On a downer!
I have to admit that I am terribly dispirited today. Not only does my horse not appear to want to jump when that's my main objective for him, but he caused me to make a bunch of onlookers at the Riding Club think that I don't know how to treat a horse. I hurts. I can't believe that we have been training him now for ten whole months and he still won't go out and pop around a course at 2ft 6. It's nothing, he could step over it, but he'd just rather not do it. The dressage was truly fantastic. I've certainly never ridden a dressage test like it in my life, allowing for the short time he's been in training. He's superb. But it's not my main game, I only do it to have somewhere to go and something to do, or because I have to to event.
I'm not having a good day. I've got two wonderful horses and neither of them are the ones I currently need.
On the plus side, I took Zippy for a ride up to the main road to look at the big traffic. He was puzzled by white lines on the road, but almost completely unconcerned. The most notice that he took of anything was being told to turn around to come home, which he didn't want to do!
Our strategy for Jazz now in an attempt to try and get him out of this habit he is forming of simply refusing when he's bored or feels he's done enough, is to make him gallop around the arena every time he stops at a fence - ie, make him work harder than he would have had to if he had simply jumped the fence. If that doesn't work then I'm out of ideas.
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 4:53 PM
13 comments
13 Comments:
don't be. if you ride a strong horse, you have to be strong yourself (possibly my mistake..... not strong enough )
I've just actually read the title of yesterday's entry - fluffy bunny indeed. and you can guarantee that that person wouldn't have got anywhere with him (save possibly dumped on tarmac or into a fence).
and the other good thing about him is, if you do decide to sell on, you can move him on for silly money more than you paid as a dressage horse.....
at the risk of inflaming the anti-H brigade ......
take the beggar cubbing/hunting! that'll make his mind up for him .... guaranteed to get the most reluctant jumper jumping!
or sell him for silly money as a dressage ned ;-)
Ann I have just got in from having a curry and one of the things I said to SH was that I shall come home and browse the two drag hunts that meet near me. GMTA!
Claire thanks, I need the support today. (you couldn't tell could you ???? :-)
C
Spirits up, my lady! You are at one of those plateaus we all fall down on now and then with our training. I'm on one too, but not frustrated because I have already done most of what I want to do with horses already. You still have the spark to event in you.
I've never gone hunting, but I surely can tell you that having ridden my horse for just a few minutes with a hunting group surely does rev up the urge to GO!! It might well be the ticket for Jazz.
I do like the training strategy of making him work more when he doesn't jump. If indeed it is out of boredom and childish stubborness, he should quickly figure out the fastest way to get done with work is to do it right the first time.
I feel so bad for you about the awful experience at the club event and the nasty lady. I know far too well how easy it is to dwell on such things and how much they can hurt, even when we choose to believe otherwise. If I were there, I would give you a hug and a pep talk and just let you vent your unhappiness as much as you needed.
Even if you had yanked Jazz silly on his refusal, you would not have been wrong. His disobedience, if left unchecked can easily lead to something really dangerous. Suppose he had jumped into the gallery on top of the big mouthed woman? A strong willed horse needs a strong willed ride. Sometimes it's just not pretty.
I think you are enough of a rider to conquer him--I'm not anymore which is why I have to choose more evasive approaches to Tucker's tantrums. Remember, the key to jumping comes from the flat work, not the fences. Jazz still is not "dead broke," as the cowboys say, on the flat, so when he is confronted with something he doesn't want to do, he still has an escape.
Now, what to do? Your tactic is a good one. We did have an arrogant Thoroughbred a student of mine bought years ago. He was the kind of horse that would try to rub you off on a wall when he'd had enough. He'd run off, out, whatever. I was already too cowardly to try to ride it out of him myself, but the young owner wasn't. So, I called a good jumper trainer and asked her advice. She suggested a twisted wire snaffle.
Now, mind you, this horse's evasions were dangerous, not just naughty. Well, we bitted him up and his rider took him out in the field. In short order, he tried one of his little tricks, she hauled on the bit and you should have seen the expression on that horse's face! About a month later, he was a gentleman about most everything.
So, what do we have? Strong tools, strong determination and courage. The problem Jazz has that I like the least is the shut down and go up tactic. You do need to deal with that. Lockie Richards had me bop my horse on the head with the crop. (Trouble was with Toby, that only made him twice as mad, but it usually does work, as the horse thinks he's hit his head. Some people use a water ballon--horse thinks he's bleeding.)
The other tactic is to keep his hind end displaced so whenever he feels like shutdown, do a leg yield so he can't plant the hind end to stop going. Again, this needs to be done over and over so he never thinks he really can quit. ---Getting there with Tucker as long as I think about it. I avoid the direct confrontation about the stop and if he won't turn left, I simply go right, pretend that's what I wanted and get on with it.
Then really mix up the flat work. Keep him guessing every few strides if need be. Challenge him. So what if he doesn't do half pass, do it anyway. Square corners, transitions every three strides, keeping his brain on you and what you want not on what he wants. Heck, ride the Grand Prix test.
Go, go, go. Event horses need to be sharp to the aids--quick to go on, come back, turn, adjust, etc.
An old Hungarian master I rode with liked to have even his dressage horses gallop everyday--even in the arena. Built them up and put "forward" into their vocabulary.
I really, really, really do feel your pain. I can recall getting off Toby more than once and just sitting at the edge of the arena crying. Tucker hasn't pressed me that far lately, but when he was in "buck instead of go" mode, he surely did. Now, little by little, I am learning strategies to deal with him. If they fail, I will send him off to training with someone who can fix him.
