Friesian Stallion Training Journal/blog

[shoveltrash]

i have been inspired by Pintopiaffe, and am going to start keeping track of my progress in training my rising 4 y/o Friesian stallion "Iverzon" (better known to us as 'Little Buddy' or 'LB' for short).

i'm posting this thread under "Horse Training," but in reality it is "Rider Training" just as much as "horse!"

Little Buddy (not so little anymore) has been under saddle now for almost five months.  he is a joy, and SO intelligent it is humbling.
he is also very forgiving!

we are working on lateral work at walk, trot work to encourage rhythm/relaxation AND engagement/impulsion, and just starting teaching canter cues as well as some lateral work at trot, and some sitting trot.

the horse is doing great.
me, well, i'm learning....a LOT.
i've always been able to 'ride.'  growing up, i was the little girl who could ride anything!  the wilder the better :lol: .
now i know there is so SO much more to "RIDING."

when *I* am correct, my horse is correct!!!!
my new mantra:
(best to write this down, so that i may hope to remember it all)
fingers closed, always!
shoulders back & relaxed, chest open
elbows by my sides, connected to my seat & moving with my seat
wrists LOOSE
pelvis mobile, absorbing movement passively
upper body BACK (i have the tendency to sit too far forward, 'hunching')
lower leg cues given by lower LEG, *not* my HEEL!
with that, toes in

and most importantly:
stay relaxed/happy, ignore the bad stuff, reward the good!

now i realize that it's a long list....and there'll be more to add to it i'm sure
but it's makes such a huge difference when i can fully adhere to it!!!!

yesterday we had a lesson and warmed up doing lots of lateral work at walk.  this seems to really work well for this young horse.  focuses him, and gets him 'on the aids.'  we even got a couple steps of half pass!  first we rode shoulder in, then i applied my outside leg and VOILA :P .  then we did leg yield off the rail to the quarterline (bent to the outside), kept our bend, applied 'other/outside' leg & got more steps of half pass heading back to the rail!
dunno if this is the right way to go about it....i figure there are many roads to Rome.  it worked for us!!
trot work i did mostly sitting, and i've found that i now feel more effective sitting his trot.  now that i CAN sit his trot!  i realize that when i am *totally* relaxed, throughout my body, my boy moves out with good impulsion.  in the recent past we'd had issues with "laziness" which i tried to figure out (feet tenderness? feed problems?  saddle issue?).  well, it was ME.
i tend to ride with a lot of INTENSITY.  very focused/goal oriented.  when i let all that GO, he moves right out :blush: .  
also, i changed his bit to a french link KK Ultra loose ring snaffle (LB LOVES this bit!).  
this intensity was causing big problems for us - i couldn't get him to canter!  my instructor could hop on him & get it, no problem :( .  i was so *intent* that i shifted slightly forward, tensing my upper body, and my outside leg cue was more of a heel jab.....  so i got 'haunches in' from the heel jabbing, but no canter :lol:
yesterday i just lightly brushed my outside LEG (not heel), squeezed lightly with the inside leg at the girth, stayed back & relaxed - VOILA!  canter.  VERY nice departs too.  only three strides at a time in each direction, but it was enough to stop & PRAISE and end the session. B)

today it is COLD & windy.  i opted for a trail ride.  LB was UP UP UP (felt like a keg of dynamite!).  i mounted after crossing the road, and thought about trotting up the hill on the greenway - NOPE.  he was WILD.  passaging, head shaking, spooking & snorting.  i enjoyed the passage bit.....but!
i ain't stoopid.
i dismounted and hand walked to the trails in the woods instead.
we had a nice WALKING trail ride, up & down hills, thru the woods, across creeks, etc.  for over an hour!  an odd spook here and there.  but all in all very good for him mentally & physically.  
he is barefoot, btw, and coped very well with the rocky portions of the trails (this is new - he's been slightly tenderfooted on these trails in the past).

so that's it for now.
i don't expect anyone to read this all of the time (i'm really hoping no one WILL ).  it is mainly for ME .  to document progress, insights, etc. so that i can come back & read and keep record.

thanks to Heather/EE for letting me use this space so selfishly!
 :blush:

i LURVE my stallion!
 

[lmevans]

I lurve your stallion too, he gorgeous, I'm so glad you're letting us share him with you!

