Tues 18th Jan 2011
Very short on time so out for a quick walk. Was going to go to the Scout camp but found a gate leading to a bridleway open. Duncs very keen to explore. When we got onto the bridleway (to Ashurst Wood), I got on with the intention of riding home but Duncs wanted to go on! I'm sure he would have taken me all the way to Ashurst Wood!
Sadly, we had to go back but it gave me a good feeling as he was obviously so confident and willing.
Weds 19th Jan 2011 - hack with Amy
Buoyed up by the success of yesterday, I tried riding Duncs OUT through the "big" woods to meet Amy. Not so long ago, he was reluctant to go into the woods even with me on foot and, by the time we reached "The Secret Garden", he would be wanting to turn round and having a paddy. We have gradually got further and further on foot and I hoped he'd remember that he usually gets to meet up with Basil!
Well, it was partly successful in that Duncs did get almost to Basil but he went very, very slowly! I had to resist the urge not to chivvy him as I was late. He held it together until we got into the woods proper and then he really started baulking which was a bit disappointing but it was very slippery underfoot too which didn't help. I got off and tried to go round the mud but Duncs had other ideas and turned round, knocking into me. I was just cursing him when Amy appeared like an Angel in the mist!
Phew! Once aboard again - in company - we had a brilliant ride! We went across the Holtye road and did a triangle through the golf course. Duncan was out in front the whole time, bold as brass. Really forward going when we trotted, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. I was laughing all the way.
When we left Basil, I stayed on board but the creeping resumed. I was just thinking I'd have to get off to go quicker (late to pick up Edmund!) when Duncs started calling and speeded up dramatically himself. I was a bit concerned he'd take off and decided I'd much go home on Shanks' Pony! Actually he walked back a lot more calmly than he usually does. He may be getting more sensible - or he might just have been tired! Either way, we had a great ride.
Sunday 23 January 2011
The healing power of horses
Friday 14th Jan 2011
I felt so rough on this morning, really tired and down (my Gran died on 8th and it had been a long week). Adding to my gloomy mood was the foul weather. It was POURING!
Duncs had no rug on and was soaked through and, after huddling in the shed for 20 mins on the 'phone to S with the rain drumming on the roof, I decided to go home and get on with some of the million-and-one jobs waiting for me!
I actually walked to the gate to leave but was drawn back - twice! I really hate to waste an opportunity to do something with Duncs as I can't go up every day. I thought "I'll just take him for a walk down the road, spend some undemanding time together." I was doing it for Duncs rather than me as he loves to go out for a munch!
So, out we went. Luckily, on autopilot I put my hat on. Down the road, through the woods at the bottom on the right, Duncs was very keen...... Turning back for home, I felt the urge to jump aboard and, just before getting back to the road, found a handy log to do so.
Within moments of sitting on Duncs' soggy back, my jeans, pants et cetera were soaked through! Duncs & I looked like the raggle-taggle gypsies as we walked home, covered in mud, bedraggled and with just a halter on but within moments of getting on, I felt ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!!
I've had a song going round my head for a couple of weeks which I've been singing about Duncs and I sung it all the way up the road! Get ready for a really cheesy moment.....Here it is:
You came in
That's what my little heart was looking for
Laughter in the rain
Feeling like a fool in love again
The laughter came
When the tears stopped falling
Now all I do is just call your name
You walked in and my heart discovered
That my life would never be the same
Oh, you are my destiny
You are my one and only
You gave that joy to me
When my whole life was lonely
Angel in disguise
With your power of love
You just hypnotize
I just love the magic of your spell
How much joy we'll have together
Only time will tell
Ahhh. I've revealed my soppy side now (and the fact I was a soul girl in the 80s!) Good old Lionel Rich Tea. (I have to say for the record though, I hated "Hello"!)
I felt so rough on this morning, really tired and down (my Gran died on 8th and it had been a long week). Adding to my gloomy mood was the foul weather. It was POURING!
Duncs had no rug on and was soaked through and, after huddling in the shed for 20 mins on the 'phone to S with the rain drumming on the roof, I decided to go home and get on with some of the million-and-one jobs waiting for me!
I actually walked to the gate to leave but was drawn back - twice! I really hate to waste an opportunity to do something with Duncs as I can't go up every day. I thought "I'll just take him for a walk down the road, spend some undemanding time together." I was doing it for Duncs rather than me as he loves to go out for a munch!
So, out we went. Luckily, on autopilot I put my hat on. Down the road, through the woods at the bottom on the right, Duncs was very keen...... Turning back for home, I felt the urge to jump aboard and, just before getting back to the road, found a handy log to do so.
Within moments of sitting on Duncs' soggy back, my jeans, pants et cetera were soaked through! Duncs & I looked like the raggle-taggle gypsies as we walked home, covered in mud, bedraggled and with just a halter on but within moments of getting on, I felt ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!!
