Rug and Girth for standardbred in poor condition

[Cobbytype]

If you get a minute let us know how you got on, I need to absorb some confidence and you and Job are doing so well I might, if it's ok, use you as inspiration.

Ha, ha - I don't know about 'doing so well' LD & S, I just bumble along, creaking and groaning as I go.

I've ridden again today. Struggled a bit because I was stiff from yesterday's maiden voyage, but I did a bit more trot. We're both unbalanced which doesn't help and I'm not yet familiar enough with Job's way of going to help him out much and I'm too busy trying to stay on board with an audience watching

Really enjoyed it today and although I think I rode worse than yesterday, I felt more confident. He's a quirky little thing but I really like him. He's quite sharp but not in an explosive way, he just does things quickly and it unbalances the pair of us. Not helped by the saddle which puts my leg in a forward position, so my knees are over the rolls and I perch a bit. I shall have to try and get him a decent saddle sooner rather than later.

But despite the sore bum and thighs, I really enjoyed it - it's great to be back in the saddle.

 

[LD&S]

Ha, ha - I don't know about 'doing so well' LD & S, I just bumble along, creaking and groaning as I go.

I've ridden again today. Struggled a bit because I was stiff from yesterday's maiden voyage, but I did a bit more trot. We're both unbalanced which doesn't help and I'm not yet familiar enough with Job's way of going to help him out much and I'm too busy trying to stay on board with an audience watching

Really enjoyed it today and although I think I rode worse than yesterday, I felt more confident. He's a quirky little thing but I really like him. He's quite sharp but not in an explosive way, he just does things quickly and it unbalances the pair of us. Not helped by the saddle which puts my leg in a forward position, so my knees are over the rolls and I perch a bit. I shall have to try and get him a decent saddle sooner rather than later.

But despite the sore bum and thighs, I really enjoyed it - it's great to be back in the saddle.

Lovely update, thank you. Glad you're getting used to him, I'd be b*ggered on anything sharp lol

 

[Cobbytype]

I don't think I mean 'sharp' in the true sense, he's just different to what I'm used to. My maxi cob was forward going, but his reaction time was slower... and he was a much bigger, wider horse, which gave me a totally different ride feel. Job tends to rush a little bit and then he gets unbalanced which can result in him tucking his head in and going on his forehand, or sticking his head out and rushing forwards in trotter mode. I've made him sound awful but he isn't, he's just learning how to balance himself and sometimes he's going too quick to do so.

 

[LD&S]

You've made him sound lovely, I'm a sucker for a nice nature as I can't ride for toffee lol

 

[paddi22]

im in the middle of retraining a sulky racer, and she has the absolute sweetest personality too. she struggled a bit with the balance in trot at the start, but she's clever and has sorted herself out after a session or two. your lad looks lovely!

 

[Cobbytype]

You've made him sound lovely, I'm a sucker for a nice nature as I can't ride for toffee lol

Ditto

 

[Cobbytype]

im in the middle of retraining a sulky racer, and she has the absolute sweetest personality too. she struggled a bit with the balance in trot at the start, but she's clever and has sorted herself out after a session or two. your lad looks lovely!

Thank you paddi22. There's a public footpath that runs down the side of the school and someone stopped today to say what a nice horse he is. It was a really nice moment for me as he looked so poor and sad when he arrived.

It's the corners that Job struggles with and he either tries to rush around them or slows down too much and loses his momentum. His trainer is much more able than me and is able to ride him more effectively through the corners, but it's early days for me and I need to get the hang of riding him.

So is your mare a pacer or trotter?

 

[paddi22]

trotter, doesn't pace. have only started retraining so only walking and trotting, so not sure what canter will be like, although she does it on lunge. i have some videos of her i can upload and pm link to you if you like, just to compare trots and how they handle corners. She tries to rush corners too, so the aim is to get her out hacking to strengthen her up a bit.

 

[Cobbytype]

trotter, doesn't pace. have only started retraining so only walking and trotting, so not sure what canter will be like, although she does it on lunge. i have some videos of her i can upload and pm link to you if you like, just to compare trots and how they handle corners. She tries to rush corners too, so the aim is to get her out hacking to strengthen her up a bit.

That would be lovely. I have some short videos of Job with his trainer.

 

[Cobbytype]

Just a little update on Job. I've only ridden once this week due to work, but Job's trainer has been busy with him and tells me he's going really nicely. I remembered to take my gel pad and wasn't stiff after riding - the pad really seems to help me and my creaky pelvis. The plan is for Job to have some time out once the weather improves sufficiently for him to be turned away at mine.

