Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Well its been going swimmingly with Lari lately and I'm having a variety of 'proud Mummy moments'.
The pro rider has ridden him four times now and every time he is building in strength. The photos attached are from stills from the second time she rode him. I can't put a video over as I'm not technically minded enough so they are still photos from the video on my phone. He's gradually improving in muscle and although at times he finds the work challenging he is very well behaved. She's been trying to get him to move forwards more into the contact and use his quarters more to push off, with the off hind which is the problematic leg and he is pushing off with this a lot better than previously.
Each time she rides him he looks better and better, I am really pleased. He was finding the work hard last night so kept trying to canter out of the trot she had him in as she was asking him to use himself more from behind and move into a better frame, but he eventually found his stride and understood what was being asked and worked really well with her and look amazing, he has such lovely paces, I can't wait to do dressage with him. Although the rider has been working mainly in trot and doing walk to trot transitions to strengthen him his canter has improved too and he can be amazingly elevated at times. I'm planning on continuing with her riding him three times a week before I get on at the end of March by which time I hope I've lost a bit more weight.
I'm still doing the odd in hand work with him, over raised poles and lunge and long reining work and at the weekend we took part in an a 'Horse Agility UK' https://www.equineagilityuk.com/
fun day at the yard where we had a variety of obstacles to contend with such as walking under a hoop with flaps of material hanging down, going over tarpaulin, through a labyrinth, standing on a block of wood, raising a flag and waving it around and walking along a corridor of flags and bunting. We had great fun and although reactive with the hoop (picture of another horse off website) was very well behaved and went through eventually after I convinced him to duck his head!!
Walking through the corridor of bunting and flags was no issue and although he initially shot back about ten foot when he saw the 'balloon face' which was a metallic balloon he went up to it almost immediately when he worked out it wasn't going to eat him! I had to be careful for him not to grab onto it though as obviously it would burst and because he's so mouthy I had to stop him from trying to grab the material hanging down from the hoop and pull it towards him which was difficult and he wanted to 'taste' it first. He is a poppet, he really is.
The pro rider has ridden him four times now and every time he is building in strength. The photos attached are from stills from the second time she rode him. I can't put a video over as I'm not technically minded enough so they are still photos from the video on my phone. He's gradually improving in muscle and although at times he finds the work challenging he is very well behaved. She's been trying to get him to move forwards more into the contact and use his quarters more to push off, with the off hind which is the problematic leg and he is pushing off with this a lot better than previously.
Each time she rides him he looks better and better, I am really pleased. He was finding the work hard last night so kept trying to canter out of the trot she had him in as she was asking him to use himself more from behind and move into a better frame, but he eventually found his stride and understood what was being asked and worked really well with her and look amazing, he has such lovely paces, I can't wait to do dressage with him. Although the rider has been working mainly in trot and doing walk to trot transitions to strengthen him his canter has improved too and he can be amazingly elevated at times. I'm planning on continuing with her riding him three times a week before I get on at the end of March by which time I hope I've lost a bit more weight.
I'm still doing the odd in hand work with him, over raised poles and lunge and long reining work and at the weekend we took part in an a 'Horse Agility UK' https://www.equineagilityuk.com/
fun day at the yard where we had a variety of obstacles to contend with such as walking under a hoop with flaps of material hanging down, going over tarpaulin, through a labyrinth, standing on a block of wood, raising a flag and waving it around and walking along a corridor of flags and bunting. We had great fun and although reactive with the hoop (picture of another horse off website) was very well behaved and went through eventually after I convinced him to duck his head!!
Walking through the corridor of bunting and flags was no issue and although he initially shot back about ten foot when he saw the 'balloon face' which was a metallic balloon he went up to it almost immediately when he worked out it wasn't going to eat him! I had to be careful for him not to grab onto it though as obviously it would burst and because he's so mouthy I had to stop him from trying to grab the material hanging down from the hoop and pull it towards him which was difficult and he wanted to 'taste' it first. He is a poppet, he really is.
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