It's almost like he's learnt a new trick. If I think about everything I've sat through for the last year or so with Ernie, particularly when he was a school horse, to have been unseated twice in 10 days seems a tad concerning. I'm going for coincidence because I have to believe that ...... the alternatives are too much to bear!!!
In both cases it really seems to have been the slightest of bucks.
Ironic really he has been very good all week. We've concentrated on gentle hacks and school work. I have been working on the "hey, its fun to be together" strategy, which generally seemed to be paying dividends. Then on Sunday, a little fresh in spirit but with all the makings of what would be a very positive schooling session, 5 mins into warm up and i'm on the floor, a slightly excitable canter transition as the Taylor's horses were being turned out. Clearly my fruity young man had mares on his mind!
Landed on my seat, never done that before, bloody hell it hurt. Someone pointed out to me this week that it's ok there it's nice no soft. Yeah right. You try dropping 13 stone from a height of just under 2 metres and you see .....
Wednesday night now and I'm still drugged and trussed up. Still I've been riding both Tuesday and tonight. Used the opportunity for some more subtle schooling and tuition - not un-needed. I believe Ernie really enjoys being taught new things - at least when I can muster up the right instructions.
Nancy rode him for 10 mins tonight and really lightened the forehand. Some good instruction on teaching him more self-carriage, issue the right instruction and he quickly shows respect, will I remember it? Lifting him through the bit quickly with a supporting "up!up!", then quick release as he cedes. He does tend to collapse into his downward transitions and this begins to feel like a solution as ride it afterwards. This delivers a real the change in feel around his transitions, both up (which feels genuinely "up") and down.
Am now preparing for dressage this weekend, an opportunity to improve our performance discipline - particularly downward transitions - in Intro A and to create all sorts of mayhem in Prelim 7 - the latter is about 25% canter work .... at this point this weeks blog descends into wild hysterical almost villaineous laughter, which slowly fades to silence as the image draws to ever smaller dot in the middle of the screen .....
The continuing learning curve that is my life with Ernie
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Monday, 6 June 2011
The ups and downs of a first outing away from home
So we ventured a whole half a km down the entrance road to Old Bexley to give Ernie the chance to try out competing at an unfamiliar venue.
The plan was simple... walk him down, warm him up, Graeme competes in minimus, Sophie completes him in Novice and home we go. And back home for a late lunch. Should have sensed things were up as those promising to cheer from the sidelines slowly dropped away .....
So Saturday I took him up to Taylors, we did some good school work and did a dozen or so jumps just to get us into the spirit, a completely perfect warm up, then comes Sunday....
I get down to the stables early to muck-out before going to the competition and Ernie siezes the opportunity to escape, barging wheel-barrows and pitchforks this was and that, harrassing Mary-Lou on route - much squeeling ensues - and then moves on. Eventually stupidly corners himself in another stable which was open, where he has been enticed to enter and enjoy another breakfast - then on the way back trys to squeeze himself into pony stall for similar reason! I discover controlling a 17.1 horse with just a rope wrapped round his neck is quite challenging.
I walked him down inhand with a rucksack containing extra bits of tack, cameras etc. As we arrived he became a little more excitable, but it took me serveral hours to understand that one! So there I was one man and his slightly nervous horse, admin to sort and nowhere to put him! You try tieing a number to the arm of your jacket whilst holding a horse - actually in the fog of memory I can't actually recall how we did that in the end. Some sort of Harry Potter trick.
Finally got rid of my ricksack I decided it was warm up time. The mountain block here seemed to be an old piece of iron-work from an external fire escape - getting him to stand there was a destined loser. So the poor chap's getting more and more wound up. Eventually we cheat him when someone produces a chair and I precariously mount from them. We go to the warm-up arena, which seemed to be a mixture of sand-dune and quarry, depending on where you rode. Ernie not settled. Children arrive and start galloping their ponies around, this doesn't calm the big E. After they've gone we start some trot work, next thing I know I'm flying over his shoulder. One well timed buck and I'm off -- the first time! Am not sure which one of us is more surprised.
