Again the weather is glorious and Mark and I and our young friend Charlotte (who's been coming to play/ride our Tara for a few years now and is a very lovely rider) go out to play and ride. This is a very rough guide to what I did with Solly today as I didn't take notes or photos ;-)
1) Friendly:
He caught me very well, ready to play with a nice attitude.
2) Stick 2 Me:
I do this going up the road from the grazing field to the playfield, we do walk, halt, walk, trot, backups the whole way. He is very eager to trot so the break over last week has done him good.
3) Circling:
I ask for trot and canter first, then circling on the move and then add jumps on the move too. He is happy to do what I ask and it really feels very together today.
4) Extreme Friendly:
After all the circling he is very happy to just stand there, not even attempting to graze. I do extreme friendly, slapping the ground, helicopters, in all zones and he is fab.
5) Backup:
He backs up from the tail with only ph1 today and I only ask for a couple of steps as he does it so nicely.
6) Fig 8's:
Walk, trot and canter (with SLC and FLC's). Very pleased with this today, I'm really understanding 'where I have to be and when I have to be' with this game and him now ;-)
7) Sideways:
Away and towards again without my moving my feet. He is light and responsive and I only have to remind him twice not to go forward which is great. I then move onto trying sideways over the small barrel but he really has trouble with it, I can sideways him half way but then move him off it as if I go further he tries to go forward and then gets unconfident about it. We manage just one pretty good one from the left to the right with me in Z1 which was a struggle for him. He does great sideways maneuvers with me in Z1 in front of the barrel and a pole to the left and right so it's about having something larger than a pole under his belly.
8) More Circling:
On the move with multiple jumps, he does a great job of clearing all the jumps, mostly in canter too.
9) Ridden Fig 8's:
I mount from a barrel and ride bareback in the 100' roundpen today. I tell myself to 'not touch the reins' at all and only use my body language and CS to make changes in gait or direction and I think this really helped. I leave the reins on his neck and keep my hands off them so that I'm not tempted to pick them up. AND he actually does the fig 8's really well, turning pretty well and stopping well too. I do this pattern in walk and then in trot and I try not to over use the CS.
10) Ride the Rail Freestyle:
I do this for some transition play to make sure I have a seat connection and that he's got some impulsion, I only do walk, trot, halt and backup and he feels pretty good.
11) Clover Leaf pt 1:
Still in the 100' roundpen he does the clover leaf well. I do a full circuit to the left and then to the right and repeat it a few times and it felt so much better than before. I think he's really getting this freestyle stuff now, and so am I with him ;-)
12) Clover Leaf pt 2:
I decide to open up the pen and take the clover leaf pattern to the larger rectangular arena. I have 4 cones in the centre to represent X still and we go out and do this exactly as we have done in the roundpen. We manage to do quite a few circuits and I'm very very pleased with our play today. Not only obedient, but focus and bareback too, yeehaa. lol
13) Finesse Fig 8's:
These go really well in the large arena, using the cones as X again, his turns are nice and getting much more balanced, I'm using a bit of support with my inside leg and moved my outside leg further back to help support that too. Using all of the freestyle ingredients it feels pretty smooth.
14) Finesse Bowtie:
I do this along the side of the arena in trot and the suspension rein works really well for turns at each end.
15) Turns on the HQ's:
I ask Solly to do these as a bit of finesse rein work, he's easier going to the left but we get there with both sides and I remind myself that I must do more of these to help him supple up a bit as he got a bit bracy to start with until he was confident about what I was asking him.
16) Sideways:
Without a fence, again he was easier going to the left but I did it a few times each way until he understood and became more relaxed about it.
17) Undemanding time:
I just stayed sat on him whilst he grazed for quite a while. I played about with some extreme friendly game from his back with the CS & SS which he was totally okay about.
Had a superb few hours with Sol today, he was obedient, mild, calm, focussed and a joy to be with.
Thursday 28th May
BUT today I actually feel quite a lot better, I stopped taking pain killers yesterday and made myself promise not to take any unless it was a bad pain, as they upset my 'system' lots. Yesteday I only got an aching face and lived with it and this morning I was very happy at no pain in my face so am trying to be active without being silly. I will try to get out with Solly today, maybe just at liberty but it's been a week and he needs some play as he's getting mouthy. I've also just changed his feed from speedi-beet, alfalfa and pony nuts to Allen & Page 'Hacking Cubes' and 'Apple Chaff' (I've put him on a small ration with some of the old ration still so that it integrates on his stomach okay) and I will be raising the maintenance ration that I'll start with according to his needed energy levels and the amount of work we start doing. I found that he was loosing energy after about 3 hours light play/riding so hope to increase his energy so that he doesn't poop-out too early during his play so that riding has more motivation ;-)
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2) Porcupine and Driving:
3) Stand on Ped:
There is a small stone nearby so I ask him to put his front feet on it which he's more than happy to oblige with, in fact I have trouble getting him off it! lol
4) Spins:
I ask him to sideways away from me about 6-8 steps (so that I can still touch him with the CS/SS) and then ask him to sideways towards me without me moving my feet. It takes a couple of wiggles of the rope to stop him moving forward but he gets the idea quite quickly. From that distance I can ask by gently slapping his back on the outside with the SS to move him inwards and he gets the idea quite nicely.
