Pictures Producing 5/6yr olds

[RachelFerd]

XC schooling today for the first time since March (has done 3 runs at 90 since schooling last) and he was just fab. He really finds this super easy. Just need the strength to come and he's going to be a lot of fun next year - I hope!!!

 

[j1ffy]

XC schooling today for the first time since March (has done 3 runs at 90 since schooling last) and he was just fab. He really finds this super easy. Just need the strength to come and he's going to be a lot of fun next year - I hope!!!

wow RF - you must be so excited about him!

 

[daffy44]

Wow! He looks so confident and assured, fantastic job RF, what a bright future ahead of you both.

 

[RachelFerd]

wow RF - you must be so excited about him!

Wow! He looks so confident and assured, fantastic job RF, what a bright future ahead of you both.

Thanks both - he's shaping up into everything I want him to be - bar the fact that he hasn't grown and he's refusing to bulk up... but having seen his older brother in the flesh too, perhaps that's never going to happen!

He's so natural on the XC and he has absolutely no worries about being out on the course by himself. There isn't a single type of fence which causes him issues or concerns.

He's now turned a corner on the dressage work and is willing to learn - and also has a nice hint of wanting to show-off too.

He's a superstar our hacking - nannies horses much older than him all the time. And he's a total pet to handle - unfailingly polite and friendly to deal with.

Just need to get the SJ to catch up with everything else - which is a riding and training challenge on my part - and I've got everything I wanted. Except he's a bit small. And I have to try and keep him sound....

 

[daffy44]

RF, he doesnt look small at all, you look great on him, and I'm sensitive to this about the moment as I have a 4yr old who I'm currently willing to grow! I'm sure Isaac will fill out in time, but he certainly doesnt look small.

 

[RachelFerd]

RF, he doesnt look small at all, you look great on him, and I'm sensitive to this about the moment as I have a 4yr old who I'm currently willing to grow! I'm sure Isaac will fill out in time, but he certainly doesnt look small.

He's certainly making me watch my diet. Maybe that's a good thing

 

[eahotson]

View attachment 72561View attachment 72562
little fatty looking fit and slim both learning the joys of x country and riding in a huge space with other horses galloping off and leaving them Little rider was worried but had a ball when she realised Rowan truly is very good and stops when asks even if everyone else has galloped off. She was 6 in April and they have both learned as they went along

Lovely.

 

[eahotson]

Bought a four year old last year despite the fact that I really didn't want such a young horse.We have had a few problems on the ground with her being very bargy but she is much improved now.She has a temperament second to none.Went to her second show,a nice small one, on Sunday.Proud mummy bit, she came off the lorry like a pro, as though she has been doing it for years and gave her rider (who was doing her first ever show) a nice time and a first and fourth rosette.We were all well pleased.She hacks out on her own, in company, at the back or front and is used to nanny younger or more nervous horses out hacking.She will be my last horse because of my age but if I ever was going to buy another I wouldn't automatically discount a young one the way I did in the past.I do have a very good instructor though.

 

[RachelFerd]

Aaaand the lovely little 5yo puts his best foot forward again out eventing at Warwick Hall today. 6th of 32 starters for a top 20% finish - on his dressage score of 34.

Dressage could have scored so much better if i had gone in 5.mins earlier - but c'est la vie - it is HARD to time it right!

He's tricky in the SJ as so prone to rushing and running at his fences, but he held it together and whilst not a 'beautiful' round, it was rideable and careful. And XC, he's incredible. 90 feels too small, like child's play, for him.

I want to go to llanymynech next - not sure whether to go 90 or 100. Xc is definitely ready, but not totally confident in the SJ yet...

 

[lannerch]

Aaaand the lovely little 5yo puts his best foot forward again out eventing at Warwick Hall today. 6th of 32 starters for a top 20% finish - on his dressage score of 34.

Dressage could have scored so much better if i had gone in 5.mins earlier - but c'est la vie - it is HARD to time it right!

He's tricky in the SJ as so prone to rushing and running at his fences, but he held it together and whilst not a 'beautiful' round, it was rideable and careful. And XC, he's incredible. 90 feels too small, like child's play, for him.

I want to go to llanymynech next - not sure whether to go 90 or 100. Xc is definitely ready, but not totally confident in the SJ yet...

