My goodness the weather! It didn't snow today but the wind is ferocious in strength and whipping the heat out of everything in no time. But I rode. Aren't I a good girl?
Jazz was lovely, first time in the barn since last Spring. He was so lovely that I suddenly had a recollection of this time last year, and how I was battling with him to stop pulling at me, work forwards and listen to what I was asking. I was riding on the curb bit alone and not doing more than ten strides or so in one pace or direction before asking him to change, so that he was forced to listen to me constantly. The difference a year later is absolutely incredible.
I did a walk warmup and then a trot/halt/trot exercise on each rein. Really good. Then I tried working towards piaffe, but if you are going to work for piaffe by slowing the trot it really isn't a good idea to do it immediately after trot/halt transitions. Stupid me :-0 !! In spite of that, it only took him a few minutes to understand that I wanted him to do the shortest trot that he could do and still stay forward. I was thrilled with the result, he feels to me as if he is VERY close to being able to bounce on the spot. By the end of the winter we should have a step or two of genuine piaffe, I reckon.
Ace was beginning to understand that nothing fast or exciting is ever going to happen in the tiny space in the barn. He kept jogging in the walk, and was working himself up into a stew when I stopped him from doing it, and bucked. So I let him jog every time he tried to, as long as he kept his head down. Eventually he realised that jogging was a lot more effort than walking, and gave me some lovely relaxed walk.
Buttie is now lunging happily and very well in a headcollar, which makes life a lot simpler than using his driving bridle. I thought he would be scared of seeing the lunge whip (the bridle has blinkers on it), but he was fine. It has tightened his waistline up nicely to get him working, he's a different shape than he was, much more streamlined.
I am going to get you a picture of a very sweet little foible of Ace's when I untack him tomorrow.
He was loose in the barn with his tack on at first today and he trod on his reins with one front foot while his head was about two feet from the floor. Here we go, I thought, broken reins, or broken bridle. Nope, he just stood there looking terribly forelorn and completely unable to work out that if he just picked up his foot that was on the reins, he would be free. It was so funny, though it's clearly unfair to laugh at the poor fellow when he is so short of brains :-)
C
Caroline I'm just wondering if you know a good source of minerals such as zinc and copper, as having looked at the Forage Plus website such things seem very expensive and after the way you were treated I'm not convinced I want to subsidize SB anyway! My email address is
ReplyDeleterosetrailers@yahoo.co.uk
if you'd rather not reply on here.
Love reading about your boys.
Liz
I am happy to record Liz tha Sarah now lets me post on the UKNHCP forum and has been very friendly on it.
ReplyDeleteForageplus Copper is nice because it is exactly 10% copper, so it's very easy to judge what you are giving. I use it for that reason.
But Equimins have an "off list" service of minerals to people, you need to email them but they supply food grade sulphates of the stuff Forageplus sell as Bioplex/chelates. Sarah will tell you there is a difference but equine nutritionists and others will tell you that they are equally effective. If you buy Copper Sulphate you may need advice as to the molecular weight of copper which it contains - I get mine from SH, of course!!
And again the indoor comes in handy. Poor Ace. IF that were Chance, he would have deliberately put his foot on the rein, grabbed it in his teeth and pulled until something broke. At least Ace saved your bridle. *S*
ReplyDeleteJazz is certainly in his element as a dressage horse. He is really doing well.
I was pleased that he didn't break the bridle Jean, but it was so comical watching the poor boy wonder why he could not raise his head!
ReplyDeleteIt is typical of him, though, not to panic, but to wait and see what happens.
C