Tobys Diary

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I havn't much time at the moment to ride Toby twice a week probably in the last two weeks but this should all settle down the next and following weeks. Ive been lunging him to keep him moving and stretching over the back but he really does need his teeth done, the dentist is comming Friday and Im loath to do anything until he comes and helps him out. This means however that were going to the seminar pretty green and prob all over the place but I really have few worries, well just treat it as a learning experience as we do just about everything :unsure: . This displaces my nervousness and concealed "ambition" and just reminds me to enjoy the process and focus on being there for my gorgeous young horse who I have no doubt will be a little star :blush: .

Recently I havnt had access to a round yard so were been on a lunge line which took Toby a little to get used to , I really preffer to let them be loose but it cant be helped at present. I use the chambon to encourage Toby to strecth down into the bit and I always am asking him to travell actively and over track and keep on encouraging a nice steady rythm cause he has been quite tight over the top line and found it really difficult to track up  and carry himself esp at a canter. He is now progressing nicely and is getting stronger over his back and also more flexible over his topline (Also doing ground stretches each day) and laterally esp on the right rein where he was having a lot of difficulty maintaining a steady rythm  and balance.
I really relate to what Shoveltrash was saying about this "Horse" training is equally if not more about my learning how to ride in a balanced and supple way. How can I expect my horse to carry himself in balance if Im bouncing around on him? So Im kinda on a theraputic and awareness journey about my own body just as much as my awareness of the horses :blink: .
Any way heres some picies :P  

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IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e99/Tobystar2/Tobymarch06013.jpg[/IMG]

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Any considerate responses appreciated . Please no verbal beatings to me or anyone else :ouch: . If you have something to say your opinion is welcome but no put downs or dogma Pleeease.



 

[epona]

What a beautiful horse    

[ParisDiamond]

I agree Epona, that's my type for sure.  Also very envious of your nice dry grass to work on, being here in the UK with little grass/wet/snow - a general quagmire!!

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Thanks Epona he is a sweetie, I got lucky. But I have to say that I have been admiring your beautiful mare since you first posted pics of her. I really love the heavier breeds and I love their personalities and characters somehow they seem quite different from the TB's and stockhorse that I have had. The dry grass is good for riding on def, its better than frozen fallow feilds that i used to use in Norway over winter. However we have our own climatic downfalls dont you worrry (Bushfires, low rain falls, very high feed prices etc) in summer its too hot to ride or do much during the day you have to wait until evening to come out <_< .
Ed to add a bit

[epona]

But I have to say that I have been admiring your beautiful mare since you first posted pics of her.

Thanks     Just got to get her to 'GLEAM' like your boy!!  

Vicky

[Mandeigh]

Hasn't he go a huge reach to his step?  

What is he like to sit on?

Is this the not very Scottish looking Clydesdale bloke?

[lmevans]

blimey thats a stride and a half!    he's going to cover the ground like a greyhound!

What a gorgeous boy, how old is he??? sounds like you're getting on very well, keeping them stretching is always tricky with a youngster, it takes them a while to trust their own legs and balance! I've found the rhythm is the key to get right first, keep them forward and focus on regularity of pace and everything else will come when he's ready B)

have a fab time at the clinic, you'll love it

let us all know how you get on and keep up with this diary, it'll be nice to see how you and the handsome lad gets on.

Lucie x

[shoveltrash]

WOW!  what a huge stride, and a GLOWING bay color!!!!
he is gorgeous

what did you take the stride-by-stride piccies with????
(what type of camera?)

i noticed on those pics that it looks like you are walking while lungeing?
i do this to go on straight lines out of the lunge circles for variety, BUT, for the basic lunge circle i've been told to plant my feet & position myself as if in riding stance (complete w/elbows & arms in place as if holding reins).  so that you dictate the circle, not the horse.  it has helped fix my boy's tendency to fall out to the outside on a circle.

I really relate to what Shoveltrash was saying about this "Horse" training is equally if not more about my learning how to ride in a balanced and supple way. How can I expect my horse to carry himself in balance if Im bouncing around on him? So Im kinda on a theraputic and awareness journey about my own body just as much as my awareness of the horses  .

bravo!!!  i look forward to reading about your progress
how old is Toby?

 

[minky]

He's LOVELY...head looks similar to my boy's so Im slightly biase! :lol:

Not sure if Ive missed this somewhere but how is he bred?