Sophie arrives and discovers that we hadn't posted ourselves for our round - long wait ensues. Anyway it is eventually our time. By this time I've done my course learning, am a little surprised about my earlier intimacy with the sandpit and am thinking the jumps are a bit higher than I thought. Chaos ensues, Ernie naps and has to be led in, we immediately start jumping around which after refusing fence 2 develops into bucking, rearing and more refusing - then we start spooking at the bottom corner (see above on arrival) of the sand school. On refusing fence 4 we are technically eliminated, I don't hear this or the wise advice been shouted from behind the camera. I continue. Of the remaining five fences I think we get over about three (a few more bucks n spooks), more me just wanting to settle things a bit rather than actual competition. And I do, and there's a lot of applause.
Sophie tags on to the end of the class and gets him to do it properly! Nice! I suspect driven by the need for survival when the bigger fences come along - quite reasonably. A little irritation on the part of the judges about horses only entering each class only once. Next painful wait ensues, jump-off of 15 horses! ....
Although they're up second they are cursed with a clear round and then have to penultimate position in the novice jump off. Another long wait. Anyway Ernie's perfomance this time is much better, Sophie has calmed him down, got him focussed and deliver the sort of performance we know he can do. After the long wait for the jump off, he's cold and wet (rain having started) and brings down a couple of jumps, so we breathe a sigh of relief and head home with him.
So in the middle of all this hanging around I offer to take the big E for a walk. Not thinking I take him out towards the road, and in horse psychology, towards home. Dumb move 1. I have to walk him past the other jumping horses, this gets him on his toes. As he senses home he picks up the pace. I realise the error of my ways and turn him in the car park and I find the source of our spooking, a cockeral stands on a fence and crows, Ernie rears. The cock crows, Ernie rears, the cock crows, Ernie rears ..... in the middle of this I am barking calming instructions and offering calming pats when he stands and the cock crows again.....
Monday morning - I am beaten up, hands raw from the lead rope, toes bruised from hooves landing on them, back and inner thighs screaming from being bounced here and there.... oh and a bruised shoulder .......
Link to youtube and Sophie's great rounds http://www.youtube.com/graemebesgreen
The plan was simple... walk him down, warm him up, Graeme competes in minimus, Sophie completes him in Novice and home we go. And back home for a late lunch. Should have sensed things were up as those promising to cheer from the sidelines slowly dropped away .....
So Saturday I took him up to Taylors, we did some good school work and did a dozen or so jumps just to get us into the spirit, a completely perfect warm up, then comes Sunday....
I get down to the stables early to muck-out before going to the competition and Ernie siezes the opportunity to escape, barging wheel-barrows and pitchforks this was and that, harrassing Mary-Lou on route - much squeeling ensues - and then moves on. Eventually stupidly corners himself in another stable which was open, where he has been enticed to enter and enjoy another breakfast - then on the way back trys to squeeze himself into pony stall for similar reason! I discover controlling a 17.1 horse with just a rope wrapped round his neck is quite challenging.
I walked him down inhand with a rucksack containing extra bits of tack, cameras etc. As we arrived he became a little more excitable, but it took me serveral hours to understand that one! So there I was one man and his slightly nervous horse, admin to sort and nowhere to put him! You try tieing a number to the arm of your jacket whilst holding a horse - actually in the fog of memory I can't actually recall how we did that in the end. Some sort of Harry Potter trick.
Finally got rid of my ricksack I decided it was warm up time. The mountain block here seemed to be an old piece of iron-work from an external fire escape - getting him to stand there was a destined loser. So the poor chap's getting more and more wound up. Eventually we cheat him when someone produces a chair and I precariously mount from them. We go to the warm-up arena, which seemed to be a mixture of sand-dune and quarry, depending on where you rode. Ernie not settled. Children arrive and start galloping their ponies around, this doesn't calm the big E. After they've gone we start some trot work, next thing I know I'm flying over his shoulder. One well timed buck and I'm off -- the first time! Am not sure which one of us is more surprised.
