So Ernie and I had the pleasure of spending half a day yesterday 1-2-1 with Rosie Jones, one of Kelly Marks' IH recommended associated. Rosie is an expert on backed issues, in particular napping.
Ernie enjoyed his summer rest quite a lot and has been a bit bolshy since my return so this was definitely perfect timing. I think the problem started when I took him on a 3 hr plus hack!
Anyway so Rosie came down to Mascal's.
First we took Ernie up to Taylors to do some groundwork and generally acquaint ourselves (and get quite wet!). And have a go at one of his favourite naps, re-entering the gate. Firstly, we put him in his new Dually and started getting the back up. Rosie showed me how to work the pressure/release process more effectively, the key being both strength and then the speed of release once willingness shown, though quite often I just wound him up at first, but we achieved more willing reverses than I've ever seen him do.
Once we had achieved some willingness and acceptance of the halter Rosie suggested long-lining him with two lunge reins. This is driving him from behind, almost as driven a cart, but from the ground. After a little sensitising of his hocks to the lines via turns on the ground, he reacted very very well to Rosie's commands. We did figure of eights, forward and back, and in/out of the gates. Me too! Rosie then tried out the shaker, a nice piece of high-tech for driving nappers forward, a plastic coke bottle with stones in. One shake and he does his bat out of hell with Rosie attached. Use sparingly! I have to say I really enjoyed long-lining, think I will defo do more.
Then Rosie got on him with a normal bridle, he was much less responsive to directional command, particularly "go back" so we attached the reins to the dually and "hey presto". Maybe its the riding school years, maybe Daddy's concrete mittens, but is overly definitely desensitised to his bit.
Next we took him to the woods - still in his dually I add - his bit unattached to reins. Rosie backed him from MM car park. We managed to get to the gate, before he showed his colours, think we took about 10 mns here, then we took him up to the top of the first fill where he has been particularly naughty over last week.
This was a long session much to the surprise of passing riders. Anyway Rosie slowly establish a weaving exercise. So when he naps, we stand and calm, then with one hand lead a tight turn, at least 90 degrees, once achieved do the opposite - very exaggerated movement, leaning motor-bike like with the turn - nominal if any leg, only to support the bend. Keep this up until he offers straight, stop and praise him. Do it again. Then let him start moving forward. We also carried the shaker here and if got really stubbon then shook it, first following from ground, then in the hand of the rider - both of us. Always remembering to be balanced and let him go when he ran.
I think we spent an hour in about 100m of joydens, stopping, turning weaving, shaking, trotting away, repeating etc. Ernie engaged with relative honesty, and by the last few times he was almost walking straight out of the weave and moving forward. :). I had the pleasure of doing it myself as well. Rosie has left me a lot of tips and I'm looking forward to working, both on ground and on saddle.
I am going to try and ride him more on dually at least for schooling - until I've achieved a better "stop" - which worked ok away from home in the woods but towards it was a lot more difficult.
A technical observation too, his saddle needs refitting. I felt good here having worked this out myself and already sorted and booked. Rosie thinks this will help his mind too.
Tips
1. break it down into things you can win - therefore avoid the fight
2. praise
3. variation and more leading, even with hack
4. school sometimes in the dually
5. it is ok to get off to pass points of stress when riding out
6. hack in company, but lead
7. when he naps, no legs, right now he reacts against them
8. when weaving only focus on the turn
9. release has to be exaggerated and immediate
We haven't cured things but we have an opportunity to train them out without conflict. This is central to my first promise on taking Ernie so I'm happy. I have always wanted to do some proper instructed horsemanship, long before I had my own horse, and now I have. In fact it was my http://www.leadchange.com/ experiences that told me horses had to come back to my life. I can't express how much I enjoyed that morning. This is why I ride, this is why I so wanted Ernie. It is worth all the misbehavior to be able to experience days such as these! (Though we now move on of course).
Happy days....
The continuing learning curve that is my life with Ernie
Friday, 26 August 2011
Sunday, 14 August 2011
The good, the (slightly) bad and the dreamy ...
It's been a while.... and lot's to tell. We have some real progress, an illness scare and my first absence.