Green fields are but a distant memory...starting to get really fed up of our lousy weather...mud......rain.....snow........grumble grumble  

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Hiya all,
its 2445 hrs and i have jus t finished a serious wilderness first aid simulation out in the bush :blink:  but being addicted to the forum as I am now I will post, my OH just  :lol: .
I have to be honest and say Toby dosnt track up like this with me at the trot...yet , which is a lot more sedated, I think I hold him back a bit at times and dont let him stride out as much  is just as much because he will rush, loose balance and not relax. Im trying to get a nice basic working trot and build up his back and flexibility b4 I ask for more. His canter under saddle is comming along well and on video you can see the weight shifting to the hind and his forehand raising. His trot is developing but to tell you the truth he has only just started showing extending, and stepping under himself like that recently.
Your right Shoveltrash, I am walking in the lunging circle and I agree with the falling out of the shoulder. Toby was freaking out at the pressure of the halter on his head ( and rapidly ejecting from the circle towing with me calling soothing tones to calm him done ) so Ive slowly been getting more and more "strict with the circle as he becomes more comfy with the whole process and less likley to take me grass sking, hes such a sweetie though and never is mucking up or trying it on, he always quickly calms down and comes into me. A real people horse, or maybe one person horse but hes becomming much more happy and confident to let other people close to him. Enough gibberish, I post something worth reading in a few days .  

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Well only one more 1/2 a day of 1st Aid assessment before the dentist comes and also we go to tyhe seminar. Its getting darker in the evenings now and I didnt have time to ride Toby and then I didnt want to put the bit in his mouth anyways so I took him for a bush walk with my dog Paddy. its so nic ejust going for a mooch around the place and we have this old disused golfcourse right near the paddocks.
The cloudy rainy day cleared to a beautiful warm evening and we just explored around the place with a long lead some munching on grass. We went over to the dam that Toby loves and he sniffed around there for quite a while and kinda followed a trail of scent into the bushes. Hes a bush smart horse and I was wondewring what he was scenting as we have lots of reptiles (read venemous snakes ) and horses can be quite protective/ aggressive if there is one around or really scared. After this we started heading back and I tied his lead and made reins and we rode around B/back which was delightful abit of trot and canter and we visited the local train station (small mountain town) and Toby wanted to walk over the O/head bridge whilst the trail was in station!!! He was really inquisitive and not fearfull at all and took us down the back ramp closer to the train :lol: . He wanted to go closer but I thought better for him. Hes a pretty brave horse when it comes down to it, especially how nervous he was when I first bought him. It really is amazing how we beings can change when the circumstances support our growth and confidence. Paddy my dog was so fearful when I rescued him and now hes just so delightful and balanced. A beautiful afternoon with my animal friends.  

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Well, near 10 days since the last post and Im on a roll tonight with writting posts. We went to the seminar with heather and it was excellent, I really enjoyed it and felt like we improved immensely. Heathers help with rider position was great and I started to lift my ribcage up and back a bit and became a lot more stable in the middle and not so floppy which improved my sitting and rising trot heaps.
 I also learnt that I was holding the reins way too loose and although I shouldnt be worrying about his head I should still be asking/requiring(At this stage) that he interacts with the bit and reins and comes into an outline that is building the right muscles, as opposed to the wrong muscles as I was allowing Toby too much leeway (Riding w/ long reins and literally riding him forward until he chooses to take the bit for a few strides and then his head would go "up" a bit. I thought that this was the slow process of bringing a young horse on, but not so, even Heather asks for more rein contact if that particular horse needs it and she has recommended that we school intermittently in a pelham, which when we tried he went very nicely in with very little pressure on the elastic curb and rein.
Since the clinic Ive been able to ride more, I gave Tobes 2 days off after a lot of work at the clinic and weve been schooling about 30-45min each day. Ive been concentrating on transitions halt-walk-trot-walk and lots of shoulder-in and leg yeilding. He is "on the bit" nearly all of the time now and is o/bending a lot less than even in the lesson as I ask him forward each time he does it. At first he was a bit heavy in the hand with the contact that I was taking but I am working on his softness and working with my inside leg to keep his bend, softness and so I dont have to ask with the inside rein too much as he responds well to the inside leg. I still do some long and low but not AS much, more as rest points and a cool down and hes happier to follow my hands down.
A thing I need help with is he will try to escape thru the R shoulder, I try to remedy this by keeping my o/side rein firm against his neck and placing pressure with my o/side thigh and knee in and towards his shoulder. This seems to work OK, but should I keep going with this or try some other ways, any exercises. He dosnt escape in the shoulder-in, maybe a little w leg yields.
Ive noticed already changes in his topline, which is better over the top and less bulky on the brachiocephalic mucles, which is great I was worring a bit about what I was doing wrong there. Ill post some more piccies soon. Regards to all, Jade
 

[shoveltrash]

sounds like you are making huge progress!!!
and i'm SO jealous of your clinic with Heather
(where's that green with envy smilie i need right now? :lol: )