Success! Skeeter and I are now officially a riding duo! :)

Scarlett 001

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Sep 16, 2003
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In followup to my recent thread, I went in tonight to stables with a firm resolution to get Skeeter moving and came with hunter crop in hand (I guessed he is more used to this type of crop than a dressage one so went with what he would know best tonite). I also used another saddle, as the other one was not available. It fit him quite well and was nice for me.

Well, I got a decent little trot out of Skeeter! We did quite a few walk-trot transitions etc. and got in a good 40 minute ride! And he was quite willing to move if I added a very light tap with the crop (as per Galadriel's suggestion - thanks for tip!). After 1/2 hour he has loosened up nicely, and was more than willing to keep going with very little encouragement. He was still doing the head leaning for the first 1/2 of the ride and needed taps to keep up a good pace. He always leans his head to the right whichever way we are riding and seems to do it when I ask for trot and at corners (might be some clues in there as to why he does it). But towards the end or the ride I focused on making my hands more quiet and less stiff at transitions and less all over the place at turns (at my last lesson my hands at corners were compared to someone steering a dirt bike round a corner! Yikes! :p), and perhaps he was getting used to things and was feeling more supple too, as he was not doing the leaning very much, if at all, towards the last part of the ride. Skeeter tried hard for me tonight - he has an honest heart.

The ride was not pretty - he was poking his head out forwards and such and I had my flaws in my position etc. - but it was a ride!!! Plenty of time to work on all the other stuff now that we are actually moving in the arena! :) :D

I gave him a nice hose down, lots of cuddles and some great treats - all of which might make him think this evening and riding withme is not so bad after all! I am feeling very happy myself at this moment.

p.s. I am still really happy with stables, horse care and facility. Top notch. Little things keep happening that make me very pleased.

p.p.s. The potential new saddles arrive from Edmonton tomorrow evening!
 
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KarinUS said:
Come again, what was the injury he suffered before you got him? Which side is his good side to turn to?

He suffered a tendon injury last summer to right front leg, that got the ok at the pre-purchase vetting. It was fine on flexion test and his lunge work looked good. The left front leg has minor arthritis that showed up in the flexion test but not visible on lunging test - it was deemed not too bad and vet said it was not likely any significant concern for my intended use.

Skeeter seems to be about the same to ride in both directions (to the right or left). But whichever way we are riding (left or right around the arena), he was leaning his head to the right always (so sometimes to the outside, and sometimes to the inside depending on riding direction). The head leaning did stop once he was more fully warmed up and stretched out.

One of the experienced riders in the arena who was watching thought the head leaning could be him being unbalanced in his gaits for some reason, and not necessarily to do with me so much. She said this is the type of thing my instructor can work on with me.

Obviously by your question, you are thinking something too. What are your thoughts?
 
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I wonder if he might have a chiro issue. A back/neck problem, a pressure point in the saddle, or some uncertainty about the bit would be my guesses as to the head cocking.

Anyway--congratulations! Terrific progress. Bubbly happy.

And I expect to hear all about all of the saddles ;) including pictures!
 
Instructor rode Skeeter tonight

Somehow my feeling re the head leaning is that he has some uncertainty with the bit. It is a nice bit, but I think he may be used to different ones, and I am not sure if he has ever had a lozenge-style bit before. I will keep an eye on this.

Update:

The big thing is that my trainer rode Skeeter today. She did not ride him for very long as he is not in great condition yet. She does want to ride him herself in my lesson time for the next month to tune him up. I will ride him in between. He is in the "I don't want to work" mode overall, as you know from my posts.

Well, she made him do his thing. Not sure he knew what to make of things when he realized he had someone on him who would not give in to his resistance! He even looked a bit shocked about it all! :eek: Anyway, he was accepting contact, and he was doing a nice steady trot with good impulsion. His canter was nice too - except when she first asked him he did not want to canter (too much work no doubt) and he gave a mini prance/buck when she insisted and did not give in to him. These days he seems to be testing what he can get away with. I have noticed with other things too that he gets shocked/annoyed the first time he is told firmly he has to do something, or can't do something, but once he is told he seems to catch on quickly. Anyway, he decided it was easier to just go ahead and canter and went nicely.