So I've just been on holiday. The emotional envelope to that first concerned-owner absence was the dreaded strangles. Thankfully full symptoms never manifesting (limited to lymph swelling beneath the jaw), and cleared my vets both before and after holidays, but some hairy moments in between. The lowest moment was definitely arriving back a Stansted and fearing the worst, noting his swelling had burst two days before. But all said and done, we're good. God knows what caused it, but it wasn't as bad as it might have been and he confirmed non-contagious. All breathe long sigh of relief.
Notwithstanding this, he seems to have "happily" managed his couple of weeks between turn-out, horse-walker and staff lunging. In fact he seems to have relished the rest.
Anyway back to the good stuff....
About 10 days before going away we suddenly worked out how to establish and maintain a proper school canter. Ok it needs refining, but it is now there, and it is there whenever asked for. Can't believe it. He has such a light canter (which I knew from hacking) which sometimes feels like flight as he covers so much distance with one stride. So we quickly dropped in a Prelim 18 and interdressage WTC test before we went away, all video'd for posterity, lest it all dissappear or be forgotten in my absence (by me I hasten to add not the big E). See youtube. But no.... Today my teacher noted the best canter she had ever seen him do, both on the straight track and 20m circle. It seems so common place to state it here, but we have to remember this has seemed some holy grail for what seems so long. And we've done it our way, gently and smoothly, without a fight, domination or coercion... this why I got my own horse. And as if by magic the bucking has almost completely dissappeared too. I am smiling a lot these days.
I rode when away in France, three very different horses which I have ridden before and loved, still loved them but they really weren't my Ernie and they seemed hard work by comparison. That is the school horse, I should note they are very capable talented animals. In the last weekend I taught myself to leg-yield in canter and whilst this was quite a feeling in itself it had the interesting side effect of so engaging the horse's hind quarters that I felt an unbelievable strong impulsion that I have never felt before (really like there was a force behind me, lifting me and driving us forward, I've read about this but what a feeling).
Having got over the sickness scare I'm pleased to say we're back on the road: I was pleased to discover our progress remained fresh on my return, Sophie has been around to ride him which is really good for him, and he has been treated to a three-and-a-quarter hour hack (mascals, tile kiln lane, piggeries, cabbage farm, golf-course, joydens, chalk woods and then the whole thing in reverse). It should be noted he was very tired and I think his muscles a little sore this morning, though he (very honestly) still carried around my lesson up at Taylors.
He remains a source of wonderment to me, as I have said before he is waiting for me to work out how to ask. That said, I think I can see how we will start to focus on improving through this winter, however for now the rest of this summer is for enjoying!
One small cloud, he rather hurt a small boy's finger this morning - bruised and broke skin I think. I felt terrible, especially when the boy was still crying very loudly 20mins later... needless to say I apologised quite a lot (perhaps a bit much) though I have to say I don't really think it was Ernie's fault particularly. I think he'd been trying to give him a polo whilst I was talking to the mother. I have to say she was very understanding and supportive. That can be trouble with a busy and very public yard.
We have some great highlights ahead, the MM summer show, definitely some jumping there are probably some "handsome gelding" again, so need to do some more in-hand. Also the MMRC dressage the next weekend where we're booked for Intro B and Premin 7.
I am going to have a session with Kelly Marks' reps too to try and find a route through the napping - which to be honest is really really reduced, but I want to do this with them. I promised myself. Rosie Jones coming on the 26th, so lets see.
So bring it all on. Watch the big E take on the world! For he can for sure.
So I've just been on holiday. The emotional envelope to that first concerned-owner absence was the dreaded strangles. Thankfully full symptoms never manifesting (limited to lymph swelling beneath the jaw), and cleared my vets both before and after holidays, but some hairy moments in between. The lowest moment was definitely arriving back a Stansted and fearing the worst, noting his swelling had burst two days before. But all said and done, we're good. God knows what caused it, but it wasn't as bad as it might have been and he confirmed non-contagious. All breathe long sigh of relief.
Notwithstanding this, he seems to have "happily" managed his couple of weeks between turn-out, horse-walker and staff lunging. In fact he seems to have relished the rest.
Anyway back to the good stuff....