Brilliant rachelferd so pleased for you and the way he’s developing into a superb event pone.
Personally having live and learnt If your unsure I would do another 90

 

[RachelFerd]

Brilliant rachelferd so pleased for you and the way he’s developing into a superb event pone.
Personally having live and learnt If your unsure I would do another 90

Yep, I think I'll probably wait until next year and not do much more with him this year until SJ catches up with the XC. The XC will feel better when he has more substance to look at - the 90 is like child's play for him already!

 

[daffy44]

At this stage withhim showing so much potential, I'd go 90 again to really cement the sj, so much easier to not have to fix a problem!

 

[AntiPuck]

I took my now just-turned 6yo to her first (that i'm aware of!), fun ride this weekend - which was also my first! She was excellent. A bit stronger and speedier than usual but that wasn't totally unexpected as I don't think she's been in such a busy environment before, she was otherwise very well-behaved and has a cracking jump which I still need to get used to. Looking forward to hopefully doing many more fun rides with her!

 

[RachelFerd]

At this stage withhim showing so much potential, I'd go 90 again to really cement the sj, so much easier to not have to fix a problem!

It's on of the (many) pitfalls of eventing, where you finish on the XC phase on a high wanting more, casually forgetting that the middle phase isn't quite as good yet

For various reasons the calendar is a bit thin for him over the next few months - cancelled events and clashes where the older horse is at international events with no smaller classes. I'm also sticking to SJ on grass with him as he prefers it (but then as my older horse prefers it too, is it ME that prefers it?!).

So we can do Llanymynech 90 late in August. That's a certain.

Then there's a question mark over Allerton early in September - starts at 100 and SJ caused all sorts of trouble last year. But the XC would suit him - lovely flowing parkland track. This is the only event I could get him to in September, which is a bit annoying.

And then we could possibly get to Askham Bryan and/or Oasby in October - but both could be a discovery session about how he copes with mud!!

 

[daffy44]

RF, I'd wait as long as possible to decide, we both know how young horses can plateau with an issue for a while, and then suddenly make a step up, he may surprise you with his sj, and if not, stick to 90, take the winter to improve things, and really crack on next year when he is stronger.

I wish my 5yr old was as bold as Isaac, mine has still been finding work away from home anxiety inducing. My trainer and I have earmarked this year as non competitive for him, keeping the focus on building confidence and experience. He did his first Novices yesterday, and for the first time he felt a bit braver! He didnt just shut down, he stayed more in front of my leg, and altogether seemed to engage with the process much more. He didnt get world beating marks (66+%) in both tests, very fair marking, he made a big mistake in the second test, and in general he went very green and wobbly, but it was the first time he has felt this positive in a test, so I'm feeling much more confident, and I think he is too, so a very positive day for us.

 

[peanutsmumma]

Here is my 5 year old New Forest. I've had him since he was 7mths old.
I backed him very lightly last June and hacked him in walk until October. Gave him the winter off and bought him back into work in March this year.
We have done lots of hacking, beach rides, pole clinics and now the lessons and proper schooling has started. He is just awesome in every way

 

[RachelFerd]

RF, I'd wait as long as possible to decide, we both know how young horses can plateau with an issue for a while, and then suddenly make a step up, he may surprise you with his sj, and if not, stick to 90, take the winter to improve things, and really crack on next year when he is stronger.

I wish my 5yr old was as bold as Isaac, mine has still been finding work away from home anxiety inducing. My trainer and I have earmarked this year as non competitive for him, keeping the focus on building confidence and experience. He did his first Novices yesterday, and for the first time he felt a bit braver! He didnt just shut down, he stayed more in front of my leg, and altogether seemed to engage with the process much more. He didnt get world beating marks (66+%) in both tests, very fair marking, he made a big mistake in the second test, and in general he went very green and wobbly, but it was the first time he has felt this positive in a test, so I'm feeling much more confident, and I think he is too, so a very positive day for us.

Change of plan again - Frickley opened up a normal 90.... so we're going to do Frickley and Llanymynech 90s on consecutive weekends to conclude the season - give him a month off in September and then get cracking on nailing the SJ and dressage from late October whilst the older horse has his end of season hols. I think the SJ inconsistencies are weakness more than anything, so trying to have patience (even if he feels like a total pro across country...)

Well done with your lad - it's so tricky when they ride completely differently away from home... but those marks are very solid in my book!

 

[daffy44]

Change of plan again - Frickley opened up a normal 90.... so we're going to do Frickley and Llanymynech 90s on consecutive weekends to conclude the season - give him a month off in September and then get cracking on nailing the SJ and dressage from late October whilst the older horse has his end of season hols. I think the SJ inconsistencies are weakness more than anything, so trying to have patience (even if he feels like a total pro across country...)

Well done with your lad - it's so tricky when they ride completely differently away from home... but those marks are very solid in my book!

I love this plan, sounds perfect to me. I've found that 99% of the time with young horses, time and strength fixes just about everything (assuming no physical issues etc, etc, which obviously isnt the case with Issac). Consolidating at 90 where he is comfortable, having a break, and using the winter to improve should work very well, I always think 6 is the age that you can start things seriously, I bet this time next year you wont believe how far he has come.

 

[Barlow]

After six months together, yesterday we went off to our first show. Not sure why I thought the PRE national show would be a good first outing, but it was definitely in at the deep end as it was held at Hartpury.
He was very unsettled in the hour or so we had before I needed to be on him and thought he was the only horse in the world. I worried about getting on him but as soon as I did he settled. We went down the horse walk and into the warmup without incident. That in itself would have been enough for me to call it and say “didn’t he do well” but we went into the outdoor arena and he gave me a beautiful ride, it is honestly the first time I have enjoyed showing as he went so well. Yes he was a bit sticky in a couple of corners and going across the diagonals towards the crowd on the bank but for a first show we were absolutely foot perfect. Judge placed us third and the comments were lovely - basically we need to come back in two years when he has filled out and I completely agree with that, he’s so big and has so much growing to do - he isn’t the finished article yet but because he is so oversize for his breed I don’t want to rush that. Placing in the class wasn’t what yesterday was about, it was about seeing how he dealt with everything a show night throw at him. Now I have my answer I’m very much looking forward to our next outing!

 

[j1ffy]

Well done Barlow! I must visit the GBPRE show next year, with a bit of luck we'll be able to do the dressage...

It's all a bit 'two steps forward, one step backward' with 5yo Chilli at the moment. He seems to be a horse who gets upset if goalposts are shifted and has very strong opinions on what is fair and how things should be done. We've made good strides (no pun intended!) in his canter work, it's now much more consistent and adjustable although the transition upwards is still very over-the-top. To get there I've had to ignore one or two other challenges, such as a tendency to ignore my right leg when he's tense, but now we need to address that so we tackled it at my trainer's place over the weekend.

Cue some major tantrums! Although he has done plenty of 'off my right leg' work, being asked to do so consistently clearly constituted a change of ground rules and Chilli thought that was very unfair. He pushed strongly against my leg - colliding with the wall, then piaffing, then going backwards before I managed to get him to do a rough turn on the forehand, at which point he realised that the world wasn't about to end. Eventually he did some lovely leg yield, then travers to get the idea of left bend without his quarters swinging out and we even decided to have a go at a half pass, which he did with no qualms whatsoever. Weirdo.

Here's a video of the good bits, the trot is mostly very underpowered but adding energy isn't an issue. At the moment it's about acceptance of the aids and balance.

And some stills:

 

[RachelFerd]

Well done Barlow! I must visit the GBPRE show next year, with a bit of luck we'll be able to do the dressage...

It's all a bit 'two steps forward, one step backward' with 5yo Chilli at the moment. He seems to be a horse who gets upset if goalposts are shifted and has very strong opinions on what is fair and how things should be done. We've made good strides (no pun intended!) in his canter work, it's now much more consistent and adjustable although the transition upwards is still very over-the-top. To get there I've had to ignore one or two other challenges, such as a tendency to ignore my right leg when he's tense, but now we need to address that so we tackled it at my trainer's place over the weekend.

Cue some major tantrums! Although he has done plenty of 'off my right leg' work, being asked to do so consistently clearly constituted a change of ground rules and Chilli thought that was very unfair. He pushed strongly against my leg - colliding with the wall, then piaffing, then going backwards before I managed to get him to do a rough turn on the forehand, at which point he realised that the world wasn't about to end. Eventually he did some lovely leg yield, then travers to get the idea of left bend without his quarters swinging out and we even decided to have a go at a half pass, which he did with no qualms whatsoever. Weirdo.

Here's a video of the good bits, the trot is mostly very underpowered but adding energy isn't an issue. At the moment it's about acceptance of the aids and balance.

And some stills:

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View attachment 97339

There is some lovely high quality work in that video - very nice lateral work, and he's looking so much more established than vids from earlier this year.

 

[daffy44]

I agree with RF, he looks so much more established, your clearly doing a great job, well done!

 

[j1ffy]

Thank you both! The difficult moments can make it hard to gain perspective at times. His behaviour comes from over-thinking and over-trying, which is the better end of the spectrum I suppose.

A FB memory popped up today - one year since I first boxed him off the yard, for a hack. It reminded me how far we've come!

 

[MarvelVillis]

My gelding turned 5 last week so I guess he's now graduated to this thread from the other! I've been primarily hacking him during his fourth year, getting him strong and balanced, with the intention of starting proper schooling in his fifth year. However... I've just found out I'm pregnant, which is really wonderful news, but it was a complete shock and made me have to do a quick rethink of what to do with Marvel. I've stopped riding and am struggling to find someone to hack him for me a couple of times a week. Luckily he's the type you can leave for a week and then hop back on, so thinking of swapping my weekly schooling lessons with my instructor to a weekly hack instead! I did put out an ad for a share but the only messages I got were from under 18's despite the advert saying 18+ only... tempted to just give him 6 months off and crack on again next year. Decisions, decisions!

 

[RachelFerd]

Isaac had a SJ lesson in the sun today. Really pleased with how much better he is starting to understand the SJ. Sitting and waiting and pushing off the floor better. He felt really rideable too. Hope he's equally willing at area festival tomorrow for dressage!

 

[daffy44]

Lesson time for mine today as well, and i was very pleased with him, he is progressing every time, not in huge leaps, but slowly and steadily. He did some really nice work, he was brave enough to show his shoulder in and traver away from home, and the generally quality of everything has improved. I find it hard to judge because I see him all the time, but my trainer noticed that he has grown, both upwards and outwards, finally some muscles are developing!

 

[Alibear]

I have to admit I'm finding year 6 to be a challenge. Amber is fine she's doing everything we ask her to. But my riding just isn't keeping up with her progress, and that's starting to cause some conflict; I cannot keep it together for a show pattern at the moment. Which with our first show of the year this weekend is making me look at myself. I need to do better, but it's so hard juggling everything else in life and all the requirements to keep Amber fit and well, plus myself. I'm getting lots of help; nothing drastic needs to change apart from me. There will be more shows and more learnings, but I thought I'd share an honest post, that, at the moment I'm having to grind and work. The temptation is to step back, but she's now really using herself properly, and stepping back will lose that. It's now time for me to step up! At only 6, she's reminding me of the challenges my 13-year-old dressage schoolmaster gave me!

 

[TheMule]

I have to admit I'm finding year 6 to be a challenge. Amber is fine she's doing everything we ask her to. But my riding just isn't keeping up with her progress, and that's starting to cause some conflict; I cannot keep it together for a show pattern at the moment. Which with our first show of the year this weekend is making me look at myself. I need to do better, but it's so hard juggling everything else in life and all the requirements to keep Amber fit and well, plus myself. I'm getting lots of help; nothing drastic needs to change apart from me. There will be more shows and more learnings, but I thought I'd share an honest post, that, at the moment I'm having to grind and work. The temptation is to step back, but she's now really using herself properly, and stepping back will lose that. It's now time for me to step up! At only 6, she's reminding me of the challenges my 13-year-old dressage schoolmaster gave me!

Sorry to read you're having a bit of a struggle- I would say that she's young and you have time, there's really no rush to have to do it all now and it might just take a fraction longer,
Good luck at the weekend!

 

[TheMule]

I'm going to join back in with the post now after a very difficult couple of months with my 5yr olds, first of all losing my amazing little mule to a probable tumour (very rapid decline, totally shocking and gutting, still not really dealt with it TBH) and then just 1 week later Nova tried to amputate his own leg on the field fence, resulting in a huge wound that went into the fetlock joint. Subsequent joint flush surgery and a very dull few weeks trying to keep a bored, fit 5yr old quiet was not what I had planned for my summer, but he got signed off by the vet to come back into work properly yesterday so hopefully we'll achieve something before the end of the year and get back out eventing next year.

This is hopefully not too much of a graphic image to share, this was 2 weeks post surgery. Very lucky really that he missed all tendons/ ligaments

 

[daffy44]

TM, I'm so, so sorry you have had such a difficult time, your poor little Mule, absolutely heartbreaking. As for Nova, well! One of those times when you have to remind yourself very forcibly that you love horses, but thank goodness he missed everything major and came through the surgery ok. He is young and strong, I'm sure he'll heal quickly and at least if he's going to do such a daft thing better he does it now rather than a week before his first major championship.