Sophie arrives and discovers that we hadn't posted ourselves for our round - long wait ensues. Anyway it is eventually our time. By this time I've done my course learning, am a little surprised about my earlier intimacy with the sandpit and am thinking the jumps are a bit higher than I thought. Chaos ensues, Ernie naps and has to be led in, we immediately start jumping around which after refusing fence 2 develops into bucking, rearing and more refusing - then we start spooking at the bottom corner (see above on arrival) of the sand school. On refusing fence 4 we are technically eliminated, I don't hear this or the wise advice been shouted from behind the camera. I continue. Of the remaining five fences I think we get over about three (a few more bucks n spooks), more me just wanting to settle things a bit rather than actual competition. And I do, and there's a lot of applause.
Sophie tags on to the end of the class and gets him to do it properly! Nice! I suspect driven by the need for survival when the bigger fences come along - quite reasonably. A little irritation on the part of the judges about horses only entering each class only once. Next painful wait ensues, jump-off of 15 horses! ....
Although they're up second they are cursed with a clear round and then have to penultimate position in the novice jump off. Another long wait. Anyway Ernie's perfomance this time is much better, Sophie has calmed him down, got him focussed and deliver the sort of performance we know he can do. After the long wait for the jump off, he's cold and wet (rain having started) and brings down a couple of jumps, so we breathe a sigh of relief and head home with him.
So in the middle of all this hanging around I offer to take the big E for a walk. Not thinking I take him out towards the road, and in horse psychology, towards home. Dumb move 1. I have to walk him past the other jumping horses, this gets him on his toes. As he senses home he picks up the pace. I realise the error of my ways and turn him in the car park and I find the source of our spooking, a cockeral stands on a fence and crows, Ernie rears. The cock crows, Ernie rears, the cock crows, Ernie rears ..... in the middle of this I am barking calming instructions and offering calming pats when he stands and the cock crows again.....
Monday morning - I am beaten up, hands raw from the lead rope, toes bruised from hooves landing on them, back and inner thighs screaming from being bounced here and there.... oh and a bruised shoulder .......
Link to youtube and Sophie's great rounds http://www.youtube.com/graemebesgreen
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Blimey ... what can good partners do?
So we competed this week in the MM combined training day. We came 2nd. Stunned!! If I was surprised by the last dressage outing, this went off the scale.
All of this made all the more amazing when you note that my lack of discipline threw away the first dressage event, picking up 6th place. What miracle produced this outcome then. Our jumping, OMG our jumping.... say it again and let me hear the friends ring it out. 1st place, and 1st place on one and a half weeks practice.
But lets set the context. Ernie knows how to jump. We've discussed that many times before, though not with me in the same sentence. I entered with supreme confidence of his ability and as such let him get on with it, pointing in the right direction and nudgung forward at the appropriate, assisted by Sophie making scary noises from the touchline at appropriate times. All beautifully captured by Courtenay, new job there I suspect.
Really he was wonderful. All morning actually. He has a wonderfully mature workmanlike approach to competition. Whatever we may say about his schooling, he knows what to produce and when. What will stick in my mind for the day was sitting on him waiting to go into jump and watching him watch all the preceding horses follow the course and do every jump. It was really as if he was studying form or learning the course or both..... He is an intelligent animal.
It has become in two days my most popular ever youtube post, but hey look at the competition, lets not go there!
It was a fantastic weekend of learning, jumping everyday, even jumping Barney as well. I have received a lot of compliments about my riding which has wonderful of course, I try in my way to defer to a willing horse, a great trainer etc. But hey, I was there too. My one regret is that these are truly one off occasions, these feelings will never happen again in quite the same way. Why, because these were just so unexpected, but these things go with you to your grave and bring a richness of experience to ones existence; that I may somehow have missed them is unthinkable. If I think how much I tried to persuade myself not to buy Ernie for example, then that I wouldn't compete him etc etc.
On the more day-to-day elements of our life our lessons on Tuesday have become more exciting as we move towards prix caprilli dressage (dressage incl jumps - woo-who, guess who likes that). Ernie very much playing up this week and found myself riding direct from spook to jump, all seat strengthening stuff! Not for the feint hearted, especially with something as large and (now) strong as Ernie.
