Firewell
Well-Known Member
Now I feel a bit stronger about Vay no longer being with me I thought I'd do a little tribute to my gorgeous girlie.
I brought Vay in July 2005 when she looked a bit like this :-
She hadnt done anything but some hacking and 3 months in race training (too slow). I must admit my first impressions werent good... she looked very small and sulky. She wouldnt look at me or acknowledge me at all (now I know that was a good thing!). When I got on her she felt like I was sitting on the edge of a precipice.. she had no front end and a huge back end! To top that off she chucked her head around like a maniac and rushed off at 100 miles an hr! I though 'oh no, I dont like her' but I was on board so thought I may as well take her for a hack with the racehorses to try her out.
We went out for an hour and once she got used to me she started to listen.. I kept my hands soft and she dropped down onto the bridle and kept her head sooo still, her owner couldnt believe it as she had never seen her go like that! I also realised how sweet and sensible she was, cantering behind or in front and picking her way carefully down the hills and popping a little ditch without hesitation. By the time we had got back to the yard I decided she was mine
Trying her out:-
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We picked her up a week later and I was so nervous! When we got there her owner said she had to show me something before I took her... we went into the stable and Vaya was at the back.. she had her bum too us and was being really threatening, ears back, rushing backwards and forwards and attempting to kick.. Her owner said to be careful with her in the stable! It was too late to back out by this point and I was in a nervous daze so home she came with me.
When we got her home I realised 1. she didnt like being caught. 2. she would rear bolt upright being lead. 3. she wouldnt be shod and was a dangerous psyco horse for the farrier. 4. you couldnt do circles on her she would freak out! 5. couldnt be lunged, just used to rear and even sat on someones landrover! (oops!) 6. couldnt be longreined, used to kick out like a bugger. She pretty much terrified me to be honest!
BUT
She never did anything to make me fall off (either that or I just had a mega seat
), she never crossed that line and when I talked to her calmly she always listened.
I quickly learnt that she was insecure, strong willed but gold hearted.
I hacked her for 6 months before attempting to school her again. I taught her to go on the bridle on all the gaits out hacking, I hacked her everywhere! I taught her lateral work out hacking and worked on her transitions out hacking.
First week I had her after a hack:-
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Eventually I started to introduce the school.. I did in hand work with her in the school, which also helped the rearing while being led. I taught her to follow me at my shoulder and to do all the monty roberts type stuff. She loved it! Heres us playing in the school :-
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By this point she was happy being lunged, albeit only in a headcoller, she wouldnt tolerate being lunged off the bridle. So I lunged her gently in circles
, so she learnt without me on that she could do them
. Then I started riding her gently at walk on the bridle, doing all the things she had learnt out hacking. First walk-trot transition she reverted back and went to hopping on the spot like she was on a pogo stick!
I just pushed her on though and over the next 3 months she was schooling like a normal horse (i think someone must have really socked her in the gob as a baby because she would always revert to hopping on the spot and chucking her head around!)
Then we went to our first show! Interesting as she went back to her rearing, plunging self when we got there as she was so excited! I led her about though to get her used to the atmosphere:-
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I then hopped on and just took her in the warm up for 20 mins to do some schooling, she was v excited but soon settled down. Once she settled I took her home.
2nd show we actually did a class, a prelim! I was v scared as I wasnt sure what she would make of the dressage boards, music, flowers, mirrors or even the indoor school! She was a star though! Eyes on stalks but she behaved herself and we came last with 52% ha ha. She was amazing though considering how far we had come. 2nd show:-
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After this she went through her 'i wont load' phase for 3 months!!
which we realised was down to the fact that she didnt like being alone in the back! This resulted in buying her a lorry with a cut through cab so she could always see us and we could talk to her and play her the radio while travelling.
During this time where we couldnt go anywhere, we started jumping. She could canter nicely by this point so I thought it was the right time. I didnt have to teach her to jump.. she was one of those naturals who just 'knew'. She had a big beautiful bold jump, with a perfect technique. She knew how good she was and would revel in how easy she found it! I took her over fillers, little doubles, grids, bounces every trick I could think of to challenge her. She found every question easy and never stopped, never had to look she just knew how to do it perfect each and very time.