In regard to particular issues, she said he is stiff (does not bend well) and rides "contracted" at the moment - she thinks he is used to holding back and being in school horse type mode and does not open up. She said I will need patience to get him into shape and condition etc., but that it can be done.

I wonder what he will be like when I next ride him. I asked her if he will just go "Oh, it's that pushover rider again!" :rolleyes: and resort to his old tricks of not moving. She said the weekly tuneup should have the effect of making him move more readily for me. I hope Skeeter does not see the word "pushover" imprinted permanently on my forehead at this point...

p.s Cute thing I saw 2nite. Skeeter's name and mine are written up on the "farrier list" whiteboard - our names are directly underneath the trainer at this stables who used to ride for Canadian Olympic dressage team and her horse. Now fame does not generally impress me, but it was kind of cute to see how Skeeter is now mingling amongst superstar horses! :) Maybe this accounts for his wee bit of attitude at the moment! :p :)
 
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I'm glad to hear things are coming along with Skeeter.

I don't think you need be concerned that he'll forever see you as "that pushover." He'll take you for what you are and change his expectations accordingly. Like he did with your instructor, he might be a little surprised if you act differently than he expects, but if you are consistent in any changes/expectations, he'll come to predict your new behavior instead.

If you think about it, he came to know and change with you once already, didn't he? Was your first lesson on him (way back when) the same as your last?

By the way, did he show the same tendency to lean his head to one side when the instructor rode him?
 
kedwards said:
Like he did with your instructor, he might be a little surprised if you act differently than he expects, but if you are consistent in any changes/expectations, he'll come to predict your new behavior instead.

Yes, you are right. I hope I won't get a mini-prance/buck :eek: if I am firm with him about something - but then again, I am unlikely to push him as hard or to be as insistent as my instructor in terms of demands. After all, she is riding him so I don't have to struggle and work as hard. Moreover, I have always been an overly cautious rider, and I need to learn to not let that stop me being more resolved in what I expect of a horse. There is no doubt Skeeter can trot very nicely if he wants, after watching him tonight.

kedwards said:
By the way, did he show the same tendency to lean his head to one side when the instructor rode him?

I had mentioned it before she rode. Did not notice it during the ride, but she likely would have corrected for it subtlely if it was happening. But I forgot to ask her after the lesson if she felt any pulling or leaning - I will ask her next time I see her.
 
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CityGirl said:
Although it may be beneficial to get a chiro out just to asses his back..

The vet did examine his back at pre-purchase exam, and there was no sign at all of any pain. He said it seemed just fine - just needed muscling up he said. The instructor also looked at his back the first time she met him - that is when she noticed his sensitivity on his withers from rubbing/poor saddle fit in past. She did not notice any apparent sensitivity on his back, just the wither.

Is a chiro likely to see things that may not show up as pain in the vetting do you think?
 
Sure--a chiro or massage therapist is looking for different things than vets are.

But even if you had his back checked *yesterday*, he could still have done something to it and be having back pain today.

Have you ever had a slip that left you ouchy for days, or woken up with a crick in your neck? Neither of those takes any time to happen, but they can make you seriously miserable and unable to move properly.

Those are a couple of examples, of often minor stuff (and minor stuff can definitely happen to horses)--but there can be major stuff, too, like if that slip makes you twist and come down wrong, and you crack a vertebra or tear a muscle. Since horses can't describe their symptoms, we never really know what's wrong...until we get someone out who knows where to look to find the ouch, and how to probe it to see HOW ouch it is.
 
Okay, well if need be I will call a chiropractor out. I am going to ride Skeeter lightly in the next few days and I will see how things go. It is still not at all clear that it is not primarily work evasion issues going on - given he has not done a lot of riding in the past year and that he has a wilfull streak, it could be this. His gaits were lovely when the instructor was riding him - guess I liked to think this was a good thing, but maybe he is just hiding things because she is a better rider and can push him onwards.

