Just Another Day In The Life Of A Work Rider

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Elf On A Shelf

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It's been a while since I have done one of these so I thought I would do a random update with a few pics!

The majority of the horses are back in work now though one of 'my' horses is still at home on his hols for a few more weeks. He is going to come back like a whale ...

Over at yard 1 I had wee Macattack to ride first. So off we tootle trotting round the fields before heading the circle gallop. Cantering away round here there is a wee downhill section which he broncs down almost every time without fail! At least he has grown out of his full on fly bucking!

Horse 2 was big Boris. He is just back in work and he is a LAZY toad! He does bare minimum but when he is fit is is cool!

Over at yard 2 Pony was up first! Just twice up the gallop which pony thinks is great fun as we go quite quick second time! He gnashes his teeth, puts his ears back and growls when he is upsides he is so funny!

Complimentary picture of Pony:
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Next up is Bucket Heid! He is back in work and he has come back in looking fantastic with a good amount of weight on! Now Bucket Heid has a slight problem at the moment - he is loving life FAR TOO much ... You tack him up and his willy is out. You groom him - his willy is out. You feed him - his willy is out ... You get the picture! There is nothing medically wrong btw! He is just FAR too happy with life! And it doesn't just dangle either ... But he has remembered all of his manners and is still such a dude to ride! Until a pigeon flies out from under his feet but I stayed on this time! Unlike the deer episode last year!

Hunting away round the sand for his first canter back - after the pigeon episode!
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Last up was wee Sky who was just out for a happy hack. Getting on wee Sky after getting off of Bucket Heid is funny! He felt like such a midget! He's only 15.2hh though he is chunky enough for his size he is no where near the size of Bucket Heid! He ran at Cartmel the other day but you can draw a line through any run there as horses either get the track or they don't, it's very unique! If you ever get the chance to go for a day out I would highly recommend it! We pootled round the old railway line and I could have done with some grass reins! Sky knows when he is out by himself he gets to snack! As we carried on our merry way there was a kid standing at the side of the track. There was another in the tree picking cherries! Needless to say Sky heard the rustling bags and went to investigate! So whilst he was annoyed he wasnt allowed to eat any cherries he did make 2 new friends! Sky loves getting a fuss off of people and it creates a good atmosphere with people we share the roads and tracks with if they get to speak to the horses once in a while.

Wee Sky taking in the scenery:
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Blooming heck I have missed your posts ! Its great to get such an insight into life in a racing yard and you do it so well. I was lucky when I was younger and fitter to ride out at a private yard on hunters and racehorses either waiting to go into training on having a break. It amazed me that the antics they pulled whilst hacking out we regarded as funny and part of the ride but your own horse doing the same was terrifying !
 
Loved reading this. :) I am a rider at a polo yard, mostly training and riding away the young ones which are hopefully future stars of the sport. Maybe I should do a post like this?!
 
Fab posts and lovely pics. Thanks for sharing.

Spotty pony - yes please, it’s really interesting reading about different horsey jobs - especially if you have an office job like mine!
 
That second photo shows such an unhappy horse :( mouth open, ears back, pinned down by draw reins..
 
SusieT said:
That second photo shows such an unhappy horse :( mouth open, ears back, pinned down by draw reins..
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As i have said before there are things that some wouldn't like nor would they approve of. We use draw reins or bungees on all horses for their first few weeks back in work regardless. As for mouth open ears back - he is a sod for getting his tongue over the bit which is what he was probably trying to do there. He is also a massive tongue waggler - along with being a Willy waggler these days ...

In a couple of weeks the dr's will be swopped for grackle. Bucket Heid actually carries himself quite nicely for the most part with just a nice hold on the rein but when he is working he is an absolute brute of a Horse. Head down, bowling along getting stronger and more numb with every repetition of the gallop. He isnt the easiest ride on the planet. He is a big horse with a big head that really needs held together.
 
