Skylla the Speedy!

[HufflyPuffly]

We're back in business after some saddle woes that have been sorted by a bit of bulking up, and it only cost me the cost of a call out and didn't need to spend hundreds on a new saddle not sure this has ever happend to me before .

She's being a very good baby horse and after some bouncing on the lines, I've got back on and its gold stars all round! However she is rather wizzy, hacking she is nappy to go out and bouncy and very keen to come home, and in the school she just wants to trot really fast or wizz about in canter the joys of being a baby I guess endless energy until shes tired .

Now I'm painting a poor picture of the darling baby but I'm wondering if anyone elses have gone through this stage? She will come back to me, but we're currently working through a little resistance coupled with the fact I don't want to stifle the forward! We were very excited last night until we'd had a good canter both ways and tired her out a little . She makes me laugh but I don't want to let her dictate the speed too much, should I stay strict with working on getting some nice relaxed trotting before cantering or let her have her canter to try and abate the strops about not wizzing off?

Some vids of the bouncy bouncy let me gooooo stuff, as my mum only watched this bit, obviously the moment she left Skylla did some brilliant work at the end promise!

Walking
[video=youtube_share;-nYLqdySPIY]https://youtu.be/-nYLqdySPIY[/video]

Trotting
[video=youtube_share;m5PAWqjFvUI]https://youtu.be/m5PAWqjFvUI[/video]

Cantering, pleased with progress her as we were very wall of death for a while
[video=youtube_share;EUaFMdVi24g]https://youtu.be/EUaFMdVi24g[/video]


She did relax and stretch out at the end so we left it there, I will get mum to film this part next time .

 

[JennBags]

Wow all those views and not one reply! I tried to load the videos this morning but they weren't playing for me, probably hinting that I needed to get on with my work.

She is a speedy little thing isn't she, at least you haven't got to keep kicking her along :lol: She looks like she's got a nice attitude, but I can't offer any advice as I've got no experience with youngsters.

Looking forward to more reports on her.

 

[be positive]

I think the lack of replies is probably because it is hard to comment on a few short videos showing a horse rushing about and not the best work later on, to me she is not going forward in a relaxed way and appears tense in all paces especially the walk, as for what to do to help it really does depend on the horse, some really benefit from a good relaxed canter in forward seat to loosen up the back, get them settled and they will then work in a more relaxed way, to others it is totally the wrong way to go as they anticipate the fun and it becomes an evasion technique as they will not get on with working until they have had their fun.

I think I would either accept she needs to canter for now before asking her to work but make sure it is a short term fix for a few weeks then completely stop cantering for a few weeks once she is more focused so the trot can be worked on without her thinking canter for a while or go right back to basics starting with the walk getting her accepting the leg, seeking the rein down a little more, doing leg yields and loads of transitions to halt, then transitions into a slow trot on a circle so she is not rushing on down the long sides, the young mare I have been working on recently was similar, always in a hurry, she is now taking longer steps, accepting the leg and looking much more relaxed through her body, she did lots of leg yielding, spirals and transitions, we also do a lot of polework to keep her thinking.

She has grown into a very attractive mare with what looks like 3 potentially very good paces, there is a lot to like but I do think she needs to slow down or you risk never getting the best out of her.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Haha thanks posted in the tackroom as well and got a few replies so feel better about our attempt, but thank you for the replies!

No def no kicking needed but she's a sweetheart really, just a bit opinionated about what speed to go at currently .
She's only very young still so it will come with time, will get try and get her better work on film next time. I think keeping the forward is a good thing and she did relax by the end, just not sure whether letting her dictate when to canter will be a good thing long term or not.

Trimmed her legs up tonight she was not impressed but looks better for it!

 

[samlf]

There will be others far more qualified to comment than me, but as I am dealing with a similar stage with my rising 5 year old I thought I'd comment.

Mine is doing similar at the moment, although its not so much tension as rushing is just a bit easier than working round. Especially as I have been out of action for a month and the person riding her has allowed her to rush a bit so its become a slight habit.