I've had a song going round my head for a couple of weeks which I've been singing about Duncs and I sung it all the way up the road! Get ready for a really cheesy moment.....Here it is:
You came in
That's what my little heart was looking for
Laughter in the rain
Feeling like a fool in love again
The laughter came
When the tears stopped falling
Now all I do is just call your name
You walked in and my heart discovered
That my life would never be the same
Oh, you are my destiny
You are my one and only
You gave that joy to me
When my whole life was lonely
Angel in disguise
With your power of love
You just hypnotize
I just love the magic of your spell
How much joy we'll have together
Only time will tell
Ahhh. I've revealed my soppy side now (and the fact I was a soul girl in the 80s!) Good old Lionel Rich Tea. (I have to say for the record though, I hated "Hello"!)
Friday 14 January 2011
Little devil to angelic being!
I've had two interesting situations with Duncs in the past fortnight.
My first was Thurs 6th Jan when I took D to Pippa's in the pouring rain. I had a lesson on Rosie first, putting Duncs in his usual stable. He was NOT happy about that (he usually works first) and was banging on the door to come out when I put Rosie away.
I did some work on the ground and then got on. Duncs went straight to a puddle and started pawing energetically into it. "Ahh", I thought, "He's in a playful mood. How nice"! How wrong can you be, he was in a highly AGITATED mood! Things went from worse to worserer, culminating in his "Frozen to The Spot" act, flinching violently at the slightest touch..... My "Time to Get Off" act!
Once I was on the ground, he felt safe enough to express himself and let me know in no uncertain terms that he wanted to go home! It didn't help that Moet kept calling from up the road which Duncs returned in piercing tones. The outcome was that I exercised Duncs' body (which was surprisingly obedient!), but not his mind which remained elsewhere throughout the whole session!
The really positive outcome was that I didn't think "This is a disaster/a reflection of the sorry state of our relationship/a sign that everything is falling apart!" No, I very sensibly thought "That was just a NOT SO GOOD day!" We all have them, move on......
The other incident was when taking D down the Scout Camp track past Jack, a big feisty black dressage horse, who is now turned out in a field adjoining the track. When he and Duncs see each other, there is a ripple of excitement between them. How they would love to play together!
Duncs was actually pretty good going past Jack...he contained himself even though he was bursting with energy. Then we stopped for a snack....When I asked D to go home, he had a huge tantrum, plunging and kicking out at me before trying to barge through me to get back to the hay remnants he had been munching near a gateway. I'm afraid I slipped into "Old Lucy" autopilot and shouted, yanked and beat at him with my fists! It worked though and Duncs was actually very contrite! HOW INTERESTING!
On the way home, he was trying to get in front of me but, as my mettle was up, I kept blocking him with my C/S instead of letting him jog on and sending him into sideways or squeezes. This also had a remarkable effect! Duncs became very submissive and calm. HOW INTERESTING! I'm onto something again.....more on this later.
Now for the "Angel" part you've been waiting for (What? You haven't? You prefer reading about the naughty bits?!)
I took Duncs to Pippa's yesterday, Thurs 13th Jan and he was FAB! I remembered to give him a purpose, reward the slightest try (which is still a clumsy effort on my part but the thought was there!) and did lots of "Let Me Help Yous" with particular regard to flexion and stopping for a rest. Another revelation, I need to ride Duncs with his head up and nose out much more to get him forward. He is just like Zebedee in that respect, apt to go behind the bit and drag himself along with his shoulders. Wow, I felt the surge of power when I got him really stepping through with his head up.
I will never forget being stunned by Zebedee's extended trot (loose in the school, being demonstrated for me by his heavily pregnant owner after I complained he had a short stride!!). What I realised then was the lift the horse has to have through it's shoulders to achieve this. Us amateurs can ruin a horses stride by asking them to go "round" before they are truly forward!
My first was Thurs 6th Jan when I took D to Pippa's in the pouring rain. I had a lesson on Rosie first, putting Duncs in his usual stable. He was NOT happy about that (he usually works first) and was banging on the door to come out when I put Rosie away.
I did some work on the ground and then got on. Duncs went straight to a puddle and started pawing energetically into it. "Ahh", I thought, "He's in a playful mood. How nice"! How wrong can you be, he was in a highly AGITATED mood! Things went from worse to worserer, culminating in his "Frozen to The Spot" act, flinching violently at the slightest touch..... My "Time to Get Off" act!
Once I was on the ground, he felt safe enough to express himself and let me know in no uncertain terms that he wanted to go home! It didn't help that Moet kept calling from up the road which Duncs returned in piercing tones. The outcome was that I exercised Duncs' body (which was surprisingly obedient!), but not his mind which remained elsewhere throughout the whole session!
