You know how sometimes you can go through life, and learn a skill, but still miss something out? Oddly Jo and I both skipped lunging, with two reins! We have both had youngsters, broke ponies and I even worked on a driving yard.
Having both worked at Livery/Eventing/Showing Yards, most of our lunging has been for exercise or to build up topline. My driving long lining consisted of wandering for miles, two inches behind a horse with driving reins...err...driving it forward.
So after Bridgets visit, my mission has been to master lunging with two reins. I have to say, I'm pretty cack-handed with lunge lines and am just as likely to wrap myself in them, as to control the horse!!
So on Tuesday Viv came to visit. Having told her all about the new mission she kindly offered to come back the following day and give us lessons. First we tried with Lil, who went well with Viv, but was a little confused with Jo and I. Then we tried Charlie, who was pretty good and very laid back with the reins around his hocks!! Viv suggested we practise with a smaller, older pony. Cue Dora. Dora can be a bit of a brat. She especially objects to being lunged as it means working!! To our surprise, she went really well for Viv. She even stayed calm for Jo and I. Bad luck Dora.....You are our practise pony!!!
And more about Dora! This post should have simply been called Dora (a brat). Dora didn't want to work today.....Okay so its been blowing a Northern Hoolie, bringing Sleet and Hail (Yes it is May). I had just arrived this morning, to be greeted with Jo holding a sullen looking Dora....She had refused to go down the drive, even with Mini. Jo asked me to go for a walk out, with her, Dora, Poppy (one of the Saturday Kids), a schooling whip and various dogs. We went down the drive....Dora had one eye on the whip I carried (or maybe it was my coffee which i also carried). Down the drive, along the lane....only minimal protests from Dora. Poppy fed her a polo, then we did it again. Again Dora complied, although she was on her toes. Poppy couldn't ride her back because she didn't have a hat. Neither did I.....But I am an adult. So I hopped on her. I always feel a bit guilty riding Dora, as she is only 11.2hh and I am 5ft 5in. Its like sitting on a narrow pole. Despite the fact my feet are waaay below her belly I am only 9 stone and she is a very sturdy welsh (before you start throwing rotten tomatoes at me). If I thought for one minute she was struggling, I wouldn't do it. However, she is more than happy to jog and prance while carrying me.
She had started to relax, thinking we were going home, and she was done. BUT she had one more lesson!! As we got to the school, I tried to turn in. Dora Was Not Having It. We somehow got past the gate to the school (she is a strong little bugger). I went to turn her back....And she reared, plunged and bucked!!! No problem leaving the ground with all four feet then, despite the great burden she carried. She very nearly had me off!!!! Sitting in (just) a childs saddle, with no stirrups, I had to do some weird body swerve to stay on. Funny though. Dora and I may be having a hack alone later this week....Though I think I better have a bigger saddle and maybe stirrups.
PS... I love Dora!!!
Yes we have had Summer. After the freezing and long Winter, it suddenly got up to 25c. We vowed not to say "Its Too Hot", and merrily got sunburn as we revealed white/blue legs and shoulders. Sadly we scared the sun away and its back to 5c and raining for England! Not to mention those north easterly winds we had missed (NOT) so much. Oh hum....we gave in today and put the horses back in macs. I am actually wearing my winter coat again as well, AND moaning about how cold it is!!
BUT there are still shows to prepare for, and ponies to work. So despite the cold we have been working the ponies. Daisy, who was tripping over her feet, has had her toes shortened, and is slightly lame, so has had (more) time off. Charlie and Dora are being Worked mostly. I,m having doubts about the clicker training. Although I used it to great success in the heat, managing to get Charlie to accept a hose pipe with running water, over his chest and back, he has taken to nudging me in the belly for treats, even (or especially) when we are not clicker training. The boy is sharp....and has the attention span of a gnat.
He has also moved into the mouthing stage, wanting to hold everything in his mouth. He has realised his strength and is trying to use it. So clicker training is going on hold, while we go back to old fashioned discipline. There are so many horse trainers out there at the moment, with different methods its too easy to get caught up in something and get confused. If I am confused the horse is going to be even more confused, so at the moment I am closing my ears to 100 different methods, and going with my instinct and experience.
Dora the Explorer.....What a sweetie. Thinking she had retired, she has had a shock in the last month. I have been lunging her and taking her out in hand...I am just too heavy to ride her...although its tempting!! She is fine with small children on the lead rein....Ellie had a few kids on her yesterday and she was as good as gold. Luckily we have Ellies daughter Georgie, who is a very accomplished rider, to sort her out as she is a bit different when being ridden properly. A bit of a madam! Thats the pony, not the rider! The feisty temperament comes out when asked to actually do some actual work!! (Hands up....Who put too much Arab into Welsh ponies??) Still she has met her match in Georgie!
I'll just hold the hoof pick for you.
Or Pollys leadrope.
Why isn't this rearing thing working??
Yes thats right....The importance of poo. As you all may have gathered I am a great believer in horses being kept as naturally as possible. 'Tucking the horse up in bed' goes against all its natural instincts. Horses only sleep in 15 minutes burst, for four hours a day. So in a stable they do not sleep peacefully all night, but get bored. They cannot satisfy the natural urge to wander about. As herd animals they rely on other members to alert them to passing lions. Its no good telling them their are no scary lions.....Unless there actually are where you live. So in a stable, alone, they are probably on full alert all night. Anyway I digress.
So, our horses live out 24/7. That being the case all the poo is in their fields, not churned up amongst straw. This gives us two major benefits. One, we get to hang out in the field with the herd for longer each day, which increases our bond with them, and allows us to observe their natural behaviour. At a glance we can tell if all's well. Two, we are intimate with their pooing habits. Poo is a great indicator of health. We can see if its a bit loose, a bit hard, sandy, wormy etc. We also know exactly how many poos there should be.....Yes I have counted them many times!!! This gives us an advantage in managing their diets. We are on sandy soil, so at the first indication of sand in the poo, we feed bran mashes with pysillium in.
