Today I played a little online with Benny before getting on. He seemed relaxed but a little fidgety with the Light Rider bridle as I had left the strap on that allows it to be used as a headcollar. I thought maybe it was tickling him so got off and removed the bridle and put on the halter. We did some circles, turns, serpentines and lateral work in walk. Then up to trot for a few circuits.
When I dismounted and took off the halter Benny stayed with me backing up when I did and walking by my side. I asked him to trot round me and got a circle in one direction but when I asked him to change direction he left. He trotted round the arena so I asked him to canter – I cantered along with him and he seemed to be enjoying himself. I disengaged him and drew him towards me, praised him and gave a treat. Then sent him out again in the opposite direction, again cantered alongside him – it is getting me fit too. Ended the session with a walk round and another backup.
A nice calm hack.
Yippee Benny and I went on a nice calm hack today. A friend came an collected us and escorted us home again. I played online first and he was quite lively – leaving a couple of times. After the last leaving I just left him standing in the arena whilst I went and did some tidying up and put on my hat and back protector (for peace of mind). He didn’t move just watched me, when I went back into the arena he came back to me. Was good for saddling and then walked round and did some more circles online. I hopped on and walked calmly round the arena, lateral flexion and backup was fine. Then trotted from a breath and slowed and sped up using seat bones. Not quite 10 minutes each rein but enough to warm up and get Benny relaxed. After this we did some patterns – 10 metre circles in each corner then across the arena to B or E (depending which way we went) then another circle and back across the arena to the opposite corner.
Then some serpentines and weaves, followed by some lateral work.
My friend then arrived for our outing, another nervous lady came along too, the horses got on well and settled to some good quiet hacking, a little trotting to get round some of the sharper bends. Benny is perfect in traffic and tucked himself in the side when asked. We rode down a path between 2 fields of horses who came to say hello, Benny was fine apart from wanting to go and sniff at them.There was one slight spook as he got a little left behind and was gathering speed to catch up when a dog barked at him – so he cantered down the road until he caught up with his friend. I was a little bouncy in the saddle as he took off but by the time he got to Champ I had managed to get myself sitting again. Then we had an uneventful ride home. Very pleased with Benny.
June 18th 2013
Benny lively as usual online – left twice and careered round the school, then stopped and looked at me. Eventually he stayed with me. Tacked him up and did some more online work and then put the Light Rider bridle over halter and walked him round. Tested flexion, did rope around the quarters them got on. We just walked using seat bones to alter pace and halt. Rode off the halter first then used the Light Rider. He was very good and listening. Turns, random circles and straight lines. Serpentines and some leg yielding, not a long session but a good one. Will have to do little and often and troth 10 minutes on each rein next time.
Bareback and bridleless
Well after my chiropractic session I am now supposedly straight. I didn’t ride straight away but my daughter got on him bareback in a halter. After mentioning how broad he was and how bouncy in trot she cantered him round the grass arena. He didn’t put a foot wrong. so the next day I thought I would have ago, we did some ground work and he was good apart from one episode of leaving. Then I tried him by the mounting block and he stood still while I climbed onboard. We did a little walk around and I felt a bit wobbly so then just did some lateral flexions and backups and got off. Getting off was not very elegant but he stood quietly for me. It is a little step but I will ride him again with a saddle and halter in the grass arena – I am away at the moment so it will be next week sometime.
I just read a blog about using the word should – I will banish this word and substitute could/can or would/will instead of should. Should indicates that I have to do something instead of wanting or be able to do something. It seems to be a pressure word hence the banishment.
Last week my daughter took him for a hack with a friend as nanny. Benny was very good with all the traffic and even came home without the other horse. My daughter is supremely confident and will come out with me a few times. It is so good to have such a support network – friends and relatives who have been through this unconfident phase with other horses. My daughter lost confidence after her 16.3 mare bucked and reared and injured her several times. This horse was re-started by the late James Roberts and can now be ridden bareback and bridleless – even on the beach.
Chiropractic session
Wednesday was spent with the horses – apart from a good lunch with a friend. I rode Benny in the morning whilst my friend watched, he was as good as gold. Didn’t have to do much ground work – just the usual sequence of:-
Let him catch me
Halter with a hug
Touch him all over – whilst grooming
Pick up and place feet – it is important to have control over the feet.
Get a good standstill
Saddle with savvy etc
I do use the rope around his hindquarters to test flexion before mounting, and always ask permission before mounting by testing his standstill and then just putting one butt cheek in the saddle before placing myself in the saddle. I have looked at videos of me in the past mounting and I seem to have done this for some time even before I got involved with NH.
The afternoon Benny had a session with Pat Carlton a chiropractic practitioner. He was out at the poll and a little sore in his nearside wither area, so we saddled to check it was OK. The saddle didn’t seem to pinch or bridge ( I am getting a western saddler out to check to make sure). Then I hopped on board to check out if my position was causing any problems. I know I am stiff on my left pelvic area and can’t always go with the movement – well it was this that was causing the saddle to tip to the right and put pressure on the left of Benny.
