Progress report: A month with Gemma!

Pippity

Pippity

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(Recap: New share horse, 17.2hh Shire x Trakehner mare)

So far, I'm still convinced that her only flaw is being too damn big. I have to stand on a bucket to brush her bum.

She's learned to back up from voice commands, so I no longer get mugged when I bring her her dinner. She has more trouble waiting for me to tie her haynet up, but we're getting there. With her being so damn big, I'm spending time making sure she'll do what I tell her when I'm on the ground.

I'm gradually getting more used to her massive trot, with lots of work without stirrups. (My thighs hate me.)

I've popped her over a couple of 18" fences, which she massively overjumped in her excitement.

I've ridden her bareback, having not ridden bareback for about 25 years.

We've been out on long hacks on our own, where she was supremely unbothered by the tractor going past so close that it nearly touched my foot, but had to levitate across the road to avoid a vicious plastic bag.

What I HAVEN'T managed to do is get her to engage her arse consistently. I know she can do it, because I've seen her doing it with her owner and other sharer. I just... can't get her to. But I've had one lesson on her, I've got another booked, and I'm slowly improving. And she's very patient with my ineptitude, bless her.

And an appalling picture of both of us...

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She sounds wonderful.
The top item on my list when looking for a new horse is 'bombproof in traffic', imo, it doesn't matter what else the horse does, if you can safely take it out in traffic.
I love Shire crosses.
 
Kaylum said:
sounds like your having fun. I think a horse would be boring of there was no room for improvement/learning
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That's what I'm clinging on to! The day I stop finding SOMETHING wrong with my riding will be the day I die.

Pearlsasinger said:
She sounds wonderful.
The top item on my list when looking for a new horse is 'bombproof in traffic', imo, it doesn't matter what else the horse does, if you can safely take it out in traffic.
I love Shire crosses.
Click to expand...

Absolutely bombproof in traffic! Doesn't matter if it's a tractor sitting on her bum, a fleet of motorbikes whizzing past, or a cyclist appearing from nowhere. Plastic bags, however, must all be regarded with extreme suspicion. Especially if they're visible from the school when I'm trying to make her work. Except her version of an enormous spook is to boggle, then trot off determinedly.
 
That is why I like heavier horses, they either just jump on the spot or set off relatively slowly, you don't often find yourself facing in the opposite direction. Although I once was literally run away with at a trot by a Clydesdale - I only managed to stop her by pointing her at a wall, she was genuinely terrified by some colts alongside the road though.
 
She blotted her copybook today... Something startled her really badly when we were out. I was riding with too-long stirrups, so promptly lost them and started to come off, which spooked her more so she took off down the road at a canter, with me half-on and half-off. (And grimly telling myself that I paid £180 for this helmet yesterday and I WAS NOT COMING OFF AND HAVING TO BUY A NEW ONE.)

Thankfully, no traffic around, or it could have been absolutely horrific. As it was, I managed to get back on and bring her back, and we completed the rest of the hack at a sideways walk with eyes on stalks, before going into the manege for a little bit of calm-down schooling.

I'm putting it down to combination of changing weather making her reactive (she had a little spook bringing her in from the field this evening), and me riding badly. Mostly the latter.

I've got a lesson on Friday, new holes going in the stirrup leathers on Monday so I don't have to ride so long, and hopefully it won't happen again.

For now - hot bath and glass of wine!
 
Tie plastic bags around the fence line, or to her haynet, she will soon get used to them, this weather has my four behaving like idiots, not normally spooky, was just about to come in from the field when the thuglet cantered up behind him, my lad spun round and was off, leadrope trailing, when he reached the bottom of the field he turned and looked sheepish, especially as the thuglet went with him, all I could do was laugh and take his headcollar off, I value my life, I wasn't going to risk riding him with that reaction
 
Well done for retrieving the situation, OP. It's far to far to fall off a 17.2 Shire x! Especially when wearing a new hat.

It has been far too windy her today to even think about riding - it took me all my time to stand up in our fields.
 
Two-month report!

I've been a bit nervous hacking her on my own after she tanked, but yesterday I bit the bullet, put on my big girl pants, and took her out for two hours. She was - as usual - a bit nappy on the way out and a bit too eager on way back (round route that she's never done before, so I don't know how she knew we were heading home, but she did!). She tried to throw in a few spooks just to make life interesting, but I've been working with my trainer on improving my contact, so I was able to just sit down and drive her on, and she soon settled. I was terrified most of the way round, but we did it!

I took advantage of her being nice and forward and loose from the hack to take her in the school for a bit, and actually managed to get a decent trot-canter transition out of her! She finds walk-canter a lot easier, so getting a good trot-canter is a real achievement.

I tried to finish off the day by getting a decent photo of her, but apparently she'd been good enough for one day and her haynet was far more interesting!

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Pippity said:
Two-month report!

I've been a bit nervous hacking her on my own after she tanked, but yesterday I bit the bullet, put on my big girl pants, and took her out for two hours. She was - as usual - a bit nappy on the way out and a bit too eager on way back (round route that she's never done before, so I don't know how she knew we were heading home, but she did!).
BxbnxS_IQAACddT.png
Click to expand...

My horse was striding home once on a new route in a new place quite a distance from home...
I said to my friend - 'how does he know?!'
She said, he cant know so it must be you!
Next new trip I took that comment on board and tried really hard to ride the same on the way back as on the way there and guess what - yep, no striding (of course yours might just be really clever and just know!)
 
Jola said:
My horse was striding home once on a new route in a new place quite a distance from home...
I said to my friend - 'how does he know?!'
She said, he cant know so it must be you!
Next new trip I took that comment on board and tried really hard to ride the same on the way back as on the way there and guess what - yep, no striding (of course yours might just be really clever and just know!)
Click to expand...

As far as I was concerned, we were completely lost and I was considering just turning round and heading back the way we came! I guess her old age does come with wisdom!
 
I used to have a Clydesdale mare who was an absolute saint to hack in company, she would nanny any-one in virtually any situation, even took her own VERY nervous field companion and two equally nervous complete strangers past a moving bus on a narrow road very close to a busy (ish) junction.
She was awful on her own though, she would absolutely rush back home, never breaking pace but feeling quite unsafe, as she was going so fast. It was just as if she didn't trust those she'd left at home to behave themselves without her.
 
Well, it's been a glorious few months but Gemma's old ligament injury is starting to tell, so it's time for her to retire.

I've been enjoying a few last hacks - supposedly walk-only, but with bonus trotting sideways, cantering on the spot, spooking at nothing, and generally arguing about having to go slowly. It has, at least, confirmed that we can't keep her on in light work, because it's just an exercise in frustration for her and for her riders.

So, we're going out for the yard Halloween ride on Friday, and then she'll be turned away for as long as she's comfortable.

I'm torn between looking for a new share straight away, or spending winter having bi-weekly schoolmaster lessons and looking again in spring. Either way, I'm going to miss the big darling.
 
I'm so sorry to hear your news but obviously you and her owner have made the right decision for Gemma. I wish her a long and happy retirement.

Good luck in your search for a new ride.
 
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