Loki's progress update, he's having a teenage tantrum moment

sandi_84

sandi_84

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Ok so it's been a while since I've told anyone here about how we've been getting on so here's the scoop:
The honeymoon period is over ;)
My fab boy has been in really really light work over the last month due to me having a buisier than usuall few weeks (felt like a totally bad mum for being so neglectful!) and I think he thought he was getting to go back to the "good old days" of having a life of leisure and not being asked to do anything too straining :rolleyes:
So it's been a bit of a shock to his system to find out that he's not getting to live his life as mainly a field ornament and now my days are less busy than they were last month he does indeed have to get back to work now ha ha!
Took him in to work him one night last week, did my usual warm up routine and everything in walk and trot was going great... then, to my shock (and slight amusement) when asked for canter he gives a naughty little (teensy) buck! :eek: I obviously didn't correct this properly as the next canter was accompanied by another wee buck too! Rode him the next day with the same result but with the variation of when asking him for walk/halt transition he didn't want to stand still but when corrected got grumpy and bucked again! Then when the school gates were opened for him to go out he attempted to nap (previous problem) to get to them and when he wasn't allowed to gave another grumpasaurus buck.
Told my RI about it and booked in for my first lesson in aaaaages! She watched how we went and when asked for canter saw the little buck, asked me to give him a kick to say "not on!", bring him back to trot and ask for canter again.... No buck!
Was beginning to worry that maybe it might have been his saddle pinching him so have been borrowing a bareback saddle (think that's what it's called) - it's like a numnah with girth straps and rings to put stirrup leathers on - and apart from it being the most comfortable thing I have EVER ridden in (seriously! also my sitting trot was the best it's ever been! Oh and his 10m circles were the best they've ever been too! I was very proud!) we still had little bucks :rolleyes:
I've been working him every day for the last week now (except today and yesterday because I pulled my back and am in rather a lot of pain :() and the bucks have become a rareity :D
So now I'm thinking that what with all the lovely weather/ access to new grass and mares starting to come into season that he's just feeling very full of the joys and we are having a long overdue tantrum phaze :cool:
Oh well... I knew it would happen at some point and with my RI's help I'm sure we'll manage to get through it without any major hassles, she'll keep us both right :) Tbh I'm finding it quite interesting because even though he's starting to challenge me with little flashes of "no mum I don't want to do that, I want to go back to the field" I still feel really really safe :confused:
Anyway I knew I named him Loki for some reason :p
Major kudos if you got this far without falling into a bored coma-like state! Have some coffee and homemade honeycomb on me! :D
 
He was indeedy being a cheeky monkey! :D Yes I've been waiting for a tantrum phase and thinking we were probably about due one :rolleyes::D

I've been working him every day for at least half an hour - an hour and he's been getting used by some of the older girls at the yard at least two days a week for a half hour lesson too and so far so good... no bucks!
Did a bit of jumping with him over the last week and apart from the first day where I didn't keep my leg on properly and we had a run out he's been a star :D
After a warm up did a teensy crosspole to start with yesterday and he took it like a spread! :eek::D eventually worked up to attempting a foot and a half upright and he popped over it like a pro and had me grinning like a loon for the rest of the day :D
My RI rode him after my lesson today because we were having serious trouble with inside and outside flexion (flatwork is sooo not my thing i think :cool:) so she wanted to show me and him how it should be done. She commented on how strong he is. Every time I put my leg on to ask him to bend he started to run through my hands and rush about. I ended up getting a bit upset with myself because I felt like I was constantly pulling on him and just felt like I was a horrible person and a completely useless rider. Began to seriously consider for the first time that getting such a green horse as a first time owner was a major mistake as I felt I just wasn't up to teaching him without ruining him in some way :(
In the end she tried him in a gag bit (he was in the snaffle up till now), I wasn't too sure about it at first but it made a huge difference! We now have no rushing and the slightest bit of pressure gets him to slow/ stop. I got back on again and I felt so much better because he was more collected and I didn't need to be constantly (or at least thats what it felt like before) at him to slow down.
Going to try him in the gag for my next lesson and see how we get on and my RI says she's quite happy to ride him for a bit over the next week. I think having someone on board who really knows what they are doing will help him no end which in turn will help me too.
 
melxvengeance said:
Random question but what breed is he?

I also have a Loki and he suits his name down to a T, he's such a hooligan!
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He's just a random irish cob ha ha! Poor lad, my mum says he's a b****rd horse because he's got no dam or sire on his passport. He's acquired (sp?:eek:) a few dodgey nicknames... Bog Beast/ie and Little Lord of Darkness ha ha! :D But he's my boy and I love natives :D

pookie said:
Sounds like you and your RI are handling him brilliantly :D



WANT!!!
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Thanks :D Today was a bit horrible I even almost had a cry which nearly never happens! :cool: Hopefully though now things will start to look up and we'll do better again :D

The bareback saddle is courtesy of my wonderful OH who used to ride his cob in it all the time he wanted to give me it but it's worth over £50 (I know it's not a fortune or anything but it's an expensive "just because" gift) and I didn't want to take it from him when it's got all those lovely memories attached to it (plus I know he plans on getting another horse in the future) so it's just on loan till I get one myself :D
If you can find one to try I highly reccomend it for a bit of a laugh, it's great fun to ride in and it turned out to be quite instructive for me when I did some jumping in it... definately helps you focus on your balance! ;):D
 
No need to cry...it's a learning curve for both of you :) He might be green but he's a blank canvas and with a good RI you'll both be fine :)

I'm definitely looking into the bareback saddle thingy. Any ideas where your OH got it from? A bit of googling and most seem much more expensive than £50 :(
 
pookie said:
No need to cry...it's a learning curve for both of you :) He might be green but he's a blank canvas and with a good RI you'll both be fine :)

I'm definitely looking into the bareback saddle thingy. Any ideas where your OH got it from? A bit of googling and most seem much more expensive than £50 :(
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I managed not to cry (I cry very rarely tbh, it probably wasn't helping that I am feeling a bit sore just now - wisdom teeth giving me gyp and my back still isn't quite right after pulling it last week) but it was a close run thing :cool: My RI made me laugh instead :D I know that we'll get better together and it was just a bad day :o

I have no idea, I'll have to ask him where he got it from :) I had a wee look online too and I either couldn't find one nearly as nice as his or one that had rings for stirrups. The ones I looked at were priced from about £50 upwards - I had a look-see on ebay but they are pretty expensive for something I'd class as a non-necessity item :cool:
 
Well we seem to be doing really well this week, no farting around when mounting and adjusting stirrups. We've been lead pony for a whole load of treks out and we even lead out on one in the big woods where we can all get a good gallop today! He's such a star he wasn't bothered by anything out there and we even managed to gallop faster than a couple of the "fast" horses on the yard! :D
Our lesson last week went brilliantly, I think it was our best yet (friday progress report thread) and we just seem to be getting closer, as long as there is no buckets around (which obviously have food in them, which is obviously for him :rolleyes:) he would happily follow me around the yard loose - not that I do this but I have had a few short test runs coming in from the field and when walking to the stalls :o Bearing in mind I'm a right stingey git with the treats I like to think that he is just feeling comfortable and safe around me and chooses to stick with me rather than b***ering off elsewhere ha ha! :D
Also he is looking tremendously handsome with the winter coat gone, his mane growing in and a bit more muscle tone (pics for comparison thread for those who wanted to see him recently) and has even decided he's not averse to having a kiss plonked on his nose everynow and then - this was apparently a little scary at first but now he is resigned to his kissable fate ;):D
 
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