EKW said:
As i have said before there are things that some wouldn't like nor would they approve of. We use draw reins or bungees on all horses for their first few weeks back in work regardless. As for mouth open ears back - he is a sod for getting his tongue over the bit which is what he was probably trying to do there. He is also a massive tongue waggler - along with being a Willy waggler these days ...

In a couple of weeks the dr's will be swopped for grackle. Bucket Heid actually carries himself quite nicely for the most part with just a nice hold on the rein but when he is working he is an absolute brute of a Horse. Head down, bowling along getting stronger and more numb with every repetition of the gallop. He isnt the easiest ride on the planet. He is a big horse with a big head that really needs held together.
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plus racing work 'good work' is different to normal ridden 'good work' so the ways of achieving them are different too.
 
For some unknown reason, this post has a one star rating. IMHO this is a mistake because I love your posts EKW so I've voted it higher.

FWIW I didn't see an unhappy horse in the pic, I saw one keen to work but a little too keen and needing guidance to build strength and resilience. (I'd hate to think how terribly unhappy I'd look in a picture of me running)
 
What exactly makes you make the decision ' keen to work' and ' too keen and needing guidance' ? the drawn back expression? open mouth? tense muscles?
 
SusieT said:
Why do you think he tries to put his tongue over the bit? Perhaps he is unhappy in his mouth?
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He sticks his tongue out of his mouth and plays with it all the time whether he has a it in or not! All of the horses in the yard have their teeth done every year, more frequently if needed. As I have said numerous times before on these threads not everyone will like or agree with everything we do. We use generic bits on all the horses. They don't have their own. We have our own saddles that we use on whatever we are sitting on that day - whether its a dainty 15hh or a chunky 17hh they wear the same kit just up or down a few holes on the cheekpieces and girths.

Would you rather I just strapped his mouth shut with an incredibly tight noseband or god awful contraption like the eventers seem to get away with rather than having him lob along in a simple jointed snaffle with no noseband for the most part?

We have half a tonne of sheer muscle underneath us with nothing more than a bit, sometimes a grackle and sheer talent to keep us in control. The bungees and draw reins when the horses are coming back into work are to help encourage them to work from the back to the front. Front engined horses don't win races. They run out of steam.
 
Love these posts. Thanks for sharing, love reading about your work. Taking a race horse up the gallops is still on my bucket list- although I’ll never have the skill or opportunity! Must be a wonderful feeling, as long as they are behaving!!
 
Evie91 said:
Love these posts. Thanks for sharing, love reading about your work. Taking a race horse up the gallops is still on my bucket list- although I’ll never have the skill or opportunity! Must be a wonderful feeling, as long as they are behaving!!
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There is actually NOTHING that compares to feeling the sheer and utter power underneath you! You don't even need to be going that fast to feel it when you are sitting on a horse that just oozes talent. The majority of horses know their jobs inside out so behave - they know where the start of the gallop is, they know when to stop. The control in the middle bit is just an optical illusion!
 
I really enjoy your posts thank you. Nicely handled re the post about him being unhappy. I realise that racing isn’t to everyone’s liking and training methods may well not be understood or agreed with outside of that world.
 
I’d much rather see a horse bobbing along like that, than some of the dressage horses pics I’ve seen-mouths strapped up, purple tongues and bloody foam. I genuinely see nothing wrong in the pics you’ve posted- good luck to you. You do a grand job and obviously have a lot to be proud of. :)
 
Oh I love this post! And Pony is blooming gorgeous! What a wonderful thing to be able to do, it must be amazing.

I'd love to ride work, how did you get into it? And as for people not liking some training methods, there's no pleasing everyone. I'm from a polo background so often people see lots of tack and assume the worst. Spotty Pony I'd love to see a day in the lift of your polo yard!!
 
Great post, loving the pictures, especially Bucket Heid. Thanks for the explanation about tack, very interesting.
 
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