I did some groundwork and riding first and we had a little photo session. Here's a couple pics. I'll try for some video next time (now that I have figured out how to set the camera for video).
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Trailer Progress
We're making progress on the trailer issue. For the past couple days, I've opened up the trailer, thrown a bit of grass inside, and then just parked Dublin outside the trailer and brushed him, cleaned his feet, moved him around, etc. When he got curious about the grass, I let him explore. Of course, he's big, and he can really lean inside that 2-horse trailer and get a lot of the grass without putting a foot inside! But that's OK. Eventually I got inside and from there, asked him to back up, come forward, yield his hindquarters and forequarters sideways, and finally asked him to put a foot in the trailer. Which he did, and then the other front foot. For that, he got a treat and was allowed to just stand that way. Then I asked him to back out, and he did, nice and quiet. We repeated one more time and quit. Today, we did pretty much the same, then I did a little "driving" around the driveway (I don't mean in the trailer, I mean I drove him from his hindquarters!). Eventually I drove him up to the trailer and again asked him to put a foot in. He dodged a bit, which was actually fine--then the correction wasn't about going in the trailer, it was about not ducking away from me. Then he put both front feet in and stood there. I asked him to back out and we called it a day.
I did some groundwork and riding first and we had a little photo session. Here's a couple pics. I'll try for some video next time (now that I have figured out how to set the camera for video).
I did some groundwork and riding first and we had a little photo session. Here's a couple pics. I'll try for some video next time (now that I have figured out how to set the camera for video).
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Good, Bad and Just Plain Ugly
We're a couple months into dressage lessons on Dublin and have been pretty consistent. The pesky work thing continues to eat into my time and there hasn't been as much riding in between lessons as I would like, but we're making progress and I actually rode Dublin twice before today's lesson. Anne videotaped our lesson last week, which has been very helpful in identifying areas for improvement. I've found that Anne will instruct me to not do a certain thing, and I will wonder what she is talking about because, of course, I am certain I am not doing that thing. But video doesn't lie, and sure enough, I nag with my leg and pull on the reins. Plus my hands keep creeping forward as Dublin's nose creeps forward. So I was able to watch for those things and work on improvement.
Dublin continues to have issues in the trailer. I was certain that he would get more relaxed over time, given that he was getting a short easy ride every week, but he has proved me wrong yet again by getting increasingly anxious with each ride. The kicking in the trailer has escalated to the point that my trailer is getting soundly pummeled every ride, and is now showing dents on the outside from the kicks being delivered on the inside. And this is a double-walled trailer.
I had put Cowboy in the trailer with him a few weeks ago and went around the block, hoping that having a traveling companion, one who trailers well, would reassure him. And it seemed to work. So today, Cowboy came along to the lesson. I was confident that this would be a good ride for Dublin.
Sadly, no. He pawed going down the driveway, then seemed to settle down. and then, just as I was parking the rig, he exploded into a full-blown hissy fit. By the time I turned off the truck, grabbed lead ropes and got to the trailer, he was simultaneously pawing, kicking, bucking, and trying to lay down. Cowboy, in the rear compartment, thankfully kept his head and let me unload him quietly and efficiently while Dublin continued his rant in the front compartment.
Then I had to get Dublin unloaded. By this time, he was pretty much hysterical, and a non-thinking 16-hand Thoroughbred enclosed in a metal box poses a problem. How the heck do you get him out of there? I undid the divider latch and pulled back the divider, and Dublin followed. He was, shall we say, in a state, and that did not make latching the divider open feasible as I would have to go between 1,100 pounds of crazed horse and the trailer wall to accomplish the feat. Dublin solved the problem by leaping out of the trailer and I was fortunate to grab the lead rope as it flew by.
To shorten this tale, we managed to get shipping boots off, get Cowboy situated with a bit of help, and get Dublin up to the barn. He's been OK in crossties, although I don't use them at home, but today he fought them as well as being saddled. Finally he was outfitted and I led him down the hill to the arena.
And magically, he became the perfect horse. He had the best lesson he's had in weeks. Last week he was up to every trick in the book. Today he took instruction happily and worked like a champ. Nice work in-hand, energized and flexible under saddle. He still likes to lose his roundness and pop his head in the air, but he was much faster to round his back and drop his head. Anne worked him in-hand and under saddle, and then I rode.
