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.
The continuing learning curve that is my life with Ernie
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
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.....
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!!!
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