The bits about your focus and whatnot affecting him are very pertinent to me too, Noosa reads my backside like a book! If I'm at all twitchy (and I still have nervous days) she's all over the shop :unsure:  whereas if I force myself to breathe deep and let all the tension go she relaxes her back and the nice flow comes back. Sounds so easy when I write it down, but my god it takes some effort :lol:

will be keeping watch, your boy is a babe, I'm hoping my rising 3 stallion comes on as well as yours this time next year!

Lucie x

[Linda Baia]

Super idea Trish, so I can compare with Linda's progress. According to cultures, country or simply trainers every body works in a different way their horses.

It is great to share for a better understanding to stay open-minded. For example, my trainer does not want Linda to do any lateral work under saddle until she can work in nice outline  ( we will do it in-hand) :unsure:
Also she want us to work Linda in very "loose frame" for at least a year.   I am following as I have ZERO experience in bringing on a youngster  

I love your mantra, it is so closed to mine. If I have the right position I can help Linda to find her blance and to work correctly.

Little buddy seems a bit big to me  :lol:  :lol:  :lol: But he is gorgeous   can I be in love too ?    

[epona]

How spooky Trish - we sound so similar :lol:   Both love friesians and both uptight perfectionists???  I know I can *try* too hard which ends in melt down for me and Antsje as she *trys* too hard too - we end up going round like a giraffe with a statue on board <_<  :lol:

One thing I would be grateful of is any tips on canter departs. We do a little work in canter on bridleways (following pony ) but not much in the school yet.  I try to do everything in hand first 1. to set up cues for when ridden, 2. so she can find her own balance and 3. so I can *see* what going on :blush:

We tried a bit of canter on the lunge today - on the right rein we were succesful but a bit rushed, left rein was definately harder.  What have you done to encourage a CALM but snappy canter transition?  I dont want to encourage her to just run into into canter but to push off into canter.  I have thought of using a raised pole to encourage the transition until she understands.  As a friesian she is so used to doing THE trot - tail up, head up, knees up - I'm not sure she quite understands what Im asking :lol:   She goes into this wonderful extended trot (pretty impressive though :blush: ) as if to say 'is this what you want?'

Sorry for hijacking Trish, but your experience would be gratefully appreciated - plus Im going to find this thread soooo useful - I'll be nicking all your ideas :lol:

Vicky

[pintopiaffe]

Good on ya Trish.  I've said this before, my journal is for ME.  Sometimes I'm actually suprized to see other people read it, but as already posted--you can get a lot of ideas from someone else's journey.

Now...

we even got a couple steps of half pass!

<sigh>  You DO realize it took us about 4 or 5 YEARS to get to half-pass.  Even at the walk???

OK, so finding a saddle that fit was the biggest obstacle to doing it... but STILL.  I'm quite jealous.    <_<    

[shoveltrash]

geez!  you guys arent supposed to be READING this

Muriel i did extensive work in-hand, for lateral work preparation under saddle.  i believe that lateral work gives me tools for 'straightness.'  i think that for us it's ok to do in early training, as long as we don't lose "forward."  also, since doing it i've noticed my boy getting more & more relaxed (we don't work in a 'short' frame yet) with increasing suppleness.  i'm happy with him as long as he stays relaxed over his back, and doesn't come behind the vertical with his head.

regarding canter:  i would never ask for canter without first having it confirmed on the lunge.  i think a horse needs to learn balance without a rider at canter before being asked to do it with someone astride (esp. if that someone is ME :lol: ).
so we've done lots of trot/canter/trot transitions in long lines, and on the lunge.  until he developed very snappy departs & lots of balance.  verbal cues and LOTS of transitions.
i cannot even begin to say how important i believe rider postiion is for canter depart under saddle.  subtle changes in me have big repercussions in HIM.
a ground person is invaluable for this!

Both love friesians and both uptight perfectionists???

:lol: yep that's me :lol: .  i think this horse came to me for a reason!  when i'm uptight he just shuts down.....when i loosen up/relax and forget that i'm trying to DO something, he sails along wonderfully!

Jaeme i was astounded when my friend (who is my instructor, but more of a 'friend' honestly) said 'ok, you're getting a nice shoulder in, now just use that outside leg & move off the rail towards centerline!'  it worked  
i have never really RIDDEN half pass.  and granted, it was only like five steps.....but boy did Iverzon get patted & praised for it!  