In so many bigger yards, the actual yard managers rarely get their hands dirty, so can't possibly know whats going on with the horses health. When I ran a bigger yard, I always did the poo picking myself for this very reason, and am proud that in 10 years I had no laminitus and only one colic (and that was a new pony that I wormed as you do, without knowing she had never been wormed and the vast amount of worms that died caused a blockage).
And so to the weather report!! Its finally turned milder....although we are still expecting a cold Easter. Anyway we have been taking advantage and have started to work the ponies. All except the Shetlands have been out on various walk-outs, either ridden or in-hand. My former partner-in-crime, Tess came and rode Daisy, who was like a cat on hot bricks....full of the joys of spring, including showing how well she could rear!! The only drawback with milder days is going back in the evenings to put rugs back on. Although the sunsets are lovely and its nice to have a goodnight kiss from Charlie.
Charlie has also resumed clicker training. He may be a surfer dude with his laid back attitude, but he doesn't forget a thing. Especially when carrots are involved. We are practising him standing glued to the 'target', while I move around him, and he has been an absolute star.
Have you ever tried to put a muzzle on a Shetland Pony? Easy right? Well Sweet Pea is something else. Yesterday Jo managed it in about 20 minutes with no lasting injuries. I had put a controller head collar on Sweet Pea...which didn't work anyway. Despite being smaller than a large dog, she is a champion rearer. Up she went. Down went Jo. I just went with the pony in a very helpless manner. After much wrestling Jo got the muzzle on. It was then I realised the headcollar wouldn't come off. Off came the muzzle. Off went Sweet Pea. Oddly I caught her with a lunge-line. More Wrestling. She rears so high she goes over backwards....and doesn't care! Lucky she's not 16.2hh really. Eventually Jo wrangled the muzzle back on. Sadly there are no pictures as it takes 2 pairs of hands to get the job done.
This week I have been working on trust with Charlie. We went out for a "hack" at the weekend, with Meg and her daughter riding, and Jo and the dogs on foot. I spent most of the time leaning on Charlie and steering from a normal riding position. Arm-ache!!
Great news for the Papermill Lane Ponies this week. The council are at last fencing the footpaths, which effectively encloses the ponies so they can come off tether. Its been a long hard fight, and now I need to lay in a dark room for a month!!
So after Charlies' awesome behaviour its inevitable that we have gone backwards again. I mean if it were all smooth sailing it just wouldn't be Charlie!
On Good Friday we had Meg to ride Daisy. We got all the ponies ready and with Jo at Charlies' head I mounted......Nothing. Cool, relaxed, solid. I got off. I got on again. Suddenly Wham, spun round and started bucking. While Jo held on, I again thought I could sit it. We all felt the big one building up and Jo shouted "Get Off". I just swung my leg over as the explosion happened. Rather ungraceful dismount which saw me land at Charlies' feet (AGAIN). I spent the next 5 minutes laying over his back and rubbing his off side belly....while he panicked. He really does panic. Its not naughtiness.
Anyway we all set off on a hack with me leading Charlie. Halfway I turned back and made my way home. Charlie threw a 3 year old colt tantrum. Boy did he throw his toys out of the pram! Rearing, snorting, spinning, hummpphing! Is that even a word? You know the noise they make when angry. We made it back!
Having read a million forems and watched a load of videos on you tube of horses quietly being backed i have decided he is just not ready. So yesterday i brought him in alone.....That in itself caused tantrums. Striking out with his foreleg and rearing. I just stood back and waited until he was quiet. Tacked up with the Western saddle and 2 bags of soil hanging off the horn, we had a lunge. Charlie took off bucking, and the carrier bags broke!!
Remembered my dim and distant past of backing a pony as a child that had been ridden by a straw man. Went home and made a "pair of legs". Brought Himself in today.....Quiet. Tacked up in English saddle. Quiet. Plonked on 'spare legs'. Quiet. Longreined. Quiet.....Despite the half dummy being a bad rider. She kept losing a stirrup and the boot banged against Charlies' front leg. NO REACTION!!! Will keep adding weight to my 'spare legs' and maybe a body.....or I could lose 4 stone!!! Any ideas ??????
"I'm Bored"
Spare Legs
Dare I say it......its warmed up. Ok so its still hailing at times. But the sun is generally warm enough to leave the ponies naked. Bee is off tomorrow.....to a forever home hopefully. She has chilled so much, I hope she will settle in quickly. I will miss her cuddles, but I think she'll be fine. She has so much more confidence in humans now.
Today we had Roz and Shona to help, so I suggested we do something with the bigger ponies. Charlie has had enough time off to digest what he has already learnt. While Shona rode Daisy and Jo rode Lu...just around the 'school' and 4 acre, I tried to long-rein Charlie. I may have found the reason he panicked and dumped me. Seems he is only confident while I am at his head. We set off round the 4 Acre behind the others in long reins. While they calmly walked ahead, Charlie freaked, rearing, pulling and spinning. I dropped one rein and brought him on a circle, thinking of the havoc he would cause if I let go. So glad they didn't turn round and see my fight. I quickly ditched the long reins in a corner, and just led him. No stress. As soon as I took up the reins to walk by his saddle...panic. He likes to follow. No problem. I will get Jo to walk by his head while I get him used to me being behind.
Daisy looked sound, which is great. Her and Polly are currently sharing a 'sick pen'. Basically a long strip around the edge of the field with only old grass....just in case!!