Eventually we go the loading sorted (for now!) and we started going to our first jumping shows! She came 3rd in her first class and then went on to go double clear nearly every time and she didnt have more than 4 faults in 2 years.
One of our first jumping shows, displaying how easy and fun she found it:-
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Becoming more grown up :-
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we even managed some BSJA which is a miracle considering 1. the fact that she couldnt even walk a circle without freaking out when I first got her and 2. her stomach problems which at this point I still didnt know about.
Here is a little vid of her jumping in the early days.. shes a bit baby in this vid but she had learnt how to change legs ect by the end:-
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We were also improving our dressage, and after some lessons with a grand prix dressage rider we turned out mid 50% scores in to high 60's/70% scores. This summer she was placed at every dressage show we went to :-
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During all this time I learnt so many lessons with her. She went back to deciding she didnt want to load and I had to get a NH lady to help us. The lady thought she was frightened because she did her bolt upright rears again and totally refused to go in! she persevered though and within minutes it worked and soon she was running at the ramp and the NH lady changed her mind and said she wasnt being frightened she was just testing! Knowing Vay how I did, I think its because she got so excited/nervous about going somewhere that her brain would fall out.
Anyway after that I would treat loading like a fun game and I would load her lots at home, just in and out and she loved it! Even at a show I would take her in the box, give her a pony nut and then back out again and I would repeat it a couple of times and she loved knowing the game and being so clever, she would load herself!
She never really go over her fear of the farrier and that one hour every 6 weeks was always really testing. I would have to ride her first, try and keep her calm and in her routine and feed her while he was there. Thinking back I wonder if the grumbling pains she would have had in her tummy made holding her legs up for a long time hurt, I dont know.
Leading at the end she was amazing. I didnt even need a rope. Even when she was excited or the young stallions at the yard would gallop at her through the fence she wouldnt bat an eye. I could vault on her, ride her bareback.
I could give her 3 months off and ride her in a gale force wind and she would be amazing. She was never easy and she wouldnt trust many people, she would put her ears back and be really evil to them! She was an nightmare for the vet, the dentist, the saddler.. anyone who she didnt know who would try and touch her she would play up. She was amazing to clip but i think thats because i taught her from scratch and took it slow.
I think back now and I think of the time it took me an hr to put some purple spray on a tiny cut. she wouldnt let me! I could spray it anywhere but that cut. I was determined and in the end we were both covered in purple spray but I got it on!
I think of the time that she was spooked in the school and she reared, ran back and nearly did a back flip over the arena fence. I managed to stay on by some miracle and had to jump off and sooth her before we could carry on our schooling.
I remember the time she reared and refused to walk past the scary poodle on a hack and I had to be brave and canter her up the road past it.
I think of the time that the plane was doing acrobatics above our heads on a hack and how she didnt blink an eye. How we got caught up in the army warfare training and she didnt blink an eye. The time when my friends horse kicked my mums horse, my mum fell off, murphy was injured, panni took off and all hell broke loose and she was rock solid and dead still.
We had a contract of trust and respect between us. I trusted her 100% but I always respected her I never once took anything for granted. She wasnt one of those sweet, obedient horses that does everything for anyone (how I wished she was sometimes!) she was fiesty, intelligent and the most alive being ive ever met, she was bright and never switched off. She noticed every little thing. She was amazing because she gave her whole heart and soul into everything, not because she had to but because she wanted too. Because she was such a strong character she was even more genuine because when she did her job well, when she always looked after me.. she did it because she meant it.
If there was ever a horse I had to ride into battle it would have been her. Because I know without a shadow of a doubt that whatever happened, whatever horrors there were, that she would face them head on with bravery. She would have fought by my side untill her last breath.
When she died and the vet had her open on the operating table he couldnt believe what he saw. Her whole insides were disentegrated, she had damage years and years old, he said her insides 'were like mush' it was a miracle she lived as long as she did and that she managed to give us no idication of what was wrong. We think now that it was due to early worm damage from not being wormed as a foal or youngster. Her life had already been marked the day I got her. It makes me so angry because I wormed her and kept her the best I could have ever kept her, I wanted her to last untill an old lady.