Dressage is something I have wanted to learn for years but that doesn't make me a natural at it. I do struggle with all the little details and with bad habits that have been enforced by years of doing things my way, which is not necessarily the right way. But every so often I get something right, and today that happened a few times. And I got the beautiful, fluid, partnership I was after, even if just for a few brief periods. But it's progress!
Back to the barn, and Dublin reverted back to his excited and unstable alter ego. We got him untacked and I got Cowboy down to the trailer, and then went back for Dublin. After a few false starts going into the trailer and coming right back out, Kristina came down from the barn and offered a hand. We got him in and got the divider latched, and he pulled the same acrobatics he had performed when I arrived. He pawed so much he actually pulled the trailer mats back--fortunately, they fell back in place. Kristina tried to calm him down while I loaded Cowboy, who miraculously went readily into the trailer with the fire-breathing dragon.
One possible contributing factor to the meltdowns was that the neighbors, about 100 feet away up a hill, were doing something with their cattle. I doubt Dublin has ever had any experience with cattle that close, and maybe that set him off. He rode back to my barn quietly, arrived in good shape, and stood nicely in the trailer while I unloaded Cowboy. He backed out of the trailer in fine style and all was well.
So my Thoroughbred, whom I really liked because he didn't act like a typical Thoroughbred, has finally discovered his heritage. He has had a couple years of mental and emotional rehab, as well as some physical rest, and is really feeling good. With that comes increased energy, and by now he feels pretty comfortable expressing himself. So it's a bit like starting over with a different horse.
I've been around horses for a long (long, long) time, but I'm the cautious type and have always been careful not to get over-matched by my horse. So my experience has length but not much breadth. Having a horse like Dublin has been my dream, and now I need to step up to the plate and get the skills and confidence to deal with whatever he dishes out. Back to the Parelli Learning Library and I'm reading up on trailering issues. It all comes down to going back to basics, in all areas, and in particular around the trailer. As the Parellis put it, "it's not about the trailer". It's about the horse trusting you and being confident. So it's back to Trailer 101, meaning that we just need to play with the trailer as just another learning aid, getting him confident going in and hanging out in the trailer willingly.
No lesson next week as the horses will be getting their dental work done, so we have a couple weeks. And if I can't get him confident by then, I may need to see if Anne can come here until we get this worked out.
Meanwhile, I'm grateful that Cowboy was such a rock today. And then I have to remind myself that Cowboy wasn't always a rock. When I brought him home, he was so anxious in the trailer that it was a white-knuckle ride from Stockton to Sebastopol. He looked like he was ready to have a stroke by the time we got home. It took a bit of work to turn him into a trailer superstar. He's smaller and doesn't have the kicking power Dublin does so he did less damage, but if Cowboy came around, I'm confident that Dublin will too. I just need to find the right formula.
My goal for Dublin is not necessarily to turn him into a dressage horse. My goal is to help him become the best and most confident all-around horse he can be, and develop my horsemanship skills in the process. So this is all just part of the journey.
Dublin continues to have issues in the trailer. I was certain that he would get more relaxed over time, given that he was getting a short easy ride every week, but he has proved me wrong yet again by getting increasingly anxious with each ride. The kicking in the trailer has escalated to the point that my trailer is getting soundly pummeled every ride, and is now showing dents on the outside from the kicks being delivered on the inside. And this is a double-walled trailer.
I had put Cowboy in the trailer with him a few weeks ago and went around the block, hoping that having a traveling companion, one who trailers well, would reassure him. And it seemed to work. So today, Cowboy came along to the lesson. I was confident that this would be a good ride for Dublin.
Sadly, no. He pawed going down the driveway, then seemed to settle down. and then, just as I was parking the rig, he exploded into a full-blown hissy fit. By the time I turned off the truck, grabbed lead ropes and got to the trailer, he was simultaneously pawing, kicking, bucking, and trying to lay down. Cowboy, in the rear compartment, thankfully kept his head and let me unload him quietly and efficiently while Dublin continued his rant in the front compartment.