As for hacking, took him out alone this morning and won a very significant napping situation in the chalk woods :). His mounting block rudeness irritates a little, so have just started getting on the wrong side to catch him out. He hasn't worked out that one yet - not sure what his next move will be there - hoping he'll just get bored.
Also today we had our first bolt since I brought him - had one once as well when he was a school horse. Quickly realised how much fitter and stronger he now is. A good 500m or so at flat out gallop, up hill and down dale as they say - only stopping at the main gate into the woods literally, which I was seriously worrying that he was going to jump ... in my attempts to stop this I discovered that horses can do shoulder-in or something like it at gallop (why - I decided if he couldn't focus both eyes on it he couldn't set himself up to jump - watch how he lines himself up pre-jump in video). We stopped in the last metre, his nose touching the gate and amazingly me staying on board. Not a recommend experience, but one really brought on by myself, although sensing him to be a little lively I still encouraged him to canter towards home, but quickly he got away from me!! Best comparison, Disney's thunder mountain ride without the safety harnesses.
All these challenges I seem to relish, good or bad. There is no questioning that the Big E is no average: his tricks, his talents, his personality.....
All of this made all the more amazing when you note that my lack of discipline threw away the first dressage event, picking up 6th place. What miracle produced this outcome then. Our jumping, OMG our jumping.... say it again and let me hear the friends ring it out. 1st place, and 1st place on one and a half weeks practice.
But lets set the context. Ernie knows how to jump. We've discussed that many times before, though not with me in the same sentence. I entered with supreme confidence of his ability and as such let him get on with it, pointing in the right direction and nudgung forward at the appropriate, assisted by Sophie making scary noises from the touchline at appropriate times. All beautifully captured by Courtenay, new job there I suspect.
Really he was wonderful. All morning actually. He has a wonderfully mature workmanlike approach to competition. Whatever we may say about his schooling, he knows what to produce and when. What will stick in my mind for the day was sitting on him waiting to go into jump and watching him watch all the preceding horses follow the course and do every jump. It was really as if he was studying form or learning the course or both..... He is an intelligent animal.
It has become in two days my most popular ever youtube post, but hey look at the competition, lets not go there!
It was a fantastic weekend of learning, jumping everyday, even jumping Barney as well. I have received a lot of compliments about my riding which has wonderful of course, I try in my way to defer to a willing horse, a great trainer etc. But hey, I was there too. My one regret is that these are truly one off occasions, these feelings will never happen again in quite the same way. Why, because these were just so unexpected, but these things go with you to your grave and bring a richness of experience to ones existence; that I may somehow have missed them is unthinkable. If I think how much I tried to persuade myself not to buy Ernie for example, then that I wouldn't compete him etc etc.
On the more day-to-day elements of our life our lessons on Tuesday have become more exciting as we move towards prix caprilli dressage (dressage incl jumps - woo-who, guess who likes that). Ernie very much playing up this week and found myself riding direct from spook to jump, all seat strengthening stuff! Not for the feint hearted, especially with something as large and (now) strong as Ernie.
As for hacking, took him out alone this morning and won a very significant napping situation in the chalk woods :). His mounting block rudeness irritates a little, so have just started getting on the wrong side to catch him out. He hasn't worked out that one yet - not sure what his next move will be there - hoping he'll just get bored.
Also today we had our first bolt since I brought him - had one once as well when he was a school horse. Quickly realised how much fitter and stronger he now is. A good 500m or so at flat out gallop, up hill and down dale as they say - only stopping at the main gate into the woods literally, which I was seriously worrying that he was going to jump ... in my attempts to stop this I discovered that horses can do shoulder-in or something like it at gallop (why - I decided if he couldn't focus both eyes on it he couldn't set himself up to jump - watch how he lines himself up pre-jump in video). We stopped in the last metre, his nose touching the gate and amazingly me staying on board. Not a recommend experience, but one really brought on by myself, although sensing him to be a little lively I still encouraged him to canter towards home, but quickly he got away from me!! Best comparison, Disney's thunder mountain ride without the safety harnesses.
All these challenges I seem to relish, good or bad. There is no questioning that the Big E is no average: his tricks, his talents, his personality.....
