I decided to be a masochist yesterday and took the stirrups off my dressage saddle to have a schooling session without stirrups to improve my position. We started by trying to achieve the perfect walk-halt-walk transition, we did 16 in a row until we finally got a nice one, then continued on in trot, actually achieving a nice working trot, although not an overly active one, but it was nice and regular and rhythmic. We then started canter, he did a very nice circle in canter, quite balanced and sane without threatening to perform his "head down and tank" or his "zoom into the corner bucking" tricks, I turned to go down the long side and....
Tally carried me over a 3' triple bar I still had jumps set up and he spied it, by the time I realised he was three strides out and I had no brakes. He cleared it beautifully with me going "eep", then took off around the arena. He was impossible to schooling after that as he was too busy prancing, arching his neck and trying to sidle towards other jumps, so I took him hacking.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Annoyance
I think Tally instinctively knows when I'm at my most annoyed. I had no caffeine the other day, and therefore was both exhausted and crabby because I had a headache. However, Tally needed excercise because then he doesn't feel the urge to break out of his paddock, so I put on his long-lining gear, because if I rode, I'd fall off.
I took him into the hill paddock to work his weak weeny little hiney. He started by biting me when my back was turned, then proceeded on to perform some very impressive airs above the ground when I asked him to do anything. He also managed to canter on the spot before leaping in the air and rodeo-bucking. Eventually I managed to get a sensible walk (ie without snatching at the reins and trying to tank off) so I gave up and put him back in his yard. He needed his overreach injuries cleaned, and he "assisted" in this procedure by licking my back and chewing my t-shirt. He then did his stretches, and "assisted" again, with a little more force. I left him alone in the yard while I went to get his rug and came back to see him with half a manuka bush in his mouth. I resisted the urge to hit him with it and dumped him in the paddock.
I worked the pants off him the next day (I'd had caffeine = I could function) and although he had a few tantrums, as he always does, he was much better. While I was walking him out, I began planning his fitness regime. I also put my entry in for Horricks Park. Doing Training. Oh god.
He's going to do a weekly gallop on the beach, as well as some serious trot work as the sands are soft enough to help his hocks and I can get some good interval training in. He's going to do one day of pole work and canter work without spurs, then one dressage session with spurs to get him working well in trot and keeping him ahead of my leg and lateral work, one day of long-lining, one day of hillwork in walk and slow trot then a final day where I work on my position, alternating dressage and jumping.
I took him into the hill paddock to work his weak weeny little hiney. He started by biting me when my back was turned, then proceeded on to perform some very impressive airs above the ground when I asked him to do anything. He also managed to canter on the spot before leaping in the air and rodeo-bucking. Eventually I managed to get a sensible walk (ie without snatching at the reins and trying to tank off) so I gave up and put him back in his yard. He needed his overreach injuries cleaned, and he "assisted" in this procedure by licking my back and chewing my t-shirt. He then did his stretches, and "assisted" again, with a little more force. I left him alone in the yard while I went to get his rug and came back to see him with half a manuka bush in his mouth. I resisted the urge to hit him with it and dumped him in the paddock.
I worked the pants off him the next day (I'd had caffeine = I could function) and although he had a few tantrums, as he always does, he was much better. While I was walking him out, I began planning his fitness regime. I also put my entry in for Horricks Park. Doing Training. Oh god.
He's going to do a weekly gallop on the beach, as well as some serious trot work as the sands are soft enough to help his hocks and I can get some good interval training in. He's going to do one day of pole work and canter work without spurs, then one dressage session with spurs to get him working well in trot and keeping him ahead of my leg and lateral work, one day of long-lining, one day of hillwork in walk and slow trot then a final day where I work on my position, alternating dressage and jumping.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Beginning
Yes, like a normal person, I'm beginning from the beginning.
After outgrowing my 13.3hh, slightly neurotic 25+ mare, I was on the hunt for something a little larger and hopefully something who didn't look like that the lifeguard left that gene pool too early. I still own Sparks, and I love her dearly, but she is strangely shaped. Anywhoo, I was told by a friend of a friend of an acquaintance, that someone had a 15hh "Welshy-kinda-thing" for sale. He had evented to Open and show-jumped to 1.10m, but was "insane, I have a video where you can see him rearing in the background". Of course, now my interest was spiked.
I met said crazy horse. His name was Tally, which was short for Retaliate, and he definitely had some kind of Arab blood. He also looked like he was carrying twins, and he had a very impressive clunk in trot as his shoes were so loose, they sounded like church bells. I rather liked him actually, he wasn't overly well behaved and was incredibly unfit, and I was offered him on loan to get him fit so I could try him over fences.
I got him fit, and tried him over fences and I nearly got jumped out the saddle. I decided on a "first outing", which was a local PC show. I planned to have a hop around the 50cm, just to see what happened. He ended up 3rd in the 1m, and jumped clear, I forgot the course in the jump-off though. I took him to another show and he jumped around clear in the 1m again.
Levin Sports, early 2006.
After that, it all went downhill. One day, he came from the paddock lame. He was definitely lame in front and seemed quite saw. I called his owner, then she called the vet and after ages of flexion tests, and nerve blocks and trotting in circles and straight lines, he diagnosed navicular. In much tears and torment, I sent Tally back to his owner, as I wanted something sound.
A year on, so late 2006, early 2007, I had been having success with my pony (who I was rather outgrown by then....no really) at Training. I had kept in contact with Tally's owner and he'd gone on loan to someone but he'd bucked them off and got sent back. Whoops. Anyway, I'd tried out a whole lot of horses and after trying a few and having some "interesting" rides, most of which were rather fun really, I hadn't found anything I liked. I phoned his owner up, and we talked, and I came over to ride, and I fell in love again.
