Jazzy 1 Mummyknowsbest 2
What a battle! We went out for what was supposed to be a quiet 45 minute hack. Since he has been so great out on the road it was a total surprise when he refused to pass a chevron sign (bad bend marker). Now this is interesting, because the only two horses who have ever had a problem with that sign are Tetley and now Jazz. He rooted to the spot. He would not go within 30 yards of it. He turned around several times and took off up the hill for home :-0000 When I tried to stop him, he wouldn't, he just carried on. Boy is he STRONG! When I tried to turn him, it was perfectly obvious that if I succeeded he was simply going to jump the walls and wire fences lining the road :-00000000
I kept my cool. I have learnt already that you simply cannot bully him. For the second time in my life (Caddy and the water was the first) I got off. I did it reluctantly, because I knew already that I couldn't hold him if he pulled away. He pulled away :-0000000000 Luckily, he likes being with me, so he only went about 40 yards and then stopped. Then trod on his reins and broke them. Second pair in two weeks, he's costing me a fortune!!
Eventually, with much praise for forward movement, and a very gentle tap with the whip on his flank as encouragement, we did "two steps forward and one step back" and finally got past it by using shoulder in to stop him getting away from me. I got on and rode him back homewards past it, and then tried to turn to ride him down past it. No go, he wouldn't turn and just went for home like before. I stopped him eventually and got off and led him back down past it again. Got back on and rode back past it towards home. Then I settled for making him halt and walk on several times, but decided not to try to turn him again as by this time I needed to get home.
I think I have won a very important battle. He knows that I will not give up. But he also knows that I am going to stay very calm and consistent. After leaping, rearing, pulling, diving and all the rest was not working, he seemed to make a conscious decision to work with me. I think he will have learnt a lot from the episode.
I learnt that I simply cannot hold him if he decides to go for it :-00000000 I've never ridden a horse so powerful who knew exactly how powerful he was before. This is a new experience for me :-) (I love it, new challenges!) How we are going to manage on a cross country course is something yet to be discovered!!!
Whew! Tia had the day off after all that. She did enough yesterday and I was shattered :-)
C
posted by cptrayes @ 6:49 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I think the boy needs some work. The rooting on the spot sounds like Tucker. I hate that feeling. It's either turn his way or just stand there refusing to do anything. In general, though, Tucker does not know he can use his strength against me, and I'm not acutally sure he'd want to. He's not that macho.
Jazz is going to be quite a challenge. At least you are enjoying it. You are going to have to do a lot of schooling to get him to respect and appreciate your directions. Sooner or later, he should realize Mummy really does know best.
If you can get the steering under control, the cross country will be a cinch. Just kind of point and shoot. *VBWG*
Good for you for keeping cool. Sounds like "teenager" symdrome. And isn't it just so unexpected when they decided to find something to have a big argument about. In the end all you were asking was for him to walk forward when asked. Any youngster with spirit will have this confronation at some time. He probably was a bit alarmed at the sign, but it could have been anything - a puddle, pigs.
How relaxing to get back on Tia.
Judith
///If you can get the steering under control///
Jean I think that "if" should be point size 96, it's a BIG if :-)
Judith, yes I was just about to reply to Trish that he is like an 18 year old boy, knows his own power but not how to use it :-)
He's doing me good - he is so different from anything else I have ever owned. That's not something I thought I would be able to say again after all the horses I've owned.
C.
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