Sunday, 22 May 2011
A pause to reflect ....
With Ernie now just turned 6 and me realising this weekend that we're now 3 months into this relationship I felt it time to consider the overall picture - yes that means I will try and balance my autistic obsession with napping. I realise that a lot of wonderful things are going unrecorded as i focus on this one problem - but hey I think my children might recognise that behavior!!
So 3 months in and 3 rosettes. Ernie knows when to deliver the goods for sure. We're signed up for the rest of the summer dressage series, if the next one goes well I might try and move him up from Intro for the last show. I have been rediscovering my old library of dressage literature and watching Carl Hester (as well as some old classics such as Nuno Olivera) vids on youtube, Ernie's increasingly positive response to subtle softer commands is making me feel we have some real opportunities here.
All this said I had a jump lesson on him this week and if truth be known did get myself quite excited and still found myself still smiling when the alarm went off on the following morning. Then watched the hunter trials today and kicked myself for 3 hours for not just "going for it" and doing the novice pairs with Marble. Let us see, eh? how many challenges can we have at one time.
He is teaching me a lot about what it feels like to work with a horse. He is teaching me a lot about him. I am now calibrating my approach to what seems to work well for him. For example, he is clearly a lot more sensitive than perhaps he has been given credit for, as I mentioned he is showing a real positive response to the softer command, voice and a slight squeeze. For note: when the formula isn't followed resistance ensues, and that resistance increases with the strength of the demand. So give him a big kick, rest assured there will be a big buck.
I continue to work on the napping, but as said am trying to do it in a non-conflict type of way, this is fine, but you need plenty of time. We are often found standing around in different parts of Mascals and Joydens, waiting for Ernie to be bored of sodding about, for sure not everyone agrees the approach, but in each case we end up doing what I ask and the scale of the resistence is reducing for sure. So this is a few months rather than a few weeks but it will be fine. At the end of the day he is always good follwoing in company anyway, so the real problems are only "alone", but I do love the spiritual bond of hacking alone with him so will not be letting up too soon.
I chose not to buy an older developed and experienced horse, and there is the challenge, I am learning to accept it for that. I have the satisfaction of ownership around our successes (and the pride of watching his great performances with Sophie too). The subtlty of controls and voice activation, improving balance and lateral work, a real build in his physical strength and stamina (to the extent that his 'roaring' really feels like a non-issue). As for me, my understanding around communication, a real new love of ground-work out of the saddle and tying that back to mounted work, a much more balanced seat of own and a burgeoning appreciation of what can be achieved around that. And realising that my commands need to be clear and absolute, not being a school master he doesn't filter mulitple commands in the same way as older horses.
Sometimes it actually feels like he knows everything and that he is just quietly waiting for me to ask the right question. But there can be satisfaction in discovery regardless of which one of us has the epiphony! When it comes down I love Ernie and I love owning him. I can't recall how long of wanted a horse and now I have one. I didn't believe it would be so satisfying, I still just stop and stare at him or just sit on the floor next to him in his stable and pinch myself to say yes he's mine.
I cannot know for sure what new challenges lie ahead, or when the current will pass. I cannot know what achievements await us, but I do know that the time we share is without price, it cannot be valued or measured it just to be experienced. To live in the a fixed present, just the now, which you are on horse back is the most amazing escape. He has become a really special part of my life, sometimes I do wonder if the feeling is actually mutual though!! :-)
So 3 months in and 3 rosettes. Ernie knows when to deliver the goods for sure. We're signed up for the rest of the summer dressage series, if the next one goes well I might try and move him up from Intro for the last show. I have been rediscovering my old library of dressage literature and watching Carl Hester (as well as some old classics such as Nuno Olivera) vids on youtube, Ernie's increasingly positive response to subtle softer commands is making me feel we have some real opportunities here.
All this said I had a jump lesson on him this week and if truth be known did get myself quite excited and still found myself still smiling when the alarm went off on the following morning. Then watched the hunter trials today and kicked myself for 3 hours for not just "going for it" and doing the novice pairs with Marble. Let us see, eh? how many challenges can we have at one time.