I had him vet checked, and he had arthritic hocks. He's 13. Yes, I'm an absolute idiot and I was not thinking with my brain, but I bought him. I let him go once before and I couldn't do it again.
I bought him home on February 16th, 2007, and didn't ride for three days before I was too scared that he'd be lame. I then didn't trot for two weeks for the same reason. Eventually we got going and I slowly gained in confidence and Tally slowly lost weight.
Our first show, second time around was Manakau Sports. We had a hop around the 80cm and the 90cm and he got overly excited and tried to buck me off. I enjoyed myself immensely.
We tried some dressage, which was although not brilliant, not qite the quality of disaster that Sparks and I could produce together. Our free walk was at least a walk and not a sideways canter. We actually managed to stop at the end, rather than me wondering how much the insurance people would pay if Sparks left imprints on the judges car.
After outgrowing my 13.3hh, slightly neurotic 25+ mare, I was on the hunt for something a little larger and hopefully something who didn't look like that the lifeguard left that gene pool too early. I still own Sparks, and I love her dearly, but she is strangely shaped. Anywhoo, I was told by a friend of a friend of an acquaintance, that someone had a 15hh "Welshy-kinda-thing" for sale. He had evented to Open and show-jumped to 1.10m, but was "insane, I have a video where you can see him rearing in the background". Of course, now my interest was spiked.
I met said crazy horse. His name was Tally, which was short for Retaliate, and he definitely had some kind of Arab blood. He also looked like he was carrying twins, and he had a very impressive clunk in trot as his shoes were so loose, they sounded like church bells. I rather liked him actually, he wasn't overly well behaved and was incredibly unfit, and I was offered him on loan to get him fit so I could try him over fences.
I got him fit, and tried him over fences and I nearly got jumped out the saddle. I decided on a "first outing", which was a local PC show. I planned to have a hop around the 50cm, just to see what happened. He ended up 3rd in the 1m, and jumped clear, I forgot the course in the jump-off though. I took him to another show and he jumped around clear in the 1m again.
Levin Sports, early 2006.
After that, it all went downhill. One day, he came from the paddock lame. He was definitely lame in front and seemed quite saw. I called his owner, then she called the vet and after ages of flexion tests, and nerve blocks and trotting in circles and straight lines, he diagnosed navicular. In much tears and torment, I sent Tally back to his owner, as I wanted something sound.
A year on, so late 2006, early 2007, I had been having success with my pony (who I was rather outgrown by then....no really) at Training. I had kept in contact with Tally's owner and he'd gone on loan to someone but he'd bucked them off and got sent back. Whoops. Anyway, I'd tried out a whole lot of horses and after trying a few and having some "interesting" rides, most of which were rather fun really, I hadn't found anything I liked. I phoned his owner up, and we talked, and I came over to ride, and I fell in love again.
I had him vet checked, and he had arthritic hocks. He's 13. Yes, I'm an absolute idiot and I was not thinking with my brain, but I bought him. I let him go once before and I couldn't do it again.
I bought him home on February 16th, 2007, and didn't ride for three days before I was too scared that he'd be lame. I then didn't trot for two weeks for the same reason. Eventually we got going and I slowly gained in confidence and Tally slowly lost weight.
Our first show, second time around was Manakau Sports. We had a hop around the 80cm and the 90cm and he got overly excited and tried to buck me off. I enjoyed myself immensely.
We tried some dressage, which was although not brilliant, not qite the quality of disaster that Sparks and I could produce together. Our free walk was at least a walk and not a sideways canter. We actually managed to stop at the end, rather than me wondering how much the insurance people would pay if Sparks left imprints on the judges car.
Our first ODE was at Waikanae, which is a really nice basic course. However, I have a huge fear of the corner there as once before, I jumped it without the assitance of my horse, and it left a lasting impression on my face. We did an "okay" dressage test (yay! we stayed in the arena!), jumped clear show-jumping and had one stop on the cross-country.....taking the option at the corner. He ended up 6th, and got a beautiful pink ribbon to go with his purple headcollar and lead.
Not long after this, he started bucking. He'd always been a bit of a bucker, but now it was every stride in canter, every transition. I stopped riding and long-lined him for months. It was really quite fun, and he began going rather nicely, but I still couldn't ride him, as it resulted in uncontrolled bucking. I called an equine chiropractor (we shall refer to her as my angel) and she said because of his hocks, he'd been compensating through his back and neck and was sore practically everywhere. He began moving better almost as soon as she'd done some manipulations.
Long-lining during the winter, 2007
I eventually started riding again, after a saddle adjustment due to the extra podge Tally had put on over the winter.
Our first show back was a bit of a disaster. Tally got mucho-excited and put on a very impressive bucking and rearing display for the judge. Apparently giggling and calling your horse a wanker is "not" the proper way to deal with things. Anyway, we eventually got going and had a hop/leap over some jumpies.
We headed towards Area Dressage, which like all dressage things that involve me, was not exactly perfect. It was a Novice test and we were...shockingly bad. It wasn't exactly fun, but I didn't die and Tally didn't jump out, which is always nice.
We proceeded on, and tried another ODE at Aoukautere. It was 29 degrees and humid. He behaved in the dressage because he had no urge to function, he had a stop in the show-jumping because he had no urge to function. He tanked off cross-country because YAHOOO it was fun!
And now it's the 25 of January, 2008 and I'm slowly getting him fit for his first Training ODE on Waitangi Day, the 6th of Feb.Part of the getting fit regime, 6/1/2008
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