The really positive outcome was that I didn't think "This is a disaster/a reflection of the sorry state of our relationship/a sign that everything is falling apart!" No, I very sensibly thought "That was just a NOT SO GOOD day!" We all have them, move on......
The other incident was when taking D down the Scout Camp track past Jack, a big feisty black dressage horse, who is now turned out in a field adjoining the track. When he and Duncs see each other, there is a ripple of excitement between them. How they would love to play together!
Duncs was actually pretty good going past Jack...he contained himself even though he was bursting with energy. Then we stopped for a snack....When I asked D to go home, he had a huge tantrum, plunging and kicking out at me before trying to barge through me to get back to the hay remnants he had been munching near a gateway. I'm afraid I slipped into "Old Lucy" autopilot and shouted, yanked and beat at him with my fists! It worked though and Duncs was actually very contrite! HOW INTERESTING!
On the way home, he was trying to get in front of me but, as my mettle was up, I kept blocking him with my C/S instead of letting him jog on and sending him into sideways or squeezes. This also had a remarkable effect! Duncs became very submissive and calm. HOW INTERESTING! I'm onto something again.....more on this later.
Now for the "Angel" part you've been waiting for (What? You haven't? You prefer reading about the naughty bits?!)
I took Duncs to Pippa's yesterday, Thurs 13th Jan and he was FAB! I remembered to give him a purpose, reward the slightest try (which is still a clumsy effort on my part but the thought was there!) and did lots of "Let Me Help Yous" with particular regard to flexion and stopping for a rest. Another revelation, I need to ride Duncs with his head up and nose out much more to get him forward. He is just like Zebedee in that respect, apt to go behind the bit and drag himself along with his shoulders. Wow, I felt the surge of power when I got him really stepping through with his head up.
I will never forget being stunned by Zebedee's extended trot (loose in the school, being demonstrated for me by his heavily pregnant owner after I complained he had a short stride!!). What I realised then was the lift the horse has to have through it's shoulders to achieve this. Us amateurs can ruin a horses stride by asking them to go "round" before they are truly forward!
Enlightenments of the New Year
I was given a book by Mark Rashid for Xmas, "Horses never lie", and what a cracker it is! I read it cover to cover in a day (was away at the in-laws being lazy!)
Three things that I read in the book stuck out for me:
1. Horses are pre-programmed to conserve their energy for life-preserving events. Therefore, if they are not convinced that what you are asking is important, they may switch into "conservation mode"!
2. Rewarding the slightest try really means the slightest which may be minuscule for you. Ways to improve your success are a) slowing way down b) not being too busy "doing things to" the horse c) releasing the cue on perception of anything which might be a try.
3. Let the horse "have his say" a little bit during training. This is the same as Pat's "Cause your idea to become the horses idea but understand his idea first" and Linda's "Let me help you!" Interesting to hear it described in another way by Mark.
Looking back to my last ride in the arena at Pippa's before Xmas, I had was ignorant or had forgotten all of the above! The ground was frozen so I was only able to walk. P and I were chatting rather than giving Duncs anything to do but every now and again P commented that the walk had lost purpose and Duncs was dawdling! I then chivvied him up a bit whilst in my mind thinking "I ought to be doing some lateral work or something" and worrying "I hope he's not going to turn out to be really lazy!"
Afterwards I thought that, next time, I would take the initiative and take responsibility for giving Duncs a job. I am so used to being micro-managed in a lesson scenario that I don't like to do anything I'm not asked to do, and make sure I do what I'm told to! I realise now that it is not going to be like this with P which is refreshing as I am not short of ideas if I've got the freedom to express them!
Reading Mark's book has given me a completely new insight into Dunc's "laziness" and actually made me feel pretty relieved too. After my lesson today (2 weeks on from the above, I now think that Duncs, once relaxed, may need the "Zebedee" (LBI) attitude from me which I could sum up as "Yay! Let's do something exciting!" Fabulous if it comes to pass as that's my absolute favourite way of being with a horse! )
The last of 2010!
It's been a month since my last entry..... I have noticed a similar pattern amongst my co-bloggers. I think we've all been too busy with Christmas and perhaps don't have as much to write as usual due to the weather.
The week after my last entry (13th-17th Dec), I only took Duncs out on the Tues. The other 4 days of the week (don't usually go up at wkends) were a no-go due to lack of pre-school, Philpots, Edmunds birthday and S having her NH assessment with Duncan.
I can't remember what I did with Duncs but on the Weds, whilst S was having her NH assessment, I went to Pippa's to play with Rosie. Did more stuff on the ground and took her out for a walk. She had been turned out in the morning and was really chilled. She's a fast learner and, in the main, very anxious to please. What is interesting is that she can get very defensive very quickly and worries about doing the wrong thing all the time. She needs lots of praise and repetition. She is quite a lot like Ollie in character.
