Schooling Frank

[Silmarillion]

After losing my lovely mare back in September, I took on riding a couple of horses for other people whilst my mum's new pony finishes off her holiday (two and a half years off, am going to sit on her in March). So this is one of them:

His name is Frank, he's 16.3hh, 13/14 years old, ex-racer. He is the sweetest boy I have ever met - I walk onto the yard on a Sunday morning and he shuffles over to the door to see me. I go into his stable, rub his head, he shoves his nose in my face and then rests his forehead on my front He loves having his head cuddled! Weird old chap...

Anyway, I've been riding him once a week since September and since then he's improved massively in fitness, and has started taking shape. He is very stiff in his hocks but in the last month or so he's really started to twig what the aids mean. I've got him from being backwards and argumentative to off the leg and beginning to stop shoving his ears up my nose. It's by no means pretty, still, but he's getting there. So here are some photos - I'm not necessarily posting these for CC, just posting to share, really, but if anyone wants to say anything then go ahead

Oops... wonky!!

Refusing to bend - left is not his best side - though I can see I need a lot more support with my outside rein...

The world's longest and least-engaged horse competition

And canter - today he actually did every transition instantly, which is a huge leap forwards for him (excuse the pun). However, that did mean that he launched me into the air the first time in surprise, as I was expecting the usual run in trot so I had him quite "together" to counteract that - he did an enormous step with his inside hind into an enormous canter and I just wasn't ready for it! I am pleased with myself, too, as I am the world's biggest wuss and used to never canter my pony, years ago, because she was too scary so I've come on a lot...

Once we've cantered he lets me actually sit on him, so we did some more trot work:

Sorry, just a few

I can see from these that I need to have him more forward and rounder, but to be honest I'm just so chuffed that my teeth aren't in danger of getting knocked out that anything rounder and more stretchy will be fine to come in the next couple of months. I also see I need to be careful of my lower leg slipping back. The fact that I am sat a little too far back in the saddle can be blamed on the horrendous saddle Frank's owner bought... the seat saver is compulsory to stop blood shed (it really does rub everyone raw) but it then puts me too far back. Ah well.

I'm quite pleased with him so far, and I intend to post an update at some point in a few months' time to see if anyone thinks he may have improved (even a little!)

Thai green curry if you got this far!

 

[*hic*]

He does look sweet! MY old ginger boy love to buryhis head in your front and be cuddled.

 

[Silmarillion]

Oops, missed a couple of photos off the end, including my favourite so that's me excuse for posting a couple more..:

Dee O'Dorant - maybe it's a ginger thing? But then again, I also ride a small ginger pony and she'd eat me alive if I tried to cuddle her!

 

[*hic*]

No, I reckon it's a big ginger TB-ish thing. My two ginger welsh boys would have hysterics if you tried to cover their eyes, how can they possibly see the next terrifying thing? (Except for when the big one's had a mishap and lost his rider, then he will run to the nearest "friend" and hide his face).

Even my little ginger TB mare loves to have her head cuddled.

 

[tonitot]

Ah he's lovely my TB mare (bay) is never really cuddly although she has days when she will let me cuddle and kiss her. Little ginger TB filly I ride at work loooves cuddles, as did the dark bay TB gelding that used to be at work and was my absolute favourite. I love TBs

 

[nirikina]

When I saw the first photo of him standing on the yard, I wasn't expecting much. He looks quite weak and weedy. But, he looks so much better in the ridden pictures.

 

[jalapeno]

he's lovely just my type! I agree he looks a bit weak when stood but you look to be a nice sympathetic and quiet yet correct rider Is it me... or does he look a bit stuffy and uncomfortable in canter? it may just be weakness...

I have a ginger ex racer too.... he's retired now though and just a field ornament. Lovely though

 

[Silmarillion]

When I saw the first photo of him standing on the yard, I wasn't expecting much. He looks quite weak and weedy. But, he looks so much better in the ridden pictures.

Thanks, considering I only ride him once a week and the rest of the week he does short hacks and one or two lessons with his (much older) owner, I don't think he's too bad. He's apparently starting to get to do longer hacks, too (hacking around the yard is awful so it's difficult for them) and I think that's helping.

I agree he looks a bit weak when stood but you look to be a nice sympathetic and quiet yet correct rider Is it me... or does he look a bit stuffy and uncomfortable in canter? it may just be weakness...

Thank you! My instructor has worked for many years to get me from feek and weeble to having a strong seat and positive riding attitude!