I never give up on my horses, BUT, if I have to, I will just ride them for what they can do, since my ambitions are limited by what they are capable of, not what I want. As I said, I've done just about everything I'd ever wanted to do, so now it's more play.
You are in a different position. I'd rather not see you give up on Jazz, but if it reaches that point, you have my support. In the meantime, don't let one totally unforgiveable woman ruin your plans. Jazz did do one really good round. That is totally amazing considering what happened the last time you competed.
Chin up! I'm here for you!!
it took me a minute or two to work out GMTA! *hangs head*
many centuries ago when i was a lot younger we used to take the slightly stale/sticky jumpers hunting a few times .... talk about a re-wakening and a re-evaluating of the *go* button :-O
and apart from anything else it can be a heck of a good blast over some very fast country
oh, and an afterthought .... ref the standing up
as Jean says you can *encourage* them to think theyve hit their heads on summat
or, and ive found this to work quite well for the persistent little whatsits
get a nice long piece of soft rope, double it and a good hefty crack to the underbelly when they stand up works quite well .... makes them think twice about going up as it exposes their underbelly to the *predator* (aka the rope!)
usual caveats apply!
with those that do it out of defiance AND have had a clattering AND have won the battle with that particular jockey (ie a jockey has given up *roll eyes*) i work on the ground getting a constant and consistent response to *always forward no matter what* .... although he has threatened he hasnt stood up for a fair while now!
Chin up Caroline!!! You are doing an excellent work. Maybe you ought towork with a coach? NOT FOR TELLING YOU WHAT to do? But HOW to do it, and helping you in this down moment.
And honestly, this woman may not event ride :rolled eyes:
For rearing, the Western instructor does what Jean has described, a wallop between the ears.
Good Luck, I am sure you will bounce back!
You have got a challenging horse here, but aren't these the ones that when they come good, really do.
Wasn't it Be Fair that they couldn't take for a ride as he would rear and nap and Lucinda's mother had to drive behind in the Land Rover with a lunging whip? He did a season's hunting with the Master and that sorted him out. Or Ginny Elliot had a horse that she galloped round and round a ploughed field as it was the only way to to stop him? Murphy Himself couldn't be broken in, several people tried and he only allowed someone on his back after he had jumped out of the menage when being lunged over a huge fence and landed in an almighty heap on the far side.
If you DO take him hunting (well insured) and he gets too excited, then the cure is to take him 6 days running ..... for as long as it takes!
I have seen pictures of Richard Maxell hitting a horse with a rope on the belly when they rear, but it is one of those things when they say "don't try this at home...."
As for hitting over the head - well I thought that had long been thought of as counter-productive.
From what you write, it seems that Jazz's rearing is a naughty "don't want to" thing - it hasn't got into a serious habit.
As for the woman who had a go at you - what would SHE would have done in the same circumstances?
I wonder if giving him a complete break from training for a week or so might help. Just take him out for really long rides instead and take the pressure off him and you.
Judith
...or, have you thought about asking for some assistance from that clever guy who backed Zippy? Some alternative ideas on what's blocking Jazz's go button?
I'd second the hunting though, but that will be a few months time eh?
Cheers Tracey B
I don't know how well this is going to be taken so I may be walking out on a limb here..
Horses have a habit of not following our expectations of them. It's not out of any maliciousness, but sometimes we expect far too much out of them because of 'potential'.
Jazz sounds like a complicated YOUNG horse who's blown his mind. His physical abilities are so much higher than most horses around that we tend to lose sight of the fact t hat he's a baby.
He seriously reminds me of a horse I've ridden before who was majorly physically talented to such an extent that 2'9-3'3 were pretty much cross rails to him. With such potential, he was pushed too fast for what his MIND could handle, that he would panic, lose it and bolt. He would do fine for awhile, then once he couldn't take it any longer he'd simply implode.
At this point, if Jazz was mine (don't you hate those words), but I'd throw any expectations of how far he 'should' be going out the window entirely then take him hunting to put the fun back into work. Then I'd turn him away for 3-6 months to grow up, be a horse and mature mentally. Then I'd bring him back, start again and see if he's still doing the same thing. Chances are, he'll be much better.
I'm not sure if you'd have the patience for this solution since it's off the wall. I have great respect for you in every way, but I honestly think this horse isn't actively standing in your way, he's just not got the mental maturity yet to cope.
If you don't, I seriously wish I had the money to buy him off you. He sounds like exactly the kind of horse I'd get along with... I love the tough complicated horses and have the years of time to put into them since my own boy has been out recovering from a lung illness for the past couple years; but I won't be able to buy a horse of his caliber in my lifetime.
Well now Styric, the turning away isn't going to happen (just a personal belief of mine that all it does really is rest the owner :-), but the rest of what you say is what we have today decided to do. You'll not believe we came up with it in MacDonald's on the way home today and before I read your stuff (why would you :-) but it is great to read yours, and others, comments and see that they fit with my own thinking from what I found out about him today.
Jean Muriel Judith Tracey all good points, thank you!
I'm just about to post where we are today and I think you'll all find it interesting reading.
C.
Im just giggling a bit cos looks like we've all come up with similar ideas..I sent C an email about something else really.But said i'd have a go with the hunting and basically stop jumping him for a while.The basic training is all in place so a break and pure fun might help break this.
But also be prepared that dressage maybe his 'thing' and jumping just isnt?
Nicola
Well I have to admit that I've never felt such a thrill of riding a horse that really WANTS to be strutting his stuff around a dressage arena! It's almost enough to convert me already :-) I've never owned a horse that wanted to do dressage before :-) ! He'll be far from wasted if he does turn out not to be a jumper.
C
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