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getting the horses started again

M

m1west

Well-known member
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Today we started with the horses to get them ready to ride, my knee injury is healed up and the weather has cooled off, so its time to get the horses started to ride again. I took video but they were too long to send.
I found a trainer through my Ferrier, she is a young woman but is a prodigy with horses, Tex AKA big boy, I rode when I bought him and he has a few holes in his training to fix before a trail ride, then I hurt my knee and ended the training for 6 months plus the weather sucked. Tex is a lot hotter now than the shut down emaciated horse I rode and bought a year ago. He has trailer anxiety and bolts out of the trailer, thats how the knee injury happened. Also today when the trainer rode him after a year layoff, he was a little spicy and had to be corrected a few times by bending him in a circle, but in the end straightened out, there is more for her to do but he should be an easy start.
The pony real surprise and a pleasant one. At first he was his usual little ass hole, then she got him to lunge and then did some conditioning with the training flag, tested a few other things than laid on him a little, then just got on, no bridle or anything, just a halter.
No bucking, bolting or anything. That pony challenges me nearly everyday, WTF. After she is confident with the pony, we can start lessons for the Granddaughter. In no time we will be doing trail rides.
 
Horses seem to know if you are a stupid or tender rider. That's where a good trainer comes in. However, they will always test you. It will always be a case of who has more grit, you or the horse.
 
FrancSevin said:
Horses seem to know if you are a stupid or tender rider. That's where a good trainer comes in. However, they will always test you. It will always be a case of who has more grit, you or the horse.
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Some horses will test you every time you get on, with experience you can tell they are going to do something to test you before they do it. Most raise there head or tense up right before they, bolt , buck or what ever they are going to do, immediately bend them and go in a circle, its very difficult for them to run or buck when bent. I have a lot of hours logged on horseback, just not in the passed 25 years. Early in the year when I went for my re training, after I got on it truly was like riding a bike, I remembered most everything in short order. We went on a trail ride within 30 minutes after the trainer put me on a horse and tested my ability. My horse Tex I rode the day I bought him, but now that he put on around 300# and got use to things around here, he developed quite the personality. I have seen him running with the pony bucking like a rodeo bronc with all 4 hooves 3 feet in the air. He is a big horse 16.1 hands and that means a long way to the ground. I want to make 100% sure he and the pony are bombproof before me an my Granddaughter get on. The trainer is young but was raised in a family that trains horses and mules. Me and the pony have some kind of rivalry going on, that little bastard is waiting for me in the morning with mischief in his eye on most mornings. Tex is a daddy boy and we have a conversation each morning when I go out first thing. He talks to me in nickers and grunts while I hold his head next to mine, then I give the hay and do the chores. whenever I walk by he always runs over to say hi. I have done a lot of ground work on my own with him, mostly voice commands, woe being the most important. No matter what is happening when I say woe, that means STOP. the trainer noticed how good his voice commands are. while mounted she was able to get him to stop and back up using voice commands only. She looked at me and said, you talk to him a lot don't you. Horses are a commitment and un like a dog can be around 40+ years. We never get rid of pets once we make a commitment, so they are here until I am not, Tex is around 14 and the pony is 5 they both could out live me. Trainer come once a week of 2 hours, she figures working both of them, Tex should be ready for me to take a ride in a month or stand the pony should be ready to give lessons on with my Granddaughter. We should be seasoned veterans in 6 months or so,
 
Today was the first riding lesson for my Granddaughter, things went pretty good and we are on track for once a week, in 6 months or so we should be riding together in the arena and after that, trail rides.
 
That's awesome. My daughter is currently doing a high school coop placement at a local equestrian horse ranch that is currently boarding up to 33 horses at a time. Every day I drive to the school 25 minutes away and pick her up to bring her there for the afternoon where she works with them all afternoon. They currently have 3 ojibway ponies they are boarding. There's only around 150 left in the world. She helps groom the horses, hay the paddocks etc.
 
