Baby steps for me and Flicka

Now I am going to try and post a few pics of Flicks at a little local show. She got two thirds (3rd in a class of 3 in one case!) but the point wasn't the rosettes but just to see how she handled it; and she was a sweetie, very chilled and well-behaved.
 

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She looks fab Sophie :smile: I think your amazing to keep pushing on even though you describe yourself as i nervous novice and believe me by reading your thread, your going to wake up some day and not be a nn :happy: it'll just happen. Lovely thread :)
 
Thanks Tiamaria lady that is very kind.
I missed out a small setback from this diary. Last Thursday fellow nn and I were due to ride Flicks solo. But we only had an hour and we could not get ber bl**dy bridle on! So we took her in the round pen instead....
Today, we tried again. We allowed ourselves two hours and we had both quizzed Flicks other riders about how they get her bridle on. And... we did it first time! The trick was that if you hold the bridle near the browband when she jerks her head up she jerks her ears into the bridle and all you have to do is cling on!!
And then we rode her in the school with no RI! She was a tad nappier towards the gate than normal. Twice with me she refused to go forward and tried to turn towards the gate. But I pushed her on and she gave in. I'm not sure the nappiness was because RI wasn't with us, might have been because her friends were turned out in the paddock and it was nearly breakfast time...
But otherwise she was great. I did more on her than previously and at first she felt really lovely. Towards the end though I started to tense my shoulders and I think she could feel that and started fighting me a bit more. So I quit while I was ahead. My fellow nn then rode and did really well.
And now I am sitting at my desk like this :biggrin:
I am really enjoying having someone else to do this with. On my own I know I would wuss out but we encourage each other and it is all working really well. And flicka is a darling :inlove:
 
If you are having that much trouble getting the bridle on, personally, I would look at the bit.

My own horse used to run to the back of the stable when I used to produce the bridle.

He would stand happily loose and I always put the saddle on first and then ut the bridle on.

Several changes of bit later, he opens his mouth for it.

Horses generally do things for a reason, and if you can't bridle them, there will be a reason.
 
Thanks SJP1 - and yes my RI is trying different bits to see if one suits her better. Although she does actually open her mouth for the bit (well sometimes, not when she is objecting strongly) but it is when you try and get the bridle over her ears that she freaks out. She used to be terrified of having her ears touched so it could just be a remnant of that. Although - as she is now okay with a head collar and will even let you touch her ears if you don't have a bridle with you - maybe not!
 
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You are doing great.

I used to loan a horse who was really difficult to bridle. He had scars on his face where it looked like a headcollar had been left on him too tightly so I assumed that he had been neglected in the past.

I spent hours and hours touching his face and winning his trust. He never became 'easy' to put the bridle on, but the time I spent with him certainly helped. He would never let me pull his forelock through so we often used to ride with it tucked in.

Could you put the headpiece over her ears first and then undo the check pieces and put the bit on last? If she doesn't like her ears going through the headpiece this might help.
 
Yes Flicka is exactly the same - luckily her forelock is pretty weedy so sometimes it kind of pops through on its own, otherwise it stays tucked in. She doesn't have any scars but she has definitely been mistreated in the head/ear area at some point, nothing else explains it. Good idea about undoing the cheek pieces - might give that a try. Doesn't help that she is 16'3 so when she starts acting like a giraffe its a long way up!
 
