catembi
Well-Known Member
I have now owned Cody (6 yo QHxTB) since April this year. He came to me as v green & quite weedy, & we've had a summer of clinics, lessons, hacking, competing, a few placings sj & dr our first win sj...and then the wheels came off! I think the catalyst was a hack when the bridleway had been ploughed up & he decided to have a roll. I didn't realise he was rolling until he was nearly down as I just thought he was sinking into the heavy plough. I rolled out of the way just in the nick of time not to get flattened, then held the reins intending to get back on when he got up...but then he pulled them out of my hands, went for a gallop around the field & then ran home. I think that flicked a switch in his head...wahey, I am fit and strong, & I can run about & misbehave! After that, we hacked out with a companion a few times. He was a bit spooky, & was also being a handful at competitions. Then the clocks changed...I now finally have planning permission for school & stable block, but there is a lot of faffing with archeological mitigation survey, so no school yet, can't ride on the fields at home as we are on sloping clay & it's always dark. Then we had a hack when he was a complete t*t all the way, culminating in him really throwing some shapes walking across a stubble field, so I had to get off & continue on foot, then he was also being 'interesting' to lead, resulting in sprained finger from being bent back & torn nail.
I was v dismayed as the whole point of buying him was to get something safe & non-spooky, to replace my v spooky ISH. I have also never been that brave...I am reasonably competent but not v confident. I do know that it's all my fault for not being able to work him properly, but all I can do at home is walk up & down a wide concrete drive behind the house, & maybe get half a dozen trot strides. I was dithering over whether to turn him away til I get my arena or get him clipped & try to work him more. Also wondering if I ought to sell him & buy a hacking plod or a rocking horse. Anyway, I decided to get him trace clipped, & off we went on Saturday to a jumping clinic/private lesson with an eventer that I hadn't been to before.
I warned him that I would probably need to lunge first, so I lunged him & OMG! Flying a horse-shaped kite! He went bananas & I was so glad not to be on him! Then the same the other way round, but by the time we went back to the first way round, he was winding his neck in. Then to get on...eeeppp...!! It's funny - when lungeing I know that if he's going off on one, it's best to chase him forward, but when riding I want to shut down & back off because it feels as if the more forward momentum we have, the more energy we'd put into having a spook! Eventually managed to get him forward & organised in all 3 paces, which was more than I thought we'd achieve, & then started jumping. Got to grips with all sorts of position & riding faults & it all made so much sense. Cody hadn't given up on being a t*t & was jumping athletically, then bucking just as athletically on landing. I had just sat a few big bucks & was feeling pleased with myself. Was just in walk & he shot sideway at nothing & I ended up on the floor...whoops. Got back on & we carried on, & we got a good hour's work out of him, although he still didn't feel completely safe.
I was going to to an arena hire today with a v local eventer...easy hacking distance, but I boxed because I don't trust him to hack yet, and I decided to upgrade from arena hire to doing a lesson because otherwise I knew I would creep about in walk up one end & not actually DO anything! Lunged first - only one air above the ground - then got on. He felt unsafe, but he didn't actually do anything, beyond being a bit looky. We worked him hard in all 3 paces, doing some interesting exercises with poles & without. Luckily I am fairly fit as I also do running, weight training etc, so he got tired before I did! We worked him and worked him, & he did actually produce some decent work! So I was feeling better about myself and about riding in general.
We have an evening session booked at a local EC tomorrow night...I am not sure how he's going to be! Hopefully tired and not too full of himself! I need to remember that he WILL wind his neck in if I am brave enough to ride him forward, but it's one thing to 'know' it and quite another to DO it!
Anyway, no point to any of the above, but it might give hope to anyone else who is struggling with the winter blues?
I was v dismayed as the whole point of buying him was to get something safe & non-spooky, to replace my v spooky ISH. I have also never been that brave...I am reasonably competent but not v confident. I do know that it's all my fault for not being able to work him properly, but all I can do at home is walk up & down a wide concrete drive behind the house, & maybe get half a dozen trot strides. I was dithering over whether to turn him away til I get my arena or get him clipped & try to work him more. Also wondering if I ought to sell him & buy a hacking plod or a rocking horse. Anyway, I decided to get him trace clipped, & off we went on Saturday to a jumping clinic/private lesson with an eventer that I hadn't been to before.
I warned him that I would probably need to lunge first, so I lunged him & OMG! Flying a horse-shaped kite! He went bananas & I was so glad not to be on him! Then the same the other way round, but by the time we went back to the first way round, he was winding his neck in. Then to get on...eeeppp...!! It's funny - when lungeing I know that if he's going off on one, it's best to chase him forward, but when riding I want to shut down & back off because it feels as if the more forward momentum we have, the more energy we'd put into having a spook! Eventually managed to get him forward & organised in all 3 paces, which was more than I thought we'd achieve, & then started jumping. Got to grips with all sorts of position & riding faults & it all made so much sense. Cody hadn't given up on being a t*t & was jumping athletically, then bucking just as athletically on landing. I had just sat a few big bucks & was feeling pleased with myself. Was just in walk & he shot sideway at nothing & I ended up on the floor...whoops. Got back on & we carried on, & we got a good hour's work out of him, although he still didn't feel completely safe.
I was going to to an arena hire today with a v local eventer...easy hacking distance, but I boxed because I don't trust him to hack yet, and I decided to upgrade from arena hire to doing a lesson because otherwise I knew I would creep about in walk up one end & not actually DO anything! Lunged first - only one air above the ground - then got on. He felt unsafe, but he didn't actually do anything, beyond being a bit looky. We worked him hard in all 3 paces, doing some interesting exercises with poles & without. Luckily I am fairly fit as I also do running, weight training etc, so he got tired before I did! We worked him and worked him, & he did actually produce some decent work! So I was feeling better about myself and about riding in general.
We have an evening session booked at a local EC tomorrow night...I am not sure how he's going to be! Hopefully tired and not too full of himself! I need to remember that he WILL wind his neck in if I am brave enough to ride him forward, but it's one thing to 'know' it and quite another to DO it!
Anyway, no point to any of the above, but it might give hope to anyone else who is struggling with the winter blues?