I just bought my first cob! Introduction + feed advice + photos!

[Red-1]

Lovely evening hack yesterday, then today we hired the arena where his dressage will be next week. I only hired the warm-up, but he is such a cool dude and so not nappy or spooky that I don't think the big arena, with banners, dressed dressage ring and cafe will be a bother. Could be my undoing?

Anyway, he was brill. His schooling is coming on so well.

 

[Red-1]

Great Sunday - I was perturbed that I hadn't ever had Riggers in an arena with another. He has hacked with others but not had oncoming horses. Happily, I had an offer from a friend to go ride at their place. So, Rigsby was boxed up for his longest journey yet.

We did several villages, skirted two towns and even did a fair chunk of motorway today. Rigsby was The Man, super cool. He offloaded well, was polite to mount and waited for the other horse to be ready, politely. Then, in the school he was initially a bit distracted, but it is a very distracting area, beside a main road, with loose horses next door and a camp site just over the fence. The extent of his distractedness was to merely try to have a look, but I bought him back to work and he worked really well.

Canter is still nothing to write home about, but hey, he was concentrating and minding his own business.

We then rode out onto the field, and had a walk, trot and canter together. I had been told that Rigsby is very strong in company, and I wanted to see what I was looking at. He initially thought he was going for a hooley as we struck off into canter, but I deployed the Red-1 patent safety hand-break, he realised that new mum = new rules and went straight back to being polite. Good Rigsby. He was a bit more awake after the canter, but that meant just a more animated walk. We did it again and he was polite right from the get-go.

Back home he has had a bath, and I declare him fit, trained and prepared for his first ever competition, a dressage, on Wednesday!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Ooh exciting times for the competition, best of luck to you both!

Great to see him getting out and about with you

 

[Annagain]

I'm a bit curious, does Mr Red still have a horse he rides? I'm guessing he doesn't any more or you would have practiced in your arena at home with him?

 

[Red-1]

I'm a bit curious, does Mr Red still have a horse he rides? I'm guessing he doesn't any more or you would have practiced in your arena at home with him?

Mr Red is not able to ride now, sadly.

 

[Annagain]

Mr Red is not able to ride now, sadly.

That's a shame.

 

[Red-1]

Rigsby and I had a relaxed walk out this afternoon, then I did housework

, ran and saw to Rigsby again.

I had to take a photo of the grooming parlour... He has been getting better and better at clipping but today was the first time he literally did not move a single foot. Just look at the hairy hoof print, the hair fell round his very stationary leg - priceless!

He was very naughty to clip before, I did all his training a bit at a time, using positive reinforcement. He has his legs done twice a week, if ever he wriggles we go back to daily, as we did at the start. It became not about getting him clipped, but about working out how to make it something he was happy to actively participate in. He looks forward to it now.

The negative was taken away when his mallenders was controlled, then it is positive as I use Formula 4 Feet as a hand treat. He only gets that if he stands like a statue. Some days he seems really disappointed when the clipping is done!

I am very faffy how I handle him all round. For example, I had a (socially distanced) visitor the other day, they were near the gate as I was getting Rigsby out of his turnout. I asked them to move, as I would be swinging his bum over so I could keep hold of the gate and shut it. They were standing where his bum needed to swing, so I asked them to move. They said they would when he moved over. I was funny about it, how can I ask Rigsby to swing his bum when something is in the way? He would be very confused. I said no, I can't move him until you move. They didn't get it. I guess I am just very faffy. But, how can he trust my decisions if I ask him to swing round where someone is? I simply couldn't do it.

I am funny about people handling my horses, like if they paw for attention and someone shouts at them, giving attention. Or, they get distracted, knock into you and someone says good boy. Infuriating! Happily, I am the only person to mess with my horses, as a rule, apart from Mr Red, and he knows how faffy I am!

Oh, I forgot to say, today out hacking we met a tractor, motor bike, van with funny carpet roll on top, Rigsby was fabulous. As I said, a relaxing ride, even though we met some 'stuff'. Sometimes I feel that I don't deserve him, he is so wonderful.

 

[McFluff]

You define deserving him, you’ve made him so fab. Wonderful journey to follow and a good reminder that all our interactions with our horses train them and make them what they are.

 

[ycbm]

I can't quite get my head around a visitor to your own yard who argued with you about whether they would or would not move. Who does that on someone else's premises?


And how daft are they to want to teach a horse that a human will move out of his way if he swings into them?
.

 

[ycbm]

I love that you can see how still he stood to clip by the outline of hair around his foot ?

 

[Emilieu]

Thank you for sharing your journey; I have really enjoyed reading your posts today and was thinking a lot about things you had written when schooling my own little cob girl this evening.

 

[Red-1]

I love that you can see how still he stood to clip by the outline of hair around his foot ?

There were 4 prints, the front two not quite as distinct, but only because I pick them up to get into the crevices of his heels. He seems to be really looking to me for guidance now, he is amazing.

 

[Red-1]

Thank you for sharing your journey; I have really enjoyed reading your posts today and was thinking a lot about things you had written when schooling my own little cob girl this evening.

I hope you both had a lot of fun. I love arena time, when it is you and your horse, together in a private, conversational world.

We still only do about 10 minutes of work above trot. He finds it hard and I find he will work as hard as that because he knows it is for only a short amount of time. He is building his endurance slowly.

It does feel funny though, hiring the arena for 10 minus of actual work, some celerybrations and some standing communing!

 

[Red-1]

You define deserving him, you’ve made him so fab. Wonderful journey to follow and a good reminder that all our interactions with our horses train them and make them what they are.

