Riding log - anyone interested?

[SupersonicDave]

Saw this on a horse forum and thought it would be a good idea.

Basically i need a bit of help with motivation (too much to do, not enough hours in the day etc) and can get a bit stuck in a rut wrt schooling/hacking/lunging.

So, today i am riding out my mare, a friend is riding my gelding, and we are going to ride through the village and back across some grassy tracks. Want to concentrate on keeping my mare calm, especially on the grass.

Are you still sharing a field with lots of others then? I think that might get a bit easier when the other horses get to know you and realise you haven't come for them so will hopefully not bother to come over. Just don't feed any of them whatever you do.

5 hours is a lot of driving isn't it? I adjusted my seat in the car yesterday (car still overflowing with rugs ) and wondered if it was something as simple as that. Trying not to laugh about your family of trolls as laughter = opposite of medicine at moment!

There are three others in field, one pair and one loner, all very calm and polite now initial excitement has passed and my two accepted - nothing happens, I just freeze and cry/try not to cry at first gate. If someone catches mine and gets through each gate I can take over and do everything else. I'm completely fine on board, whatever happens. It's as irrational as it can be, need to either make a plan about tackling it or allow self not to tackle it and see if it goes away. Am worried that not doing it will make the fear sort of calcify, but just trying to make myself do it is too horrible and feel such a failure. :(

Aw you're not a failure, you do 10 x the stuff I do. Is it the other horses you are afraid of, or are you worried what your own might do? I know I'm not a relaxed leader with dhorse as he is very strong. He's ok with my instructor as she walks along in front of him and he follows her, but I'm too scared to do that as I don't like not seeing what he is doing, especially after he bit me on the back of the head! I don't know why I love him, he can be horrible.

Ow! That's the thanks you get! No I wouldn't like to be in front, except when mucking about doing hands free stuff.

I think it's what mine and the others might do to one another, and I remember seeing a friend's horse rear up at her at the gate. Also have over the top anxiety about the gate clanging shut on their hindquarters as we go through. They're not really proportional to the fear, things you should be aware of but not an immediate life threatening situation. I have the same problem with busy roads, as a pedestrian trying to cross. Am not a fan of big, unpredictable and fast moving things, maybe?

I spend one day a week doing things at another livery yard (where there are lots of goats and pigs and red poll and chickens :)) so maybe will try to build my confidence there.

Hope your back is feeling better today Mitchie. I'm afraid I haven't read all the history to your gate/catching horses thingy but as you have two horses could you use that as an excuse to get someone to go with you a few times for a bit of moral support and an extra pair of hands open and close gates for you?

Manatee - yep, thats exactly what would happen if I free schooled, lots of galloping a bucking - sure the horses would love it but i'd spend my whole time running away from flying hooves

I started re-schooling new horse today, it's the windiest day of the year I think - so my timing was spot on ! It's the first time i've even sat on him as was 8 months pregnant when he came to me. Well we managed some 20m cirles and transistions for 30min so its a start....no bruises yet

Thanks dappleton, it's much better but am glad it's still achey enough to justify wearing another heat pad. Might stock up for winter, the warmth is lovely!

Sounds like you got off to great start, especially when it was all swirly out there. Hope you stay bruise-free.

Mitchie - I hope your back is starting to feel better???

Dappleton - sounds like a great start. Are you schooling to get to competition level?

Had a nice hack today. Went past my old yard twice and both times Dmare went to go up the drive :( . I also saw the farmer from there, he is so sweet. I do miss my old yard (as it was before the bitch took over). But anyway, had some nice canters, the mare was well behaved, and no particularly stupid drivers around so all good.

No i'm not really aiming for competition level (even though it would be nice ). I just take retired racehorses straight from their racing yards then re-school them until they are calm enough to be ridden by just about anyone - I then use them to teach people to ride. Where I live it's the only way to do it as ex-racehorses are free and all other horses have to be imported which costs way too much. The horse i'm working with now is the only one i've taken without even riding first and he's going to be the most challenging so far... note to self: don't take a horse just because he looks pretty and likes to be kissed on the nose!

Dappleton - do you mind telling us where you are? I am nosy intrigued :o

Dh and I are riding out together this afternoon - yay!