Not posted on this thread for a few weeks. Since then I've had a lesson on Flicka which was great. Made me think I'd focus on lessons on her rather than school horses from now on, and see if I can build a partnership with her...
She however, seems to think maybe she can take the pee out of me a bit. She has been dawdling in the round pen. She does respond to me but it takes a fair bit of shouting before she goes from walk to trot. I thought it was just because there is quite a bit of grass in it distracting her from the task in hand, but then my fellow nn had a go and I discovered flicks responded instantly to her commands - so she has obviously just been taking the pee out of me!
Then today she dawdled when I rode her in the school and kept riding along bent rather than in a straight line (in walk she was okay in trot). Although she did work three times yesterday so maybe she was tired! But she did the same for my fellow nn on Monday. RI gave us some tips to sorted. She also told me to hold a crop but I panicked and said no. Flicks is not used to a whip except when RI occasionally schools her with one, and she says it makes her very forward going, so I woosed out...
And lastly... SHE BIT ME ON THE BUM! I got her bridle on fairly easily today and so was relaxed putting saddle on. Didn't even have hold of the reins when i was doing her girth up - so she bit me! Haven't looked at the damage but it is definitely bruised - I may look for a cushion for my office chair when I've finished this :redface:
Her girth is a bit short for her, and she breathes out, so getting that first hole done up is always a struggle and may be a bit uncomfy for her (tightening it a few minutes later is much easier). But still! I reacted by shouting at her(without thinking really) but didn't hit her. Then I just carried on doing girth up (while holding rein!) without making a further fuss. Was that right?
Sorry for book, here are a couple of really useless pics of my lesson (I'm sure my arms aren't normally quite as bad as they appear in this pic) - just to show I do really get on top of her these days :tongue:
 

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Mine would get a smack (on the shoulder) for biting, but it needs to be instant, so they know what it's for. If you miss the moment, they don't associate the punishment with the crime.

Sounds like you're doing well Sophie! :)
 
Oh well the shout was instant even if there was no smack, she knew she'd done wrong. And today I have a lovely bruise but nothing too bad. I'll live to be bitten again!
Feeling like a complete numpty for non-horse reasons though. Last night I cleaned flat and this morning... I couldn't find car key! Spent over an hour looking for it and no joy... Worst thing is I remember seeing it on the kitchen side and thinking 'what a stupid place to leave it I'd better put it somewhere sensible'. God knows what I did next though.... I'm so annoyed at myself. :furious::furious:I was meant to go down and turn Flicka out this morning, and now she will have to wait until tonight....
 
I'm sorry that she bit you. I would however be discussing it with her owner because I would want to eliminate any kind of pain from the saddle/back area. A well mannered horse should not turn around and bite you and you need to make sure that she isn't trying to tell you something.

I would also make sure that she is wearing a headcollar and is tied up when you put the saddle on in future. Has she ever pulled faces or bitten before?
 
Hi MP,
No she has never pulled faces before, never mind bitten. That is why I wasn't taking any notice of her while I got saddle on. In future she will be in a headcollar or my fellow nn will be holding her head!
I have raised it with her owner. She is going to get a longer girth, as she thinks that is the problem. Flicks does get a bit sore in the girth area. She has a sheepskin sleeve thing (sorry don't know proper name) to go over girth that seems to prevent that. But you do have to really yank to get the girth done up on the first hole (although once I'm on top it goes up to the 4th...) So I think it might be a bit uncomfortable for her. But if longer girth doesn't solve it we will have to look at other things.
Obviously we will have to check her out for pain, but she is young and green and is testing her boundaries a bit at the moment. Given that she had been ridden twice and lunged the day before (quite a bit more than she normally does) isn't it possible that she was just fed up at being saddled again and decided to see if biting her least dominant rider would do the trick? Or am I anthromorphising too much?
 
sophie33 said:
Obviously we will have to check her out for pain, but she is young and green and is testing her boundaries a bit at the moment. Given that she had been ridden twice and lunged the day before (quite a bit more than she normally does) isn't it possible that she was just fed up at being saddled again and decided to see if biting her least dominant rider would do the trick? Or am I anthromorphising too much?
Click to expand...

Yes it is possible, but if this were the case I would be re thinking what you were doing with her to make her feel so sour at being ridden. Horses should enjoy being ridden and enjoy the time they spend with their rider. If she is so fed up of being ridden already and chose to bite you to show her displeasure, this would really worry me. You have been pottering around in the school with her (and doing very well!), so it's not like you are asking her to do a huge amount.

As she hasn't pulled faces before and doesn't seem to be a 'marish' horse, I would think that she had an 'ouch' moment. I really would be looking at getting that girth changed as soon as possible and getting her saddle and back checked asap. Young horses change shape on a regular basis as they grow and develop muscles and her saddle should be checked by a proper saddle fitter at least every 6 months. I think that owners/riders need to watch out for the little signs that horses use to tell us that they are unhappy. If you miss the small signs they can turn into much bigger issues later on.
 
Thanks MP, point taken. I will nag her owner about changing the girth and ask her about getting her back checked etc. And I think she does enjoy being ridden, seems to anyway. I suppose as she had been ridden a lot the day before it is possible her girth area had got a bit sorer than normal...
 
sophie33 said:
Thanks MP, point taken. I will nag her owner about changing the girth and ask her about getting her back checked etc. And I think she does enjoy being ridden, seems to anyway. I suppose as she had been ridden a lot the day before it is possible her girth area had got a bit sorer than normal...
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I understand that this could be a frustrating situation for you because it is her owner who needs to sort it out. That is the downside of sharing. If the saddle and her back are OK, there are a few other things to consider:

Is she OK to groom and touch around her girth area? Some horses are simply very tickleish (is that how you spell it?) and don't like being brushed, touched or having their girth done up. Watch her face very carefully when you touch and groom around her girth area? Does she twitch her ears, move her head or body away etc?

Is the girth nice and clean? And is she properly groomed before you put the saddle on? Any dirt on her or the girth could cause irritation and make her feel sore.

Just before you get on her when the girth is tight, it might be worth pulling her front legs forward one at a time. This makes sure that there isn't any trapped skin between the front legs and girth area as this again could cause her to be sore.

Finally, when you do the girth up, make sure that you do one hole at a time. This will make sure that you don't give her a shock by whopping up the girth tightly to start with. I do Bens girth up in 4 stages. I do it loosely when I put the saddle on. I then tighten it when I have my hat on. I then tighten it again before I mount, and I tighten it again when I am sat on him.

Keep posting about how you are getting on. I love reading your diary. Your passion for horses and willingnes to learn is fantastic.
 
Thanks MP! And yes she is ticklish in her girth area, she doesn't really like having it groomed. As a result we are extra careful to make sure she is well groomed in that area before the saddle goes on, and that she has the sheepskin sleeve thing over the girth, which is also kept clean. And we do do the girth up a hole at a time. We don't pull her front legs forward though, that might be worth a try. I think the problem probably is the short girth though- because although we do it up gradually getting it on that first whole is a sod - and ends up being less a gentle tightening than me yanking with all my might - and of course it was while I was doing that she bit me! :redface:
 
Just wanted to say that longer girth seems to have done the trick. She is definitely a bit tender underneath poor ducks. I was putting her turnout on today and pulled the surcingle to try and get it to fasten - she looked round at me as if to say 'ouch'. So I stopped pulling and lengthened it instead :redface: Ah well, you live and learn.
Me and fellow nn had a lesson on her yesterday, tonight we are trying again on our own...
 
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Lovely little ride tonight. I have gone 'second' the last two times me and me fellow nn have ridden. I have secretly been imagining that terrible things would happen when I rode her up to the school :cold:. Honestly what a wuss - I annoy myself so much sometimes. But I 'womaned up' and rode first not mentioning that I was scared about ride to school (we are talking about 150 metres - honestly!) I wittered and sung to flicka on the way up and she was fine. Funnily enough I'm not nervous once in school and I was very happy with ride. She was definitely straighter, and I felt I'd got the knack of straightening her when she did try and banana. More inside leg and a firmer outside hand seemed to do the trick. And although she wasn't easy to get into trot - once in it she was nice and forward. My fellow nn did even better and I came away with a big :biggrin:. Will do it all again Monday after work... this is becoming a habit (and therefore really boring to write about I know :biggrin:)
 
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