No more getting off!
I was so reluctant to put a more severe bit on a horse so young and inexperienced, but I should have done it as soon as he gave me a problem hacking out. The pelham has been absolutely ace this morning. It gave me the upper hand and completely removed any need to get off. When he stopped, I tapped him with the whip. If he tried to turn I could stop him doing it. If he caught me out with a rear pirouette (twice he did it!) and managed a turn I could stop him within 2 strides, usually one. And then I could turn him back again. He ended up walking backwards a lot, but all that got him was more irritating tap tap tap with the whip. He has learnt a HUUUUUUUGE lesson this morning - NO, you cannot have your own way.
It took me twenty minutes to get him out of the yard. It took about five minutes to get him to move away from the gate and go down the road. The next nap just took a flick with the whip and then several more just a push with the seat. Then another major one, which took fifteen minutes. Followed quickly by another that took about another ten. And then almost perfect behaviour until we got to our planned turning point. And then a massage-chair ride all the way home :-) :-) :-)
I think one or two more rides like that and this nappy behaviour will be cured. And then he will be the most enjoyable hack ever. Now I am sure I can control him to have him safe in an open area and with gates, I'm going to take him on the fields and find out what his canter/gallop is like. I'm excited about that prospect!
I think it also means that I now have the control that I need to get him jumping over courses, so that as soon as we fix the travel problem we can go showjump schooling and to little Riding Club competitions. Talking of the travel problem, Superhubby is working every spare moment on the lorry. He has had to fabricate and weld a lot of metal work, and one partition is now permanently fixed. It also ties the floor to the ceiling, so it is rock solid. The other, of course, still has to open, so it is a bit more of an issue. But we have designed a way to use four drop pins (bolts of steel, actually) so that it will be firmly fixed but also easy to get undone. Then we will rope him in with the two breast ropes and one over his withers, and see what happens! If he gets out of that lot then sedatives will be the only solution.
I'd just like to make it clear that I would not do this with a horse which panics. A panicker could kill itself fighting that lot. But Jazz isn't panicking, he's calculatedly trying to break things. When he doesn't succeed in doing that, his history is that he gives up trying and stays perfectly calm. For example, when he arrived he used to breast his door constantly. He could feel a slight give in it, and eventually it would have broken. Superhubby fixed a thick steel bar across it so it was much more solid. I saw Jazz test it twice, and I have never seen him breast the door since. That's how he is - destructive until he knows it's stronger than him, when he submits. I finally found a horse which has almost as much determination as me - I love him!
I didn't have any time for poor Tia today after taking so long with Jazz. She got a cuddle though.
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 12:56 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Good work with the bit and the hack out. Jazz sounds, behavior wise, so much like Tucker with the one variable being that he is not afraid, just stubborn. Tuck pulls the same stunts, but I honestly think he is frightened. If I press him too far, he will either rear or buck. And, I can't sit more than one buck, so I have taken to evasive action. Usually, I just find something else to do as a diversion. Sunday, out on the trail, I just kind of looped around and headed back the way we had come as if that was my original idea--far better than coming face to face with a deer rumaging about in the bushes. (Don't know how high Tuck would go reacting to that!)
Throughbreds have an uncommon determination. They will keep fighting no matter what. Diversionary tactics work well when an exercise just doesn't seem to be getting through. If you can keep Tia on her toes, she won't set herself against you so much. Kind of like Jazz and the shoulder, but even quicker. I think it was my first good trainer who clued me in to that approach. When they get "stuck" do something else, get them forward again, and go back later.
SuperHubby deserves and extra special Christmas gift. A nice bottle of wine, a nice massage, a nice evening home with you??*G* I'm sure he finds conquering the Jazz problem an intriguing quest, but his love, devotion and concern for you are the prime motivation. Bless his big heart.
Hey, it's me, Jean! For some reason, I can't sign in with my Blogger account, so I had to set up a Google. Now, no one will know who I am!!
It's the latest "improvement" in Beta Blogger Jean - no-one can sign in any more. I hope it's a temporary glitch. But meanwhile anyone who wants to make a comment can do so by pressing either the "anonymous" or the "other" buttons and make a posting without signing in.
I knew it was you, I remembered your EE login :-)
Superhubby is truly priceless Jean. I love him almost as much as Jazz :-) :-) :-) (Just joking!)
C
it is jean.. very confusing. hello. i've had no trouble signign in (just having to do it twice that's the pain - sign in to original blogger then to the beta blogger).
and yes, christmas treat with all the trimmings, if anyone knows anyone who wants a barefoot cheyenne in green and a Kes GP 18 inch wide VGC?
Well at least he sounds sensible, by giving up when he finds he can't use strength to get his own way. I suppose it is all part of growing up. I hope the horse box fixtures hold!
Judith
I found that saddles that fit multiple horses seem to go well on eBay Claire. Also very wide fit seem to do well too, as they are so rare.
No news today, I've been working. Except for the news that when I got Jazz in last night he was like an adoring fan! He was almost soppy, cuddling up to me. He obviously likes women who dominate him :-)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Superhubby is outside again welding things. If they don't hold after all this work Judith, then there's no hope for us :-( I can't honestly see him breaking out of this. Basically, we have constructed a "cattle crush" inside the lorry! (Interestingly, research on cows in an abattoir showed that it calms them enormously to be in a very confined channel. I think it may help Jazz too. He still has plenty of leeway to spread his feet, just no space to get a "run up" to break anything.) Tomorrow I hope to try the box again and may even take him somewhere if the at-home test works well.
C
Jean how does your warmblood compare with your TB's? It must be an interesting contrast?
C
Well. So far Chance has proven to be remarkably quiet and accepting of things. We went right out on the trail with no fuss and bother. He does have a stubborn streak but gives up really quickly once he figures out he can't win. (sound familiar?)
Since he was hand raised for the first two weeks of his life due to birth complications, he is very people oriented and likes just "hanging out" around me.
He is nice and forward, but not yet cluing in on how to yield to the bit and drop his head.
All and all, I am finding him a pleasure to ride becuase I don't have to be as careful or on guard as I do with the Big Boy Thoroughbreds. I get the sense Chance is far more laid back about things and reacts more slowly and in tune with the aid rather than overreacting or being too quick to respond.
We'll see how things progress, but I do like the more laid back attitude and the eager interest in the world without being oversensitive.
Then again, how has my riding and training Thoroughbreds affected my riding and training? Am I more competent and aware of what I am doing because of it? Are my training techniques better or worse? Interesting idea to ponder.
"I am finding him a pleasure to ride becuase I don't have to be as careful or on guard as I do with the Big Boy Thoroughbreds. I get the sense Chance is far more laid back about things and reacts more slowly and in tune with the aid rather than overreacting or being too quick to respond."
This is typical of both Jazz and my friend's two similarly bred German warmbloods. It makes them a pleasure to ride. They are sensitive, but not overreactive. It sounds like he'll be a lovely contrast for you in terms of his size and his character.
"Then again, how has my riding and training Thoroughbreds affected my riding and training? Am I more competent and aware of what I am doing because of it? Are my training techniques better or worse? Interesting idea to ponder."
I have been pondering this too. My own impression is that Jazz is much safer than most young horses, but that I wouldn't have had the skills to get him to listen to me and work well for me five years ago. They need finesse, just as much as a TB, and some of the movement they produce is much more difficult to sit!
C
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