Hemirjtm
Well-Known Member
About 10 days ago I posted asking for advice/opinions on the situation with my 4yr old. Thank you to everyone who replied/Pm'd me 
Really appreciate it.
His attitude as improved so much in 10 days so I'm very pleased with that. I spoke with my YO who agreed he could have as much T/O as possible, so he now goes out about 6.30am and doesn't come in until after 9pm weather permitting. I hacked him out for a couple of days and then took him back in the school and rather than doing falt work we did poles and then had our first ever jump, very very tiny! We jumped a handful of times. This was to get him doing something that has never been a negative. VERY positive and VERY forward. Day one back in the school we had a few moments where he didn't want to go down one side of the school and realised that my right leg isn't as strong as my left! he then had a full day out in the field as can't get up on Wednesdays.
Thursday he went out at 6.30am, I got him in in the afternoon and it started off as if I was riding another horse. I walked him around the yard tracks for 15mins before going in the school to warm him up. Got him in there and he was ready to work. We had raised trotting poles today as the poles/jumps had made him think forward Again ended on a good note...however his canter is so big I can't sit on my backside yet even in a straight line !!!
Friday he went for a little hack - forward thinking And yesterday we warmed up over trotting poles. I think my trainer put a line of 8 in the end to get him thinking with a small one at each end to get ME thinking straight as he could have ducked out His knees were coming up so high and he felt so good Really using and enjoying himself He had a really good "I enjoy this work" feel about him. After warming up over the poles we worked on improving the contact and keeping a rythm in walk and trot. Starting to really get the hang of it.
It was the first day we have had no wobbles, hissy fits, spins, "I don't want to" attitude. He felt like the horse that he was when I was hacking him over the winter He is having today off and then we will hack tomorrow.
I don't know whether it is the going out/hacking him/doing something new that changed his attitude but fingers crossed he stays like this for a little while I know alot said to give him a break now - he will have a break later on in the year ! But he is a big lad and we decided giving him a break now was not the best for him/me.
So just wanted to say thank you ! And I'm feeling a lot more positive about him/my riding...I was starting ot blame his behaviour on it !!
French wine and cheese for reading !!
ETA : please don't think we rushed into doing something too quickly, he gets bored hacking everyday, so needed to do something else Over the winter I would hack and then lunge/long rein inbetween !! but would rather he was ridden at the yard and not long reined - I could lunge but he did that for 10 days a few weeks ago so needs to do something else !
Really appreciate it. His attitude as improved so much in 10 days so I'm very pleased with that. I spoke with my YO who agreed he could have as much T/O as possible, so he now goes out about 6.30am and doesn't come in until after 9pm weather permitting. I hacked him out for a couple of days and then took him back in the school and rather than doing falt work we did poles and then had our first ever jump, very very tiny! We jumped a handful of times. This was to get him doing something that has never been a negative. VERY positive and VERY forward. Day one back in the school we had a few moments where he didn't want to go down one side of the school and realised that my right leg isn't as strong as my left! he then had a full day out in the field as can't get up on Wednesdays.
Thursday he went out at 6.30am, I got him in in the afternoon and it started off as if I was riding another horse. I walked him around the yard tracks for 15mins before going in the school to warm him up. Got him in there and he was ready to work. We had raised trotting poles today as the poles/jumps had made him think forward
Again ended on a good note...however his canter is so big I can't sit on my backside yet even in a straight line !!!Friday he went for a little hack - forward thinking
And yesterday we warmed up over trotting poles. I think my trainer put a line of 8 in the end to get him thinking with a small one at each end to get ME thinking straight as he could have ducked out His knees were coming up so high and he felt so good Really using and enjoying himself He had a really good "I enjoy this work" feel about him. After warming up over the poles we worked on improving the contact and keeping a rythm in walk and trot. Starting to really get the hang of it.It was the first day we have had no wobbles, hissy fits, spins, "I don't want to" attitude. He felt like the horse that he was when I was hacking him over the winter
He is having today off and then we will hack tomorrow. I don't know whether it is the going out/hacking him/doing something new that changed his attitude but fingers crossed he stays like this for a little while
I know alot said to give him a break now - he will have a break later on in the year ! But he is a big lad and we decided giving him a break now was not the best for him/me. So just wanted to say thank you ! And I'm feeling a lot more positive about him/my riding...I was starting ot blame his behaviour on it !!
French wine and cheese for reading !!
ETA : please don't think we rushed into doing something too quickly, he gets bored hacking everyday, so needed to do something else
Over the winter I would hack and then lunge/long rein inbetween !! but would rather he was ridden at the yard and not long reined - I could lunge but he did that for 10 days a few weeks ago so needs to do something else !
Last edited:
