Pictures Producing 5/6yr olds

maya2008

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 August 2018
Messages
2,929
Visit site
We have been playing with tack - saddle all sorted, big improvement there but still not quite right. Popped my old crossunder bitless on yesterday and much improved freedom of paces - so I will play with snaffles and see if I can find one she likes as much. Teeth are up to date (a month ago) so unlikely to be that.

We were laughing on the hack though - first time she had worn that bridle, she figured out going in an outline by the end of the road and brakes were excellent- just like my old, retired TB had been! I only bitted her for competitions, all training done bitless.
 

Alibear

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 March 2003
Messages
8,549
Location
East Anglia
Visit site
We managed a productive lesson thanks to my trainer riding first on Saturday as the yard was bustling, and our trip to Thetford forest went really well. You'd have thought we'd all been many times before. Image quality isn't great as it's zoomed in and much cropped, but I think you can see my grin :)
First Wideham ride.jpg
 

palo1

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2012
Messages
6,253
Visit site
I wasn't sure where to put this as I didn't want to write up a pity party post in the weekend competing thread...! 5 y/o M Alw has had an awful week. Having been absolutely wonderful up till last weekend she had an attack of wheezing at a fun ride. Thankfully not long after starting and under 'extreme' conditions; very humid, grassy, crop edges with over-hanging trees and a river. She had coughed once previously... I got her home asap and gave her some anti-histamine and a supplement that friend had which may help. On Monday she was looking very subdued so vet called pronto. She has had everything; steroid jab, ventipulmin (dilaterol), herbs, supplements, anti-histamine, removal from grass, soaked hay and rest. Thankfully this morning she looks absolutely fine; she probably was ok yesterday actually but I wasn't prepared to get excited. Vet, who is hugely experienced and whom I trust implicitly has been very reassuring and feels that this may be either a one-off or an extreme reaction; he has seen a number of similar cases in the last 2 weeks all presenting in the same way and all making excellent progress now. I feel awful for her and rather sad and subdued myself - I know this is probably a management issue but she is only 5 bless her.

Only time will identify whether this is a 'problem' or just something which needs individual management but it has put things on hold, things which were already on unfortunate hold for other reasons...!!

Ho hum. I know there are many worse things that could happen of course and there is still much to look forward to but we may be re-thinking some things!
 
Last edited:

j1ffy

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 January 2009
Messages
4,213
Location
Oxon
Visit site
IHW - that's amazing, well done!!

palo1 - poor Alw :( Fingers crossed it's a one-off!

I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed following this thread - both those who have 'graduated' from the 3/4yo thread and the 'new' 5/6yos! Lovely to see how they are all progressing and give me something to look forward to with my 4yo :)
 

ycbm

Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Joined
30 January 2015
Messages
56,535
Visit site
My six year old is getting bigger and bigger! He's now approaching 16.2, when I bought him I thought he might make 15.2 ? He was passed on our hack this morning by:

20 ton gravel lorry in a narrow lane
30+ motor cycles on a country road
white van which didn't slow down and suddenly you could see it was towing a clanking trailer with a water bowser on it

I think I can probably claim he's traffic proof :) He used to be quite nervous out hacking but he's really growing into it now.
.
 

palo1

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2012
Messages
6,253
Visit site
I hope that's a one off Palo :(
.

Me too @ycbm :( I have contingency plans though if she needs time off in the summer and we are on a bit of a hill with plenty of good hills above us where allergens are easily blown away/not present lol! As long as there is a way to maintain respiratory health the work will take that path. Vet thinks she will soon be over it and back to full Welsh strength vim and vigour so I am not so downhearted atm!
 

maya2008

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 August 2018
Messages
2,929
Visit site
My 5yo grew behind last weekend - two inches higher than she is in front. I think we have been an inch higher behind for a while, but the extra inch made her into an unbalanced ski slope! Thankfully we have rough balance on a straight line restored - cannot have time off or she will get laminitis as she is in the ‘much grass’ paddock with mum and baby, so just hacking for the foreseeable until she catches up with herself.

6yo 14.3hh coblet is now being ridden (and cantered) by my 8yo son as well as my husband to help with his weight. Might get son to take coblet to do some dressage as they look quite good together! Such a sweet boy, his sister (mine) had a bucking moment today and he just stayed behind sensibly and ignored her!
 

J1993

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 August 2013
Messages
355
Location
Lancashire
Visit site
My 5 year old is currently on a holiday after she just wasn't quite right. The chiropractor and physio thought it was related to her being such a slow grower. When she was 3yo she looked 2. At 4yo she looked 3. And she finally looks like a 4 year old at age 5! She was backed in April last year when she turned 4 and I've felt like I've always struggled to build top line on her and keep on top of her weight. Don't know if all this is related to the fact she's a slow grower but I thought some time off would do her good. It's a shame though as we were regularly hacking and had had my first jumping lesson. Shes coming back in about 8 weeks so will reassess then! So worried there is something underlying but have owned her since a foal and know her full history. Has anyone else found this with their young horses? They have felt a bit sticky but after their growth spurt came right again? Her mum is 16.2/16.3 and dad was 17h. She's currently about 16.1 and a bit!!
 

TPO

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 November 2008
Messages
9,414
Location
Kinross
Visit site
My 5 year old is currently on a holiday after she just wasn't quite right. The chiropractor and physio thought it was related to her being such a slow grower. When she was 3yo she looked 2. At 4yo she looked 3. And she finally looks like a 4 year old at age 5! She was backed in April last year when she turned 4 and I've felt like I've always struggled to build top line on her and keep on top of her weight. Don't know if all this is related to the fact she's a slow grower but I thought some time off would do her good. It's a shame though as we were regularly hacking and had had my first jumping lesson. Shes coming back in about 8 weeks so will reassess then! So worried there is something underlying but have owned her since a foal and know her full history. Has anyone else found this with their young horses? They have felt a bit sticky but after their growth spurt came right again? Her mum is 16.2/16.3 and dad was 17h. She's currently about 16.1 and a bit!!

I had sort of similar. I got mine as a 2yr old skeleton due to neglect by the stud. He was always physically a year behind. His breed, quarter horse, are muscular so the physical difference was glaringly obvious between him and friends QHs of the same age.

My issue was that he was so clever it was tricky getting the balance between training his brain but not over stressing his body.

I did a lot of groundwork but he wasnt sat on until age 5 (physically 4) and then turned away. Was picked up at 6 and did a bit before turned away again. He was still growing (whole rug sizes!) aged 8.

I'm not competitive and am pretty slow at the best of times so hes very low mileage aged 9 but <touch wood> I've never had any physical issues or lameness with him. Hes kept barefoot and had always had massage and seen therapists etc
 

windand rain

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 November 2012
Messages
8,517
Visit site
Although only just 3 Kitten is a bit in need of occupation for her mind but she is so bright she tries to work out what you want before you have asked so it is causing us a bit of a headache. She is no where near physically mature enough for riding yet
 

maya2008

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 August 2018
Messages
2,929
Visit site
Well… despite her saintly behaviour in general, my 5yo is letting it be known that she is still, actually 5…by growing. She had almost caught up with herself…then she went up another half inch behind last night. So back to the ‘feeling like you are on a ski slope’ situation!
 

tristar

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 August 2010
Messages
6,586
Visit site
i think my 5 1/2 yr old cob is growing!
i hope he does so he fits me better

just installed trot on demand this week, a gentle touch and off we go he`s nicely forward, he got quite skittish and lively after the rain with grass growing, but behaved when ridden, thank god!
 

GinaGeo

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 October 2011
Messages
1,367
Visit site
It looks like there’s been a lot of growth spurts going on! Pod has just levelled back up again having gone an inch higher at the bum a month or so ago.

And so we haven’t been doing anything mega exciting. Just quietly working away on forwardness, suppleness and building his core strength.

He’s done some Hunt Ambles, been messing about Cross Country Schooling and we’re heading back out tomorrow to consolidate a bit and jump round as if it’s a course. He’s not the most forward thinking, and I want to make sure he’s truly in front of me and carrying me round before I think about entering him for something as I don’t want him to get ‘stuck’ which can happen if he gets over faced.

But I am pleased to report that in the last couple of weeks the stroppy teenager that was resolutely refusing to pick his right foot up from the left hand side despite every other foot being accessible, now can. And who overnight decided that the bridle could be put on normally as opposed to taken apart to get it over his right ear without causing hysterics, now doesn’t care. Has morphed back into the sweet, obliging horse I always knew he was.

And it’s carried over to his work as well. All of the slow suppling work in walk, teaching him how to lift his wither and hold himself has clicked into pace. And we’ve unlocked a lovely loose swinging trot.

We went hacking last night and did a lot of cantering round the undulating paths and just moving him up and back through the gears, rebalancing him for corners and then opening him up. Letting him learn to read the ground and for the first time I noted that I wasn’t needing to baby him.

And I was very proud that after all that he stood like a statue holding mum’s pony whilst she refitted the boots that she’d put on a bit loose and had twisted.
70FB65B2-D1A3-4C55-B53C-FA87D406F3DA.jpeg
 

GinaGeo

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 October 2011
Messages
1,367
Visit site
I was supposed to be going on Holiday to Scotland this week. But Campervan issues lead to that plan being abandoned.

I’ve been wondering for awhile whether Pod would really benefit from going to a camp, there were a few things that I needed to be able revisit in close succession, to really get a breakthrough, and I thought this might be the right environment to do it.

Thanks to some very helpful people on here, I knew where to look, and spotted a last minute place being advertised on the camp at Somerford this weekend. And off we went.

I knew he’d settle once he got his head round it all, but wasn’t too sure how he’d cope at first. Figured we were probably best to get him straight out round the farm ride and pop him to bed tired.
I did think I might need to sit tight to start with, but as soon as I was on, he took a deep breath and was with me. He was gaining confidence as we went and was enjoying popping some of the jumps on the way round.

We got a little carried away bowling along and found we had caught a couple of others up. We were at the river so I thought we might go and have a look at the river crossing and see what he thought. He wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t a hard no. So a little patient cajoling and well timed ‘clever boys’ and he tried wading. Thought he was the bravest Pod on the planet after that, and he happily marched in again for a second go. And after wading in a RIVER the jumps seemed really easy and he was happy to tow me into them - result!

1ABBCE99-B994-4D2E-B92F-828D70E7292C.jpg

We kicked off Saturday morning with XC schooling, he’s been a bit slow to get going in the past and I’ve felt that we were going back to the beginning a bit each time. But after his evening popping the jumps round the farm ride he really came out with a jolly attitude, much more in front of me and letting me sit behind him with my leg on, instead of needing to chase. I was also very proud of how well behaved he was. It’s no secret that he can be mega sharp, but he didn’t put a toe out of line. Stood like a saint, watched with interest and gamely picked back up when asked.

AA891A4E-9670-4316-8490-E8A1A6D54F44.jpeg

We did come up against an old issue at the water. He has never been keen to step into or jump into water. It’s always been a ‘no’ and whilst we have done it, always on a lunge line first and then under saddle, after a period of time I haven’t been able to revisit it quick enough and we end up restarting again the next time.

I vowed to return to the water with wellies and a lunge line in the evening after the session so as not to derail the session.

We snuck back out when everybody else had finished for the evening and set to work. We paddled, we trotted in. And out. And in. And out. We moved his feet on the bank. Backward. Sideways. Forwards. We jumped out up the steps, and round, and out and round and out. And then we went to a very inviting step, to slip in. And he went. Big celebration. And so he went round and in, and round and in. We did different steps, different waters, all the steps. And we did some jumping in the water too. I was very proud of him and he was proud of himself too, so we went for a pick of grass and I told him what clever, clever boy he was.

5C9FBC87-22AD-4A54-B0B8-DEC63CCFEECF.jpeg

We also did some Show Jumping. I’ve struggled with the phase in the past. But Pod is really fun to jump. He’s so compact and has a lovely consistent rhythm and it makes it so much easier to ride positively. He really makes me smile.

D7891FFD-9FA0-4A82-BD41-D5C091D81DED.jpeg

77B79FD9-7C41-4263-A2E7-76CFBAFF0EB7.jpeg

He’s strengthening up well, and we’re getting much more consistent work now. We worked on some very nice exercises to help straighten and supple him in our flatwork lessons. I need to sit up and start riding him like a grown up horse though!

3CF040AF-FE90-477C-847B-C216F16A2186.jpeg

64D0E69F-C8F9-47DC-9919-C1C6826D95F2.jpeg

And finally a final soggy XC schooling session.

There were a lot of puddles which made the ditches extra tricky ? But he was super generous and let me attack some trickier lines with a smile on his face.

We’d snuck out again in the morning to pop off the steps on the lunge line again, with success. And this afternoon he went confidently the first time under saddle. This was my main goal. To have the chance to really cement this.

90DBADA3-F10A-467F-A643-0DB9295F551B.jpeg

50A1C07B-9C29-4880-A31F-6B3489DC62B7.jpeg

E3C8F458-4232-4E08-A0AE-5E6E90C604E0.jpeg

I am over the moon with him. He didn’t put a toe of line for the whole weekend. Was a joy to be sat on and deal with. And has come away feeling like a much more grown up horse.

Few quiet days now and then pick up where we’ve left off. Really REALLY pleased my partner and parents wouldn’t let me be sensible. ?❤️
 

j1ffy

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 January 2009
Messages
4,213
Location
Oxon
Visit site
GG that sounds fantastic - you love for Pod really shines through your post! He's looking great.
 

Alibear

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 March 2003
Messages
8,549
Location
East Anglia
Visit site
That sounds like an awesome weekends work for both you and Pod. I bet you're really glad you went and you're doing a cracking job of bringing him on.
 

4faults

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2010
Messages
1,638
Location
North West
Visit site
I have just found this thread and have loved reading through it. Given me some ideas for my 5yo too.
This is Max he’s an ISH by Grange Bouncer and he is just the coolest dude on the planet. We have just been working on his strength and consistency, lots of lessons and clinics as well as hacking. He has actually gotten me back into jumping as well which is something I haven’t done for years but he’s so much fun and so honest. We have our first show booked at the end of this month. The only problem is I feel huge on him, he’s only 16h but my other 2 are 17.2 so he feels like a pony!
 

Attachments

  • 4384D031-E941-4E51-A332-4B338356131E.jpeg
    4384D031-E941-4E51-A332-4B338356131E.jpeg
    101.8 KB · Views: 41
  • 34575A41-C36C-47BC-851C-A08E268546AB.jpeg
    34575A41-C36C-47BC-851C-A08E268546AB.jpeg
    189.4 KB · Views: 41
  • 6181EA16-AB96-48C4-A698-7D682AE7D917.jpeg
    6181EA16-AB96-48C4-A698-7D682AE7D917.jpeg
    148.4 KB · Views: 37

dixie

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 August 2005
Messages
4,869
Location
Devon
Visit site
He’s gorgeous and you’re so not huge on him!

my five year old is just testing the boundaries now he’s been with me for 4months. Had a few nappy incidences and decided that jumps are possibly spooky too despite never looking at a thing previously!
Remind me why I bought a youngster ?
I still love him though as he’s just being cheeky.
 

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,345
Visit site
Probably final update from me on the Oz man. He’s been let down and now gone out for a hard earned holiday with the babies.

When he comes back it it will be in an exciting new chapter for him, I’ve gone into a partnership with a talented YR so ? his future is bright. I’ll be backing off posting more though.

Happy boy!
F590F796-8D19-45B6-81B3-773A22BE5EC4.jpeg
845F25D2-9DD1-4FDE-BC10-5B4F77BCD6C0.jpeg
 

GinaGeo

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 October 2011
Messages
1,367
Visit site
Probably final update from me on the Oz man. He’s been let down and now gone out for a hard earned holiday with the babies.

When he comes back it it will be in an exciting new chapter for him, I’ve gone into a partnership with a talented YR so ? his future is bright. I’ll be backing off posting more though.

Happy boy!
View attachment 78726
View attachment 78727
That is very exciting IHW! And I love his happy little face ?
 

RachelFerd

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 April 2005
Messages
3,491
Location
NW
www.facebook.com
Probably final update from me on the Oz man. He’s been let down and now gone out for a hard earned holiday with the babies.

When he comes back it it will be in an exciting new chapter for him, I’ve gone into a partnership with a talented YR so ? his future is bright. I’ll be backing off posting more though.

Happy boy!
View attachment 78726
View attachment 78727

That is a very exciting outcome though!
 

Alibear

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 March 2003
Messages
8,549
Location
East Anglia
Visit site
Amber and I had a great time at our first AQHA breed show, she did really well to come 2nd in green ranch with my trainer riding and I managed a respectable 4th in the L1 amateur. Amber took everything in her stride, completely unphased by the new venue. Big busy indoor etc. I'm really pleased with her, I know exactly how lucky I am. Excuse my arm it 100% shouldn't be there, its a bit of a new habit when I'm planning the next move. Ali Saturday Ranch.jpg
 
Top