About 10 days before going away we suddenly worked out how to establish and maintain a proper school canter. Ok it needs refining, but it is now there, and it is there whenever asked for. Can't believe it. He has such a light canter (which I knew from hacking) which sometimes feels like flight as he covers so much distance with one stride. So we quickly dropped in a Prelim 18 and interdressage WTC test before we went away, all video'd for posterity, lest it all dissappear or be forgotten in my absence (by me I hasten to add not the big E). See youtube. But no.... Today my teacher noted the best canter she had ever seen him do, both on the straight track and 20m circle. It seems so common place to state it here, but we have to remember this has seemed some holy grail for what seems so long. And we've done it our way, gently and smoothly, without a fight, domination or coercion... this why I got my own horse. And as if by magic the bucking has almost completely dissappeared too. I am smiling a lot these days.
I rode when away in France, three very different horses which I have ridden before and loved, still loved them but they really weren't my Ernie and they seemed hard work by comparison. That is the school horse, I should note they are very capable talented animals. In the last weekend I taught myself to leg-yield in canter and whilst this was quite a feeling in itself it had the interesting side effect of so engaging the horse's hind quarters that I felt an unbelievable strong impulsion that I have never felt before (really like there was a force behind me, lifting me and driving us forward, I've read about this but what a feeling).
Having got over the sickness scare I'm pleased to say we're back on the road: I was pleased to discover our progress remained fresh on my return, Sophie has been around to ride him which is really good for him, and he has been treated to a three-and-a-quarter hour hack (mascals, tile kiln lane, piggeries, cabbage farm, golf-course, joydens, chalk woods and then the whole thing in reverse). It should be noted he was very tired and I think his muscles a little sore this morning, though he (very honestly) still carried around my lesson up at Taylors.
He remains a source of wonderment to me, as I have said before he is waiting for me to work out how to ask. That said, I think I can see how we will start to focus on improving through this winter, however for now the rest of this summer is for enjoying!
One small cloud, he rather hurt a small boy's finger this morning - bruised and broke skin I think. I felt terrible, especially when the boy was still crying very loudly 20mins later... needless to say I apologised quite a lot (perhaps a bit much) though I have to say I don't really think it was Ernie's fault particularly. I think he'd been trying to give him a polo whilst I was talking to the mother. I have to say she was very understanding and supportive. That can be trouble with a busy and very public yard.
We have some great highlights ahead, the MM summer show, definitely some jumping there are probably some "handsome gelding" again, so need to do some more in-hand. Also the MMRC dressage the next weekend where we're booked for Intro B and Premin 7.
I am going to have a session with Kelly Marks' reps too to try and find a route through the napping - which to be honest is really really reduced, but I want to do this with them. I promised myself. Rosie Jones coming on the 26th, so lets see.
So bring it all on. Watch the big E take on the world! For he can for sure.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
A join-up and the honesty of children ....
Had a wonderful chat with a young girl at Mascal's this weekend who advised me that I really had brought the right horse, and why .... beautiful synchronity of movement as we are schooling? a easy willingnwess of horse to submit to rider request? effortless appearance of rider in action? .... no, we actually look the same! .... my beard is the same colour as his coat and my too long salt n pepper hair the same as his mane ... so apparantly we're twins!! Don't the humourists always suggest that owners end up mirroring their pets. It was a lovely observation, one delivered with the honesty and simple innocence of childhood
Have finally achieved join-up with Ernie, ironically by accident but hey, we got there. After some rather clumsy, slightly over-assertive, body language on my part during a lunging session down at Slades, Ernie decides that we're gonna do join-up, and so proceeds to come-in and stand at my shoulder ..... thankfully I spot the offer and exploit, 15 minutes of free walking and following me around the pen in great sweeping arcs ensues. How many years have I wanted to do that with a horse? I could have cried. Aaah, me and my luvverly pony! This is another example of my increasingly over-used phrase, "Ernie has all the answers and he's just waiting for me to ask the right questions".
So I'm trying to do a lot more jumping with him - lessons and on my own. I intend to have a bash at the August show - probably minimus at least. All this regular jumping is definitely making the big lad happy; this is something that is very close to Ernie's heart you can tell, be it from the interest with which he watches others jump, his willingness to stand quietly in the school while I potter around erecting fences, or to the surge of excitement you feel in his muscles as he locks on to a jump during approach.