Here's a pic of him taken earlier which took some time to get as he insisted on being up close and personal on carrot pursuit - it took an itch to get him to stand away from me for a moment. Micronised linseed has certainly done his skin and coat a world of good.

So pleased with this little guy's progress - what a trooper.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

What a stunning image, you have done well, both of you

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I think if he canters in the field, he will be fine, I found I just needed to do a lot of slow and steady hillwork to build up the inner thigh and the back muscles.

 

[Regandal]

He's gleaming! Obviously a happy little camper there. Well done you!

 

[Cobbytype]

What a stunning image, you have done well, both of you

Thank you It was such a pivotal moment last week when the woman walking along the right of way stopped to admire the little bay horse working in the school. She knew nothing of his history or what he looked like previously so it was so pleasing that he was being admired for what he is now rather than pitied for what he was.

I do see Jobbers canter now and then in the paddock, but he mostly prefers to trot really fast

 

[Cobbytype]

He's gleaming! Obviously a happy little camper there. Well done you!

Thank you - he's definitely blossoming at the moment and looks quite pleased with himself and the life he leads.

He's a bit bored with the school I think, but for the moment boredom is better than meltdown in heavy traffic. We'll have to have a think about that when he's had time off. I think his physical health is slightly ahead of his mental health, but hopefully a nice long rest in the field will help him relax and we can look at him with a fresh set of eyes when he's had a long holiday. I'm hoping a break from work will help him to forget his fears.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

If he can go out in a field next to a busy road, that might help.
Plus all the good handlng, I had a little mare that had had a rough time, and it was amazing what trust she had in me after a few months, I was never ever physical with her, no matter what. I just used to spend a lot of time with her, I even had my coffee sitting on a kerb, on the floor of her stable she used to lean her hind legs against me, it was a bit scary!
The first day we got her, she actually pinioned the owner with her body against the stable wall, and was obviously anticipating some sort of violence. Fortunately I was there and heard his cry for help, lol.

 

[PorkChop]

He's gleaming Lovely that you are riding again, keep the updates coming

 

[Cobbytype]

If he can go out in a field next to a busy road, that might help.
Plus all the good handlng, I had a little mare that had had a rough time, and it was amazing what trust she had in me after a few months, I never ever told her off, I just used to spend a lot of time with her, I even used to have my coffee sitting on a kerb, on the floor of her stable she used to lean her hind legs against me, it was a bit scary!
The first day we got her, she actually pinioned the owner with her body against the stable wall, and was obviously anticipating some sort of violence.

It seems Job's fears are based around men. He's fine with me, but can sometimes be fearful of his (male) trainer and on one occasion he wouldn't come to my husband for breakfast. We can only think that my husband's clothing reminded him of someone from his past? It's incredibly rewarding isn't it, when they place their trust in us?

It's an odd one because Job was okay with traffic initially. He long reined through the village roads and started hacking without issue. I used to walk him in hand to the top of my lane to let him graze in hand near the road and can only remember him spooking once when a small child ran out from behind a parked vehicle.

A couple of incidents have really frightened him and he's gone from bad to worse with genuine fear. I think rather then try to address the problem head on now, it's better that he has a bit of time-out to chill out. He's come an awfully long way in the 5 months I've had him and maybe the traffic fear is just a reminder that we need to go a little carefully with him. We're all in agreement that his behaviour is genuine fear rather than naughtiness... and there's always the thought that his lumpy jaw is the result of a past traffic accident and it was just a matter of time before something reminded him of what happened.

I'm contemplating buying a trailer so that I can take him to places with off road hacking, but I've got to buy him a decent saddle first. So much for a 'cheap' project horse

 

[Cobbytype]

He's gleaming Lovely that you are riding again, keep the updates coming

Thank you PorkChop Maybe I need some micronised linseed for my dull hair

 

[Spiritedly]

Only just read this thread and the change in Job is a credit to you! He looks so much better now.
I have a standie mare and have a bit of a soft spot for them. Mine is a pacer although she does trot and only tends to resort to pacing when she gets excited, confused or decides that trotting beside another horse actually means racing :-/ Like Job she has scarring to her poll but also under her tail and she has Wobblers which we believe is trauma based, probably from going over in cart :'(

 

[LD&S]

Well done, he looks amazing.
I could be completely wrong but when I got Lady she was really quite good in traffic but as she relaxed she got worse and the general opinion was she had been shut down and as she was allowed to be a horse the fears came to the surface, maybe after Job has had his holiday de-spooking might help a bit.
Heartbreaking to hear of his reaction to men, I can only imagine what would have caused such a reaction, so sad.