On the way back, I passed Sharon's and saw her in the field with Rebecca who had come to assess her and Duncan with a view to them doing some groundwork/ridden stuff in a very similar style of training to Parelli. I was glad to hear afterwards that Duncs behaved himself and appeared to know what he was doing!
On the Friday, it started to snow and actually prevented me from getting back to Philpots (luckily had done all the work am.). The snow stayed until the following week and we had to delay our departure for West Kirby (in-laws') for a day because of it.
Although we returned before New Year, I had a 5 day run at Philpots starting the next day. With 3hrs am and another hour pm, there was not a lot of time in the middle to do anything! Two of those days we had the neighbours in and my family over. Also, sadly my Gran was very ill so I was seeing her when I could in the day and the evenings too. New Year passed by in a bit of a tired haze!
Looking back over the year, I know I've made the biggest discoveries of my life with regard to building a relationship with a horse. What's so amazing is that the discoveries, in themselves are very small - literally just one liners/soundbites..."don't push your horse over the threshold" but the impact they have when you really understand them is huge.
As with all relationships, when you get in a bit deeper, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of getting hurt and I've had some challenges there too this year. Duncs is not my pony and, if I'm honest, was not my cup-of-tea at all (give me a super-confident, playful horse any day, preferably SKEWBALD, about 15.2hh!).
I have felt like quitting many times when Duncs' lack of confidence, my lack of knowledge, our lack of riding facilities etc. etc. made the climb seem too steep. I kept going for the following reasons;
1. I'm not a quitter
2. I'd already invested a lot of time - like waiting for a bus; don't want to start walking just for it to pass you by!
3. I recognised how much I was learning - even if it was frustrating
4. I believed we could get through the "lack of trust" issue and that Duncs was worth it
5. My friendship with Sharon and recognising I was in a good situation having Duncs to myself!!
It's nice to observe that the further I get with Duncs, the more he becomes the sort of pony who is my cup-of-tea. Pat Parelli says something like "You don't always get the horse you want but you get the horse you need!" Now if someone could just pass me the white paint!
The week after my last entry (13th-17th Dec), I only took Duncs out on the Tues. The other 4 days of the week (don't usually go up at wkends) were a no-go due to lack of pre-school, Philpots, Edmunds birthday and S having her NH assessment with Duncan.
I can't remember what I did with Duncs but on the Weds, whilst S was having her NH assessment, I went to Pippa's to play with Rosie. Did more stuff on the ground and took her out for a walk. She had been turned out in the morning and was really chilled. She's a fast learner and, in the main, very anxious to please. What is interesting is that she can get very defensive very quickly and worries about doing the wrong thing all the time. She needs lots of praise and repetition. She is quite a lot like Ollie in character.
On the way back, I passed Sharon's and saw her in the field with Rebecca who had come to assess her and Duncan with a view to them doing some groundwork/ridden stuff in a very similar style of training to Parelli. I was glad to hear afterwards that Duncs behaved himself and appeared to know what he was doing!
On the Friday, it started to snow and actually prevented me from getting back to Philpots (luckily had done all the work am.). The snow stayed until the following week and we had to delay our departure for West Kirby (in-laws') for a day because of it.
Although we returned before New Year, I had a 5 day run at Philpots starting the next day. With 3hrs am and another hour pm, there was not a lot of time in the middle to do anything! Two of those days we had the neighbours in and my family over. Also, sadly my Gran was very ill so I was seeing her when I could in the day and the evenings too. New Year passed by in a bit of a tired haze!
Looking back over the year, I know I've made the biggest discoveries of my life with regard to building a relationship with a horse. What's so amazing is that the discoveries, in themselves are very small - literally just one liners/soundbites..."don't push your horse over the threshold" but the impact they have when you really understand them is huge.
As with all relationships, when you get in a bit deeper, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of getting hurt and I've had some challenges there too this year. Duncs is not my pony and, if I'm honest, was not my cup-of-tea at all (give me a super-confident, playful horse any day, preferably SKEWBALD, about 15.2hh!).
I have felt like quitting many times when Duncs' lack of confidence, my lack of knowledge, our lack of riding facilities etc. etc. made the climb seem too steep. I kept going for the following reasons;
1. I'm not a quitter
2. I'd already invested a lot of time - like waiting for a bus; don't want to start walking just for it to pass you by!
3. I recognised how much I was learning - even if it was frustrating
4. I believed we could get through the "lack of trust" issue and that Duncs was worth it
5. My friendship with Sharon and recognising I was in a good situation having Duncs to myself!!
It's nice to observe that the further I get with Duncs, the more he becomes the sort of pony who is my cup-of-tea. Pat Parelli says something like "You don't always get the horse you want but you get the horse you need!" Now if someone could just pass me the white paint!
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