6) Backup:
Whilst I was standing quietly in Z5 I ask him to backup with my hand on his stifle. He has to think about it for a short while but then gets it with a light ph1 of my hand. I do this from the left leg and the right leg. He's a clever boy to remember this one ;-)
SO, I probably won't be doing much with Solly (or anything for that matter) for a few days, have to just take it easy. My jaw is swollen and very painful so am on pain killers every 4 hours and salt water mouth washes too to keep infections at bay.
Hopefully I'll be back playing and riding next week so keep an eye out for my return ;-)
Wednesday 20th May
Weather not bad, bit drizzly but some sunshine trying to come out so I grab the opportunity and go out with Solly. Today I decide to ride more than play so park the car near their grazing field and go get Sol to catch me, he does this well and I realise I could play in this grazing field as it could be fun to be somewhere different than our usual playfield.
This is what we did:
1) Friendly:
Extreme friendly, all zones with me in all directions, helicopter and also standing in Z3 & Z1 throwing rope over his head.
2) Sniff this:
Asked him to sniff a flat stone, then stand on it with his front feet. He did this very well when he realised what I wanted from him.
3) Circling:
Working on a hill today, going to left and right and he did them well, needs a bit more practise so that he doesn't change gait but for a first time it was good.
4) Back up:
I asked him to backup down a hill to the gateway and I made sure the belly of the rope was on the ground at all times. I didn't go past ph2, the rope never swung under his chin and he carefully and methodically went back. I stopped a couple of times to rest him but also to straighten up his HQ's and then restarted.
5) Saddling/Bridling:
Bridling again is a bit harder, he's really playing about with it so have resorted to holding a horse treat with the bit to get him interested in it. I thought about putting a mild bit of toothpaste on the bit as he likes peppermint, might try this, put it on the night before so that it's dried and not sticky....will see how it goes. It's really infuriating but I try really hard to just make it a game and not get into his little dominance games.
6) Cinching:
Play about near the car, up a hill, cod's, trotting downhills, into a puddle etc and then I mount up and do quick checks of LF and DHQ's.
7) Hack Out:
Go around the route we've been doing recently and it went really well. He hestitated at the corner where the bins are again but I let him graze quickly after he'd gone past them calmly. We then walked with a purpose to the houses and then up the hill. The hill I put him to work for a bit. We did walk for 10 steps, trot for 5 steps. I asked for impulsion and obedience and going up the hill he started really focussing on the task at hand. His head bowed beautifully, the strides were becomming consistent and by doing the cornering that my friend suggested yesterday in arena we didn't loose impulsion on those and his corners became very smooth and balanced.
At the top of the hill we rested and he grazed for a while. Two deer ran through the bracken but Solly just looked and he was very calm about it all. We then went down the hill mostly in walk but a purposeful walk on a concentrated rein. I asked sometimes for a left leg-yield or a right leg-yield across the track which kept him focussed on me well. He was really relaxed, not looking about with unconfidence or dominance just out on a hack, partners in the wilderness.
Well today was a lot of fun, I wasn't out for hours (maybe two tops) and it didn't seem I had played with him much but it was good and focussed and fun and I'm glad I dodged the drizzle to go out with him ;-)
Was hoping for a bit of a break from the rain and I did get some breaks but inbetween those was rain, heavy rain and even heavier rain. BUT I went out at 10am to do a bit of play and load up to go to my friends yard again today, I was determined to get out and play at least and my friend has an all weather rubber outdoor arena so at least I could play safely and not worry about slipping or ruining the grass. SO, off out I go.
I didn't have much to play around with apart from the trailer so I asked Solly to sniff it, sidle up to it and generally have a good play around it. Then squeezing over the ramp and finally loading. It was in a different place from last loading time so it took a few in/out, approach/retreats but he went in and stayed so I went off to Blairgowrie.
When I arrived I again took my equipment out and left Sol in the trailer so that he gets used to just standing in it and not coming out immediately. He stands quietly and patiently while I talk to my friend. She has no clients today so the arena is at my disposal ;-)
I unload him and let him graze a bit before playing and then the play is good, all the games, different zones, 22' and 45' lines, fig 8's, sniff this from a distance and jumping. All goes very well and whilst we have a break in the weather I saddle and bridle him ready for cinching and riding.