For the sake of a £15 wormer she died.
Anyway, i'll miss my baggage. My beautiful, difficult but wonderful, wonderful girl. The most genuine and kindest horse I have ever met.
Vayamos
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I brought Vay in July 2005 when she looked a bit like this :-
She hadnt done anything but some hacking and 3 months in race training (too slow). I must admit my first impressions werent good... she looked very small and sulky. She wouldnt look at me or acknowledge me at all (now I know that was a good thing!). When I got on her she felt like I was sitting on the edge of a precipice.. she had no front end and a huge back end! To top that off she chucked her head around like a maniac and rushed off at 100 miles an hr! I though 'oh no, I dont like her' but I was on board so thought I may as well take her for a hack with the racehorses to try her out.
We went out for an hour and once she got used to me she started to listen.. I kept my hands soft and she dropped down onto the bridle and kept her head sooo still, her owner couldnt believe it as she had never seen her go like that! I also realised how sweet and sensible she was, cantering behind or in front and picking her way carefully down the hills and popping a little ditch without hesitation. By the time we had got back to the yard I decided she was mine
Trying her out:-
[image]
We picked her up a week later and I was so nervous! When we got there her owner said she had to show me something before I took her... we went into the stable and Vaya was at the back.. she had her bum too us and was being really threatening, ears back, rushing backwards and forwards and attempting to kick.. Her owner said to be careful with her in the stable! It was too late to back out by this point and I was in a nervous daze so home she came with me.
When we got her home I realised 1. she didnt like being caught. 2. she would rear bolt upright being lead. 3. she wouldnt be shod and was a dangerous psyco horse for the farrier. 4. you couldnt do circles on her she would freak out! 5. couldnt be lunged, just used to rear and even sat on someones landrover! (oops!) 6. couldnt be longreined, used to kick out like a bugger. She pretty much terrified me to be honest!
BUT
She never did anything to make me fall off (either that or I just had a mega seat
I quickly learnt that she was insecure, strong willed but gold hearted.
I hacked her for 6 months before attempting to school her again. I taught her to go on the bridle on all the gaits out hacking, I hacked her everywhere! I taught her lateral work out hacking and worked on her transitions out hacking.
First week I had her after a hack:-
[image]
Eventually I started to introduce the school.. I did in hand work with her in the school, which also helped the rearing while being led. I taught her to follow me at my shoulder and to do all the monty roberts type stuff. She loved it! Heres us playing in the school :-
[image]
By this point she was happy being lunged, albeit only in a headcoller, she wouldnt tolerate being lunged off the bridle. So I lunged her gently in circles
I just pushed her on though and over the next 3 months she was schooling like a normal horse (i think someone must have really socked her in the gob as a baby because she would always revert to hopping on the spot and chucking her head around!)
Then we went to our first show! Interesting as she went back to her rearing, plunging self when we got there as she was so excited! I led her about though to get her used to the atmosphere:-
[image]http://
I then hopped on and just took her in the warm up for 20 mins to do some schooling, she was v excited but soon settled down. Once she settled I took her home.
2nd show we actually did a class, a prelim! I was v scared as I wasnt sure what she would make of the dressage boards, music, flowers, mirrors or even the indoor school! She was a star though! Eyes on stalks but she behaved herself and we came last with 52% ha ha. She was amazing though considering how far we had come. 2nd show:-
[image]
[image]
After this she went through her 'i wont load' phase for 3 months!!
During this time where we couldnt go anywhere, we started jumping. She could canter nicely by this point so I thought it was the right time. I didnt have to teach her to jump.. she was one of those naturals who just 'knew'. She had a big beautiful bold jump, with a perfect technique. She knew how good she was and would revel in how easy she found it! I took her over fillers, little doubles, grids, bounces every trick I could think of to challenge her. She found every question easy and never stopped, never had to look she just knew how to do it perfect each and very time.
Eventually we go the loading sorted (for now!) and we started going to our first jumping shows! She came 3rd in her first class and then went on to go double clear nearly every time and she didnt have more than 4 faults in 2 years.