 

[shoveltrash]

i'm coming off my three-nights-in-a-row work week (ugh) :ouch: .  
i cannot ever seem to work up the *energy* to ride after i've worked all night long :(

today i slept for three hours, then got up & spent some time with Little Buddy in the round pen - after feed/turnout.
being a stallion, he still likes to 'test' me periodically, to make sure i'm a strong enough herd leader :lol: .
so working with him whilst everyone else got to go out to pasture was a good opportunity! (he was p*ssy about it)
we did basic freeschooling work:  i control speed/direction with my body language, reinforced with the whip if needed.  i didn't really need it!  after much initial headtossing/protesting, LB was a GEM.  nice inside turns, crisp trot/canter transitions, and halts.  i rewarded him when he started stretching down by letting him slow up a bit.  then we did 'join up' with him free/walking by my side, doing turns, sidepass, backing, etc.  very good work, and we quit after only about 15 minutes :blush: .  

more & more i come to realize how important the *psychology* of training a horse is!  this forum has been a help in that regard......i used to set a specific time ("we must work for 30 minutes" etc), but now i stop when he is being very good.  it makes a huge difference.  LB has a more positive outlook now, whereas before i could tell he was beginning to not look forward to our time together :(

afterwards i plugged up my HottWasher, and was able to hose the MUD off of him (it's 60+ degrees F today!!!).  tomorrow we trailer to my friend's facility for schooling, so i threw his fly sheet on to keep him relatively clean overnight.
this was a <SCAREY MONSTER> for poor wee Peanut & young Nico :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
i don't think either of them have seen a blanketed horse before......
they were hiding in the woods from Iverzon!  ("what IS that thing????" )
too funny.
now to get a good night's rest........  

[Linda Baia]

Great Post Trish. I love you diairy!!!

I would like to know which "school" are you using for the liberty work? Sounds like Jhon Lyons?
Is it a mix of a bit of everything (PP, JL, MR)?

I used to do it with Linda with great results in our arena. But she has found the way out, she starts galloping, like a headless chicken. I am worried that she will jump out the arena, if I ask to do outside turns (she HAS alrready jumped out the arena  <_<, not under these circonstances )

So I am getting a lunge cavesson, and we will satrt from scartch. Our roundpen is too small for her.

I would be grateful, if you could give more infos.

I wish I was there to see peanut and Nico spooking at Iverzon  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  

[shoveltrash]

we use a 60 foot wide round pen.  if Linda is running madly, and looking like she'll jump out, it could very well be that your body language is very STRONG.  i have to use fairly strong/clear body language with Iverzon, whereas with Apache i had to MUTE everything, otherwise he'd get panic stricken!  even to the point of diverting my eyes (not staring AT Apache).
my methods are kind of a mix-match of various practitioners, with Hempfling being my favorite.

today we went to our usual thursday destination, to school (my friend's place, with several diff. arenas and LOTS of horses).
i ended up having an unplanned lesson, because she was free!  

i MUST get better at sitting more evenly :( .  i sit heavy on my right seat bone.....which makes lateral work on the right rein a breeze!  and right lead canter departs are fabulous.  but to the LEFT, ugh.  i finally finally got left lead depart after many errors (on my part, horse was doing what my body was telling him :lol: ).  but i had to overexagerate to get my body 'right.'  bringing my left shoulder back, giving the right rein forward, and keeping my right/outside leg back......without contorting & inadvertantly weighting to the right.
good grief!
my friend/instructor hopped on Iverzon & got a perfect left leader canter depart the FIRST TIME.  
to help, we are leg yielding to the right after the corner, then asking.  SHE got SI/LY perfectly!  drat!  but he does LOOK GOOD :blush:
her mother (my NH trainer) was watching, and helped 'save' me halfway thru by telling me my left stirrup was higher than my right.  and it WAS.  duh duh duh.
as if it's not hard enough :lol:
having even stirrups does help.

weirdly, toward the very end of my ride Little Buddy was doing a 'hop' during our trot work.  front end coming UP and OFF the ground as if to depart for canter.  i'm thinking it's an evasion (?).  i just kept riding the trot like normal, and he stopped.  what a glorius "UP" feeling though :P .