SSD - Mauritius

Back on board after two weeks off. Felt fantastic even though just a walk (rode to pub, it being Friday, and was celebrating)

So jealous of pub ride!

Dappleton - I used to work with 2 lovely lads over from Mauritius, I was working in racing. I was surprised how big the racing scene is over there, you just think of it being all sandy beaches and holidays :o

Dh and I rode out on thurs together which was nice (and very rare)

Thanks manatee, it's loads better :)

am still exploring all our new hacks, found one with ground soft enough to canter through trees. Had NO BRAKES, none. No gears even. It was lovely but am not riding out in a snaffle again for some time.

Haven't been here for ages..........glad to hear everybody getting on so well.
MitchiestInge - you must be so pleased with new yard-sounds ideal. And "yay" for canter track, despite lack of brakes
olderyetwider - bet you're happy to be riding again Am aiming for a pub ride soon Do yours tie up outside pub happily?
SupersonicDave - that's great that you can (rarely) ride out with your DH.
The closest my DH has come to riding out is sitting on Dpony, Dpony moved and DH jumped off He's not horsey!
dappleton - sounds like a great thing you're doing
Manatee - have you managed any long rides recently?! at your mare trying to go back to old yard.
I've got butterflies already for a local show I'm taking Dpony to in 3 weeks - don't know what I'll be like on the day!!

Good luck with preparations for show ep, what classes are you doing?

Thought would ride in school this morning, after taking daughter to different riding school for assessment and confidence building lesson - she was a bundle of nerves but by the end was cantering round and asking for something whizzier. Hopefully can keep this up twice a week until she is back to normal or better (the dartmoor fell over and rolled on her a few weeks ago and it just about finished her off!). People at new yard have offered lovely pony for her to ride/have lessons on too and I hope to get her skills and confidence up to be able to handle rodeo boy again. Possibly not this year, but maybe.

Anyway did not get to ride because could not catch horse at all! Even food could not compete with the grass and all his new friends. I suppose if I absolutely had to I could have got him in the end but he was very 'go AWAY, I want a day off', which is fair enough. Have stopped feeding pony because he's about to pop, am only feeding horse as way to get the cortaflex in now.

elephantpoo, two tie up nicely, DH's mare is ok, but a bit strong and can be bolshy, so he stays on board and has wine in a plastic glass. My girl has a bag of crisps as a treat when we go to the pub; a little girl often comes out to feed them to her.

It's getting a bit embarassing as horses now know the way, and pick up the pace when we turn onto the pub road as they are eager to get there.

Well, no fun ride for us yesterday, it was absolutely chucking it down all day. Having spent 5 weeks getting new horse fit, then half a day making him shiny and clean and doing his tack I'm so fed up! Actually I'm glad it rained all day in the end as it would have been even worse if it had cleared up in the afternoon.

I felt so sorry for the organisers and am vaguely hoping they might reschedule because I'd be amazed if they had many takers.

So, my day was spent doing the housework - and by the end of it I wasn't in a very good mood! I can't ride this week at all, so by next Saturday I expect new horse will be pinging about all over the place.

He's in the yard for 3-4 hours everyday and has decided that chewing all available wood is a good way to pass the time so I've had to spray the fencing with Jeye's Fluid - lovely! The boys gave him a saggy football this morning which he is eyeing very suspiciously, but perhaps it will keep him from destroying things - he's also got a big block of wood, and a salt lick, but I think he'd like daytime tv, a duvet and some hay - he was shivering yesterday when he came in poor thing!

Frosty, feeling very for you about your fun ride yesterday, and even more that you did housework instead! I don't blame you for being in a bad mood by the end of the day, I would have been having a right foot-stomping tantrum!
Fingers crossed it gets rescheduled to a warm sunny day
Wood chewing is terrible isn't it, i've got a little pony who chewed a football-sized hole in his stable partition in just one night - the little darling - does the Jeyes Fluid help?

Thanks for your sympathy, I have to admit I was quite grouchy yesterday evening! Apart from the fact that it stinks the Jeye's does seem to work, but he manages to find the bits that I've missed, and I've just noticed that he's moved from eating the fence to the actual stable building which is really annoying.

