emmaln
Well-Known Member
I am so proud and happy with my girly today.
I posted yesterday about bridle/bit combinations for my girl and had lots of lovely helpful replies so thank you!
I have decided we are going to stick with what we are doing for now as it appears to working!
Toffs (18 yr old ex racer) has always had behavioural problems and can get tense and excited and like a lot of ex racers seems to be constantly injured and bringing her back into work has always been difficult, to cut a long story short last time she was off when i went to bring her back in to work something was different she had started rearing after a year off with lots of poking and prodding from every professional available we seem to be coming right however whatever pain she had she has built up a fear of taking up the contact and if i so much as take the rein up past the buckle she would tense and eventually start rearing again!
Cue friend with treeless saddle and natural horsemanship tendencies (i am a hippy on the outside but a traditionalist at heart so this was a little strange!) Toffs instantly relaxed into the treeless saddle (her previous saddle was professionally fitted and a thorowgood) I think it was just because it felt different. i also just accepted that she wasn't happy with the contact and so have been riding her for a little while after lunging her with no reins at all we can ride a 3 loop serpentine with no reins!
Anyways after all that waffle i am so proud of her today as over the weeks i have been riding with a little more contact bit by bit inching my way up the reins (ooh we ride in a dr. cook bitless as well!) and today we were trotting 20 metre circles with an almost normal contact and she stayed relaxed.
It may sound small but i love this horse so much and i am so so desperate to have her back to being ridden comfortably and in a relaxed way!
Sorry that wasn't so short after all well done if you managed to get that far! I am home alone tonight and OH isn't here to have his ear bent so i had to do it to you lovely people! I am just having a pear cider so i send a bottle to all who read this
xxxxx
I posted yesterday about bridle/bit combinations for my girl and had lots of lovely helpful replies so thank you!
I have decided we are going to stick with what we are doing for now as it appears to working!
Toffs (18 yr old ex racer) has always had behavioural problems and can get tense and excited and like a lot of ex racers seems to be constantly injured and bringing her back into work has always been difficult, to cut a long story short last time she was off when i went to bring her back in to work something was different she had started rearing after a year off with lots of poking and prodding from every professional available we seem to be coming right however whatever pain she had she has built up a fear of taking up the contact and if i so much as take the rein up past the buckle she would tense and eventually start rearing again!
Cue friend with treeless saddle and natural horsemanship tendencies (i am a hippy on the outside but a traditionalist at heart so this was a little strange!) Toffs instantly relaxed into the treeless saddle (her previous saddle was professionally fitted and a thorowgood) I think it was just because it felt different. i also just accepted that she wasn't happy with the contact and so have been riding her for a little while after lunging her with no reins at all we can ride a 3 loop serpentine with no reins!
Anyways after all that waffle i am so proud of her today as over the weeks i have been riding with a little more contact bit by bit inching my way up the reins (ooh we ride in a dr. cook bitless as well!) and today we were trotting 20 metre circles with an almost normal contact and she stayed relaxed.
It may sound small but i love this horse so much and i am so so desperate to have her back to being ridden comfortably and in a relaxed way!
Sorry that wasn't so short after all well done if you managed to get that far! I am home alone tonight and OH isn't here to have his ear bent so i had to do it to you lovely people! I am just having a pear cider so i send a bottle to all who read this
xxxxx