He is teaching me a lot about what it feels like to work with a horse. He is teaching me a lot about him. I am now calibrating my approach to what seems to work well for him. For example, he is clearly a lot more sensitive than perhaps he has been given credit for, as I mentioned he is showing a real positive response to the softer command, voice and a slight squeeze. For note: when the formula isn't followed resistance ensues, and that resistance increases with the strength of the demand. So give him a big kick, rest assured there will be a big buck.
I continue to work on the napping, but as said am trying to do it in a non-conflict type of way, this is fine, but you need plenty of time. We are often found standing around in different parts of Mascals and Joydens, waiting for Ernie to be bored of sodding about, for sure not everyone agrees the approach, but in each case we end up doing what I ask and the scale of the resistence is reducing for sure. So this is a few months rather than a few weeks but it will be fine. At the end of the day he is always good follwoing in company anyway, so the real problems are only "alone", but I do love the spiritual bond of hacking alone with him so will not be letting up too soon.
I chose not to buy an older developed and experienced horse, and there is the challenge, I am learning to accept it for that. I have the satisfaction of ownership around our successes (and the pride of watching his great performances with Sophie too). The subtlty of controls and voice activation, improving balance and lateral work, a real build in his physical strength and stamina (to the extent that his 'roaring' really feels like a non-issue). As for me, my understanding around communication, a real new love of ground-work out of the saddle and tying that back to mounted work, a much more balanced seat of own and a burgeoning appreciation of what can be achieved around that. And realising that my commands need to be clear and absolute, not being a school master he doesn't filter mulitple commands in the same way as older horses.
Sometimes it actually feels like he knows everything and that he is just quietly waiting for me to ask the right question. But there can be satisfaction in discovery regardless of which one of us has the epiphony! When it comes down I love Ernie and I love owning him. I can't recall how long of wanted a horse and now I have one. I didn't believe it would be so satisfying, I still just stop and stare at him or just sit on the floor next to him in his stable and pinch myself to say yes he's mine.
I cannot know for sure what new challenges lie ahead, or when the current will pass. I cannot know what achievements await us, but I do know that the time we share is without price, it cannot be valued or measured it just to be experienced. To live in the a fixed present, just the now, which you are on horse back is the most amazing escape. He has become a really special part of my life, sometimes I do wonder if the feeling is actually mutual though!! :-)
Monday, 16 May 2011
A quick nap! (Not!!)
OMG!
Did we have a nap or what this morning. But decided to confront it head on, or sort of .... my way or no way!
So it took 50 minutes to get out of MM car park. A lot of very polite help offered, a lot declined. But we continued and eventually got down the lane... after many long periods of standing still pointing in our intended direction, then punctuated by much jumping around and reversing! He can park between cars in reverse better than I can! In the end it was a good old fashioned stand off, or boreeach other to death, with occasional bursts of frantic conflict and loud hoof scraping on tarmac. But we got there.
The first time we almost succeeded we met a post office van, so i had to turn round and come back! The air was filled with excessive use of the F word. Audible up at Taylors and down in Bexley village I expect.
But we got there.
Next we had 10 minutes to get back on him after the woods gate. That was a little more physical, not too proud of that one! In the end it was the more passive approach that won the day.
After all this ... we still had to have a hack! Only had half day off!!!
Did we have a nap or what this morning. But decided to confront it head on, or sort of .... my way or no way!
So it took 50 minutes to get out of MM car park. A lot of very polite help offered, a lot declined. But we continued and eventually got down the lane... after many long periods of standing still pointing in our intended direction, then punctuated by much jumping around and reversing! He can park between cars in reverse better than I can! In the end it was a good old fashioned stand off, or boreeach other to death, with occasional bursts of frantic conflict and loud hoof scraping on tarmac. But we got there.
The first time we almost succeeded we met a post office van, so i had to turn round and come back! The air was filled with excessive use of the F word. Audible up at Taylors and down in Bexley village I expect.
But we got there.
Next we had 10 minutes to get back on him after the woods gate. That was a little more physical, not too proud of that one! In the end it was the more passive approach that won the day.
After all this ... we still had to have a hack! Only had half day off!!!