 

[Cobbytype]

Well done, he looks amazing.
I could be completely wrong but when I got Lady she was really quite good in traffic but as she relaxed she got worse and the general opinion was she had been shut down and as she was allowed to be a horse the fears came to the surface, maybe after Job has had his holiday de-spooking might help a bit.
Heartbreaking to hear of his reaction to men, I can only imagine what would have caused such a reaction, so sad.

Thank you

Yes LD & S we're all thinking the same as you. Job was rock bottom when he arrived - he ate, he drank, he avoided contact with people and other horses - it was all about survival and we think he'd shut down. As he's gotten fitter and fatter he's more able to react and I think he needs a break from the stress of learning every day.

And yes, the fear of men is sad but on the plus side he's quite cheeky with me and threatened to bite me today. I remonstrated with him and he gave me a high headed cocky look which said "Yeh right, not frightened of you and I know you adore me anyway".

 

[Cobbytype]

Only just read this thread and the change in Job is a credit to you! He looks so much better now.
I have a standie mare and have a bit of a soft spot for them. Mine is a pacer although she does trot and only tends to resort to pacing when she gets excited, confused or decides that trotting beside another horse actually means racing :-/ Like Job she has scarring to her poll but also under her tail and she has Wobblers which we believe is trauma based, probably from going over in cart :'(

So sorry to hear your Standie has Wobblers - I hope it's manageable and causes her not too many problems.

As soon as the weather's a bit warmer Job will have his first proper bath to try and sort out some of the issues with his poll; the scar tissue seems to build up into a dermatitis with raised scabby areas. It's quite raised at the moment, but I think a lot of it is aggravated by a build up of winter grease and grime which normal grooming won't remove. tbh it's been the least of his problems but is something that needs working on when the weather permits.

 

[LD&S]

Thank you

Yes LD & S we're all thinking the same as you. Job was rock bottom when he arrived - he ate, he drank, he avoided contact with people and other horses - it was all about survival and we think he'd shut down. As he's gotten fitter and fatter he's more able to react and I think he needs a break from the stress of learning every day.

And yes, the fear of men is sad but on the plus side he's quite cheeky with me and threatened to bite me today. I remonstrated with him and he gave me a high headed cocky look which said "Yeh right, not frightened of you and I know you adore me anyway".

Cheeky b*gger, I bet it's great to see emerging, nowhere near the same but I got Betsy in November and partly due to my fear and partly because of the shock of moving home, she was very subdued but very pushy too if that makes sense, the last few weeks she's changed a lot, she loves a scratch, followed me when she was a bit unsure of the quad today but is gradually improving her manners though she still gets a bit close but she is improving all the time.

 

[chaps89]

I've been reading this thread with interest but not yet commented. However he looks absolutely smashing in your latest photo, an absolute credit to you for taking the time with him. I'm looking forwards to hearing more of his stories in the future!

 

[Cobbytype]

I've been reading this thread with interest but not yet commented. However he looks absolutely smashing in your latest photo, an absolute credit to you for taking the time with him. I'm looking forwards to hearing more of his stories in the future!

Thank you chaps89. I've not done a lot really, just fed him, fretted over him and done the usual routine stuff such as worming, grooming, teeth. Job isn't a difficult horse to look after - he eats well, is relaxed in the field and enjoys a groom, so I guess his attitude has helped him make a good recovery. Job's trainer has done a good job in getting him slowly back to work and I'm pleased that he's continued to gain weight whilst going through the worst part of the year. He needs more topline, but that will hopefully improve gradually with work.

 

[Cobbytype]

Cheeky b*gger, I bet it's great to see emerging, nowhere near the same but I got Betsy in November and partly due to my fear and partly because of the shock of moving home, she was very subdued but very pushy too if that makes sense, the last few weeks she's changed a lot, she loves a scratch, followed me when she was a bit unsure of the quad today but is gradually improving her manners though she still gets a bit close but she is improving all the time.

Well I hope this thread has had the desired effect in getting your mojo back. I'll be riding again this week so will post a progress report at some point.

 

[gothdolly]

He's so shiny! Well done

 

[Cobbytype]

He's so shiny! Well done

He's moulting today so hoping his summer coat looks as good

 

[LD&S]

Well I hope this thread has had the desired effect in getting your mojo back. I'll be riding again this week so will post a progress report at some point.

If the weather is ok will be riding tomorrow (probably) lol