At the moment I'm preparing for dressage tests, the last of the MM summer series. Am only doing Intro class at the moment as the Prelims just have too much canter work; we would be setting ourselves up for "a fall" (never a good metaphor in Equestrian circles to which my ongoing physio bares testement). We are definitely making progress, but the competition quality is rising with increasing numbers registering so the rosettes not so forthcoming. Not in all cases what I'd call intro level partnerships, but there you go. Also doing some more Internet dressage courtesy of http://www.interdressage.com/ - my last attempt available for view on my youtube page, going to restrict us too walk and trot.
So I have a very undisciplined approach to a very disciplined sport, I do not do lots of practise runs, just learn it in my head then do it. Could certainly do with some more exactitude around the guide letters and transitions - dressage judges don't seem to be at home to Captain Approximate. Not exactly the Carl Hester way I suspect! Still it keeps Ernie interested and if honest I think he does enjoy it - I just want him to keep moving forward. We need to work on suppleness and I need to focus a little more on contact.
Been getting him out hacking a bit more again - making new friends. In so doing I have decided he really needs to learn some manners! His competitiveness is back in spades with some very high bucking should anyone overtake where he thinks its time for a canter, or should they actually try and lead in the canter. We tried cantering side by side with Nero this weekend, that's shows promise, but first of all you have to stay on through the transition!
Methinks perhaps I let him stretch to the gallop a little too frequently.
Have finally achieved join-up with Ernie, ironically by accident but hey, we got there. After some rather clumsy, slightly over-assertive, body language on my part during a lunging session down at Slades, Ernie decides that we're gonna do join-up, and so proceeds to come-in and stand at my shoulder ..... thankfully I spot the offer and exploit, 15 minutes of free walking and following me around the pen in great sweeping arcs ensues. How many years have I wanted to do that with a horse? I could have cried. Aaah, me and my luvverly pony! This is another example of my increasingly over-used phrase, "Ernie has all the answers and he's just waiting for me to ask the right questions".
So I'm trying to do a lot more jumping with him - lessons and on my own. I intend to have a bash at the August show - probably minimus at least. All this regular jumping is definitely making the big lad happy; this is something that is very close to Ernie's heart you can tell, be it from the interest with which he watches others jump, his willingness to stand quietly in the school while I potter around erecting fences, or to the surge of excitement you feel in his muscles as he locks on to a jump during approach.
At the moment I'm preparing for dressage tests, the last of the MM summer series. Am only doing Intro class at the moment as the Prelims just have too much canter work; we would be setting ourselves up for "a fall" (never a good metaphor in Equestrian circles to which my ongoing physio bares testement). We are definitely making progress, but the competition quality is rising with increasing numbers registering so the rosettes not so forthcoming. Not in all cases what I'd call intro level partnerships, but there you go. Also doing some more Internet dressage courtesy of http://www.interdressage.com/ - my last attempt available for view on my youtube page, going to restrict us too walk and trot.
So I have a very undisciplined approach to a very disciplined sport, I do not do lots of practise runs, just learn it in my head then do it. Could certainly do with some more exactitude around the guide letters and transitions - dressage judges don't seem to be at home to Captain Approximate. Not exactly the Carl Hester way I suspect! Still it keeps Ernie interested and if honest I think he does enjoy it - I just want him to keep moving forward. We need to work on suppleness and I need to focus a little more on contact.
Been getting him out hacking a bit more again - making new friends. In so doing I have decided he really needs to learn some manners! His competitiveness is back in spades with some very high bucking should anyone overtake where he thinks its time for a canter, or should they actually try and lead in the canter. We tried cantering side by side with Nero this weekend, that's shows promise, but first of all you have to stay on through the transition!
Methinks perhaps I let him stretch to the gallop a little too frequently.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Variety is the spice of this relationship
Up for the dressage most of last weekend.
Not our best and no ribbons :( ; 60% in Intro A, 50% in Prelim 10. All said and done really the best possibility given that I had a back with all the suppleness of a concrete python.