He is stiff no doubt, and I wish I could afford equine massage right away to help this, and call out a chiropractor as well, but I want to wait a bit and try to decipher if it is absolutely necessary. I don't want to come across as irresponsible :( , but to be honest I have spent soooo much money doing all I can for this horse on no notice (I had not chosen this particular time to buy a horse) - buying him at a time I had not expected and hence had not saved for the expense, moving him and upgrading the boarding facility in interest of his health and well-being, and the zillion of other one time costs people on here know all about. I am doing what I can, but maybe it is not enough??? :(
 
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It sounds like you and Skeeter are getting on really well :)

He is stiff no doubt, and I wish I could afford equine massage right away to help this, and call out a chiropractor as well, but I want to wait a bit and try to decipher if it is absolutely necessary.
Whereabouts in Canada are you? Long story, but I met an equine massage therapist from Canada a few years ago - she certainly knows her stuff (I know because shes trained with a friend of my mums), so if you are in the Ontario area, she would be worth a try. Here is a link to her website if you are interested :)

I hope the saddles fit!
 
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You're right, it still could all be evasion--testing you, getting to know you, and realizing that (as you've said) you're not a particularly aggressive rider.

Something you *can* do--and that will help a lot, but very gradually and over time--is stretches. It may take a month before you actually see any results, but you should be able to get him to loosen up some.

Stretch neck & back with carrot stretches, stretch legs forward, back, and out to the side. Hold for a few moments, no more, and allow the horse to gently move back to neutral between each stretch. Ask the horse to give more than his normal extension, but don't pull him if he's fighting or obviously too stiff to stretch any further.

For a stiff horse, with a questionable history, that may be the very best thing you can do for him (even better than chiro/massage), if you can do it regularly and for the rest of his life. Chiro/massage, however, can help him get to the most comfortable overall feelings much sooner, jumpstarting what you can do with stretches. Also, some types of problems cannot be fixed with simple stretching, obviously, and need treatment of one kind or another before the horse's body can respond properly to the stretching.
 
Thanks for stretching tips!

I think I am getting myself a bit worked up and anxious. After all, I have still only ridden him about 3 times and my instructor just once. I have no doubt that some part of what is going on is work evasion. Whether it all is this, or if something else is also up is not completely certain.

I think with some more riding time, a fuller picture will emerge. Presumably with the instructor riding him and with me carrying a crop so he has to work a bit more, he will get in better shape and learn that riding is a part of his life again. I will start to do some stretching with him. The work evasion should begin to go, and then we can see what else we are left with at that point.

Edited to add: Responding to Tootsie's thread in Training of the Horse made me reflect on something about Skeeter I had forgotten. You know I had mentioned Skeeter had been sent away for 8 months to a friend of his previous owner to recover from injury and probably to keep him out the way :(. Well someone at the time I was buying him had mentioned to me that after 8-9 months this friend called up to request that Skeeter go back to the stables as he was developing some attitude. :rolleyes: This is actually being reflected in the fact that his ground manners have slipped from what I used to know (definitely testing me at times), and perhaps relates to his work evasion under saddle.
 
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FYI Skeeter's stretching exercises started today. He was getting a pretty good bend in the neck when I held out his favourite apple treat crunchies for him. We did side bends, and then downward bends. He seemed to enjoy the exercise very much. This will become a happy ritual for both of us I think! :)

Our riding was about the same as last time. Skeeter is doing some pretty good trot now. A bit slow by most standards I am sure, but as he gets in shape I can work him a bit harder. The head leaning seems much less of an issue - he only did a couple of leans. About 2x during the ride he stretched his head directly upwards and played with the bit etc. Still not sure if this sort of thing is work evasion, or if something is perhaps a bit wrong. Someone did check for me and there is no sign of any lameness when I am riding him. The instructor did comment that he is *very* stiff, and the person today thought the same thing, so maybe he has some overall soreness/aches due to general age and stiffness. Hopefully, as he gets in shape this would diminish (and perhaps as glucosamine takes effect).

FYI, the outdoor arena can't be ridden in yet :( The people were told to put in a few inches of sand, and put in 10 inches by mistake so it is too deep. They are going to take some sand away soon. I did walk Skeeter around the outdoor arena today and he seemed very perky and interested - I'd like to get him outdoors riding when I can. Next weekend, a few of the girls at the stables and I might take our horses out to the fields on the acreage around the stables which I am sure Skeeteyboy will enjoy!
 
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