colouredcrazy
19th Jul 2005, 01:06 PM
Hi there,
I was riding my friends pony the other day, and couldn't help but think how fast he took jumps. He's a 9 year old piebald 14.1, Connemara cross hairy beast, called Looni (!).
We started off at about 2'3'' (my friends broken her wrist, so was putting up jumps - I don't know how she managed!), and he was all right. Ears pricked, moving quickly but not difficult to control. We put them up to about 2'9'', and he was going even faster. Now, there school isn't very big, and he was practically sideways on some of the turns, yet it didn't bother him. His ears were still pricked, and the jumps weren't over-facing him or anything. I was doing everything I could think of to slow him down - circling, sitting upright, thinking 'slow', half halts, playing with the reins (i.e. tugging one rein gently, then the other, to get him thinking), we even put up placing poles, which he simply pinged over. He's been getting less feed (due to less exercise) and more turnout since Sarah hurt herself, so it just doesn't make sense?!
Looni mooved a lot faster than Foxy into the jumps - Foxy always seems very 'together' and coiled into jumps, until a few strides away when he stretches and speeds up a bit. Looni seemed very loose, bowling along with no hint of an outline (I didn't have time to think about getting him on the bit and using his bum, just slowing down!), even though he was basculing over the jumps neatly. Any ideas on how to steady him? He's fed mollichop (or whatever it's called), baileys economy nuts, a handful of barley rings (he refuses to eat without them), garlic and about a tablespoon of oil a day. In total he only has about 2 scoops of feed a day, most of which is chaff and carrots!
I'm going to be riding him until Sarahs arm is back together, which is another month! So I'd quite like to feel that I'm riding a pony, not a motorbike :rolleyes:!
Ellie
I was riding my friends pony the other day, and couldn't help but think how fast he took jumps. He's a 9 year old piebald 14.1, Connemara cross hairy beast, called Looni (!).
We started off at about 2'3'' (my friends broken her wrist, so was putting up jumps - I don't know how she managed!), and he was all right. Ears pricked, moving quickly but not difficult to control. We put them up to about 2'9'', and he was going even faster. Now, there school isn't very big, and he was practically sideways on some of the turns, yet it didn't bother him. His ears were still pricked, and the jumps weren't over-facing him or anything. I was doing everything I could think of to slow him down - circling, sitting upright, thinking 'slow', half halts, playing with the reins (i.e. tugging one rein gently, then the other, to get him thinking), we even put up placing poles, which he simply pinged over. He's been getting less feed (due to less exercise) and more turnout since Sarah hurt herself, so it just doesn't make sense?!
Looni mooved a lot faster than Foxy into the jumps - Foxy always seems very 'together' and coiled into jumps, until a few strides away when he stretches and speeds up a bit. Looni seemed very loose, bowling along with no hint of an outline (I didn't have time to think about getting him on the bit and using his bum, just slowing down!), even though he was basculing over the jumps neatly. Any ideas on how to steady him? He's fed mollichop (or whatever it's called), baileys economy nuts, a handful of barley rings (he refuses to eat without them), garlic and about a tablespoon of oil a day. In total he only has about 2 scoops of feed a day, most of which is chaff and carrots!
I'm going to be riding him until Sarahs arm is back together, which is another month! So I'd quite like to feel that I'm riding a pony, not a motorbike :rolleyes:!
Ellie