For mine it really works to do lots of thinking work for her, circles changes of rein and leg yielding. Polework doesn't work quite as well.

The other thing I am working on is reminding her what a half halt is, and I half halt as we come out of each corner to remind her not to whizz off down the long side.

Also hill work hacks between schooling sessions make a difference - whether that's just because she hasn't got any excess energy or if its because she's working a building muscle to make it easier to work properly, I'm not sure!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Thank some more great ideas! I'm hoping she will realise it's not quite so exiting soon, I found near the end that if I half halted then gave her the inside rein she relaxed down a lot nicer. Will see what she gives me today and report back, she's also seeing my instructor for the first time tomorrow so will have some extra eyes on the ground, so hopefully we'll have the best plan of action sussed for her!

Hacking she is extra bouncy at the moment so I think I will stick with the school until we are confident and more relaxed and then venture out again, we have to go on roads to get anywhere where we are, though I am planning on boxing up to take her out.

Thanks again.

 

[Pinkvboots]

She looks great I love to see them eager to get going maybe it is a case of spring grass and her feeling confident which is not a bad thing, one of my Arabs is a bit like her and his 12 and should know better but he still makes me giggle

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Yeah I think your right it took me a while to convince her that cantering was fun so now she thinks it should be fine all the time .

He sounds great, I much prefer them forward thinking I just need her to relax a bit more.

 

[TheMule]

To me, you've got to stop using the hand to slow her down as it's making her tense and against the hand. I wouldn't walk her on a contact at the moment as she's very tense in the walk- try to get a soft swing with lots of half halts on the seat and flexions. In trot I'd let her move forwards and practice re-balancing by using lots of trot-walk-trot teansitions in a constant ryhtym- I found it really useful to do it on a long count of 4 and just breathe into each transition so it's very gradual and relaxing.
I wouldn't canter except out hacking until you get the walk and trot better

 

[AdorableAlice]

Dump the canter, she is no where near ready. Back to basics with riding from the leg to the hand not the other way round. She is not actually forward thinking as can be seen from her frame and way of going. The more you hang on the shorter the frame will become.

Our carthorse is similar and the key to him was slow work with lots of transitions within the walk and then when he mastered that move on to trot. Just on and back in the same pace all with a long low and open frame, no hand used just weight aids and voice.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Does she settle if you took her for a hack then did a little in the school?

I don't have a school so most of my death defying stunts are done out hacking or in lessons with Peaches. She was similar in the "I don't like cantering lets trot oh now I realise canter is the best thing, lets just do it all the time" stakes.

At a SJ clinic a couple of weeks ago we did a lot of transitions because it had got to the point where she was just bowling on all the time and I was hanging on. Lots of transitions got her listening amazingly well and she stopped charging on and feeling like she could explode at any moment.

Strangely from the ground she does not look like this at all and when I finally said God I can't ride this horse she is too mad, and my coach had a shot he was surprised at how she was leaning. He reckons we got over excited that now she can do it all in canter (because she is very talented and gymnastic!) we started popping fences and forgetting that while she is talented she is also young and ignorant. Going back to basics made such a difference in just a few sessions and I feel better equipped to deal with her ahem exuberance....

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Hi everyone thanks for the further replies!

Ok so we've ridden three times since I posted. Saturday, she was fabby, did our first shared arena work so stayed in walk and trot (before I'd read the further responses saying leave canter lol) and she relaxed well and settled beautifully. Thought she would get nappy to the other horse but she surprised me .

Sunday however was terrible , we did a 'test and teach' with my instructor. She wanted more contact in the walk (not something I had been doing or thought good for a nappy minded baby), and we just napped and napped and napped some more then threatened to bronc... Got a sensible circle and left it there. I really think she just got mentally tired with the new contact and lots of circles and transitions and the atmosphere unsettled her (lots of people watching).

So gave her yesterday just to chill and got her out tonight, with the mind of seeing how she was on the lines and going from there. Well she was brill . Very minimal threats at napping, relaxed and took the rein down brilliantly , clever baby pony. We took lots from the advice above so nice slow transitions worked super, thank you.