I also played a bit with liberty with him saddled. He did great at stick 2 me at walk, trot and some canter. We also tried circling at liberty again and he really tried hard for me today. Jumping was good and with coloured poles too. When we played stick 2 me along a long side of the arena it felt like he was running off a bit (I was really running to keep up with him) but as soon as I stopped he almost did a sliding stop to stay with me! cool ;-)
Solly sniffing the mounting block with me about 35' awayThen I decide to do finesse. I start with straight lines and circles, trying to get better at both of them, serpentines next and then some transitions. I then ask for him to go along the long side of the arena, do a turn on the HQ's and trot back to the other corner, and repeat it until it felt better on the turn and impulsion side of it. He does well and I let him rest and graze outside the arena. When we go back into the arena I ask him to sideways over a fallen cone, I use the end of my reins (unclipped on one side) instead of the CS for this and he does it nicely, harder going from left to right but I ask him to keep doing it until he stops hesitating over it, puzzle sorted nicely ;-)
Sol grazing inbetween riding sessions
Next my friend has a short ride on Sol, she found him under impulsed and not moving his shoulders well and also not trying very hard because he didn't want to (sounds like Solly;-). I think he found it strange to have a different rider on him so was a bit snotty but I do think he does that with me and I don't really do anything about it. Happy hacking is one thing but refinement is another! I re-mounted and showed how I motivate him, with a doubled up savvy string slapped over my shoulders, it doesn't need much more but of course this wouldn't be allowed in a competition so I may try to refine this so that one day we can get impulsion without me slapping myself ;-)
It was VERY good to have a professional riding instructor actually look at my riding, I'd learned a few habits which weren't helping Solly so she helped me push his shoulders in towards the corners to get better cornering, this helped with his balance too especially in fast motivated trot and canter. I was raising my inside rein too much and crossing it over the mane (disengagement really) so no wonder his impulsion went down after cornering! lol. She showed me how to hold the inside rein lower and to open it up, put my inside leg on to encourage him to move his ribs to the outside so that he didn't 'fall' through his shoulder. It was great to feel him bring his head in naturally and to get motivated too with just this little bit of instruction. I realise how much you miss out on not having a good instructor to see what you're doing wrong on a regular basis and for them to be sympathetic to PNH and help you figure it out. Very informative and I will try to bring this into my finesse riding every time I do it now. She was impressed with how he held his head and body once we'd got the impulsion/motivation/obedience balance right.
Solly loaded after the session well and he stayed in the trailer whilst I watched her training her daughters pretty highland.
Friday 15th May
Next I went to the bottom of our field where our two log jumps are and asked him to fig 8 around them. They're quite far apart so the 45' line was very useful. He did the task well and after a short rest I again asked him to fig 8 but also asked him to jump the jumps instead of going around them...he seemed to really get this one quickly and it was a good change of the fig 8 pattern.
He was going so well I then asked for quite a bit of sideways towards me both to the left and right and he did it so well I was asking with only a small ph1 and the stick was just resting on his back and then in the air! cool ;-)
Before saddling I tried again to see if he could sideways over the small white barrel. He managed to get half way over it but I sidewaysed him back towards me before he got totally unconfident. I made a mental note that I must advance this slowly but surely each time we play.
I saddled and bridled and cinched using circles in trot and then in canter. I asked for at least one canter circle before asking for trot again. It started raining quite hard and I didn't think it was a good idea to play much more as the ground would get muddy and it's their grazing field. I thought about going for a ride but then worried that it wouldn't be as good as the last few days due to the change in weather so decided to keep our confidence and stop the session. It was a good session so it was savvy to stop there. I did give Sol a quick ET session before it really started raining harder.
NB. Later on the rain and wind got so bad that Mark and I decided to move them back to their Winter grazing field with all of them in their rugs, this field has some hills and trees so they can find a bit of relief from the weather, it also has some grazing in it now. We took Holly and Stormy first, Holly was jumping about and she was shivering before the rug went on. Then we went and got Solly, Tara and Fortune caught...Solly was jumping about, pushing the two mares around in front of him and he was arching his neck and behaving like a stallion BUT as soon as I got the halter on him he relaxed and was well behaved walking down the road to the herd leader (Holly). I was SO proud of him ;-)
Then I decided to tackle my avoidance of long reining and put the 45' line into two reins. I asked for forwards in walk and backup to start with, he kept thinking I was asking for backup so I use the CS,SS to move him forwards. He got the idea and I didn't have to use it again. I then asked for large circles and moved it into a large fig 8 pattern and then moved that into trotting, this all went well and Sol is getting more confident about being infront of me now. Next I stood totally still and asked for the fig 8 around two cones and he did this very well, only in walk for now ;-)
After this I did some more circles with me in Z4/5 to one side of him a bit and included a jump which he did brilliantly. Ended the long reining on a good note with the pedastal, 2 feet and then 4, and I feel much better about doing more of this. I always find it hard to start and continue new things but always feel great when I've done it and we've moved on.