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Classical riding and classic character development
Ernie and I have done our first dressage test - the BD intro (B). Why did we do it? I decided I loved the competition spirit and wanted to do more, so ...... The idea: lets do it and get used to the competition environment, no expectation of performance. And then we ended up second! 60% test score overall, and that included a big spook. As they announced the results I became increasingly surprised, Bash even stopped to observe the look of disbelief on my face.
So the preparation, never my strong point. I have never really "My Little Ponied" properly though I accept that I now must. I would like to take pride in his presentation, but ..... After hacking on Saturday Lucy and I decided to get them platted in prep. Whilst Lucy beautiful coiffured Marble, I tied Ernie up and quickly started trying to tie my chubby inflexible digits into some kind of living cats cradle,whilst pretending to tussle with his mane. After the swearing started, Lucy sweeps in (to save the sensitivities of the young children working on the yard) and works her magic along his neck, whilst I professionally issue elastic bands on demand.
And of course, what might this blog be without an update on the napping....
We have definitely made some progress, but it is to be slow. Have tried to follow my basic rules, previously identified. The best story on naps from this week (which actually best illustrates what seems to be Ernie thinking) was yesterday at the Ship pub. Returning from the piggeries as we walk down the country lane Ernie spots The Ship pub, and this is where he wants to be, and so we stop, he walks back, we turn and try again, he walks back again, we march into a parked car (thankfully unalarmed) .... eventually we are led, lead-rein by Marble - "how old are we??!" Ironically I recall my reasoning behind buying the big E - because if he was a person then I'd look forward to spending evenings propping up bars and politicing, exchanging irrelevant and non-PC observations of the world around us. Part of me wants to go " 'as ma boy!". And why such behavior, somebody knew there was grass in a paddock out back.
So what have we learned ...
1. his napping is largely bloody-minded
2. there are no fear or spook behind it
3. ernie naps when he has "better" ideas - i don't want to go round the woods again; i've schooled so it's not hack-time; i've already jumped once today; i like it here!
So we have a stubbon teenager on our hands who has decided it is time to assert his burgeoning character.
In summary the napping might still be there but in most cases he seems to be less determined, "this is the place in woods where I'm naughty, so off I go" but sometimes it seems to be follwed by a "why" .... so we stand him still and he seems to either get bored or to forget why he didn't want to go. The pub mentioned above was he only real bad show. I am optimistic we will move on from this, over time.....
Call me niaive.
I seem to have pointed a lot recently that we get the horses (and pets for that matter) we deserve! Anyone know an occasionally stubbon, slightly-willful man who might just believe that he knows best! Tell me, I need a chat with him.
Love that 'orse!
So the preparation, never my strong point. I have never really "My Little Ponied" properly though I accept that I now must. I would like to take pride in his presentation, but ..... After hacking on Saturday Lucy and I decided to get them platted in prep. Whilst Lucy beautiful coiffured Marble, I tied Ernie up and quickly started trying to tie my chubby inflexible digits into some kind of living cats cradle,whilst pretending to tussle with his mane. After the swearing started, Lucy sweeps in (to save the sensitivities of the young children working on the yard) and works her magic along his neck, whilst I professionally issue elastic bands on demand.
And of course, what might this blog be without an update on the napping....
We have definitely made some progress, but it is to be slow. Have tried to follow my basic rules, previously identified. The best story on naps from this week (which actually best illustrates what seems to be Ernie thinking) was yesterday at the Ship pub. Returning from the piggeries as we walk down the country lane Ernie spots The Ship pub, and this is where he wants to be, and so we stop, he walks back, we turn and try again, he walks back again, we march into a parked car (thankfully unalarmed) .... eventually we are led, lead-rein by Marble - "how old are we??!" Ironically I recall my reasoning behind buying the big E - because if he was a person then I'd look forward to spending evenings propping up bars and politicing, exchanging irrelevant and non-PC observations of the world around us. Part of me wants to go " 'as ma boy!". And why such behavior, somebody knew there was grass in a paddock out back.
So what have we learned ...