Iverzon is acting more 'studdish,' since Apache has left.....nothing bad, just more 'up' and aware of other horses.  as Jaeme said, "brain pickled in testosterone" -- we had those moments when i did not have his full attention!
("oh just LOOK at that pretty girl!!!  she WANTS me, i can TELL")
men

i spent some time with Apache while i was there - he is so happy!  he no longer has to be the *herd boss*, which seems to have relieved him/settled him somewhat.   funny that Iverzon is now herd boss (of two weeny babies :lol: ), and thinks he is HOT SH*T.

anyway, a very constructive day.  i love watching my horse being ridden.....it's hard not knowing what he looks like, when you are astride.

[shoveltrash]

a nice sedate hack today, all by ourselves.....almost an hour of just strolling along the wooded trails .  it's great for exercise, and a no-stress/have fun type thing.  Little Buddy is SO brave :blush:  -- we passed a herd of deer in the woods, AND a dead deer lying in the middle of the trail :( (we gave it a wide berth, even though he wanted to 'sniff' it ).  the only thing that gets Little Buddy concerned is the disembodied voices we hear occasionally, from the people fishing in boats on the lake (lake borders the wooded trails).

i'm so proud of him :blush:  

 

[shoveltrash]

i'm late posting.....i rode just a tiny bit on saturday, enough to end on a nice note - walk/trot, some lateral work, bending correctly.

sunday i trailored Little Buddy to my friend's place
(here i must elaborate:  "friendS" plural, mother & daughter team.  mom is my NH trainer, daughter helps me with the riding)
temps had dropped a good 20 degrees overnight, brrrrrrrr.
LB was very good though!  i anticipated WILDNESS.  instead he was just very forward, energetic.

we are not working on canter anymore for now.  i think he needs more strengthening at trot, working on a better outline & stronger back.  he developed a tiny evasion at at trot - of "hopping" canter departs when i asked for more UMPH at trot :unsure: .  so we're taking a step back.....and sticking to basics.
i got better stretching this ride, at rising trot.
great lateral work, good transitions.  we trotted over some ground cavaletti, very very nicely.  i need to do stuff like this to keep his brain occupied.

Ivezon got *very* UP when he saw other horses coming out.  which he is not allowed (no 'talking', no shenanigans)!  so we schooled in the small covered around an older mare.
WOW if i could harness that trot  - the one he uses to show off.
unbelievable suspension!
but mostly i just wanted him to *focus*, on ME (not the mare :lol: ).
we'll be attending a group clinic this coming saturday, so it will be a good opportunity to ride around other horses!

i do love my boy :blush:  

ps - i've been practicing a breathing technique, based on an article in the most recent Horse of Kings magazine.....i take a deep breath IN, and exhale just before an upward transition.  he FEELS this!  it's effective enough that i'm not having to use as much leg!!!!

[shoveltrash]

well i'm a bit discouraged.....

i didn't do anything yesterday, owing to the fact that i worked all night tuesday on only three hours of sleep :blink: .  and i couldn't get to sleep yesteday either!  'was quite delirious after only two hours of sleep.
i hate 3rd shift .

finally got almost eight hours last night!
so i lunged Little Buddy today.

for the first time ever, he's having difficulties getting left lead canter on the lunge :( .  this has NEVER happened.  he has always been quite balanced left & right.  first he struck off on the right lead, then changed in front but was disunited.  back to trot, rebalance/half halt, ask again.  left lead in front, disunited/cross cantering again. :unsure:
i removed the side reins, thinking that maybe they weren't letting him find his balance (altho they weren't short, just enough so that he could *reach* for the contact over his back).  no luck.

i have a lesson tomorrow, and i hope to address this with my instructor!

my big fear is that my uneven riding (subtle uneveness, IMHO) has caused uneven development......i sit heavy on the right seat bone, and tend to ride with my left shoulder slightly advanced.  AAACCCKKK.
i sincerely hope i'm not ruining my lovely horse!!!!
this may precipitate a return to groundwork, and less under saddle.

nothing like a big reality check to bring me down.

on a more positive note, LB trotted very very nicely on the lunge.  'on the bit' reaching for the contact, not sucking back or anything.  using himself well & very animated.  we didn't lunge longer than 20 minutes or so.....at the end i let him s-t-r-e-t-c-h down at the trot.  which he did very well!

