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Post by tazzle on Dec 2, 2011 20:08:18 GMT
just doing some catching up on reading quest ........ glad things are settling down in your new home ..... and to hear that the sarcoid is off
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Post by quest on Dec 17, 2011 13:08:30 GMT
Back home and its cold and sunny. All girls are in their winter woolies now. Nancy's sarcoid area is looking ok - a hole that's slowly healing. I'm watching it carefully as her ear and eye are fixed on me when I inspect it. This usually means its uncomfortable. I'm using this as an excuse not to ride (its the weather really) and have been playing with the 45ft line - I do the playing and Nancy stands watching and sniggering, but when I do get it all together we can achieve some beautiful changes of rein at the trot. I'm so looking forwards to doing it at the canter and starting the flying changes (at last, those that know me know its my life long ambition to do them with Nancy although I've ridden others doing flying changes, Nancy finds this particularly challenging)
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mags
Junior Member
Posts: 90
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Post by mags on Dec 17, 2011 16:39:12 GMT
a fellow lincolnshire person, hope your enjoying it here
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Post by kas on Dec 17, 2011 19:37:16 GMT
Good luck with the flying changes Quest.
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Post by quest on Dec 18, 2011 18:33:41 GMT
A beautiful day although only just above freezing. Nancy gave me 4 simple changes of lead, and as she was pretty laid back I decided to ride along the banks. The road has been under repair and recently and the drains (small man made rivers) have been cleaned both jobs have various signs and equipment, so Nancy snorted and puffed her way along. I used this as an excuse to practice one rein stops - very interesting. She stops the moment I lift the rein (wonderful clever girl) but is not relaxed and resisted the bend. It took about 4-5 seconds before she gave properly. This supported my conclusions after the discussion on one rein stops that the bend is actually the lowering of the head and adrenalin and I was able to do the ride on a long rein although she was on tippitoes by putting some very slow stops and bends. I assume that eventually the lifting of the rein will, as well as achieveng a halt, get the relaxation these ginger arabs so badly want.
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Post by quest on Dec 22, 2011 21:31:28 GMT
Little Dartmoor who is "the perfect child's pony" has been very interesting. We decided to go the natural route with her as it was safer for the children. She is a quick learner and now has most of her on line skills. We discovered she had always been "controlled" and now being given a long line she was able to make some statements of her own. She became very quick and assertive especially when the stick was held - hmm very interesting - she is coralled over nigh and put out with the big girls and would go out with a full rodeo act and at the end of the day refuse to be caught. We started on the "catching game", still playing with her on line which she still enjoyed especially being able to state her likes and dislikes. We were starting to wonder if she was really going to be suitable for the children, but all of a sudden she has become the gentle, biddable girl we bought, but with a much happier expression, and when the big girls had a real gallop and dance, she trotted back to us and stood with us watching the others showing off, before ambling off to join them. This is really fascinating and exciting for us seeing this little girl develop.
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Post by kas on Dec 31, 2011 17:58:06 GMT
I'm really enjoying reading this Quest, good stuff.
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Post by quest on Jan 2, 2012 14:12:33 GMT
Its lovely today so I decided to have some time with Nancy. The ground is too wet (it makes it very slippery) so I decided to walk along the banks. Nancy has decide that she has neer ever left the yard before and the banks were holding all sorts of ghosts and goolies for her
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Post by quest on Jan 2, 2012 14:27:50 GMT
Opps hit the wrong button. This became an ideal situation for me to put into practice some of the info I've gained from the forum. I know that with Nancy I must respect her boundaries and the ride became quite fascinating. I kept her on a loose rope as to hang on to her when she's like this increases her adrenalin although she is always easy to hold in an all else fails situation. So I did a little backing, a little sideways a few neck bends to halt and lots of stopping and looking when her panic levels rose. After several seconds she would become brave enough to move forwards, a little more backing, sideways etc and another stop to consider some extremely dangerous looking mud. All in all we were out about 45 mins and covered probably 1/2 a mile, BUT I found that our communication by the time we came home ws excellent. Because I acknowledged her fears, she became less and less flighty and calmly responsive to my requests. We were sharing the experience instead of me managing her. Interestingly although we were beautifully working as one, after I dismounted to let her have some grass she was back to being as hyper as before, so we had to do some ground work. Hmmm - I must never assume anything with this girlie.
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Post by kas on Jan 7, 2012 19:12:17 GMT
That's because she's an A-rab girlie Quest.
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Post by quest on Jan 7, 2012 19:46:41 GMT
One Step Forwards Two Steps Back. Nancy lived on our last yard from the age of 11months until last year when she was 17 and she was started and trained there and in the surround area. When we moved up here her behaviour was as I expected having taken her to many courses, shows and holidays, but now she seems to be less confident than she has ever been since starting. Around our fields she is fine but, now, hacking out she is a bag of nerves, so I've gone back to the old training methods of 2 steps outside the paddocks, if all goes well, back again. We spend ages looking and snorting, taking a step or 2 and then relaxing a little. Its quite fascinating. I believe now, that she thought we were on holiday / on a course etc but now as time has passed and she hasn't returned to her old stable and paddocks her confidence is shot to pieces. Its not a problem to me because we both enjoy our experiences and as long as I respect her feelings, she will attempt to move the world for me. This has made me wonder how many horses never really fully confident in their surroundings. There are many "3 year" horses - ones that get sold every 3 years, little Dartmoor is one of these, and I may start using the same techniques with her as I am using with Nancy.
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Post by quest on Jan 9, 2012 18:15:06 GMT
Had a lovely session today, tacked up and led Nancy up and down the road, onto the banks and bridges, doing lots of squeezes - she is starting to get more confident with the whole thing. I'll do it again tomorrow and after that is all is calm will ride her again up there. We then worked round the little paddock and both were very content with our communication.
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Post by quest on Jan 11, 2012 21:08:07 GMT
played on the banks and bridges again today and then had a calm ride in the hot sun along the banks
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Post by quest on Jan 12, 2012 20:02:19 GMT
whoo whooo whooo ;D What an event. It was very cold, but bright so I led Nancy up to the bridge and banks for our practice. I suspect its a water/Arab thing, all was ok, had some grass and as I wasn't going to ride came back to the paddock and did some more work on our change of rein, heading towards the canter flying changes - and guess what!! she did one, the first I've ever seen from her. We did 2 changes of rein, simple ones, and the 3rd she did a complete and beautiful flying change with quite a lot of elevation (elevation does not come naturally to Nancy) . Brilliant, we stopped there for a quiet moment and then I put her back out. I stood watching them for a while, Nancy walked off, then went walk to canter, half circle, flying change, half circle, walked and started grazing Had she just worked it out and was practicing or what?
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Post by el on Jan 13, 2012 11:57:56 GMT
Amazing!! Brilliant stuff.
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