Intro could have been better, what have I learnt - more warm up, suppleness in me is important too! But we did improve on the exactness and balance of downward work from last month :). As for the Prelim, it was actually all I was hoping for, given the need for a little more collection plus quite a bit of canter work. I got one canter which was one more than I was hoping for.
All really good experience. I remember complaining to Sophie about the whole getting dressed up bit .... but you know I think I really enjoy it! And generally Ernie seems to raise his game too - one or two noted exceptions of course! Most of you have seen the jump vid on FB.
Anyway am up for doing some Internet dressage next week. Video it, post thru youtube, get judged! Nice and easy, keep doing it till you get it right!!
We're looking for some new hack-pals for Ernie as well. Nero and Pru have both been out with us this week though perhaps in latter case we might have been a little too flirty - though actually I put it down to Ernie's good old "Oi, I wanna go first!" which to a degree seems to be returning - evidenced by a couple of sizable bucks around canter time - undoing some of my prudent investment in physio this week.
But we've schooled, hacked and jumped this week - a really good combination for the chap and we've avoided napping circumstances as much as possible - though there have been a couple, but put another horse in front and we're done. I think we're happy boys. I'm riding 5 times a week at the moment and you know what I love it, but we are doing less than we were, need to look at that. Ernie has a couple of days off and I think he loves that too.
His schooling this week has been better, the lightening of the forehand last week is definitely helping and we keep building on that. I have been working more on lateral work as well, leg-yeilds, starting shoulder-in and something cowboy called milling (like turn on the forehand around a small circle), I'm hoping this will develop more suppleness in him, a constant theme coming out of our dressage tests And my maintenance of contact, not a strength of mine. Starting to get some good canter transition work in the school for the first time, and no bucks. I think jumping is teaching me a little bit more about motivating and balancing the big man.
Famous last words!
My big panic is summer hols - I need to arrange cover for our US odyssey. Plus the poor sod will have to put up me returning from releasing the ever-slumbering cowboy in my heart!
Trot on y'all!!
G
Not our best and no ribbons :( ; 60% in Intro A, 50% in Prelim 10. All said and done really the best possibility given that I had a back with all the suppleness of a concrete python.
Intro could have been better, what have I learnt - more warm up, suppleness in me is important too! But we did improve on the exactness and balance of downward work from last month :). As for the Prelim, it was actually all I was hoping for, given the need for a little more collection plus quite a bit of canter work. I got one canter which was one more than I was hoping for.
All really good experience. I remember complaining to Sophie about the whole getting dressed up bit .... but you know I think I really enjoy it! And generally Ernie seems to raise his game too - one or two noted exceptions of course! Most of you have seen the jump vid on FB.
Anyway am up for doing some Internet dressage next week. Video it, post thru youtube, get judged! Nice and easy, keep doing it till you get it right!!
We're looking for some new hack-pals for Ernie as well. Nero and Pru have both been out with us this week though perhaps in latter case we might have been a little too flirty - though actually I put it down to Ernie's good old "Oi, I wanna go first!" which to a degree seems to be returning - evidenced by a couple of sizable bucks around canter time - undoing some of my prudent investment in physio this week.
But we've schooled, hacked and jumped this week - a really good combination for the chap and we've avoided napping circumstances as much as possible - though there have been a couple, but put another horse in front and we're done. I think we're happy boys. I'm riding 5 times a week at the moment and you know what I love it, but we are doing less than we were, need to look at that. Ernie has a couple of days off and I think he loves that too.
His schooling this week has been better, the lightening of the forehand last week is definitely helping and we keep building on that. I have been working more on lateral work as well, leg-yeilds, starting shoulder-in and something cowboy called milling (like turn on the forehand around a small circle), I'm hoping this will develop more suppleness in him, a constant theme coming out of our dressage tests And my maintenance of contact, not a strength of mine. Starting to get some good canter transition work in the school for the first time, and no bucks. I think jumping is teaching me a little bit more about motivating and balancing the big man.
Famous last words!
My big panic is summer hols - I need to arrange cover for our US odyssey. Plus the poor sod will have to put up me returning from releasing the ever-slumbering cowboy in my heart!
Trot on y'all!!
G
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Another dip in the sand.... And this time it hurts!
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 .....
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 .....
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.....
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