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Ozzie
Jul 22, 2010 6:31:45 GMT
Post by kas on Jul 22, 2010 6:31:45 GMT
Loving reading this El.
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Ozzie
Jul 22, 2010 15:14:40 GMT
Post by beksnjake on Jul 22, 2010 15:14:40 GMT
Me too - spurring me on to do some more concentrated work with Jake
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Ozzie
Jul 22, 2010 16:31:27 GMT
Post by el on Jul 22, 2010 16:31:27 GMT
Thurs 22nd July 2010 – GW – grand – 30 mins· I was off to Dublin this morning, so just did a short session with the Oz. Caught him, then stood behind him, pulled his tail, waited till he stepped back or looked like he was about to and let go of his tail. Heehee. I always smile when I do this. · Went off on a big walk around the paddock on a loose rein, walk and jog, turns, stops, etc. · Did a few circles with little bend in neck, shoulders moving away and HQ furthest away. Grand both ways. · Did my best to jump up bareback twice but didn’t work. Great video here on how to do it properly if you’ve got magic legs: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRPQIIZkyY8· Then for the craic pulled poor Ozzie’s tail again while laughing, and got him to do two perfect steps back, as if he totally understood the whole pull tail = step backwards concept. Sometimes he just cracks me up.
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Ozzie
Jul 26, 2010 16:57:12 GMT
Post by el on Jul 26, 2010 16:57:12 GMT
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Ozzie
Jul 27, 2010 8:54:10 GMT
Post by lvg on Jul 27, 2010 8:54:10 GMT
That is sooo funny, perfect song choice too !!
Lorraine (LVG) ;D
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Ozzie
Jul 27, 2010 14:06:17 GMT
Post by beksnjake on Jul 27, 2010 14:06:17 GMT
I want "magic legs"!!
But what I probably need is a much smaller horse - a minature Shetland maybe. . . . . .
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Ozzie
Aug 13, 2010 10:58:54 GMT
Post by el on Aug 13, 2010 10:58:54 GMT
Sent vids to Steve, so he said they were getting better and now to only ask Oz to go from walk to halt when he was soft in walk.................
Went out today, so thought I'd do a little bit of work with Dads horse, to get back to doing something with a more 'normal' (cough!) horse. Anyway, did a bit of groundwork and he caught on fast (he hasn't done much in about 5 years but is a lovely horse) but he was pretty slow on his feet, and all the stuff I take for granted with Oz he didn't know.
So went over and caught Oz then. He puts his nose into the halter. I took a deep breath and on he walks beside me on a loose rope, I slow he slows, I go fast he goes fast, i do really fast, he trots on a loose rope beside me. I turn left he turns left. I ask him to bend on a circle he bends on a circle. I touch his shoulder or girth line lightly once and he steps sideways away from me. We stop, I put hand lightly on knot under chin, head drops down immediately. Slight pressure back and he goes back softly. I stand in front, take a breath in and start to turn rights and he mimics it.
Then we did some more walking and circling with bend, moved into a few trots trying to keep bend, got a few nice ones, then back to walk together, then into circle with bend, change rein, etc.
The upshot of the morning is that he can be a pain in the ass but when he'd good he is lovely, and he has learned a few things despite both himself messing about and myself trying to figure him out!
Elaine.
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Ozzie
Aug 13, 2010 16:19:04 GMT
Post by kas on Aug 13, 2010 16:19:04 GMT
Brilliant stuff El. (Got any vids we can see?).