One of our first jumping shows, displaying how easy and fun she found it:-
[image]
[image]
[image]
Becoming more grown up :-
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
we even managed some BSJA which is a miracle considering 1. the fact that she couldnt even walk a circle without freaking out when I first got her and 2. her stomach problems which at this point I still didnt know about.
Here is a little vid of her jumping in the early days.. shes a bit baby in this vid but she had learnt how to change legs ect by the end:-
[image]
[/image] We were also improving our dressage, and after some lessons with a grand prix dressage rider we turned out mid 50% scores in to high 60's/70% scores. This summer she was placed at every dressage show we went to :-
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
During all this time I learnt so many lessons with her. She went back to deciding she didnt want to load and I had to get a NH lady to help us. The lady thought she was frightened because she did her bolt upright rears again and totally refused to go in! she persevered though and within minutes it worked and soon she was running at the ramp and the NH lady changed her mind and said she wasnt being frightened she was just testing! Knowing Vay how I did, I think its because she got so excited/nervous about going somewhere that her brain would fall out.
Anyway after that I would treat loading like a fun game and I would load her lots at home, just in and out and she loved it! Even at a show I would take her in the box, give her a pony nut and then back out again and I would repeat it a couple of times and she loved knowing the game and being so clever, she would load herself!
She never really go over her fear of the farrier and that one hour every 6 weeks was always really testing. I would have to ride her first, try and keep her calm and in her routine and feed her while he was there. Thinking back I wonder if the grumbling pains she would have had in her tummy made holding her legs up for a long time hurt, I dont know.
Leading at the end she was amazing. I didnt even need a rope. Even when she was excited or the young stallions at the yard would gallop at her through the fence she wouldnt bat an eye. I could vault on her, ride her bareback.
I could give her 3 months off and ride her in a gale force wind and she would be amazing. She was never easy and she wouldnt trust many people, she would put her ears back and be really evil to them! She was an nightmare for the vet, the dentist, the saddler.. anyone who she didnt know who would try and touch her she would play up. She was amazing to clip but i think thats because i taught her from scratch and took it slow.
I think back now and I think of the time it took me an hr to put some purple spray on a tiny cut. she wouldnt let me! I could spray it anywhere but that cut. I was determined and in the end we were both covered in purple spray but I got it on!
I think of the time that she was spooked in the school and she reared, ran back and nearly did a back flip over the arena fence. I managed to stay on by some miracle and had to jump off and sooth her before we could carry on our schooling.
I remember the time she reared and refused to walk past the scary poodle on a hack and I had to be brave and canter her up the road past it.
I think of the time that the plane was doing acrobatics above our heads on a hack and how she didnt blink an eye. How we got caught up in the army warfare training and she didnt blink an eye. The time when my friends horse kicked my mums horse, my mum fell off, murphy was injured, panni took off and all hell broke loose and she was rock solid and dead still.
We had a contract of trust and respect between us. I trusted her 100% but I always respected her I never once took anything for granted. She wasnt one of those sweet, obedient horses that does everything for anyone (how I wished she was sometimes!) she was fiesty, intelligent and the most alive being ive ever met, she was bright and never switched off. She noticed every little thing. She was amazing because she gave her whole heart and soul into everything, not because she had to but because she wanted too. Because she was such a strong character she was even more genuine because when she did her job well, when she always looked after me.. she did it because she meant it.
If there was ever a horse I had to ride into battle it would have been her. Because I know without a shadow of a doubt that whatever happened, whatever horrors there were, that she would face them head on with bravery. She would have fought by my side untill her last breath.
When she died and the vet had her open on the operating table he couldnt believe what he saw. Her whole insides were disentegrated, she had damage years and years old, he said her insides 'were like mush' it was a miracle she lived as long as she did and that she managed to give us no idication of what was wrong. We think now that it was due to early worm damage from not being wormed as a foal or youngster. Her life had already been marked the day I got her. It makes me so angry because I wormed her and kept her the best I could have ever kept her, I wanted her to last untill an old lady.
For the sake of a £15 wormer she died.
Anyway, i'll miss my baggage. My beautiful, difficult but wonderful, wonderful girl. The most genuine and kindest horse I have ever met.
Vayamos
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