1. his napping is largely bloody-minded
2. there are no fear or spook behind it
3. ernie naps when he has "better" ideas - i don't want to go round the woods again; i've schooled so it's not hack-time; i've already jumped once today; i like it here!
So we have a stubbon teenager on our hands who has decided it is time to assert his burgeoning character.
In summary the napping might still be there but in most cases he seems to be less determined, "this is the place in woods where I'm naughty, so off I go" but sometimes it seems to be follwed by a "why" .... so we stand him still and he seems to either get bored or to forget why he didn't want to go. The pub mentioned above was he only real bad show. I am optimistic we will move on from this, over time.....
Call me niaive.
I seem to have pointed a lot recently that we get the horses (and pets for that matter) we deserve! Anyone know an occasionally stubbon, slightly-willful man who might just believe that he knows best! Tell me, I need a chat with him.
Love that 'orse!
Thursday, 5 May 2011
The good, the bad and the nappy
So let's start with a the high points. Ernie's bank holiday weekend was one of incredible achievements - 6th place in the MM Royal wedding challenge with Sophie, then at the Mayday show two 3rd place rosettes with me (on inhand classes) and the 6th and 4th on novice and intermediate jumps respectively with Sophie - selective bits will be available on my youtube page soon (http://www.youtube.com/graemebesgreen ). What a horse. What potential. Inspired we take on intro dressage next weekend.
So there's the good. Now the bad, now the heartache..... Now the napping!
I recall my celebrations around this horse that would go anywhere. Now I rue one single ride which seems to have turned all that around. At heart I am devastated by this, it feels like some real incredible achievements just blown apart.
One saturday morning we refused to go. Not just refused but stopped and learnt to march backwards at speed - straight back, round into trees and towards (so far just parked) cars! Ironically we were not alone but our fellow rider had to leave us the effect it was having on his mount. Truth be known it is un-nerving me, more than a little.
Worst cases - having to be chased out of mascal's car park by staff to get to the woods; finding myself stuck in the chalk woods for 20 mins; on bad days not being able to pass junctions without a fight and throwing Sophie off in competition (so far I have proved too fat and heavy and/or too nervous to push that hard!).
So where now. I am trying to take this on in a non combative way. Getting overly physical heavy with Ernie just leads at the moment to fights which I am destined to lose. The irony of all the voice training I have done is that we now work together in a minimally physical way which just makes this the harder to resolve, and if that physical pressure escalates it undermines our achievements. This is hard!
I have increased my ground work - am undertaking the natural horsemanship goal of controlling personal space and control of the movement of the feet as a non confrontational approach. I borrowed an 15m round pen and went for join-up the other evening - which involved Courtenay (who'd come to watch) running away because she thought he was going to attack me, great to have support in a crisis! That said there was some very directed and high kicks when I moved in front of him at canter to force a 180 degrees change in his direction.
Also there is a lot of inhand lateral and transition work - these things have gone very well and I can turn him around his front and rear quarters from the ground as well as perfect transitions from little light voice and posture change. These are wonderful, sometimes we almost begin to play together trotting up and down roads and round schools together - though personally I find jogging in the sand very hard!
Is this spiritual cowbay stuff working? I don't know yet if honest but these things aren't supposed to be overnight. The nappiness seems to be worse at times, especially when he has decided he's done enough, for example taking him to the woods after he's been schooling becomes an all-star wrestling feature. So what's the plan....
1. Continue the horsemanship
2. Try to minimise conflict opportunities (eg dismount for gates where I know he might fight, beforehand; do not try 'round the woods twice').
3. When alone make sure I have time to address problems - ie if he decides to not go forward then make him stay until he is bored, even if this means 30 mins standing in the same spot - Lucy telling me of people taking books out hacking with them to kill time! I have now put tetris on my phone!
4. Hack with more mature and sensible animals when not alone.
I am on my own with this for most of this month (May) with Sophie away, and then Lucy and Marble are moving away which is really saddens me and I think will upset the big E. So the challenge is there. I am determined to get through this without further impact on relations.
People remind me he is young. I know this unconsciously, especially when he is really stubborn when by default I find myself calling him Quentin! The other male (slightly headstrong) teenager in my life.
And so dear readers to work....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)