sandi_84
Well-Known Member
In preperation for getting hippo boy into proper work at the school the YO asked a couple of the girls who are competent but different riders to try him tonight. So she asked me to take them down to the school and have them test drive him 
Rider 1 is a very good rider but lacks confidence and so was quite scared of getting on him in the first place but she did get on. I asked her to just walk him round for a bit and get a feel for him, keep her leg on but don't let him run through the bridle, not to worry about outline as he's not quite got that yet (he does soften but he's not able to work a proper outline yet) and if he wants to stretch to let him but not to let him dictate the pace.
She walked him round and slowly became more confident so I asked her to trot him for a bit, working up to some 10m circles with trot-walk-trot transitions halfway through each circle and told her she would have to kick him on a bit when he lost impulsion. He actually did this better for her than he does for me ha ha!
She told me that she felt really safe on him and after a few tentative prods with her heels became more confident that if she kicked him on he wouldn't do anything silly
After a few 10m circles on both reins I asked if she would like to try a canter which she jumped at the chance for
He has a slight problem on striking of on the right leg and he still rushes into canter a bit atm so I explained that if he struck of on the wrong leg I'd call out and get her to take him back to trot and try again but not to worry as that was normal for him atm. I also explained that he does sometimes rush a bit with the actual canter but putting him on a 20m circle helps him control the pace and balance better which didn't phaze her at all
She managed to get him to canter on the right leg after a couple of goes and really enjoyed herself, she's even asked if she can use him for her lesson tomorrow! I was so proud of them both! They did brilliantly together, her confidence was boosted and he behaved impeccably for her
Rider 2 is more confident, also a very good rider but slightly more unbalanced than rider 1. I told her the same things that I told rider 1. She spent a bit of time in trot to find her way and had a couple of canters on the other rein. She had him going very nicely and he struck off on the correct leg each time (left rein much easier than right according to the hippo) and also felt very comfortable with him. We ended up taking him and another horse for a wee cool down walk up to the forest and back.
So Loki has 2 new fans and was a perfect gentleman the whole time
Words cannot describe how perfectly proud of him I am, he's come such a long way in my rather clumsy hands and is such a lovely lad
Rider 1 is a very good rider but lacks confidence and so was quite scared of getting on him in the first place but she did get on. I asked her to just walk him round for a bit and get a feel for him, keep her leg on but don't let him run through the bridle, not to worry about outline as he's not quite got that yet (he does soften but he's not able to work a proper outline yet) and if he wants to stretch to let him but not to let him dictate the pace.
She walked him round and slowly became more confident so I asked her to trot him for a bit, working up to some 10m circles with trot-walk-trot transitions halfway through each circle and told her she would have to kick him on a bit when he lost impulsion. He actually did this better for her than he does for me ha ha!
She told me that she felt really safe on him and after a few tentative prods with her heels became more confident that if she kicked him on he wouldn't do anything silly
After a few 10m circles on both reins I asked if she would like to try a canter which she jumped at the chance for
He has a slight problem on striking of on the right leg and he still rushes into canter a bit atm so I explained that if he struck of on the wrong leg I'd call out and get her to take him back to trot and try again but not to worry as that was normal for him atm. I also explained that he does sometimes rush a bit with the actual canter but putting him on a 20m circle helps him control the pace and balance better which didn't phaze her at all
She managed to get him to canter on the right leg after a couple of goes and really enjoyed herself, she's even asked if she can use him for her lesson tomorrow! I was so proud of them both! They did brilliantly together, her confidence was boosted and he behaved impeccably for her
Rider 2 is more confident, also a very good rider but slightly more unbalanced than rider 1. I told her the same things that I told rider 1. She spent a bit of time in trot to find her way and had a couple of canters on the other rein. She had him going very nicely and he struck off on the correct leg each time (left rein much easier than right according to the hippo
) and also felt very comfortable with him. We ended up taking him and another horse for a wee cool down walk up to the forest and back.So Loki has 2 new fans and was a perfect gentleman the whole time
Words cannot describe how perfectly proud of him I am, he's come such a long way in my rather clumsy hands and is such a lovely lad