It's a terrible habit, and short of putting a muzzle on him I don't know how to stop it, it's not crib biting, and he doesn't windsuck, it's just like "I'm bored, that looks tasty". He also digs holes which is another bad habit, in the woodchip yard he's now got down to the stone base, and in the field it looks like he's heading for Australia in some places and it plays hell with his shoes too! They said he was "quirky" when I bought him , and they were right!

Rode the mare around the woods today. Did some cute jumping :)

I'm not riding myself,but thought it would be interesting to log the dds progress on their new boy.We rode for an hour tonight,and the dds were far more confident with him-he is so fat though,I struggled to do up the girth and had to keep adjusting it as they rode-I swear he was holding his breath when I first put it on.He doesn't like the lead rein,but likes someone to walk/run alongside,so until the dds have gotten used to him,I'm running around with both of them.Both dh and I ache down our left sides,probably from trying to hold back a very strong and greedy pony whilst he tries to head into the hay store.

My lovely horsey neighbour,whose yard it is,came over and gave me a hand with tacking up and gave the girls some instruction - he ran around a huge menage 3 times with dd1 trotting alongside and she did some lovely jumping.I felt a bit ashamed that I'm not as fit as a 70 year old.

We succeeded in stopping him putting his head down for the first half hour,but after that he'd obviously felt that he'd done enough and he kept doing it,resulting in a sharp 'quit' and tap with the whip every time.I'm going to get some grass reins too,but he has been very good considering he hasn't been ridden since February.

Tomorrow the dds won't have time to ride him,but I'm hoping to take him for a walk to the next village after I get in at lunchtime,we need to get some of the flab off him,so it all helps and it'll give me a chance to see if he is always good in traffic.

at your horses picking up pace near the pub older
Mitchie - omg, is your DD ok after a fall and being rolled on?? Glad her lesson went well (bet you were relieved!) My Dpony did exactly what yours did after our sponsored ride.....couldn't get near him. If he could talk he'd have told me to bugger off
I'm planning on doing a few in-hand things with Dpony at the show, as it's his first one. Maybe best coloured (does choc dun and white count as coloured?) and best cob. Was a little over ambitious at first.......had visions of working hunter, but think he may refuse the jump If I'm feeling brave I may do it and put it down to experience.
Poor you frosty. You must feel so deflated, I know I would. Are there any other rides you can aim for?
Manatee - just re-read some of this thread, as I hadn't been on for a while, and seen you've been very near "our way". Not sure I know all of the places you visited, but I know where Nogsland is and Dunsford wood is the opposite side of the road from Bridford wood, which we are a stones throw away from!! I had very limited riding in the area until I backed Dpony (was riding DD's Dartmoor until then, so limited to how far I could go) and now can't believe how many rides there are!! What horses do you have Manatee?
Mirage - glad your DD's are getting on so well. They sound keen
I had 7 months of running alongside DD and got fairly good at it. Then I got Dpony backed and riding out and now I've lost my ability to run

She's fine thanks, it was deep sand and a few weeks ago, fine apart from loss of nerve.

Sounds like a good plan, in hand, that's what we did with the pony the first time. Secretly hoping you give the workers a go too though! He might surprise you. That sounds such a beautiful combination, chocolate dun and white.

Mirage - it is lovely to hear how well you are getting on :)

EP - I have a 13hh gypsy cob. She is small but sturdy :) I was aware that I could have crossed over into Bridford woods from Dunsford woods, but I didn't know the route, and the way I was heading, back towards Exeter (well, not towards, but not away from either), I think it was a footpath on that part?

Mirage - do you think you could lunge fat pony, or turn him out in the manege? Once they get fat it's the devil's own job to get it off them, my fat pony is in the yard for most of the day, and then on a very bald weedy patch at night and if that changes for even a short time he looks like he's going to have a foal!

He won't lunge as he does his Monty Roberts join up thing and comes towards me with his head down after about 2 circuits - hopeless, but sometimes I have to confess to lunge/chasing him round in circles. It does at least make him puff a bit (and me)!

If fat pony continues to put his head forward once you've got the grass reins, you may like to consider a crupper to stop the saddle slipping forward (more tack to clean, but they are effective).