Then I had to get Dublin unloaded. By this time, he was pretty much hysterical, and a non-thinking 16-hand Thoroughbred enclosed in a metal box poses a problem. How the heck do you get him out of there? I undid the divider latch and pulled back the divider, and Dublin followed. He was, shall we say, in a state, and that did not make latching the divider open feasible as I would have to go between 1,100 pounds of crazed horse and the trailer wall to accomplish the feat. Dublin solved the problem by leaping out of the trailer and I was fortunate to grab the lead rope as it flew by.
To shorten this tale, we managed to get shipping boots off, get Cowboy situated with a bit of help, and get Dublin up to the barn. He's been OK in crossties, although I don't use them at home, but today he fought them as well as being saddled. Finally he was outfitted and I led him down the hill to the arena.
And magically, he became the perfect horse. He had the best lesson he's had in weeks. Last week he was up to every trick in the book. Today he took instruction happily and worked like a champ. Nice work in-hand, energized and flexible under saddle. He still likes to lose his roundness and pop his head in the air, but he was much faster to round his back and drop his head. Anne worked him in-hand and under saddle, and then I rode.
Dressage is something I have wanted to learn for years but that doesn't make me a natural at it. I do struggle with all the little details and with bad habits that have been enforced by years of doing things my way, which is not necessarily the right way. But every so often I get something right, and today that happened a few times. And I got the beautiful, fluid, partnership I was after, even if just for a few brief periods. But it's progress!
Back to the barn, and Dublin reverted back to his excited and unstable alter ego. We got him untacked and I got Cowboy down to the trailer, and then went back for Dublin. After a few false starts going into the trailer and coming right back out, Kristina came down from the barn and offered a hand. We got him in and got the divider latched, and he pulled the same acrobatics he had performed when I arrived. He pawed so much he actually pulled the trailer mats back--fortunately, they fell back in place. Kristina tried to calm him down while I loaded Cowboy, who miraculously went readily into the trailer with the fire-breathing dragon.
One possible contributing factor to the meltdowns was that the neighbors, about 100 feet away up a hill, were doing something with their cattle. I doubt Dublin has ever had any experience with cattle that close, and maybe that set him off. He rode back to my barn quietly, arrived in good shape, and stood nicely in the trailer while I unloaded Cowboy. He backed out of the trailer in fine style and all was well.
So my Thoroughbred, whom I really liked because he didn't act like a typical Thoroughbred, has finally discovered his heritage. He has had a couple years of mental and emotional rehab, as well as some physical rest, and is really feeling good. With that comes increased energy, and by now he feels pretty comfortable expressing himself. So it's a bit like starting over with a different horse.
I've been around horses for a long (long, long) time, but I'm the cautious type and have always been careful not to get over-matched by my horse. So my experience has length but not much breadth. Having a horse like Dublin has been my dream, and now I need to step up to the plate and get the skills and confidence to deal with whatever he dishes out. Back to the Parelli Learning Library and I'm reading up on trailering issues. It all comes down to going back to basics, in all areas, and in particular around the trailer. As the Parellis put it, "it's not about the trailer". It's about the horse trusting you and being confident. So it's back to Trailer 101, meaning that we just need to play with the trailer as just another learning aid, getting him confident going in and hanging out in the trailer willingly.
No lesson next week as the horses will be getting their dental work done, so we have a couple weeks. And if I can't get him confident by then, I may need to see if Anne can come here until we get this worked out.
Meanwhile, I'm grateful that Cowboy was such a rock today. And then I have to remind myself that Cowboy wasn't always a rock. When I brought him home, he was so anxious in the trailer that it was a white-knuckle ride from Stockton to Sebastopol. He looked like he was ready to have a stroke by the time we got home. It took a bit of work to turn him into a trailer superstar. He's smaller and doesn't have the kicking power Dublin does so he did less damage, but if Cowboy came around, I'm confident that Dublin will too. I just need to find the right formula.
My goal for Dublin is not necessarily to turn him into a dressage horse. My goal is to help him become the best and most confident all-around horse he can be, and develop my horsemanship skills in the process. So this is all just part of the journey.
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