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Ozzie
Aug 13, 2010 20:17:18 GMT
Post by el on Aug 13, 2010 20:17:18 GMT
Fri 13th August. - no vid sorry. After the good groundwork this morning I thought I’d chance a ride. Given he had 2 weeks off with no handling, and then just 2 groundwork sessions since, it could have gone any way. Anyway, tacked up, did a little walk and trot in hand and hopped on. Plan was to see how far we got, with a view towards getting him to walk around, and only asking for a halt when he was soft. As usual we then stood still for a few minutes so Oz closed his eyes and worked on going asleep. To wake him up then, we started off with a few lateral flexions each side. As usual at the start he was actually asleep and didn’t want to bend at all, so spent about 5 mins laughing at him as he eventually turned his head around properly a few times both ways, often with his eye lids still closed. Anyway, they were much better after the 5 mins, so then worked on soft feel at halt, then release. After this, did soft feel, backup a step, keep soft feel, release. Now for the next part, the most astounding thing was that Oz was relaxed and also trying REALLY HARD!!!! to figure out what I wanted him to do. Honest to God. There was one point where he tried to do a little sideways step to see if it was that I was looking for, and it was a lovely feeling to have him working with me trying to figure the stuff out. So we played around with soft feel, walk (for ages) waiting for a soft feel, and then halt once we got it. This was the tricky part. In halt I ask for a few small lateral flexions and then he drops his head and softens and I release. In walk, I tried to get him on a circle, look for bend, then wait for softness. Got it once, think it was a fluke Then I confused myself as on a circle normally I’d use just inside rein for bend, and inside leg to push out ribs, so either using both reins on the lateral flexion route, or both reins equally, I’d lose the nice bend. So decided to just walk in a straight line (forget bend and work on one thing at a time) and try both the small lateral flexions in walk (didn’t work that well, he thought I was steering him right or left) or light feel on both reins together (he thought I wanted him to stop, so I kept legs on as well, but didn’t really want to have to do that either, Oz should walk on with no legs on). So I knew what I wanted but just not 100% sure how it get it, but Ozzie was a little star and was trying as hard as I was to get it as well. Also did one tiny circle backwards WOOHOO! (literally tiny) clockwise, then did 270 degree one nearly as small anticlockwise. As the session progressed, Oz started to do more ‘stick head up in air and do a massive yawn’ so as it was tea-time as well, got another soft feel, dismounted and then left him off. He waited patiently beside the gate for his ‘well done’ bite of fresh grass, and then watched me as I walked back home. A lovely session due to both Oz trying really hard to figure me out, and also to having Oz well behaved and willing after TWO WHOLE WEEKS OFF!
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Ozzie
Aug 14, 2010 5:04:02 GMT
Post by beksnjake on Aug 14, 2010 5:04:02 GMT
Sounds good - must have felt great to have that connection.
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Ozzie
Aug 14, 2010 9:42:33 GMT
Post by el on Aug 14, 2010 9:42:33 GMT
Yeah, it's nice alright to have the bugger trying to work with me rather than trying to do the complete opposite. Sat 14th August.Caught him, put on saddle, did a bit of groundwork, backup light as a feather, turns with me spot on from a change in my energy, and circle in walk with bend good, circles in trot with bend are nice and relaxed and the bend is coming along slowly but happy with Oz’s head space when he’s doing them. Then hopped up and stood still for a minute or two. Oz was pretty relaxed, half asleep. To wake him up, lateral flexions both ways which he tried to ignore at the start and was very heavy (normal). Then he woke up and starting to listen and do them nicely. Then we got soft feel. Then decided to start with the 10/9/8 exercise, as I was still a bit flummoxed about how to get soft feel in walk. Anyway, soft feel, 10 lovely steps backwards, rest. Then soft feel, 10 lovely steps forwards and realised I shouldn’t stop him till he was soft again, so walked around a bit more and when head relaxed a little (not much), asked him to stop. Continued on like this for the rest of the exercise. I think we had no head shaking from Oz during all of the session, a new one on me. Gave him lots of rests, but did the last 4/3/2/1 all together was quite flash until the last 1 step back when he went for a yawn in the clouds half way through. Then had a rest to contemplate life. Then decided to try a 180 HQ yield (traditionally a bit messy). I had figured there had been too much ‘back’ in previous ones, so we did 4 and I tried to figure out what was going on, then stop doing whatever it was I was doing to get him to move like that. Out last one actually wasn’t too bad, but I think a mirror would be very handy. He was very willing God bless him for whatever reason. Then for the craic, a circle backup with a view to a rollback (heehee) Did a little circle backup, then did one step of a rollback type idea, then as that was all I was going to get, walked off. But woohoo!! It’s a start Then to finish up, circles in walk with bend, changing bend on straight line between each circle. Told him he was fab and left it there. I am aware that the old Oz wasn’t gone away, and if something came past that he decided was more interesting than me and wanted to do his own thing, we’d be in a messy situation, but I guess all I can do is just keep building on the good stuff at home, then as the good stuff gets better, gradually introduce ore distractions / not so comfortable places etc into the equation in a sensible manner. Anyway, still chuffed that he’s done nothing for 2 weeks and is back listening to me and I’m tooting about in the saddle.