I then saddled and bridled him and with the cinching I did circles in trot and canter, asking for more and more canter now, with COD's too and also two of the bigger jumps in a row with canter inbetween. He's getting more co-ordinated with cantering to a jump and continuing in canter after the jump now. After a short break I went and played with fig 8's in trot, then canter and with FLC's. He did very well with fig 8 today ;-)
Then I mounted and did lots of transitions again, asking for energy but also for good changes of gait. I then did some canter work which included a pretty cood canter fig 8 with a short SLC in the centre. Working on these is really helping us get our balance and focus better.
It went so well I went out for the hack again and today although he stopped and started A LOT down the shadowy lane once we were past that bad patch he went all the way home with only 4-5 grazing stops. We did walk and trot and I didn't have to get off once so this is a HUGE improvement. Once again, if the weather is good tomorrow, I will do this sort of day with a hack at the end to help him progress. I also hope to do an ET (Equine Touch) session for him as I will then give him the weekend off.
Well another fab day today. I decided that I was getting a bit bored in the field/arena so thought about having a short hack out around the woods where I took him lots in-hand last year. So, to start with I went and asked him to catch me...well he was lying down today so I took the opportunity to just 'be' with him for quite a while. We rested together, I got my breathing slow and calm and relaxed on the grass next to him, then I crouched and went and stroked him all over and then again rested next to him on the grass.
When I totally relaxed and lay on my belly Solly let out this big sigh and went down onto his side which was very cool. He must really trust me now to be able to do that with me ;-)
After this I stayed laying on my front and Solly stood up, I think he almost wanted to watch me whilst I was on the ground! It was cool watching him get up and then yawn LOTS ;-)
So, I went and groomed him (Friendly game) and then asked him to put the halter on which he did nicely. Then I asked him to stick 2 me at walk all the way back up the hill to the arena and there I played some games with him, firstly slowly then with more energy. I kept the word 'refinement' in my mind whilst playing, these are the games I played:
1) Yo-Yo:
I sat on a barrel jump and asked him to go out to the end of the 22' line with only ph1...he was pretty cool about doing this, not fast but definitely listening.
2) Circling:
Again I sat on the barrel and I asked him to circle. He did close circles and he popped over the jump everytime which was behind me. Going to the L&R was good.
3) Canter Circles:
Next I asked him to circle, move his 'ribs' over more and relax and then up into canter for a circle or more, I let him change gait to trot but asked him up again after half a circle. He did the canter much more willingly and I was using very little phases.
4) Saddling:
Saddling fine, put the Finesse bridle on, he resisted a bit but I was patient but firm and all went well. I am managing to put my thumb on his tongue or on his lower jaw now in front of his tushes to help open his mouth and he's fine with me doing that now.
5) Ridden:
I started on transitions. Halt/w/h, then h/t/h, then w/t/c/t/w/h, then went onto t/c/t trans and he started to listen much more. I then moved it on to canter circles which were good, I only did one in each direction with finesse reins but he moved nicely around in a circle and felt much more balanced than ever before...my balance must be getting better ;-)
6) Hack:
I went down to the house in walk and trot and he was attentive and looking everywhere but relaxed too which felt lovely. When we got to the turn off down a shadowy lane he was resistent and no matter what I did he wasn't going to go forward so I jumped off and led him half way down the lane, let him graze and jumped back on. He went a bit but again stopped and I jumped off again. The lane has a very high wall on one side and a ditch and low wall on the other side and it can be worrying with pheasants and/or ducks flying about so not a problem to jump off to keep our confidence.
At the end of this lane there was some good grazing and so I jumped back on again and then put the grazing to a good use. I asked him to move forward across the road to more grazing which he did without too much worry. Then I asked him to move 20' to the next bit of grazing and then 40' to the next bit. Through the whole hack we did 12 grazing stops but it worked beautifully and I didn't have to get off again. He was confident and by the time we reached the hill apex he knew it was the way home so walked and trotted calmly the whole way back.
Great ride out and was very very happy with his progress, weren't out for long but it was a lot of fun and neither of us got bored. Cool ;-) I am going to try to do this session again tomorrow to reinforce the good work we did today.
I let him graze for a while and get used to the new scenery, he was interested but loved the grass too much to be naughty ;-) I then took him into the large arena (60x30 I think!) and played our usual games. Friendly, extreme friendly, yo-yo's, porcupine and driving then onto circling and moving circles, sideways and then squeeze with jumps. Then I did some fig 8's at walk and trot and then some circles with canter.
After this we rested for a long while and then I saddled and played a few games for cinching. The only time Sol got a bit noisy whinneying with his head up was when we were left alone without another horse in the arena but he really came back to focus on me very quickly as I just kept playing the games, mostly sideways at walk and trot.
