Project Jim

[SNC]

He sounds like he is turning into a suppa horse.  He sounds like one of them gems that are so hard to find. 

[cirocco]

UPDATED UPDATE... because im really happy, little jim has remembered what he learned and he's even more keen to go into reverse.. I only have to stand at his shoulder and lift the reins and zzzzzoooooom off he goes he's so clever, course we had to show off tonight to daughter who took some photo's
[ they might appear??] We began by asking from the ground with a gently push on the chest followed by half a mint!... He got the idea almost immediately :laugh:He seems happy to learn and the leg yield is coming now... AND something wonderful was that I asked for canter on the corner and he actually gave me 'one' stride!!!!! not much I suppose to some less enlightened people, but it was a really big thing for him and for me.

Anyhow im feeling so much better now that its easy to fall into training this little chap, the pain has gone, and rocky's legacy is that I was able to learn so much with him that I can pass on to jim.




 

[Greybaby]

Sounds like he is coming on in leaps and bounds 

and I have to say, I really like your new sig strip 

[Amanda1950]

Lovely to hear things are going well, Jim sounds like a very bright boy

and I love your new sig strip too 

[whisper's mum]

He's looking great. 

[tollertwins]

That second pic is just TOOO CUTE! 

[shoveltrash]

im feeling so much better now that its easy to fall into training this little chap, the pain has gone, and rocky's legacy is that I was able to learn so much with him that I can pass on to jim.

i'm so happy for you!

[cirocco]

This was him last night. Im not sure if the way im using the tape is correct, but it shows how much he's loosing.
He was 586 when hew came and was 508 yesterday!.
You can clearly see that he now has a groove at the neck which wasn't there before so thats making it easier for him to bend. He has also lost that rolling gait, perhaps because the width between his front legs has been reduced. Watching him from the front he looked like a sea lion!....His front legs had to be thrown out to the side it was really awful, poor thing.   'not painting a very good picture am I'


On the photo of him being ridden you can see that there is still a wedge of fat just in front of the shoulder, but even that is going down slowly, so at least the saddle is staying in place now, not being pushed back towards his middle.
Im not really sure what he should weigh, I suppose its just what he looks like when he has more of a shape.

[SNC]

Way to go  ,  see the link I have attached, this might be useful

http://www.effem-equine.com/Waltham%20-%20Horse/nutritional_aspects/weighing_your_horse.html

 

[shoveltrash]

that's a great site SNC! (may be using the info for my own horse, who is eating nonstop grass at our new place )

HUGE difference cirocco

[cirocco]

Thanks for that . I think if id seen that way of how to use the tape before I would have gone with it, but as im now well into using it 'my' way   ill have to stick with it.
I suppose its really all about seeing that there is some visable weight loss.

it shows really well that its grass that sticks the fat on. William has been on a really restricted diet as well, and the difference in him if mind blowing. He looks more like a T.B than a welsh cob.

Jim had been mis managed at his previous home through ignorance. He'd been kept in a stable all day with no hay, then put out at night on strip of thigh high grass to stuff his face till he almost popped. I have never had to diet a horse to the extent ive had to with jim, its been a real learning curve.

[winnieandben]

Wow, impressive 

[cirocco]

 :db:I wasn't going to but ive got to......tell

because it was great......we got canter..

phewww elated or what. Going anti clock wise he's really good, offers me canter willingly and mostly he goes on the correct legs, clockwise things were a little less good, but after a few tries we got correct lead and he stayed correct front and back. Mostly we went large and asked on the corners than back to trot before he had time to do his party trick the flying change!..... But after he'd done a few we tried him on a 20mtr circle and did some trot canter transitions then had him do two circuits in canter without him changing. Its only his third lesson with ridden canter so we were both really pleased.

However he doesn't use his hind legs with any sort of ooomph, they sort of tootle along in little titchy non steps [ they certainly dont match his front end action ]. It takes quite a bit of time for him to begin to work with them under him. Once he begins to take proper steps his front end lifts and we have good leg action, but im wondering if there is anything I can practice with him at home to get him to engage the hind legs.
Any ideas.

[Taliessin]

 
Congrats!
Maybe reinback to walk, then reinback to trot, and eventually reinback to canter would help? By no means an expert here, but it certainly helped with my horse 

[cirocco]

Today we had our first long hack, almost 3 hours, road and bridleway over the moor, and little jimbo was a star.
O.H [riding willi the welshie,] with his tree branch that he used to swat flies off willi's head!!!! he had some odd looks...We could have kept going, doing the extra loop of 3 miles, and gone to the pub for a glass of pop if you know who had remembered to bring money!!

We have already seen that he looks at nothing and if id been keeping to the plan to school him and sell him on next year [to help pay towards my luso ] I could have easily put hand on heart and said that he was totally bombproof and would suit even the most nervous rider...... But I dont think I could sell him, he's a treasure.

YES I have been doing more rein back transitions, which hopefully will sit him onto his hocks and make him use his back end more. BUT he doesn't know when to stop, so I shout whoooooa and laugh at him as he's taking twenty steps backwards what a good boy.
 
He's been trimmed twice and the nail holes have gone, but were still in boots and pads, because he's rather footy when barefoot as yet. its not a problem though, he has blue feet so hopefully they will harden and be rockcrunchers this time next year.