Neptune
Well-Known Member
I hate my horse... ok, or at least would like to ask him. WHAT THE EFF !!
So off on our hack we go.. walking along, up the hill I ask him to round down a little more, getting him stretching over his back and to push from behind. Nope...to much like hard work for him. He has other ideas, cue a Pidgeon flying out of the tree above and any excuse for him to spook and get out of the work. Nothing unusual! BUT then he decides he is going to follow it up with a full on bolt off, up the hill, round 2 twisty bends, back down the other side of the hill, sharp left turn (almost sending me flying!) continuing down the hill another sharp left turn on to the flat (he is heading for home, just one more sharp right turn and he would be on the homeward stretch) Managed to finally catch him before the right turn and he continued straight on up the path. Realising he had passed the turning for home and was actually now heading away from home he finally let me pull him up!
We continued to walk in the direction away from home all the while making him work into the contact. We managed to go back up the hill where we had just exited from rather quickly in walk stretching and pushing from behind.
So we continued our hack in this manner, I was not even going to give him an inch of opportunity! Then out of no where - no idea what caused it this time, he is gone again! On a different track this time further up the hill we go, knowing he will want to turn left for home I manage to keep him on the path and we continue up the hill, me thinking he will stop as he didn't get to go the way he wanted to go. Oooohhhhh no. He continues on round the twisty path back down the hill through the mud. Problem being the path does not get used that much and all the trees had over grown and hitting me left right and centre! Ouchies!! The path finally led to a clearing and I managed to turn him off the twisty muddy path and he started to slow. So managed to finally get his head and held to the left he was still trying to go, I pushed him into the bushes hoping to slow him but no such luck, so after he had hit in the face several times by the bushes speeding past us, he gave it up and stopped.
We continued our hack, albeit a lot quicker than anticipatedand at no point did he actually get to go home until it was my decision. Then finally when we did get on the path for home i made him work all the way along it and we went straight into the school when we got back to the yard and he was schooled for 20 mins. He was as good as gold. If better as the hack had given him more energy for it.. Not quite the energy I had been looking for though!
Which brings me back to now what? He has done this to mebefore, although no where near as bad as it was today. He was just gone todayand no matter what i did he wasn’t stopping he had hold of the bit, head up and gone. I had no room to attempt to turn him as the paths are narrow and have either a ditch or wire electric fencing either side. The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] time I managed to get his headbent round at the last point and he eventually slowed.
So my angry mind is thinking standing martingale / grackle noseband and a Waterford full cheek bit. But maybe others have ideas that are not so angry as mine! Oh and some decent riding gloves. My magic sticky gloves just did not cut it today. They allowed the reins to slip through my fingers,another reason I struggled to stop him, not easy with loonnggg reins. Have blisters over my fingers from trying to pull him up, luckily I had vaselinedhis mouth up before we had left!
His teeth / saddle / back are all up to date (although can’t vouch for his back now after slipping over several times mid bolting episode)
What else could I have done? What can I do to help myself next time? Change his tack or just have to work on it? He is currently ridden in a flash noseband with a loose ring NS team up bit (it wasn’t very TEAM oriented today! Lol)
I’m actually laughing to myself about it now. We both came back in one piece. I may have very sore hands and scratches all over my face from various trees and bushes wacking me at full pelt. He is just such a cheeky begger! But i really need to work out a way of nipping this in the bud before it becomes habit... Ideas? As I say he has done this before. If only to give me more control should it happen and hopefully allow me to bring him back a lot quicker!
Cookies and Hot Chocolate if you made it this far (It is bedtime after all) J
So off on our hack we go.. walking along, up the hill I ask him to round down a little more, getting him stretching over his back and to push from behind. Nope...to much like hard work for him. He has other ideas, cue a Pidgeon flying out of the tree above and any excuse for him to spook and get out of the work. Nothing unusual! BUT then he decides he is going to follow it up with a full on bolt off, up the hill, round 2 twisty bends, back down the other side of the hill, sharp left turn (almost sending me flying!) continuing down the hill another sharp left turn on to the flat (he is heading for home, just one more sharp right turn and he would be on the homeward stretch) Managed to finally catch him before the right turn and he continued straight on up the path. Realising he had passed the turning for home and was actually now heading away from home he finally let me pull him up!
We continued to walk in the direction away from home all the while making him work into the contact. We managed to go back up the hill where we had just exited from rather quickly in walk stretching and pushing from behind.
So we continued our hack in this manner, I was not even going to give him an inch of opportunity! Then out of no where - no idea what caused it this time, he is gone again! On a different track this time further up the hill we go, knowing he will want to turn left for home I manage to keep him on the path and we continue up the hill, me thinking he will stop as he didn't get to go the way he wanted to go. Oooohhhhh no. He continues on round the twisty path back down the hill through the mud. Problem being the path does not get used that much and all the trees had over grown and hitting me left right and centre! Ouchies!! The path finally led to a clearing and I managed to turn him off the twisty muddy path and he started to slow. So managed to finally get his head and held to the left he was still trying to go, I pushed him into the bushes hoping to slow him but no such luck, so after he had hit in the face several times by the bushes speeding past us, he gave it up and stopped.
We continued our hack, albeit a lot quicker than anticipatedand at no point did he actually get to go home until it was my decision. Then finally when we did get on the path for home i made him work all the way along it and we went straight into the school when we got back to the yard and he was schooled for 20 mins. He was as good as gold. If better as the hack had given him more energy for it.. Not quite the energy I had been looking for though!
Which brings me back to now what? He has done this to mebefore, although no where near as bad as it was today. He was just gone todayand no matter what i did he wasn’t stopping he had hold of the bit, head up and gone. I had no room to attempt to turn him as the paths are narrow and have either a ditch or wire electric fencing either side. The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] time I managed to get his headbent round at the last point and he eventually slowed.
So my angry mind is thinking standing martingale / grackle noseband and a Waterford full cheek bit. But maybe others have ideas that are not so angry as mine! Oh and some decent riding gloves. My magic sticky gloves just did not cut it today. They allowed the reins to slip through my fingers,another reason I struggled to stop him, not easy with loonnggg reins. Have blisters over my fingers from trying to pull him up, luckily I had vaselinedhis mouth up before we had left!
His teeth / saddle / back are all up to date (although can’t vouch for his back now after slipping over several times mid bolting episode)
What else could I have done? What can I do to help myself next time? Change his tack or just have to work on it? He is currently ridden in a flash noseband with a loose ring NS team up bit (it wasn’t very TEAM oriented today! Lol)
I’m actually laughing to myself about it now. We both came back in one piece. I may have very sore hands and scratches all over my face from various trees and bushes wacking me at full pelt. He is just such a cheeky begger! But i really need to work out a way of nipping this in the bud before it becomes habit... Ideas? As I say he has done this before. If only to give me more control should it happen and hopefully allow me to bring him back a lot quicker!
Cookies and Hot Chocolate if you made it this far (It is bedtime after all) J
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