Chickened out.
I was supposed to take Tia showjumping today but I have chickened out. After yesterday, all Superhubby and I wanted to do was have a quiet day, a roast dinner and a nice walk. So we did. There's no pressure on getting her jumping to a metre high, she has until next spring to do that and she is already nearly there.
Jazz wouldn't talk to me this morning. He wouldn't come over to have his feet picked out, and when I opened the bar to the barn he wouldn't come out. I definitely wasn't his favourite person. I ended up mucking out with them still in there, meaning that they didn't get their breakfast until after I had finished. Even then I had to lead Jazz out to get his food. I wanted to ride Tia so she didn't get hers at all.
We did some schooling and it was very interesting. First of all, she was in a bad mood from not having her breakfast and tried to provoke me to a fight by refusing to walk out and then shooting off when I asked her to. I got off instead of battling with her and went and groomed Jazz, leaving her to calm herself. When I came back she was fine.
I have been working on improving her canter for six months now and she still has a dreadful transition most of the time. She chucks her head in my face, or makes a dive for it or generally throws herself about. I decided that she is not learning how to control it, and that some other measure was called for to help her understand how to use herself better.
I put draw reins on her. The athletic little beastie put her chin on her chest, where the draw reins were completely inoperative and I had no steering at all, and carried on just like before. So I went and fetched a pelham from the tack room. Then a bridle small enough to use with it (the one it was on was for fast work on Tetley!) from my back bedroom. Eventually we were ready to try it.
Long time readers will know that my favoured "curb chain" is a piece of stirrup leather. Well, she stuck her nose straight in the air and completely ignored the bit. Off I got again. This time we had a proper chain on the curb. Wowie, boyo, did that make a difference! She was extremely sensitive to the chain, and I had to ride with utmost balance and tactful hands. Not easy when she was chucking herself about to try and be rid of it, but she worked out in a few minutes that the only way to be comfortable was to drop her head and round up. Then I asked for canter and she wouldn't go forward. Finally I ran her forward into canter, and then controlled the result and ..... bingo! Fabulous, fabulous canter. Almost as good as Jazz's. A glorious round, balanced, springing canter. She can do it, she just doesn't like to put in that much effort. Needless to say, the pelham will be making future guest appearances when we school canter transitions.
I rode Jazz, hoping to remind myself how good he is. He was stiff (not surprising after what he got up to yesterday - I am still having flashbacks from standing in the yard looking at the lorry and realising that he was attempting to beat out the windows with his front feet :-00000). And he was lazy. I had to pick up a whip and tap him with it to get him to walk out. Then suddenly, up came his back, up came his shoulders, and we got the most glorious walk, fantastic bend, easy-peasy shoulder-in and travers and explosive (in a goooood way) trot transitions. When we finished, after 20 minutes or so, he was my friend again and being really sweet and looking very pleased with himself for having made me happy. He is fabulous. I forgive him everything. I am just so lucky to be riding a horse of his quality.
I have primed Superhubby for pictures of his first outing on Sunday. We test him again with a journey unloading away from home tomorrow and we'll see how that goes. He will not be left alone when at a standstill, I can't afford a new horse or a new lorry :-) I've never pandered to a horse who makes a fuss in a box before, but then again I've never routinely got off and led a horse who won't go forward before either. There are times when discretion is better than valour!
I will get a video on Sunday too, and send it to Mandeigh, who's been clamouring for it, and anyone else who wants to see it email me with your address and you can do a "chain" sending it on to each other :-)
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 4:24 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
you have got him insured haven't you? ..... for that price .... surely worth it.....
glad you had some success with both of them.
i have a pelham i haven't used yet, need to be shown how ...
Jazz is certainly a sensitive soul. I think he is probably very kind but still too "little boy" rambunctious for his own good. If he was happy after he pleased you during the ride, it's likely that's what he really wants to do.
"Fair, firm, and consistent" are the bywords for handling teenagers in school. The rules apply for horses as well. So far, it looks as if that is exactly what you are doing.
As for Ms. Tia, what a character. If she was good in the pelham, then you know for sure she can do what you want. That canter sounds grand. Do remember, though, as I'm sure you will, that being too demanding with the new expectations might be too much for her physically. Ask for more a little at a time so she can build up the proper muscles and not get sore.
After yesterday, you and hubby deserved a break. There will always be another chance for the show jumping.
Oh, yes, the draw reins. Tucker would curl up like that on them too and simply not go forward. I've seen them work well on some horses, but in general, they really don't solve too much.
Yea to the vid! I can't wait to see him.
Insured? Nope. Now I know that sounds odd given how much he cost, but it is all a question of probabilities. The cost of insurance to include loss of use (which it would be useless without) is over £700 a year. There is no point in insuring one without the other (the probabilities don't work out unless you insure everything and after all Tia is now worth around £5-6,000 herself and would cost £5-600 to insure). The question is - what is the probability that I will get an accident or illness which will write one of them off in the next ten years - it would have to be greater than 1 in 5 to make it an economic proposition. For the last five years, I have saved all the money that I would have spent on insurance policies. Even allowing for Smartie's loss of £2,500 I have money in the bank because of not insuring. It is being saved for the day when a big vet bill comes in. Bear in mind I have them at home and have total control over what happens to them. If I was in a livery yard, too right he would be insured. I've done so much work with insurance companies, and they make a fat profit out of selling insurance, so for every claimant there are be plenty of people who are paying an arm and a leg every year and not making a claim. On balance of probabilities, I will be one of them. I hope. Note that this approach does not work unless you have the discipline to leave the insurance costs in the bank and not spend them!!!! It doesn't work if you have only one horse either, the risk is far too great. Three or more is best.
Jean you have Jazz summed up. With Tia what I am asking for is an up transition, four strides of canter and a down transition. As soon as she does one well, she gets to stop. "Well" is defined relative to what she has been doing so far! An effort in the right direction is rewarded. Interestingly, I have never seen her stride out of her stable so freely as she is thie morning - I wonder if it's connected.
Soon now Mandeigh, we are definitely going on Sunday as things stand today.
C
C
Oh and I am 3rd party insured through British Eventing and my house insurance - I would NEVER take that risk - one bad accident with a person involved and you could be in for a million or more in damages.
C
Post a Comment
<< Home