AND, i got a call from our department's nurse manager today - saying that she'd like to talk with me about revising my work schedule!!!!  i have GOT to get off night shift .
*sigh*



 

[Danni]

Trish, I hope you get the work schedule you need to GET SOME SLEEP!  :lol:  My dad works a month dayshift, a month night shift & he is a space cadet by the end of the nightshift month, not good for you at all!

I'm sure your one sidedness isn't as obvious as mine, I positively list to the left!  Della suggested to me that I try physically placing my seatbones where I need them to be & even if I can only ride like that for a minute or two, it's a start.  And practice & build up your muscles till it's second nature again, my problem is I get my position sorted & I'm too scared to relax in case I lose it :blush:

Be positive, I've seen piccies of the two of you, you look like a great team to me

[pintopiaffe]

Trish, don't panic yet!

First of all, he's still GROWING.  Canter "goes away."  Really.  Also--you've recently begun some fairly serious lateral work (HP!) Canter "goes away."

Mac does the same thing entirely.  Truly.  And it's not coz I've ruined him.

I've run into so many VERY ATHLETIC horses where the canter is either there and wonderful and uphill and balanced.  Or not.  No middle ground.  No 'ok' canter.  Either there, or not.

You're lucky your instructor is right there, you can hash it out quickly and put your worries to rest... but you have NOT ruined him.  Really.  Truly.  

Now, when you start having the days like I do where you're convinced you're falling off the side... THEN you can be worried.    

[shoveltrash]

amazing how much *better* you can feel, just hearing from a few people.....
Danni you are OH SO RIGHT.  i need SLEEP.  
it's official - starting March 20th i will be changing to day shift!

and Jaeme my instructor AND my Accupoint/back lady echoed what you said in your post!  something to do with the young horse growing, and muscle fibers breaking down & building back up/body changing....thanks for your post
Iverzon is scheduled to get a check up with Vicky (Accupoint/back/massage lady) this coming tuesday!  she is also going to fit my newly acquired treed (yes treed) saddle as well.

i figured it was worth trying!  i won an 2 y/o Albion SLK XW on Ebay at a low low price.  at the very least i can resell & make my money back.  i decided to try this, after riding in several Albions at my instructor's (she loves their newer model saddles).  i won't ditch the Ansur completely yet though......and still want to try the Fhoenix!!!

anyway.....
today we had a great lesson!  "ignoring" the canter stuff, and working on trot.
i rode in the 'new' saddle, which was SUPERB for my position!  unbelievably so.
and it fits Little Buddy great - thankfully his girth groove is very far back, so that the points of the tree never impinge on his shoulders at all.  i was MUCH more able to stay even/balanced, and stable.  silly horse didn't seem to even NOTICE he had a treed saddle on, and he has NEVER worn a treed saddle in his life!

drawback:  OUCH.  the damn thing HURTS my seat bones!!!  (i see a "seatbone saver" in my future maybe...)  i literally have open sores/blisters underneath my seatbones! :(  how oh how do people DO it?  instructor commented that my position was much improved....all over.  but i must've been doing something wrong maybe?

we worked today on the BASICS.  trying to get Iverzon to round up/get 'on the bit' with contact.  lightbulb moment for me:  i've been very inconsistent with MY end of the contact thing.  holding my reins a bit too slack, not "communicating" consistently, with contact that comes & goes.  my thinking was "stay light," but all that i was doing was teaching him to hover over the bit, not reach for it.  
so today i shortened my reins a bit - no slack.  "contact" is a bit more than i supposed/i.e. heavier.  BUT we did see results!  very quickly.  keeping the energy forward, contact consistent, with my 'center/core' strong, elbows connected to my seat & movement.  he DID seek the contact!!!  only for short bits, but definitely an improvement.
as my instructor said, "you can do lateral work all day long, but your horse needs to be CORRECT for it to be effective gymnastically."

so i have to add to my list of things to remember:
CONSISTENT CONTACT with the reins!
without tightening my upper body - without tensing my wrists.
(and always always FINGERS CLOSED! )

now what to do about this saddle sore thing?
god i LOVED riding in that saddle.  but now (hours later), i don't like it so much.
wonder how long it takes to get a calloused bum? :lol: