Baby steps for me and Flicka

sophie33

sophie33

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2004
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As some of you may know, I share a young, green horse called Flicka. I am a middle aged nervous novice. This, I know, sounds like a disaster in the making. But in fact its great. I knew what I was getting into from the beginning and my friend and RI owns Flicka, so I am learning under her supervision. There are two other young confident and competent sharers who are educating Flicka, I am only do tasks which Flicka is already competent at!
Up until today I had only ridden Flicka once - in the school with my RI glued to our side! However, having discussed it with my RI, I am trying to use August to go up a gear and become confident to ride her regularly - albeit in walk in the school! (I know baby steps but there you are)
So at 7 am this morning with RI watching I did the following

1) Get her bridle on. This is difficult! She throws her head up and generally makes it hard! I dreamt about it all night... In my anxiety I initially put the reins and running martingale over head without putting her nose in first- bad start! But after that not too bad. RI held her nose for me and I got one ear through fine. Then the horrendous second ear that was giving me nightmares was fine, she didn't even toss her head!
2) Led her to the school. RI was following behind with her other horse on a lunge line. Not because she intended to ride her but just because Flicka is more relaxed in her company and they are normally turned out together first thing in the morning, so may have started calling to each other if seperated...
Anyway, Flicka spooked dramatically at the little tractor with flapping tarpauline (sp?) outside the school. Instead of firmly tugging the reins I let her drag me and got knocked over. No damage but didnt' help the nerves!
3) Got on and rode! She bananaed past the open window at the far end of the school twice (normal apparently) and then spooked dramatically at it the third time! RI and other horse went and stood nonchantly up there while we came past again and it was okay. They then moved and I wussily went twice round the bottom half of the schoold before gradually going closer and closer to scary end. Flicka didn't give a hoot and was fine. We did circles, went in and out of cones and generally pratted about. All in walk. She was very good, halting with the slightest of aids.
4) Got off and led her back home - RI went first with her other horse. I really wanted to ask to swap and lead the other horse, but didn't and Flicks was fine...

Tomorrow lunchtime I do it all again. Then on Friday I'm spending the day playing with Flicka together with another middle aged nervous novice (all under RIs supervsion)

Thanks to anyone who managed to read all that. I don't know why I've written it all really - can't expect praise for such a minute achievement! And I know I just need to relax and enjoy it, there is all the time in the world to get the hang of riding her...
 
Praise is deserved! I know what it's like to take baby steps. Storm isn't young anymore - but she used to be quite a handful and it was a steep learning curve at times! Sounds like you will do must fine, I think you are going about it the right way. Enjoy.
 
Thanks Trewsers! I know I made Flicka nervous this morning, I had really done my best to try and relax but I was just so keyed up about the whole thing! Hopefully endless repetition will lead to riding her becoming normal and not something I get tense about, I will then gradually be able to increase how much we do. That's the plan anyway! :wink: And on the plus side she picked her front feet up for me without being tied up or held for the third time on the trot this morning. Six months ago that was unthinkable!
 
Good for you! I am in the same process, a bit further down the line as I've had Poppy for 6 months now, but I'm a nervous novice with a nervous horse. We're doing OK - although I still get worried before I get on her. 9 times out of 10 I am just fine once I am up though. A good RI is a wonderful thing, and yours sounds great, but expect little steps back as well as forwards and (easier said than done) try not to let them knock your confidence too much.

My other advice is to do as much handling as you can. If you're confident leading her out to the field and so on, it really helps establish the boundaries of your relationship and helps with the riding. Mind you I am happy and confident with my mare on the ground and still a bit of a nervous nelly on her back!
 
Yes that's good advice from squidsin - handling Storm lots on the ground really helped in the early days. Still does tbh - not riding her at the mo but still like to keep my hand in with handling etc.
 
Thanks both of you again. Yes I agree about the groundwork. I was thinking about her spook at the tractor this morning and when she has done something similar when I've been leading her recently I've been quite good about calmly tugging the lead rope and saying 'come on don't be a silly girly'! But I was so worked up this morning I reverted to freezing and letting a massive frightened beastie take charge :redface:
 
I let go of Pops a couple of times when I'd just got her and she was a terrified nervous wreck (and so was I!). It's safer to lead on a lunge line, then you can still hang onto the line even if the horse gets away from you, and the lunge line won't give you rope burns if it pulls through your hands. I always do, even though Poppy is easier to walk than my dog these days!
 
You're doing really well, Sophie - plenty to be proud of! Your RI sounds brilliant,too. Baby steps are the way to go.

By the way, squidsin, you can get a nasty rope burn from a lunge line, even a nice soft one - I've had a couple, on days when Hebe decided she'd rather not lunge today, thank you, and I'd forgotten my gloves ... The only way to be completely in control is to have the horse in a bridle, and have the lunge line clipped to the bit on the far side, then taken over the head and through the ring on your side. That gives you huge leverage, but it does hurt the horse and shouldn't really be recommended.
 
LindaAd said:
You're doing really well, Sophie - plenty to be proud of! Your RI sounds brilliant,too. Baby steps are the way to go.

By the way, squidsin, you can get a nasty rope burn from a lunge line, even a nice soft one - I've had a couple, on days when Hebe decided she'd rather not lunge today, thank you, and I'd forgotten my gloves ... The only way to be completely in control is to have the horse in a bridle, and have the lunge line clipped to the bit on the far side, then taken over the head and through the ring on your side. That gives you huge leverage, but it does hurt the horse and shouldn't really be recommended.
Click to expand...

I have to do that when I lead Pops out to the riding field - she's scared of the gate and I can't get it open and her through it and hold onto the reins at the same time (she has a martingale so can't put them over her head.) I do always wear gloves! Should probably have mentioned that too!
 
:biggrin::biggrin: Flicka and I trotted. Today I chickened out of leading Flicka up to the school, getting RI to do it instead :redface: and RI walked alongside me as I walked around the school BUT in walk we repeated all the things we did yesterday and at the scary top end of the school I was much firmer stopping her bananaing and keeping her listening to me and I think that helped. And then RI popped us on a lunge line and we had a trot. Flicks was actually very comfy and not too forward going. Okay it is another baby step but today I am now back in the office grinning. Role on tomorrow's middle aged novices' fun day!
And yes - my RI is a total star.
 
:bounce:And today... we trotted off the lunge! She was fab. And I led her up to school. And my fellow nervous novice had a trot on the lunge. Monday after work we are doing it all again... :bounce:
 
Another happy, happy post! Today, one week after I started this thread, I met RI down at the school again. Today I succesfully tacked Flicks up totally solo while RI tacked her other horse, Brandy, up. I got on solo and sorted myself out solo. Then we set off to the school. Both had a pootle about in the school in open order. Flicka was a star, but I need to start to be less wet. At one point I said to RI 'is that enough now?' (after really quite a short space of time! :redface:) and she responded it is up to you, you are riding her you take the decisions. So I 'womaned up' and decide it wasn't enough and did another five minutes! I was pleased to see that when RI had a little canter Flicks was completely chilled and focused on me, she didn't show the slighest inclination to join in!
And then.... we went round the river ride. This is the shortest hack from the school, and includes no road work at all. Flicks knows it well and was completely chilled. The sun shone... :biggrin: Hurrah!
 
I haven't seen this thread before but it's fantastic. I love the way that your passion and enthusiasm comes through and it's great that you have got such a supportive RI to work with you. Keep it up and keep updating. I love to hear about other peoples horses and stories about what you have been doing.
 
Thanks both of you! Am going to have another little ride before work on Monday, and then afterwork me and my fellow nervous novice are going to take Flicks in the school and practise a walk/trot dressage test - just to give us something to focus on apart from being nervous!

PS I read your thread about the spook with great interest MP. I just hope Flicks turns out to spook as rarely as Ben, I have no desire to get used to it!
 
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steps forward... and backwards...

Help! I've accidentally written a book about tiny, tiny events... Sorry anyone who reads this!
Overall a good day yesterday. Lunchtime me and my fellow nervous novice tacked Flicks up. Flicks was a bit of a c*w when it came to getting her bridle on. My fellow nn has definitely more guts than me, she is 5ft nothing (Flicks is 16'3) but it was me (5ft'7 :redface:) going 'shall we get RI now?' and he saying 'No! we can do this'. And we did!
Then my partner in crime rode Flicks in the school. Our RI had been schooling Flicka, with the result she was quite a bit sharper than last week. RI did say (I've got to get the balance right here, there is a danger I might make her too sharp for you two to ride her!) But my fellow nn did very well with her, hindered only by my total inability to read out a dressage test!
After work it was my go. This time Flicks was a major, major c*w when it came to getting her bridle on! It was back to day one. We had to put a headcollar on her and RI had to stand on a box, which is now an ex-box after Flicka knocked her off it! No idea why she had regressed so badly, she isn't often ridden twice in a day but even so. Being me I then thought she would be equally stroppy to ride. But no, she was a sweetheart. On the way up to the school a massive flock of pigeons flew out the barn and flicks didn't even flinch. Oddly on the way down (when there was nothing to spook at i could see) she was very looky and a bit jumpy, but I pushed her on and she was fine.
And I really enjoyed riding her new more forward going self. I think I feel safe on her because she comes down the the paces at the slighest request, so although she also goes up a gear easily, and her trot is very speedy (she has long legs!), I feel confident she will slow down whenever I want. I have her in my solo care on Wednesday and Thursday as RI has two well deserved days off, and fellow nn is not available at the same time as me. I won't ride (next step is with fellow nn but not RI, not totally solo) but I do actually feel like I could (at least I do now sitting at me desk :redface:) so that is a step forward in and of itself I think. I do have to get her bridle on each day though, just because it needs to be a regular occurence if she isn't to go totally on strike about it!
Oh and Flicks is going to a show (with another RI) next Monday. I may try to go along and take some pics of her scrumptiousness.
 
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I think you are doing really, really well. It isn't easy - horses can be very frightening, they are big and they are quick.

All I can suggest is keep on keeping on - (this was someone's tag, and I thought it a good one). The more you do it, the easier it gets - really!!
 
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