Annagain
Well-Known Member
....not because it was perfect but because it wasn't perfect but I still got off feeling positive rather than just grateful I survived.
I popped out at lunchtime (took a slightly longer one that means I now have to work until 6 but never mind!) for a lesson and we had everything thrown at us. It's cold here today so Charlie was very on his toes (particularly his back toes) to start. His bum was about 6" higher than the rest of him and he felt like he would explode if I even touched him with my legs. I was seconds from getting off in the first two minutes (it was only the thought of having to let go of the reins long enough to unplug my air jacket that stopped me) but my lovely instructor had me walking lots of small circles, changing the rein lots and getting him focussed on me and he soon settled.
Just as he was starting to work really nicely 5 sheep appeared from nowhere, followed by 6 people in hot pursuit and it blew his tiny little manchild brain but I managed to stay on him. We couldn't go into the corner where it happened for a good 5 minutes but we got there in the end. These same random people then kept appearing at the gate (I think in search of more rogue sheep) which required slamming on the anchors every time, no matter which gait we were in. Who knew he could do such a good canter to halt? We got through it though and we got through the little bucks into canter on the right rein.
My instructor has noticed I sit too far to the left and hang on to the right rein a bit which makes him go out through his left shoulder. It's then difficult for him to get his right hind underneath him, leading to the buck. She had me cantering figures of 8 (1/2 circles not across the diagonal) starting on the left rein, coming back to trot to change the rein and he would then pop into right canter beautifully. We then trotted the first half and only cantered as we started on the 2nd half circle to the right and we nailed it every time. The big test was then going large and cantering and finally on the circle (this is when he's falling out through his shoulder the most) and we had no more bucking. Other people have mentioned him falling out before but never my role in it so I finally feel I have something to work on to change the root cause.
Many of you will know I've had a few wobbles with Charlie since getting him 16 months ago but I'm feeling much more positive about our partnership even though we're not where I'd imagined we would be by now. I mentioned to a different instructor we have at riding club (who is fab but not from the area, she travels to us once a month) how I was struggling and she pointed out the progress we'd made in that time. In our first lesson, he tossed his head around for 45 minutes solid and nothing I did had any effect at all. That was extreme but he did it a lot in everyday life. He doesn't do it at all now, unless he's very tired. I usually sense when it's coming and stop just before. He's also much more off my leg now and far less nappy / clingy to other horses in group lessons.
I'm still not totally there in terms of my confidence, but today for the first time in a long time, I got off feeling like I'm going to get there and our relationship is going to be ok.....Then the b@$t@rd stood on my foot.
I popped out at lunchtime (took a slightly longer one that means I now have to work until 6 but never mind!) for a lesson and we had everything thrown at us. It's cold here today so Charlie was very on his toes (particularly his back toes) to start. His bum was about 6" higher than the rest of him and he felt like he would explode if I even touched him with my legs. I was seconds from getting off in the first two minutes (it was only the thought of having to let go of the reins long enough to unplug my air jacket that stopped me) but my lovely instructor had me walking lots of small circles, changing the rein lots and getting him focussed on me and he soon settled.
Just as he was starting to work really nicely 5 sheep appeared from nowhere, followed by 6 people in hot pursuit and it blew his tiny little manchild brain but I managed to stay on him. We couldn't go into the corner where it happened for a good 5 minutes but we got there in the end. These same random people then kept appearing at the gate (I think in search of more rogue sheep) which required slamming on the anchors every time, no matter which gait we were in. Who knew he could do such a good canter to halt? We got through it though and we got through the little bucks into canter on the right rein.
My instructor has noticed I sit too far to the left and hang on to the right rein a bit which makes him go out through his left shoulder. It's then difficult for him to get his right hind underneath him, leading to the buck. She had me cantering figures of 8 (1/2 circles not across the diagonal) starting on the left rein, coming back to trot to change the rein and he would then pop into right canter beautifully. We then trotted the first half and only cantered as we started on the 2nd half circle to the right and we nailed it every time. The big test was then going large and cantering and finally on the circle (this is when he's falling out through his shoulder the most) and we had no more bucking. Other people have mentioned him falling out before but never my role in it so I finally feel I have something to work on to change the root cause.
Many of you will know I've had a few wobbles with Charlie since getting him 16 months ago but I'm feeling much more positive about our partnership even though we're not where I'd imagined we would be by now. I mentioned to a different instructor we have at riding club (who is fab but not from the area, she travels to us once a month) how I was struggling and she pointed out the progress we'd made in that time. In our first lesson, he tossed his head around for 45 minutes solid and nothing I did had any effect at all. That was extreme but he did it a lot in everyday life. He doesn't do it at all now, unless he's very tired. I usually sense when it's coming and stop just before. He's also much more off my leg now and far less nappy / clingy to other horses in group lessons.
I'm still not totally there in terms of my confidence, but today for the first time in a long time, I got off feeling like I'm going to get there and our relationship is going to be ok.....Then the b@$t@rd stood on my foot.
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hows your foot?