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Post by el on Jun 8, 2014 14:20:19 GMT
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Post by el on Jun 8, 2014 14:24:51 GMT
DAY 30: Oz had 2 days off as we went on a great trip to the beach & then I had catchup on a few things Back out today.. the things we needed to work on: 1. Being calm - DONE, he was very calm and relaxed 2. Stopping the head tossing. He didn't do this at all while moving / walking. FIRST TIME NO HEAD TOSSING WHILE MOVING!! He did it a few times when standing still but I stopped it by using right rein. Also more interestingly he also thought about doing this a few times, but didn't actually do it! 3. Good halts - I was counting down 3-2-1 in my head and he was stopping much better & softer 4. Good backups - MUCH better, halt, soft feel, ask with my fingers with a shorter rein, and then release when Oz softens and floats back. Got some really nice soft 2 beat backups. 5. Remember to breathe - Yes I did once Cathy reminded me 6. Mounting block - PERFECT! Crissi helped us with this on the first day of the clinic. Oz used to stamp and wave his leg when you tried to get up from the ground using the stirrup. And at the block he had started to swing his hindquarters away. Crissi made fixing it seem very simple and I was very chuffed at the clinic we got it sorted!! So the horse walked up to the block, 1 bounce with foot in stirrup. When Oz blinked after this, foot out of stirrup and I led him away from the block. Next time, I just got up from the block with no issues. 7. Walk with softness. For the first few minutes, he was leaning a LOT more than at the last day of the clinic. Also head was going up in the air a bit. So we stopped and I had a think about it. I reckoned I had to make sure not to give him any release when head went up, and also if Oz was up at the 6-7 mark on the brace scale, then I had to up my pressure to the same level - I was probably at a 4. So we regrouped and had a play. Also I was trying to concentrate on HELPING Oz, rather than making him. BIG difference. Also as Crissi showed me, to use my hands and fingers to ask him to soften, instead of locking my arms, elbows and shoulders. WOW big difference. First up when I went up to the level of brace Oz was doing, then Oz changed quickly, and got much softer and stopped doing all that leaning. In my lesson with Crissi on Thurs, we were working on getting 3, and then 5 and then 7 soft walk steps, and then going back to a longer rein as a reward. Got some really nice stuff today, including some fab half - softness - walk transitions. There was one halt - soft - walk for 17 steps (yes 17!!) - halt that was soft for the WHOLE thing and felt fabulous. So even though Oz started off leaning more today, by matching what he was doing, he changed really quickly, and we got the best soft work yet, and once he changed I was asking a lot less on he rein contact, as because he wasn't braced any more, it wasn't needed. Very happy. That was about it, I reckon we had a ton done by then. We'll do trotting tomorrow. Sunshine then jumped up on Dads horse (first time ridden in 10 years) and he was a saint. Then Dad hopped on (First time riding in 10 years!) and it was difficult to tell who had the biggest smile - Dad or the very very happy looking horse. Sunshine then rode Oz and did a wonderful job. Then it started lashing rain so we took off the tack and ran in for shelter. AWESOME day!!
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Post by el on Jun 9, 2014 10:22:12 GMT
DAY 31: Great with mounting block. Happy out riding around the paddock in bridle. Stop happens softly when I count 3-2-1 in my head. 3 minor headshakes only when standing still. Did soft walk in bridle, got some nice moments. Nice backups. Now it was trot time!! Did some nice circles, but then Oz started to put his head down and brace his shoulders. He used to do all of this including a head toss, but now there is no head toss Its hard to ride him forwards as the shoulders are blocked, so I lifted up 1 rein a few times to bring up the head. Wasn't totally sure the best way to tackle this, so had a chat with sunshine about it. We reckoned that Oz was probably a little sore as I had been doing a lot of soft feel, so his muscles would be doing stuff he wasn't used to. Also - while I wasn't asking, Oz was trying to do soft feel and carry himself that way in trot as well. Sunshine reckoned it was important for Oz to realise that trot can be a really nice comfortable place to be in. So we went back out, and instead of circles, Oz and I did some lovely relaxed trots in lone straight lines. Only got 1 should brace. Got a lovely last trot across the paddock that left like floating so I called it a day there. I think for the next few days, more relaxed happy loose rein trots on lines or big circles, and less asking for softness to give him a break. Fab horse, lovely morning
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Post by el on Jun 10, 2014 16:52:49 GMT
DAY 32: Fab relaxed horse... we started with a lovely trot across the arena Did a few more, but Oz had started to push his head down & lean on the bit. So back to walk. Got a lot of leaning in this session and a few head shakes. I think it was the cause of being the darkest before dawn type thing. I made a definite effort to breathe, after for softness with my fingers and relax my arms and shoulders. Got 1 or 2 FAB huge striding walks!! Got a few more nice trots in straight lines and also some nice stuff when he wasn't leaning. Very relaxed, mellow, happy horse throughout .... on the leaning thing we'll see where his head is at tomorrow. I may need to ask for more 'getting off the bit' or I may need to use 1 rein to get his head up. We'll see anyway. Lovely ride & dodged all the HORRENDOUS rain
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Post by el on Jun 11, 2014 10:36:13 GMT
DAY 33: WE DID IT!!!!
