I've been very pleased with how things have gone with Ace the last two days. Yesterday I got up early so I could ride him before I went to a friend's house and not chicken out of schooling him later on. It was finally a wind free day. I got on, and he was very jittery, then he suddenly threw his head down and went to buck. I turned him and he stopped, and I reviewed the situation. I was pretty much certain that he was not in pain and that he was tetchy after a cold and windy night. I also decided that it was time to call his bluff and put him to work. So I walked him until he was calm and he did a really nice session of walk, trot and canter. We are doing leg yield and shoulder fore in walk, and he is doing quite well, though he needs to be quicker off my leg and I can work on that now he is growing up a bit.
Today I took him out for a hack. It was very windy (again!!!!) and he was on his toes and a bit nervy, though he doesn't do anything seriously silly. I got to a stream, which I decided to ask him to cross. The track goes right through it, about six inches deep if that, and eight feet or so wide. He absolutely refused to put his feet in it. He started working himself up into a stew, and spinning round. When that didn't get him out of it, he started to rear. Normally in that situation I would battle through, but it would have meant getting tough with him and I don't want to even start messing with his lovely mouth. So I got off.
Now some of you will realise that this is a VERY big thing for me - to admit that a horse has "beaten" me. I must be geting old! I reasoned that he would probably follow me through if I led him, and he did. I got back on from a stile, and rode him through it back towards home. Then I turned him to go through it from the other direction. NOPE! He was having none of it. We did the getting off, walking through and getting back on again, and this time he agreed to walk through it away from home. Job done, went and did a couple of trot and canter circles on a flatish piece of field, and then headed back down the track and home.
That's why I'm pleased with myself.
But I have just come in from schooling Jazz and I am NOT pleased with myself. I carried on too long trying to get lengthened trot strides. He was slow to warm up and release his back in walk, but we did get some good simple changes (canter/walk/canter) which we need for our next test. But I couldn't get him to stay up in front of me in the trot, and in consequence he didn't get the lengthening, he just kept either cantering or running for it. I should have called it quits but I got tied up in the problem and was out there for an hour and ten minutes. I guess at least 20 minutes of that was walk to warm up, and another 10 walk to canter and then a break on a long rein. But I'm still cross. I achieved nothing, I let him set on me and pull at me and I pulled back and made him buck using my spurs. It really wasn't much fun for either of us.
Still, I write this partly to show we are all human. I'll just have to try to remember to call it quits and try something else next time. The omeprazole has arrived, it will be interesting to see if the recent downturn in the last two schooling session we have had are reversed when he is back on it. Ace is not now on it, but he is still on Settelex, so I am watching his behaviour carefully in case he still needs it.
C
I've been there more than once with Tucker. Don't fret about it. Ace is a much better tempered boy than Tuck, so you will be successful despite yourself. *G*
ReplyDeleteIdea for making him cross something like that. Kenny Harlow technique that really works....if you have the room to do it. Go back and forth along the edge of the water, at first keeping horse at a comfortable distance. Go twenty or so feet right, then turn him towards the water to reverse direction, and go about twenty feet left. Turn him towards the water and repeat. If you can trot him back and forth like this, that's the best. Gradually work your way closer and closer to the shore. Always keep him forward and persist, back and forth. Eventually you will probably get a foot in the water. If you do, you can let him stand, but if he tries to back out or run off, begin the back and forth again. If he stands or takes a step in, give him a break. Eventually, he will give up and go where you want him to instead of having to go back and forth.
Toby was a dreadful spooker about some things. I used this method several times to convince him to pass scary stuff. Finally, he reached the point where, if he met something "scary" all I had to do was go back and forth about once and he gave up. He simply learned there was no point in fighting about it because he was going to lose and have to keep working until he gave up.
Advantage is that if you can keep Ace going forward--not toward the scary thing, but parallel to it, he really can't run away and pretty much can't buck. It gives you the upper hand as he is required to work and then gets desensitized to the "monster" as he does.
Jazz will forgive you. I think you carried some of your frustrations with Ace over to him, even though you didn't mean to. Sounds as if he was having a little physical discomfort today. Give him a hug before bedtime. *S*
There was no room for Kenny Harlow Jean, the stream runs through a double gateway under a wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other. I was happy he went through it and I didn't ride Jazz until 6 hours later - we went to see Thor - great film!! - so I think it was partly him and partly stress from Allan's situation.
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I never thinks its a failure to get off to do something.....sometimes a young horse gets more confidence from us on the ground than they do on board.
ReplyDeleteHe went in....... sorted!
It certainly worked Mandeigh. I generally refuse to get off in case it doesn't work, and then you really are stuck with a horse who knows he won. But he was risking himself and me spinning into barbed wire, and I sensed that Ace would follow me if I walked through, and luckily I was right. As you say, sorted!
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