OOH, I almost forgot, I did a little bit of liberty with him too. With his saddle still on he did stick 2 me at walk, trot and back up. He also did some nice slow walk fig 8's and for the first time ever he did some close walk circles, I did these carefully as I know how easy it would be for him to waltz off around the arena so I asked gently for him to circle and when his head was going to the outside of the circle I gently DHQ so as to get his head back and then gently asked him out on the circle again. I had to follow him around to do this but by the third time I only had to ask twice and he did it. I now have the foundation to ask for more next time and was well chuffed he did this in a new place at liberty ;-)
After making sure he was focussed again I rode him freestlye, riding the rail, transitions, circles, fig 8's and he was very good. Then I jumped off and put his finesse bridle on with the sweet iron bit and he took it quite well today. I then did some finesse work, circles, fig 8's, serpentines (very cool at these now) and some canter fig 8's with SLC's at X. I was so proud of him cantering a full circle before changing the direction with the SLC. I wasn't sure he would do it but the arena is nice and big and has a good surface on it and he did it beautifully.
When I took a break I put Solly into one of my friends stables with no other horses in the block and he was very well behaved, he whinneyed a few times and I whinneyed back but he stood nicely and waited for me to trailer load him back to come home. When we got home he was very VERY happy to see his herd again and I let him graze the field verges which have some lovely grass on them at the moment. He now knows we can go out but we always come home again so it was a very positive day today ;-)))))))
I was so proud of how he behaved and my friend was very impressed with his nice manners and good looks ;-) We've been asked back next week too so if the weather is good we will take the opportunity to do this as it's a fun thing to do and gets him more confident about strange places.
Blue skies and me without a jacket...out there making the most of the weather I played and rode Solly and then played with Stormy too. Now I'm tired! lol. Here's todays play:
1) Friendly:
Grooming
2) Stick 2 Me:
Walk, trot and backup
3) Back up to things:
Asked him with refinement to put his back feet by the tyre pedastal, he had a bit of trouble but did it after only a little while and I was using a very small ph1
4) Stand on Ped:
Asked him to stand on it with front feet, great. Stand on it with all 4 feet, superb. Ask for him to move off but leave his back feet on it...pretty good ;-)
5) Trailer loading:
I asked Sol to first put his nose on the side of the trailer and the spare tyre. He did this without hesitation. Then I asked him to sideways over to the trailer with me in Z1, again without hesitation. Next I asked him to squeeze over the ramp and then to stand on the ramp (like a pedastal) and he was calm and LB while doing this. Finally I loaded him, well he loaded himself. I helped him go in/out, in/out, in/out until he was more confident and then I took him out and rested for a while. Then he went in and I put the bar up and the ramp and then drove in a huge circle in his field and unloaded him from the back using the porcupine game on his tail. He did very well. He looked a bit worried but I just have to get out there and do this more often now so that when we go to Stoneleigh trailer loading won't even be a thing I think about. He's very good going in it's just me worried about taking him somewhere on his own for the first time. BUT I have that opportunity as tomorrow I will take him the short journey into Blairgowrie to my friends yard where I can play/ride him and then bring him home again. Cool ;-)
6) S'bends:
These are almost the same as the Falling Leaf pattern but I walk backwards and keep Solly engaged in gait.
7) Falling Leaf:
He does these so well now.
8) Fig 8's:
Walk, trot and a bit of canter. Doing well but I need to learn to refine my movements even more now.
9) Saddling:
Goes well and I intend to work again with just the hackamore or CS and SS around neck.
10) Cinching:
Work him over jumps, circling, cod's, walk, trot and a bit of canter.
11) Refining ridden Porcupine:
I ask for a refined LF, DHQ and then move the FQ's all using very very little rein and CS. He does very well and I have him rocking back and forth with just the movement of my body now. When he's thinking he's great ;-)
11) Stand on Ped ridden:
He actually does this with very little from me and I realise I MUST rest inbetween the slightest try and sometimes I can't feel the slightest try when I'm riding! Must really focus on his focus and FEEL more.
12) Ridden Fig 8's:
Walk and trot going well, using only CS today and my body movements are much better and I can actually feel my waist moving so he must be able to now.
13) Bow Tie:
Again use this pattern to get our canters better. Today I put the CS down and only use the end of the lead rope and this works fab. We get canter every time and I feel a bit more balanced. Pattern is certainly working for us.
I treat Solly to a graze on long grass as he was so good today. His energy was still low though so I will ask Mark to feed more for tomorrow and I've ordered some Allen & Page 'Hacking Cubes' so will see how this does for his energy levels.
1) Friendly:
A good grooming worked for friendly today, his Summer coat is nearly totally in now, he has bits of Winter fluff still on his belly and back legs. I also ask him to back between our two hay bales, quite a fun friendly game.
