We made one lap around the large pasture and came back up to the barn for our photo op and to work on our steering. She was amazing! She stood for me to mount, and waited until I ask for her to walk off. She walked away from the barn and her comfort zone without any drama at all. We used some of the downed limbs as obstacles and she obediently stepped over them like she had done it everyday with a rider on her back.
We returned to the barn area for out photo op and to work on steering around the cones and she is almost ready to start working with a bit.
So with out further ado here is the photos of Sammy doing her best at being an angel.
8 comments:
It is so nice to find someone else with a gaited horse! Not that I do not like Qh's , but well, you know.
LOL yes I know. There isn't anything like riding a gaited horse. Even though I do own other types, and ride in other disciplines my first love was a TWH and I just can't seem to pull myself away.
She looks great!! And you know, even with the little training she's had (as much as I know), she is further along than my mare. My girl feels the need to JUMP (without warning) over anything that is taller than just a pole laying on the ground. She refuses to step up on a little 3 inch high(size of a pole) bridge we have in the arena for trail practice. She snorts and hops around and does everything in her power to not walk over but around it. I've tried everything and still have yet to get her to walk over it. I've tried putting one hoof at a time on it, but as soon as I get one and start to lift the other she gets really ants and moves her back legs around and it never happens. You were great with your other suggestions for me, anything on this one? lol
Ezra - it has more to do with the horses personality when it comes to being spooky. You can work with them but there is no easy solution to it. Sometimes you just have to be really creative and think like a horse.
On the bridge, you may have to make it wider so she has less of an option to go around. BUT, try putting her in a squeeze situation. Work with her between you and a fence rail. Get her to walk between you and the rail calmly, back and forth until she has no problem with it. Then add the bridge if it is easy to move around. She will likely walk right on over it. You can also work with getting her to stop in between you and the rail.
Now when I say pass between you and the rail, I mean in a distance of like 5 or 6 feet. She can't be in your space and she doesn't want to touch the rail so she will figure out how to make it work.
I never really thought about moving the bridge. lol She will go close to the rail (really the wall at our barn) and not jump on me. The bridge is heavy (it's just a small on that's about 3 ft wide by about 5 ft long) and in the middle of the arena. I might try to have my hubby help me move it to see if I can get her to go on it that way.
Good idea. I'll let you know how it works out :)
Soft saddles are TERRIBLE. I found I slipped around too much in the one I tried. It was done up nice an tight just the stirrups made it very slippy if the horse jumped and you were not sitting center. After an hour and a half of trying to keep myself from sliding I hurt so bad! I can go for hours bareback and not hurt like that because I can keep myself balanced.
I would however suggest a natural ride. www.naturalride.com the price is right too and no you wouldn't be too heavy so long as there is adequate padding to clear her spine and pad the concussion of your seat bones on her back.
ezra_pandora- My mare Indigo refused to walk over the bridges when we did trail class. She is a fearless horse other than that. I found my way around it though, she will back over them when I am riding hahahha! She walks over them now but before we would always back over them and the judge at local shows would be laughing and shaking his head. Hey they never specified what end of the horse goes first over the bridge.
LOL Sydney you know I have a horse that will back for miles until you get to a show. We have been on trail rides where he has had to back out of a very narrow trail because we couldn't go any farther. However, he WILL NOT back through an "L". No amount of begging, pleading, kicking, threatening, or name calling can make him back between those silly lines in the dirt. Backing between barrels around them, over poles, anything but between those lines.
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