ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
When his soles are all in one piece, you should be able to trim the height of the hoof wall to about 2mm above the sole edge. While the sole is not true, that's more difficult!
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One day, Rigsby may feel less enthralling. I mean, we just do half an hour at walk! But right now he is amazing to me. LOL
What a star
What I would give for half an hour at walk! (We have been iced in and my only escape - apart from my lorry which of course we can't use - is the Dingle - a very steep and narrow, sandstone and mud bridleway)
My poor cob reacted to his flu/tet jab for the first time so he's having a few days off and is currently sorting a warm swelling about 2" across at the jab site . He's very stoic and rarely feels anything much so I think he is a bit sore.
He says: "hi Rigsby, fellow cob! I am the Red King of the Cobs in case you should feel you need a monarch .
Mum took a while to come around to my way of thinking - but I've got her where I want her now, 3 feeds a day and a lovely shelter and field - I let her pretend to work me every now and then and we go out and bring some red bits of ribbon home sometimes when the humans are allowed out. All down to me of course!"
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I am quietly cheered by Rigsby's adventures as Woody and I do our 15mn. lunging followed by 15 mn. walk and a few transitions in and out of trot, all tailored to the old woman trying to do a bit of schooling without crippling herself! I also get a huge sense of achievement from it all these days. Two effortless steps of leg yield out of the circle felt just amazing last night.
I've had Blue for two years. I still have days - weeks, months - when I can't believe how perfect she is. There's nothing better than a good cob. (And nothing worse than a bad one!)
What I would give for half an hour at walk! (We have been iced in and my only escape - apart from my lorry which of course we can't use - is the Dingle - a very steep and narrow, sandstone and mud bridleway)
My poor cob reacted to his flu/tet jab for the first time so he's having a few days off and is currently sorting a warm swelling about 2" across at the jab site . He's very stoic and rarely feels anything much so I think he is a bit sore.
He says: "hi Rigsby, fellow cob! I am the Red King of the Cobs in case you should feel you need a monarch .
Mum took a while to come around to my way of thinking - but I've got her where I want her now, 3 feeds a day and a lovely shelter and field - I let her pretend to work me every now and then and we go out and bring some red bits of ribbon home sometimes when the humans are allowed out. All down to me of course!"
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Haha, not sure the barley straw will last him any length of time. He was amazed and delighted to have an extra net delivered, and was just eating it in preference to his soaked hay. It is in a small holed Martsnet, so hopefully he will spend a bit longer eating, even if he won't just browse what he needs, as I intended
Barley straw is brilliant for ‘filling’ them up. Much less calories than hay. Mine is on weighed hay but I always leave a net of barley straw, so she has something to nibble. It’s all I feed my donkeys as well.
I love this! I am kicking myself as I sold my beloved old cob's Back on Track rug after I lost him, I would have gladly donated it (might've been a bit big though, 6ft 6/9)
If you ever fancy a "schooling" livery Ruari would love to come and stay Not sure what he'd say to a no-grass existence though lol
I used to say that my private business was to help nice people help nice horses to go nicely.
I am still looking. Royally fed up with the instructor I tried last week hoping to gain some new insights into work in hand who panicked my little cob into headlong flight on the lunge, proudly telling me she was strong enough to hold him while he was doing the wall of death. Oh, and he was quietly cantering by the end...yes, but not through her skilful handling unfortunately.
I nearly 'like'ed this, but couldn't. I would go really slowly. I specialised in confidence. Many times, our first lesson was on how to hold the horse. I am talking, taking the horse to an area, drawing a circle in the dirt and asking the horse to stand with a named leg in the circle. It is surprisingly difficult!
The 'lesson' was actually in the owner/handler being able to feel the difference between moving the horse with pressure, and indicating to the horse what is required with pressure. It has a whole different feel. One is coping, the other is training. Then refine that to recognise where the horse has his attention, and be able to catch the attention before the horse mentally checks out, then refine that until they can do it without apparently moving.
This lesson is key to solving mounting issues, where the handler can then indicate where the horse should stand rather than manoeuvre them into position. If the horse has had the indication of where he needs to move, and willingly complies, he is far, far less likely to want to move.
Many lessons on mounting.
Then many lessons on getting a walk without having to nag.
The first lesson on holding will then translate to helping the horse to yield to the bit rather than yawing, which refines to politely holding the bit...
So, sometimes it would be 4 lessons, and all we achieved is holding, leading, mounting, walking and halting
It seems slow, but actually they were then in a great position to train on as the basic feel and understanding were there.
Some lessons were on catching, on lungeing, I did stacks of long reining. I was recommended by a sports psychologist to some people who had lost confidence to the point they would not mount, that is OK, we did long reining until they actually wanted to mount. We long reined round courses of cones, poles, tarpaulins, knocked barrels over, built walls of milk cartons and ling reined right through them. One day, the rider would see the saddle, with stirrups, in front of them as they trotted round and just fancy a little sit. From there, they were riding!
I loved it all, the photos, videos, the walking out for first hacks, hiring places and making a trip of it.
I did really enjoy it, but had become stale with my own personal life interfering, and I wasn't as good as I once was, and therefore no longer enjoyed it. So, I scaled right back. When I also lost my own horse and had a few more knocks, I quit altogether. I felt I was no longer giving value. I hate trainers who are burned out, but don't stop.
One day, when I am refreshed, I may start again, or I may not. Initially I did 'problem horses' but don't think I will ever go back to that. I no longer have the edge and ability to sustain an onslaught from a cross horse! It never lasted long but, IME, to break the cycle, someone needs to stand firm and be consistent while the horse is doing its thing. Not aggressive, but holding your ground. Don't fancy that any more, and with my back ridden 'problem horses' would be a bad idea too.
Even little Rigsby, who famously wouldn't load in his old home (poor previous owners took 2 days to get him home on the one trip they did- and that was ridden, right through a town centre, as they couldn't get him in either on the day or the next morning!), took me 3 hrs 40 minutes to load on the day I bought him. Although we did load 3 times in that time, so we are in a better position for next time. In the end he loaded himself and stood firm, but before that he tried his repertoire, once each trick, I managed to stand firm without getting excited about it, it gave him time to think it through. Even that, which was a very passive session really, hurt my back and reinforced that I don't want to do THAT any more.
I think age and life caught up with me!
Oh my god, I think you are the instructor I have been looking for all my life! Is never going to work because you're not teaching/taking horses, and I am probably the other end of the country...but....there's no harm in wishing for the rainbow's end, is there?
Whereabouts are you, jnb? If you're Cheshire/Greater Manchester-ish, I can pass on the details of my instructor.
If you're near Sussex I can recommend my instructor too jnb.
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