2) Circling:
Start with 45' line but with small circles at walk then go to medium circles at trot, asking for more energy.
3) Fig 8's:
Start again with walk then ask for trot and finally go to the canter with more energy and distance. We were a bit rusty on this pattern but did it with rests until it felt better. Working well with the 45' line now.
4) Circling:
Back to circles but this time do them on the move with multiple jumps and cod's. Solly now has woken up a bit more and is playing better. His cod's are getting lighter, his transitions are working a bit better and he is actually looking for the jumps now! cool ;-)
5) Long Rein:
I double up the 45' line to make long reins and ask for simple things first, walk on, backup and left/right turns. Then I ask for fig 8's which he does well and then we use the long rein to stand on the pedastal with two feet and then all four feet. He finds the commands from Z5 a bit weird but does so well for me.
6) Saddling:
Goes well and I decide to stick to the hackamore today (maybe for a week too) to see if I get any head tossing episodes like I do when working with the bridle. I've also put the polyurethene bits back into the bridles and will work with them again when I do go back to bridling, but need to see if Sol's head tossing is learned behaviour, pain or just plain dominance! Today working with the hackamore he tossed his head once but not again, but we did most of the lesson in freestyle!
7) Circling with the saddle on:
Moving him around for cinching using moving circles and jumps.
8) Backup:
Asking him to be specific and putting one front foot into the hoolahoop and then asking him to put one specific back foot in the hoolahoop. Really got him thinking which was fab.
9) Sideways:
We finally did sideways over the small white barrel. I used TONS of approach and retreat and he did it with me in Z1 as he found it easier than Z3 today.
10) Ride the Rail:
Mounting went well and so I went straight to flight tests (LF, DHQ) and then riding the rail at walk and trot. I'm trying to do everything with just the CS and SS around the neck today! RR goes well but I only have one real rail to ride so got bored doing it.
11) Clover Leaf:
Again with only the CS and SS around neck Solly did very very well with this today. My focus was much better and I really moved my torso to focus my whole body on the circles. We did this quite a few times to the right and then to the left in trot.
12) Fig 8's:
Again using the cones as X we did some finesse fig 8's, when he wasn't on a true circle I used leg yields to push him back out and his circles became very light.
13) Canter:
Decided it was time to really try more ridden canter today so I started with the bowtie pattern. He did very well, I was a bit all over the place, very out of practise and trying too hard, but in the end we got it together and it went well.
14) Fig 8's:
Did this pattern in canter today, using some SLC's at X and he changed onto the correct lead change everytime. I just need to focus on the fig 8's more or I tend to go all over the arena! lol.
15) Jumps:
Did a few jumps in a row, some with trot in betwen some with canter in between. He jumped well but felt a bit pooped out at the end so we called it a day on such a good note.
16) Dragging things:
I wanted to make sure we could still drag the tyre from the 45' line ridden today. I had already set up the tyre with the rope on a fence so that I could just pick it up so went over and asked Sol to stand next to the tyre, picked up the rope and went into a backup to make sure he didn't freak out with it moving and then asked for him to walk forward. He did this exceptionally well and I was very pleased with it.
He did very well today and if the weather is good this week (fingerscrossed) I'll get us back to the lightness we had a week ago. I'm working over this month on the word REFINEMENT and hope that I can really try to get my movements more refined (ridden and on the ground).
Solly seems fine, his rug is in the car ready to go on if he gets cold but he seems fine. We have also had to buy more hay (which for us is very weird in May) as the grass hasn't had a chance to grow yet so it's all just a matter of waiting and praying we get some sunshine now to help the grass and allow me to play again ;-)
I went out with Mark and Holly today and helped him refine his play so that he can work towards his PNH Level 2 audition SO I had a list and I did everything on that list first to my level and then rested Sol whilst he played around with that concept with his horse Holly. It worked out very well and here is a list of things we did:
1) Extreme Friendly:
I went first and asked Sol to touch the white barrel and rest, then touch the polypost on the 100' roundpen and rest, then touch or sniff the single tyre and rest, and then sniff the cone and rest. Finally we put 2 and then 4 feet on the pedastal. Mark and Holly did exactly the same and had a lot of fun doing it from a long distance now.
I did this with Sol at walk/trot/canter with some FLC's. Mark did it very well at trot.
FLC
5) Squeeze/Yo-Yo:
This game is fun and Solly has done it the last two days now so made it look pretty easy. Mark did do superbly with his Holly too.
6) Back up/Sideways:
Next we asked our horses to back up over a pole and then sideways off the pole. Sol took a couple of tries to get his feet over the pole but then sidewaysed very well. Mark had a bit of a problem backing up over pole, his girl always goes squint at the last min so he worked with approach and retreat. Once over the pole he sideways's his horse off from Z1 which was good imagination.