A very mellow horse today... got up from mounting block and spent all the hour trotting around (he was a little lazy at times!) in big circles in the paddock.
NO headshakes NO Shoulder getting stuck
Just a lovely delightful horse!!
Then we'd rest for 5 mins on a loose rein.
Then back out trotting more big laps all around again. And the best part? After trying a few halt - prepare / wind him up - wannabe trot departs, we were off on a lovely energetic trot around the paddock and we glided into this PERFECT canter (first time in AGES!!!) and he was just happy out, still very relaxed. Back to trot, walk, halt then dismounted.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
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Post by el on Jun 13, 2014 16:19:35 GMT
DAY 34: leaning...
We started with some lovely trots about. Happy horse. Did one canter but it ended up in a braced shoulder and slowing down as I think I was gripping on too much and the horse was 'wtf'?
Then back to walk. Leaning is back and its BAD. A few steps - major lean forwards and down. Spent a while hands like a fence post, soft hands, and relaxed shoulders, didn't make much of a difference.
Spent a while on the lean = 1 rein to stop the lean. The result was tight small circles, no difference in the lean and and horse who was loosing forwards.
Spent a while as halt - walk a few steps - halt. Our walk - halt from changing my seat position is fab. Got a little better then when we worked on this at halt and just some small walking. Still not great though. Might go back to the halter tomorrow and see what we have there.
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Post by el on Jun 14, 2014 10:59:48 GMT
DAY 35:
I was thinking about yesterdays ride & Oz just wasn't happy. He had gone from trying hard to soften in a bit at the clinic (great) to becoming really light and stopping with any rein contact (a few days ago) to being incredibly heavy and pushing forwards and down (both bumping and fencing posting wasn't having any real change).
When I went to the mounting block today, he didn't look as happy and 1 got a foot stamp. Fixed it with a few walks away & back, but today decided to go back to riding in a halter as I didnt want Oz to get more frustrated in the bit, as I didn't really know how to help him feel more comfortable.
Result: Lovely ride. 0 pulls. 2 headshakes. Softing, turns from my weight, halts from changing how I sit in the saddle. Did lots of trotting, got one of two braced shoulders in trot when we were in a corner, but nothing major.
Did some of Martins footwork exercises. Lovely day, I feel happier anyway I think Oz does too.
I def want to work on the bridle stuff, just need to do something else I think but I'm not sure what.
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Post by el on Jun 15, 2014 13:07:00 GMT
DAY 36: PROGRESS!!
Off in a halter & saddle again today. Dad rode Doug (3rd time) and was trotting about. The horse was quite tired afterwards but didn't put a foot wrong.
Oz & I did some trots in straight lines, Martin B pivots, got about 2 headshakes, 1 in trot which DIDN'T result in any braced shoulder! and 1 in walk which I stopped.
While Doug was trotting about Oz was getting a bit more forward so I put him to work in lot of changes f direction in walk as we did at Marks clinic. Once all was back to normal, off we went trotting again. 1 or two shoulder braces + pitstops in trot, more so when he was unbalanced / turning..
So we did a few line trots (great) and then went back to trot circles. Did a few great laps... at one place the trot circle was like a tear drop.. the pointy end was the issue. So we walked at that point & sidepassed out, then back to trot. Did that a few times, then trotted the whole thing and it was not perfect, but MUCH improved. Very happy that we're progressing!
Mounting block perfect.
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Post by portiabuzz on Jun 24, 2014 17:05:38 GMT
Good for you Sent from my GT-I8160
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Post by el on Jul 3, 2014 9:45:54 GMT
DAY 37: After 2 weeks off
Perfect mounting block, lovely sunshine, lazy trotting all around the paddock. FAB!!
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Post by el on Jul 4, 2014 17:24:57 GMT
DAY 38:
Back to steve exercises..
soft feel in halter 360 yields walk the line rollbacks trots backups
just a very heavenly soft horse. He seems to understand the halter + sidewats to soften a lot more than the bridle + pressure / release.
Just a gorgeous day we got really light & soft.
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Post by portiabuzz on Jul 4, 2014 20:48:36 GMT
Great Sent from my GT-I8160
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mc
New Member
Posts: 47
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Post by mc on Jul 7, 2014 10:41:44 GMT
any chance you could explain what "walk the line" is? Just being nosey!
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Post by el on Jul 7, 2014 13:24:15 GMT
You've to sing the Johnny cash song while riding
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Post by el on Jul 7, 2014 13:26:53 GMT
Day 39: lazy horse so trotted many glorious laps around the big paddock and went up and down a little bank. Glorious!! Now at airport to pick up Steve h!!!
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