As for the canter, yes he is weak behind as he has terribly stiff hocks. I thought he was around 20 when I first met him last September He snatches and kicks when I pick his feet out before taking him out of the stable, but when I do it after riding he's much looser and doesn't mind so much. He finds life rather taxing on his body, especially in canter.]

When I first cantered him he could barely make the transition and I had to stand and let him run, then make a few canter-trot-canter transitions just to get anything except rush-and-panic. Now, he will make the transition with much less panic and though he is tense and unbalanced, he is beginning to get the idea that if he slows and drops his head and neck down, it's not so awfully difficult. That is beginning to muscle his backside more, which is helping him balance, which is muscling him more... etc.

And, as I said, I am awful at cantering and tense up myself, which doesn't help the poor chap! Hopefully when it's warmer my OH will agree to come out and video us, and then it'll be easier to see what he's doing.

 

[jalapeno]

Thank you! My instructor has worked for many years to get me from feek and weeble to having a strong seat and positive riding attitude!

As for the canter, yes he is weak behind as he has terribly stiff hocks. I thought he was around 20 when I first met him last September He snatches and kicks when I pick his feet out before taking him out of the stable, but when I do it after riding he's much looser and doesn't mind so much. He finds life rather taxing on his body, especially in canter.]

When I first cantered him he could barely make the transition and I had to stand and let him run, then make a few canter-trot-canter transitions just to get anything except rush-and-panic. Now, he will make the transition with much less panic and though he is tense and unbalanced, he is beginning to get the idea that if he slows and drops his head and neck down, it's not so awfully difficult. That is beginning to muscle his backside more, which is helping him balance, which is muscling him more... etc.

And, as I said, I am awful at cantering and tense up myself, which doesn't help the poor chap! Hopefully when it's warmer my OH will agree to come out and video us, and then it'll be easier to see what he's doing.

well you can't blame him really... what a transition from a race horse to riding horse! He is lovely though, I am most certain there will some even more fab pics up in a few months!!

 

[Trish C]

Lovely! You can't beat a big ginger horse

Looking forward to the update

 

[bumblelion]

You look great together! Iv got a ginger exracer too, they certainly keep you on your toes don't they! Although I must add mine has 3 white socks, but is male thankfully lol! Mine loves a cuddle too, although not before turnout or being fed!

 

[nannubu]

I think he looks like a different horse when ridden, which is testimony to your schooling. Hopefully you'll find his shape starts to change with muscle development. He is the absolute image of my sister's ex racer - she is finding the whole racehorse to riding an extremely steep learning curve! Her horse Jack hates a contact and has lots of athletic, hard muscle in all the wrong places! He is also a total gent for the most part, apart from the time when he morphed into the biggest psycho in the world at XC training day. She was asked to leave; we refer to the day as Black Saturday Have you noticed any ex racing foibles with your lad?

 

[Silmarillion]

I think he looks like a different horse when ridden, which is testimony to your schooling. Hopefully you'll find his shape starts to change with muscle development. He is the absolute image of my sister's ex racer - she is finding the whole racehorse to riding an extremely steep learning curve! Her horse Jack hates a contact and has lots of athletic, hard muscle in all the wrong places! He is also a total gent for the most part, apart from the time when he morphed into the biggest psycho in the world at XC training day. She was asked to leave; we refer to the day as Black Saturday Have you noticed any ex racing foibles with your lad?

Thanks! I really hope he looks better stood up, in a few months' time. That should show he's really working properly.

Funnily enough he's rather like the other ex-chaser in the yard - the other is a big bay boy, grunts a lot (Frank has wind issues so coughs and whistles a lot), very stiff hocks and looks like a dinosaur

I've never hacked him (when I started riding him it was strictly schooling only - never asked if I was allowed to hack and I'm happy enough leaving it, to be honest, as I hate the hacking round there!) but apparently he is either his usual donkey-like self, or hots up and thinks he's racing again. His owner is apparently quite old and frail and has had a stroke, so I have no idea how she copes with him! The horses in the field over the lane / behind the hedge galloped up the other week - Frank rooted to the spot and grew to 20hh... I am ashamed to admit that I bailed as I thought I had a better chance of holding him from the ground!

He's pretty chilled though, generally, though like a lot of the TBs I have previously ridden when he gets himself upset, he takes a lot of consoling before he calms down. He actually gets quite wound up about canter sometimes, and just panics and runs blindly round like a complete idiot.

I've always wondered what he'd be like to jump... and I don't jump, so that's a pretty big thing for me!

It's nice to hear about everyone else's giant ex-racing TBs They all sound alike in one way or another!