So I need to book a session for me with Pat and then Benny will feel much more comfortable.
This is why it is important to check yourself as well as the horse – Pat likes to check horse and rider – I wish more horsey back people would do the same.
45 foot line
Another interesting session with Benny, after last week when I was about to give up, I regrouped and tried again. Tracey Duncan came to help with a 45 foot line. This has the advantage of being long enough and firm enough for me to be able to keep Benny online without him being bothered about it. There was no tension on the line as he needed to move his feet again in the arena across from the field. He wasn’t quite as hyper as last time but still on adrenaline. He was allowed to do whatever he felt he needed to do at first, then once he was more settled and rejoined me we worked on a few figures of 8. The first 2 were fine but then he needed to move again and went off with me trying to keep in zone 5 whilst not pulling on the line, so he feels more like he is at liberty.
Gradually he reconnected and mirrored my walking, with lots of turns around the school. There were times when he needed to go around the arena but he did circle closer and closer keeping his ear on me. He managed to sidepass along the pole both away and towards me, he does like going sideways so that is a little reward. Lots of fuss and praise when he got it correct.
Then he left and I kept him in canter round the arena, he changed direction by himself with me just trying to keep a neutral contact with the line, he did some great lead changes – all I need now is to get him to do the same under saddle!
I am now very stiff and aching after all my running about!!
All I need now is to get Benny more connected so he can settle faster and be ridden safely.
Benny on adrenaline
An interesting session with Benny and Sally Ede. Took him over the road to the sandschool, very high on adrenaline when we got there. Tried to settle him on the ground but he kept flipping back to being very anxious. Sally got on him and he reared a few times, she was very focused and managed to calm him and walk round the school. We then decided to do more ground work, had him on the 22ft line and he tried to run off, I managed to hold him and disengage but he did rear online. I now have to make decision where to persevere with more online work or to get a horse I can ride now and feel safe on. Benny is lovely at home, but he becomes a different horse in unfamiliar surroundings. I do not feel he is safe for me to hack alone and if he rears like he did today it will do my confidence no good.
I will do some more groundwork with him in the sandschool – if I can hire it again. I really need to see what he is like away from the field. He is calm and I have ridden him on my own with the other horses around, but if I can’t ride him with out this behaviour kicking in every time he gets anxious then I may have to part with him.
Excited Benny
Benny very lively today online. He didn’t really want to be with me as he kept looking to see what Mel was doing. We did some stick to me, backup and sideways at liberty before he decided to leave. Although he did come back to me when I looked to disengage his hind quarters. He got a bit animated in trot and came at me quite fast so quickly had to stop him and redirect on the other rein. Online he did hindquarter and forequarter yields and then was allowed to do his party trick of sideways! We then played with changes of direct round the barrels, some nice turns but I wasn’t interesting enough so he left! He enjoyed a good grooming session, lots of coat shedding. I hope we will get more connected as we do more positive reinforcement – lots of praise and scratches plus a treat occasionally. He played touch it with the barrels and the pedestal so I praised him for that, no micro-managing he did it all on his own.
Think he had a bit too much negative reinforcement last week and I will have to build up trust again. He didn’t want to play the catching game.
Ride With your Mind
Good lesson with Sally Ede (a Ride With Your Mind coach) working on my core strength so I can sit to Benny’s forward trot. Once I used my core to stabilise my position Benny was able to use his core and lift his back and round more. Used my Light Rider bridle too and he was very responsive to a very light hand. Used my seat bones to guide his forehand on the turns, much better than the leg forward. He is much more responsive, after last week, to the leg aids for the hindquarter turns too. Lots to work on for my stability but it will then mean I can sit to his trot to initiate the canter transitions. The Light Rider noseband seems to be just what I needed, instead of the rope halter or his Parelli Cradle bridle. This was us last week on our experience week at James Roberts Foundation Station.
Day 5 JRFS
Day 5 at JRFS started with more online work, Benny not too thrilled with all this work and decided to leave twice. Rebecca helped me with some strategies to get him more connected. Direct and indirect rein changes on a circle were what worried him so we did some sideways along the rail until he relaxed. Used the stirrups to simulate the leg position for the hindquarter yields both at a standstill and whilst walking. Much better then when I rode him. We got some decent hindquarter yields and turns. Finished the session with a canter, I had difficulty sitting the trot so Rebecca reminded me to use my core to stabilise and got me to use one hand on the saddle horn and the outside hand back on his rump so I was sitting up. Rebecca stood in the corner to encourage him forward and we cantered the longside of the school. We both need to get fitter to maintain this, both physically and emotionally. a really enjoyable week with lots to think about and lots to play with.
Positive Horsemanship. 