NorthernRedneck said:
That's awesome. My daughter is currently doing a high school coop placement at a local equestrian horse ranch that is currently boarding up to 33 horses at a time. Every day I drive to the school 25 minutes away and pick her up to bring her there for the afternoon where she works with them all afternoon. They currently have 3 ojibway ponies they are boarding. There's only around 150 left in the world. She helps groom the horses, hay the paddocks etc.
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Thats good she is interested undoing that sort of activity, not many kids are interested in anything thats not electronic anymore.
 
m1west said:
Thats good she is interested undoing that sort of activity, not many kids are interested in anything thats not electronic anymore.
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She loves horses and race cars. 🤣 she's always watching Dr Pol and other vet shows dealing with animals and horses. Perfect fit for her as socially, she is further behind her peers and has heavy adhd and has been medicated for it since she was 6. So she focuses in on her tasks at the farm and gets to work. She's a tiny thing too. 4'11" and 80lbs soaking wet. 16 yrs old.
 
NorthernRedneck said:
She loves horses and race cars. 🤣 she's always watching Dr Pol and other vet shows dealing with animals and horses. Perfect fit for her as socially, she is further behind her peers and has heavy adhd and has been medicated for it since she was 6. So she focuses in on her tasks at the farm and gets to work. She's a tiny thing too. 4'11" and 80lbs soaking wet. 16 yrs old.
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Post some pictures of her with the ponys
 
NorthernRedneck said:
She loves horses and race cars. 🤣 she's always watching Dr Pol and other vet shows dealing with animals and horses. Perfect fit for her as socially, she is further behind her peers and has heavy adhd and has been medicated for it since she was 6. So she focuses in on her tasks at the farm and gets to work. She's a tiny thing too. 4'11" and 80lbs soaking wet. 16 yrs old.
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My daughter has never had any riding lessons and aside from an organized trail ride while on vacation, had never been around horses. She literally jumped in with both feet volunteering for a therapeutic riding association learning to lead horses around while disabled riders rode. She's basically doing everything now on her own running around feeding them and grooming them etc. She loves it. Great experience for her I wish I had.

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Another riding lesson today, so far she has went from 0 being led around to now tacking up for the most part by herself and riding un assisted with verbal help in 3- 1 hour lessons. The pony has been very cooperative and gentle with her. Its amazing that they go running and bucking all over the pasture, but when it time to ride they are very gentle.
 
Thats a good looking little guy. Is a very good thing you daughter enjoys horses. How many acres you on again?
 
be careful hanging around them, seems like they just followed me home one day. They have seriously grown on us. My wife that complains about everything took an interest in them. Its a weekly event around here when the trainer comes on Wednesday to train the big horse and then back on the weekend to train my Grand daughter. I asked her Sunday if she wanted Christmas presents or more riding lessons. She looked at me like I asked a stupid question and said riding lessons what do you think grandpa.
 
That's awesome. I can see how they can grow on you. My daughter is somewhat young in her years in many ways. She is 16 chronologically but a very late bloomer who is often left behind her peers in most situations. She has always been fascinated with horses since she was an infant. So this is a natural fit for her. She was all smiles when I picked her up yesterday as the owners of the horse equestrian centre offered her pretty much a full time summer job working with horses all day.
 
NorthernRedneck said:
That's awesome. I can see how they can grow on you. My daughter is somewhat young in her years in many ways. She is 16 chronologically but a very late bloomer who is often left behind her peers in most situations. She has always been fascinated with horses since she was an infant. So this is a natural fit for her. She was all smiles when I picked her up yesterday as the owners of the horse equestrian centre offered her pretty much a full time summer job working with horses all day.
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Watch out or there will be one in your yard before you know what happened.
 
Yesterday the trainer worked my horse Tex again, I was not there due to work, she reported he did excellent again, that makes 3 consecutive rides where he doesn't act up. The last 3 times we used my saddle and pad that I painstakingly got his gullet measurement along with the angle and height of his withers before looking for a saddle. I bent a piece of wire to the angle and width of his withers with the correct gullet measurement and used it to match the saddle. Im thinking maybe he didn't like the trainers pad and saddle and was causing some discomfort. Next time she comes we will try her saddle again to see. The pony albs does good for her, and since he has been ridden and worked with recently, his all around mood and behavior are much better. That said if everything goes well for Tex on the next couple rides. I will be riding him by Christmas.
 
Another training day, my horse is coming along nicely. its been 4 sessions in a row now that Tex has performed without protesting. Today the trainer rode him back to his pen from the arena, she said he was a little tense but did fine. Very soon I am going to get on myself. If that goes well, we work on the trailer again. The trainer asked if it would bee OK to take him on a trail ride at some point. Thats fine with me as it will give the old boy more experience on the trail.
 
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