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Ozzie
Aug 22, 2010 14:30:00 GMT
Post by el on Aug 22, 2010 14:30:00 GMT
Sun 22nd August.I went back up to Dublin last Monday, so came home again yesterday, did 20 mins groundwork in the twilight which Oz wasn’t too enamoured with and kept looking out at the invisible monsters, so we still did some circles with bend, turn with me’s and then went off for a long walk the whole length of the paddock in the darkness and he stayed beside me in different speeds of walk. Not bad, considering the last time I rode him in the dusk he had meltdown and refused to walk one step forward about 2 years ago. So today, Sunday, was my last ride of the summer. Over all, he’s been worked every day during the summer since May 28th, with one day off every 1 to 2 weeks, and then 2 weeks off from the end of July when I was at the horse show, and then the last 5 days off when I was back in Dublin. From now on, I am abroad for two weeks, then will be in Dublin fulltime so any weekend rides will be a bonus as Oz won’t have the regular work any more. Anyway, so went out today for my last official summer ride. I went out with the mindset that anything good in the saddle would be a bonus as he had just had nearly a week off. Well, he ROCKED!!!!!! He was as good as he ever had been! Groundwork: He put his head in the halter, brought him down to the gate and threw on the saddle. Walked beside me, slow and fast walk, and very slow walk, and halt. Turned into me on loose rope when we did small squares together. Walked around me in circle with bend. Trotted slowly alongside me on loose rope when I walked quickly. Trotted around me in circle, bend not there yet but this was MAJOR as he was totally chilled in the trot, which is a big achievement!! The bend will come with practise as I know what to do. Softness and backup – the little gremlim has got this good, that when my hand TOUCHES the knot of the halter, he drops his head straight down. Literally my fingers graized the knot, I did not put any pressure on the rope. Turn with me’s were great. Riding:Horseflies were EVERYWHERE. Previously Oz used them as an excuse not to work and to throw a strop. Got up, stood still for a while on a loose rein. Lateral flexion very good both sides, Oz was awake. Asking for softness in halt – good. Softness then back up 10 steps – good, got stuck on step 8 but no issues. Softness – I could feel his whole body in balance, he could equally have gone forwards or backwards, so I dropped the reins and gave him a rest. It was FAB!!! Walk on – lovely walks around the paddock. Bends on corners – FAB!! As we walked, I asked for bend, got it, then went around the corner without shoulder falling in and off we went again. Lovely circles with bend, fell in once or twice but quickly corrected and on we went again. Nice changes of bend too on a straight line. Tried walk and wait for stop until head dropped, using light contact and legs on, but v hard to come across tried to reward even slight head drops, (some may have been due to a hill slope!). Any didn’t do too much of it, but still really impressed at how much Oz’s mind was with me and trying REALLY hard. I was also aware if this worked, if I wasn’t quick enough Oz would twig walk > soften > stop and would start to stop automatically himself when he softened. So I also did slight pressure on reins, and legs on, get a soften, then loose reins and legs off, but keep him walking on. Just playing about really tho, but I was just loving tootling about on the Oz. Did a few 180 HQ yields, and a few backup circles with the beginnings of a rollback. Horse flies at this stage were eating him up, but he was really good about them. Once when I was riding today actually, he actually positioned his off hindquarter to make it obvious to me a fly was on it when I looked around, so I swatted it off. Funny horse. Near the end, he was getting really bothered about something on his head, had scratched it on his leg twice, still bothered, so I got off and there was a big dirty horsefly right on the front middle of his head. I got it off anyway. Decided it was a good place to finish and ‘bank it’, as really he was absolutely brilliant for the whole thing despite the horseflies everywhere and it was a lovely place to leave him now for a while. During the winter we’ll work more on the softness in walk and the trotting with bend on the ground and see how we go, and maybe think about getting him a bit more out around the farm. Connemaras ROCK!!!!!!
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Ozzie
Aug 23, 2010 7:38:59 GMT
Post by kas on Aug 23, 2010 7:38:59 GMT
Those bloody flies!
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Ozzie
Sept 5, 2010 10:06:50 GMT
Post by el on Sept 5, 2010 10:06:50 GMT
Oz needs more one rein riding and more softness, so here is a short plan of stuff we'll try to do:
1. Do everything using 1 rein. 2. Figure out footfall properly. 3. Work on HQ yields. 4. 10 lateral flexs without horse changing his balance. 5. Circle backwards, stop only when soft. And you feel a spin coming. 6. Teardrop circle. Making sure when yields are good that you haven't lost your direct rein. 7. Backup with no reins, but use rein if needs be. 8. Drag stuff around. 9. Fast backup - fast as a trot. 10. Softness in everything as much as you can.
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Ozzie
Sept 6, 2010 4:28:03 GMT
Post by beksnjake on Sept 6, 2010 4:28:03 GMT
Your "short" plan el is exactly what me and Jake need to be working on following the clinic!! I get so caught up in what we are achieving I find it really hard sometimes to actually then plan how we are going to continue once we get home! Thank you
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