Thank you. Maybe deserve is the wrong word. Maybe humbled is a better word.

I am humbled by his capacity for learning, for his try and for his amazingly fuzzy, friendly face! He keeps trying even when I make mistakes. He has optimism.

Rigsby is just what I need at the end of two simply awful years.

Now, not only do we have dressage on Wednesday, we have also hired a farm ride with friends on Thursday. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it (although he may go into a Pelham for the farm ride - just for the 1st time!).

 

[ycbm]

There were 4 prints, the front two not quite as distinct, but only because I pick them up to get into the crevices of his heels. He seems to be really looking to me for guidance now, he is amazing.

Ah, well I think we all realise now, after hiding your light under a bushel for years, that the horse is lovely but the trainer is amazing.
.

 

[KEK]

I love reading about your adventures with Rigsby, you write so well. Wish I could do a brain dump of your knowledge and experience into mine lol!

 

[Red-1]

Perhaps not the standard workout the day before dressage, but Rigsby and I played football.

Only the second time he's seen the ball, I think, and he was Fab. It was a short, low impact play. We did a fair hack yesterday and I don't want two school days in a row, so field it was.

Anyway, time to finish downstairs housework and clean tack for tomorrow. It is a 'stressless' competition, where you can wear normal riding clothes, but heck, I think I will wear cream breeches, proper boots and a white shirt in honour of the occasion!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Perhaps not the standard workout the day before dressage, but Rigsby and I played football.

Only the second time he's seen the ball, I think, and he was Fab. It was a short, low impact play. We did a fair hack yesterday and I don't want two school days in a row, so field it was.

Anyway, time to finish downstairs housework and clean tack for tomorrow. It is a 'stressless' competition, where you can wear normal riding clothes, but heck, I think I will wear cream breeches, proper boots and a white shirt in honour of the occasion!
View attachment 70282

Fab photo! I wish our fields were flat enough to play football with the horses in. As it is the ball would either spend most of its time sitting in a corner, or roll away down the valley into the village!

 

[chaps89]

I love the variety you give him in his work.
Can I ask what the loopy bit is under his chin/bit?

 

[Red-1]

I love the variety you give him in his work.
Can I ask what the loopy bit is under his chin/bit?

Yes, I planned on cleaning the bridle yesterday, but also wanted to get him a dry run with numbers, so I slapped a set of reins and numbers on his lungeing bridle to ride today. I use a cheeked Sprenger, with a Pelham rounding underneath so that, if I am lungeing on one rein instead of two, I don't have to stop and change the lunge rein. In actual fact, the bridle still isn't cleaned, so I could have used his under-saddle bridle after all.

I really, really wish that there had been a great equestrian technical reason for the loop, rather than me being too lazy to swap everything round

 

[chaps89]

? sorry to have caught you out, but actually that's a good use of a Pelham rounding for lunging

 

[Red-1]

Boots polished, tack clean - but - can he wear his sheepskin girth sleeve? I'm not sure as I have never used one for BD, I seem to recollect that a girth liner was allowed but a sleeve not? Has that changed? I last read the full rule book when I started BD, in 1998!

 

[Red-1]

Rigsby's first ever competition, and he went and won it. Of course, it was more important that he had a nice experience and left the competition feeling more confident than when he went but he did that too, so a win was just the icing on the cake!

Lovely comments from the judge. The only downer is... Rigsby really does look a bit small for me, even though I have gone down in weight. I am not too heavy for him, but I am too long! Rigsby however, is NOT for sale, but I think another is needed if I want to do more than we are.

That always was the plan, but even so, I am sad that I look a bit big. Who would have thought 6 months ago that Riggers would get a red frilly?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Eeeee! I was so excited to see this update I could barely read the post

Well done to you both! Looking super smart and lovely comments from the judge.

 

[Red-1]

He was a little overwhelmed when he first got there, a lorry drove in behind us and startled him, then soooo many BIG horses cantering in the warmup. He coped so well. One big grey nearly cantered into his bum, and he remained composed. He never broke walk, he just walks a bit funny when stressed!

All set for the farm ride tomorrow! We are just gong for a walk/little trot so it will be a kind of easy riding day, with a bit of travel. He seems to be a competent traveller now. Only missed 2 days of loading since Good Friday, he now sees the ramp down and inserts himself into the box to eat.

 

[Roxylola]

Charlie has got better, but he did start off a bit worried in working ins. If anything came a bit close, especially if they were big he'd do a soft but troubled little whinny which was ever so sweet really.
Well done to you both, what an excellent result. I think you look fine side on - just avoid front on photos and you'll be ok lol

 

[southerncomfort]

Oh wow! That's fantastic for a first outing!

And to think how far he's come since you got him. Amazing!

 

[Rosemary28]

Ah fantastic! Rigsby is so wonderful ? I want my own Rigsby!

 

[palo1]

He was a little overwhelmed when he first got there, a lorry drove in behind us and startled him, then soooo many BIG horses cantering in the warmup. He coped so well. One big grey nearly cantered into his bum, and he remained composed. He never broke walk, he just walks a bit funny when stressed!

All set for the farm ride tomorrow! We are just gong for a walk/little trot so it will be a kind of easy riding day, with a bit of travel. He seems to be a competent traveller now. Only missed 2 days of loading since Good Friday, he now sees the ramp down and inserts himself into the box to eat.

Brilliant - what a lovely result after a horrible time and after giving Rigsby the chance to show what he can do!! Fantastic

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Well done to both of you! You don't look too big for him.