7) Weave:
I ask Sol to walk and the trot through 4 weaving poles. Mark does it very well in walk and trot too. This really helped warm us up today. lol.
8) Circles on the move w/obstacles:
Solly does very well, circling at trot and canter, changes of direction and jumps too. Mark and Holly do well too, at trot with fewer jumps as she's not keen on jumping (she broke her right hip as a youngster). I and Sol enjoy these circles, it's more interesting and we can get quite a bit of speed up. I have a great jump combo at the end of the arena too. A tyre jump with a barrel jump at right angles to one side. I can mange to walk slowly around these two jumps and every time Sol circles he gets to do a different jump from a different angle...pretty cool! we go for 8 jumps in a row staying on the circle with me walking around this combo and he does every single one ;-)
9) Saddle/Bridle:
No problems again, we do this at liberty in the roundpen after a good groom.
10) Ride the rail:
Outside the 100' roundpen today, went pretty well but he seems a bit high headed so I stay on the outside of the 50' roundpen in one direction in trot until he starts to blow and lower his head. Then I do a small circle and change direction and do the same thing. He calms well and so I face the pen and rest. Mark and Holly are doing similar things.
11) Ride the rail:
Next we try to ride the field rail but Holly is spooked by something near the fence and Solly plants his feet and won't move. Mark manages to move Holly down the hill but once again I end up asking Sol to move backwards down the whole hill as he won't go forward. I think next time this happens I will get off and try some ground skills as there is something going on that I'm not reading well on his back.
12) Weave:
I do some finesse weaves around the polypoles and Solly does these very well with lightness and calmly.
13) Stand on Ped:
Sol stands on the ped with front feet, he just can't move forward so I just ask him to back off and rest.
14) Clover Leaf:
I do this freestyle first to the left and then to the right. I try to use the reins and cs as little as possible and it actually feels so much better than before. I think he's slowly getting the freestyle idea now ;-)
15) Jumps:
Sol and I do double jumps again and he does pretty well, cantering between the two which is cool.
16) Backup:
Finally we did a wonderful backup, so light and positive, he really does do a fab backup ;-)
1) Catching game:
He decided it was a lot of fun to play this game today, he was running around, pushing the mares around and finding it a lot of fun. I decided to ignore him and poo pick for a while instead and then he caught me quite easily as he wanted to interact but thought it was more fun to try to push my buttons ;-)
2) Yo-Yo's:
As he was a bit dominant today I decide to do a lot of yo-yo but with a purpose SO I ask him to back up to the barrel on the side of my crossbar jump. He had a bit of trouble going straight so as soon as he started going crooked I stopped and drew him to me a bit until he was straighter. Using the approach/retreat/approach method he managed to get pretty straight and close up to the barrel so we rest there for a long time to help it be a comfort zone.
3) Circling:
Then I ask him to circle at trot incorporating the crossbar jump on the circle, 4 times to the right...not a problem.
4) Sideways:
Next I ask Sol to sideways up to the 3 high tyre jump which he was pretty good with.
5) Circling:
Again I ask him to circle at trot incorporating the tyre jump, 4 times to the left. It was a bit harder for him as this jump is higher but he did it calmly and with a very LB, thinking it through and managing to stay in gait and direction ;-)
6) Back up over pole:
He was a bit sceptical about this, made sure he was straight and then I asked for one back foot at a time which made it easier for him, took it very very slowly.
Back left foot over
Both back feet over
I then ask him from the previous position to move his FQ's over so that his body was inbetween the poles so that I could yo-yo him between the poles. He did this very well, kept his back feet still and was in position in a couple of steps.
8) Yo-Yo
Again asking for straightness and going very slowly he managed to stay between the poles and through the cones without too much trouble ;-) I then ask for a trot draw back through the cones/poles and he had a bit of trouble drawing but once past the cones he trotted beautifully to me.
9) The new barrel:
This is a new white barrel I've put into the playfield, it's smaller than a regular barrel so I'm hoping it may be easier for Sol to start sidewaysing on after he's got used to it, before attempting the bigger ones. First I ask him to sniff it and he has HUGE trouble with this. The end of the barrel is open so maybe it's a bit weird having a barrel he can see into BUT I just keep using approach/retreat/approach until he's happy about sniffing it. I then try to ask him to sideways around the barrel which he can do until he gets to the pole which I've laid inside the barrel to stop it moving and he almost froze! I leave it on a good note and put it to the back of my mind to work on this at a later date, poor boy it was just too much for him.
