So now that Nina is back to work you have the choice of skipping this blog - or listen to me prattle on about every little thing. Repetitiously!
So we have only had 4 rides and she is being great. I feel like we are picking up where we left off 2 years ago, which is the last time I had a plan, goals and some focus.
I have been letting her do her crazy flipping around in the round pen before we work. It is caused by her apprehension and she can just work it out. She behaves while being tacked up and waits to be released before she takes off. When the nervous energy is gone she stops. I think this will disappear with regular work. Today I tacked her up, let her go to run and she whirled around, ran about 2 strides and turned to look at me. 'What am I supposed to be doing?' She did launch into a 19h trot but only for a few minutes, looking sort of puzzled. I don't expect that the running is over, but this does indicate that she didn't get wired up with adrenaline today while being tacked up.
My plan is to start with nothing and introduce asking her for something new everyday. We started with a day of walk. Added some trot transitions. Added trot over poles. Today we added trotting laps in a nice forward rhythm. This sounds simple but it was an issue for us. She fussed about maintaining a rhythm, fell into a jog or spurted into a canter and was pissy about having to go back to a working trot. Today we did laps and laps, reversed over some poles in the middle of the arena and did more and more laps. Forward, driving trot, totally relaxed. For all her foibles this is the most powerful horse I have ever sat on. She isn't powerful charging forward or when she feels like it - instead she pushes off hard with hind legs for every single step when she trots or canters. You better sit up to post or you could slide off the rear!
She had some hardware problems today. My fault. She walked off at the mounting block - a huge No No for me and I corrected her more harshly than needed with a hackamore. She spooked and gave me a dirty look, but stood like a rock. Sorry 'bout that - sort of.
Later she was falling out of the trot, I was using more leg, I got tired of that and gave her a swift kick - forgetting I was wearing spurs. Ooops. Oh well, no more lagging in the trot.
Not a big deal, she is accepting and seems to be glad to be back to work.
So we have only had 4 rides and she is being great. I feel like we are picking up where we left off 2 years ago, which is the last time I had a plan, goals and some focus.
I have been letting her do her crazy flipping around in the round pen before we work. It is caused by her apprehension and she can just work it out. She behaves while being tacked up and waits to be released before she takes off. When the nervous energy is gone she stops. I think this will disappear with regular work. Today I tacked her up, let her go to run and she whirled around, ran about 2 strides and turned to look at me. 'What am I supposed to be doing?' She did launch into a 19h trot but only for a few minutes, looking sort of puzzled. I don't expect that the running is over, but this does indicate that she didn't get wired up with adrenaline today while being tacked up.
My plan is to start with nothing and introduce asking her for something new everyday. We started with a day of walk. Added some trot transitions. Added trot over poles. Today we added trotting laps in a nice forward rhythm. This sounds simple but it was an issue for us. She fussed about maintaining a rhythm, fell into a jog or spurted into a canter and was pissy about having to go back to a working trot. Today we did laps and laps, reversed over some poles in the middle of the arena and did more and more laps. Forward, driving trot, totally relaxed. For all her foibles this is the most powerful horse I have ever sat on. She isn't powerful charging forward or when she feels like it - instead she pushes off hard with hind legs for every single step when she trots or canters. You better sit up to post or you could slide off the rear!
She had some hardware problems today. My fault. She walked off at the mounting block - a huge No No for me and I corrected her more harshly than needed with a hackamore. She spooked and gave me a dirty look, but stood like a rock. Sorry 'bout that - sort of.
Later she was falling out of the trot, I was using more leg, I got tired of that and gave her a swift kick - forgetting I was wearing spurs. Ooops. Oh well, no more lagging in the trot.
Not a big deal, she is accepting and seems to be glad to be back to work.
She's probably been very bored. And if she can see you riding other horses--well, motivation? LOL! ;)
ReplyDeleteWhichever works! :-)
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