoned nosebands so we can tell they're not resisting through their jaw
- taken lessons from a classical trainer to learn how to help them work from behind, rather than dragging them into an outline from in front
- taken their shoes off and found a sane, reliable, useful barefoot trimmer
- had the paddocks resown with mixed grasses to mimic a more natural diet

E

[/ QUOTE ]

have done 1) and 2), do favour front shoes only but know that mine are uncomfortable without those, and have no control over the paddocks except to ensure that they are poo picked and managed as well as possible.
 
I am religious about it - every time I get on I compare it to the other times I've ridden or to someone else's horse. If something is bothering him I change it - saddle(If he is cold, or has been cold he gets all tucked up and he seems to lose padding around his shoulders so sometimes I have to add a pad/numnah/bit/noseband. I have been known to end up bareback some nights as I am seeing how he goes. Every so often he gets a loose run around the school so I can see how he goes on his own.

He seems to go up and down saddle widths VERY easily! He was a MW then the next week we checked again and it showed W then a week later it was MW again. So I now have a Rambo Air pad - which he goes a lot better with as well as it cushions me from him a bit and stops the jarring of my back so in turn I don't bounce when it hurts.

I know I am one sided due to various injuries, which is why I feel ok letting my sharer ride him as I am weak on the left, her on the right so in a way its balanced out.

I took Beaus shoes off and he was a lot saner and didn't snatch his legs up as much, but then he also didn't to big scary leaps over jumps.
 
Over the summe rI decided i twas dme and my riding, only to discover (via my instructor) that it was her nck! The nhad chiro and accupuncture, new saddle and then eliminating molasses and alfalfa. I am now so aware of her shape and her way of moving that I am driving myself bonkers! She was shoeless, but had the farrier put fronts on again when we had all the problems.
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Still has the fronts on and is going ok.
 
YO and I are harry hot at spotting how a horse goes and changes in it and what could possibly be the cause.


Parnoid me? Definitly. Yes I am aware that the fault is often my riding to.
 
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I went further and married my classical dressage trainer
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I'm always on the hunt for something else to waste my money on in the vain hope it will make them go better!

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Gosh..... if I weren't already civilly partnered.... (and if my trainer weren't straight and if... OK, let's stop about there).

would have thought marriage to a horse addict was the fastest way to waste - sorry - spend - money that you could find.

well done

E
 
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