10) Saddle/Bridle:
Saddling is never a problem now, he does it ground-tied which is cool. Bridling! well I went back to the simple loose ring snaffle with the freestyle reins and standing on the right as I've been doing he took it almost immediately. He was much happier in this bit, no head tossing, no chomping on it etc SO I may have to forgo the french link for now, maybe I can find another type that he'll like for two rein riding although he seems fine with this bit two rein riding too! just have to experiment but for now he's a happy bunny in this set up and that's how we'll ride for now ;-)
11) Fig 8's:
Do this at walk with the CS/SS around neck and a TON of focus. lol. He does really well and I make sure we stop regularly at X.
12) Hour Glass pattern:
This is where you circle around an object a few times then cross over the fig 8 pattern to circle the other side a few times. He did this very well and I did it to make sure he wasn't becomming routined by the fig 8 pattern...good test ;-)
13) Ride Rail:
Finally we did a bit of this pattern in walk/trot with a small circle to change the direction. He did okay, his back feet/legs were slipping a bit and I wasn't sure if this was because of the wettish ground (it has been raining on/off for a few days) or because he wasn't feeling stong enough to do this. He has been a bit sluggish this session so I end on a good note and let him go back to the herd. He could be tired, he could be a bit under the weather? who knows, we all have off days and generally he was a very good boy. Maybe I need to start feeing him more concentrates now that I'm asking more from him!!
Friday 1st May
SO, I go out and play with Solly before the vet comes so that he's in a calm state of mind. These are the things we did:
1) Friendly:
Lots of stick/string friendly, too wet for hands today! lol
2) Yo-YO
Backing up between two poles lying on the ground and going between to two cones at the end of the poles. He had a bit of trouble to start with, he went a bit crooked and then he couldn't actually disengage his butt to get his hind legs back on the track between the poles, he had to keep coming forward as he found it too hard or too scary to move his feet over the pole! So, now I know most of his worry is about his hindlegs, especially when he can't see exactly what his legs are going over...how interesting!
3) Circling:
Today I do a lot of circle at trot and move your ribs over. I'm getting much more subtle about asking him and he's reading my intention more so this went really well. I also made sure we did enough of it to make sense and make a difference. He does it to the left and to the right nicely and then I ask for canter on about 15' of the 22' rope so that I can still influence his ribs well. He does really well and was licking and chewing on the circle which was good. He still hasn't fully 'let loose' with me (head down and licking/chewing on the circle) but I can feel we're getting closer now.
4) Jumps:
Did a couple of jumps in a row with canter inbetween them which was nice.
5) Stick 2 Me:
Did this going to the vet as she came into the field, walk/trot/backup all went well.
SO, when the vet came to Solly I practised the 'needle desensitization' that we've done before and the injection was a non-event. Vet was so impressed she asked me to explain and demonstrate what I'd actually done with him before to prepare him which was cool.
Next was the teeth inspection, vet asked if I wanted him sedated and I said 'no'. I told her about his 'play' he has with bits and I asked if she would let me put the gag on him as there is no way Sol would let her look at his mouth without one.
I worked on exactly what I do with bitting, retreat, approach and retreat again, as much as he needed, making a game of 'don't take the bit/gag'. I made sure his head was lowered and explained to the vet exactly what I was doing, explained about how it's a game to him as with everything else the first thing he does is put it in his mouth. I made sure too that he wasn't going introverted at any time and watched his 'comfort edges' closely. Also explained about how that if I 'made' him do this then I would loose his trust and his confidence. Vet was a young girl who was very cool about it all.
In the end I was just chatting to her and low and behold Sol just grabbed the gag with his front teeth and we gently and slowly put the gag on and opened his mouth up. It only took about 5-10 mins so a success.
After the gag was opened I played with his lips and rubbed his gums and left my hand on his bottom lower jaw and let him explore my thumb with his tongue. Then I gently rubbed his tongue but he had trouble with the whole set up really. The vet managed to calmly check his teeth for any rough spots, said his tushes were okay and his teeth generally were fine, a couple of very very small rough bits but that because he was worried about the process we decided not to rasp anything at all as he really didn't need it done. I was very happy about just waiting until he was calm again and then releasing the gag so that he could have his mouth back.
It's quite a weird thing really, a gag. I did it to myself, sort of, to see how it feels. I opened my mouth and put my hands around my jaws so that I couldn't close them for myself. It felt very vunerable and I can understand why Solly was a bit hesitant about it. Maybe in the past he's had a problem too and if that problem wasn't solved then this could be the cause of his defensiveness with anything in or near his mouth, ie my hands or a bit!
Today was cool though as although we didn't rasp him he did allow me to massage his outer front gums and teeth and this was pretty amazing. I hope I haven't worried him again about opening his mouth for the bit now but I'll just take it one day at a time and hopefully when the rain stops falling (as it is again today!) then I can ride him and test out the bitting process again.
After the whole process I played a bit at liberty with him, stick to me in w/t/bckup and also DHQ and move the FQ's driving and porcupine. Then I let him get back to the herd and his grazing ;-))
