Ziz and me update

amandal

amandal

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Feb 12, 2004
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After a weekend of not riding because Ziz won't let me mount at the moment I've booked a lesson at a local riding school. I've told them I'm slightly nervous - more nervous about hacking than schooling and they're going to give me the name of a good trekking centre to go to as well. So next Saturday I'll be clambering onto either a 16.2 gelding or a 17hh gelding :eek: who they use for nervous adults in assessment lessons - and I thought Ziz was huge at 15.2. There may be a 15.3 for me to ride - hope so !!

Have also booked saddler to come and check saddle and tracking down a physio to check her hamstrings - her back's ok. I'm pretty sure she's taking the royal mickey at the moment but want to rule everything out first.

Last weekend was a disaster, couldn't ride her Saturday as she was in in the morning babysitting her CB gelding neighbour who gets really stressed if the mare his owners have is away from the yard - she was competing. His owner turned up and instead of hacking which I'd thought he'd do he went into the school - my plan. I then had to turn Ziz out with him in the field as he gets v stressed without company. Saturday evening, unexpected visitors meant no riding.

Sunday morning went up determined to ride, groomed her, tacked her up and went into the school with purpose in my step :) . Half an hour later having danced around the mounting block with her in every concievable manner I had lost my temper. Took her saddle off and free schooled her, got a lovely lap on the right rein for the first time ever so something good did happen, also made her sweat - so she doesn't think that not letting me mount will mean she doesn't have to work. Then the school was being used so I turned her out and went home very angry with her and me.

Came back Sunday evening and brought her in and put her to bed - school was being used when I got there and I still felt really stressed from the morning so didn't want to ride, she really picks up my moods. Yesterday booked the school from 7.30 as that was the only free time, people in there before me (from 6.30) were still in it at 8pm - I was shattered and so went home, will be trying again tonight. I do feel a bit ashamed, I didn't punish her or hit her as punishment but did tell her if she didn't behave she'd go to the glue factory and she's been really wary around me since then, not her normal self :(
 
Amandel,

I was thinking of having a lesson on the lunge.

Now, Harry hates the lunge but I thought we could both maybe learn a thing or 2, at the same time having a handy friend on the other end of my horse may help me relax a little more.

Have you considered this?

I also find that explaining to him that I don't want to charge around, before getting on tends to calm him. I think he feels pressured by the unknown otherwise and feels he has to do everything quickly or perfectly all the time.

Walking down the little bridleways, in hand, we stop for a graze and a listen to traffic, birds, bumps and screeches, we see scary snails moving leaves in the distance etc, and try to keep all four feet on the ground. This has given us some time to chat and be calm again. I find that we are now creating a mutual trust.

I hope the weekend goes better for you.
 
Thanks Giveitago - but lunging's not so good for Ziz as she has arthritis in her hocks, physio has said no lunging, which is why if I need to I free school. I tried to get on tonight, thought I'd go for a 5 - 10 minute walk on the lane outside the yard (killing 2 nervous birds with one stone as I'm now getting nervous about mounting as well as hacking:rolleyes:.

Same problems, refusing to let me anywhere near her - no-one at the yard to help so couldn't really do much about mounting, there was nowhere to box her into so she couldn't move away from me. The only way I've got on in months is to have at least one person around to help. I had a look at her hamstring area as the last time she was this bad her hamstrings had tightened because of her arthritis. They're really tight again, she's not "mareish" but boy did she tell me tonight to get away, frustrating thing is yesterday they weren't abnormally tight at all.

I'm going to walk her in hand for a bit (we've done rather a lot of that from this yard, I've walked her out much more than I've ridden) and then hopefully they'll loosen a bit and then it'll be walking hacks on the road for a while. Also getting a physio in to check her out again. Hard surfaces are good for her hamstrings but bad for her arthritis :( .
 
Hi amandal,
Can you long-rein Zizi? Should be fine for her hocks as you can go in all sorts of shapes not just circles as in lungeing? Also solves the mounting issue, you may be able to get some nice communication established between the two of you without feeling pressured to ride.
Your permanently banged-up friend
hackedoff x
 
This seems to be quite a common problem - I only got my share mare because the first person who answered the ad resigned after a week of mare taking the p**s completely (never managed to get on). I didnt have too many problems, but just sort of accepted that I would do a flying leap sometimes at a trot! This obviously didnt help her owner greatly, and we then worked at getting her to stand (her owner mounts from a block, which was very much a 3 person opperation and a hair raising one at that!). We did get an improvement, and her owner and then our new sharer both could mount from a block, allbeit with her sometimes walking slowly past rather than standing.

Since then, share mare has had strangles and recovered, and until she is swabbed clear, other sharer, who is currently studying horse psycology (she is a doctor of psycology already) has been clicker training her in the field. This hasnt taken as long as she thought, as share mare is a very clever and very greedy fat cob. She is now working up to getting share mare to actually stand still!!!! (OK, all other tricks, such as target training (good for stretching), following, moving in circles etc have all come rather more naturally.....). If you dont mind spending some time on ground work, this means that you dont have to lunge, spend time bonding, and really seems to work! It took us 3 years of conventional training to get her to even pause at a mounting block!

What does your horse do when you try to mount? I have another friend who had terrible problems mounting their new horse, rearing and circling when made to stand (previous owner vaulted on like a mounted games rider - onto a 16.2hh warmblood!!!!), and had to lunge extensively before riding. Obviously this isnt an option for you, but maybe trying to get on after your loose schooling and straight off agin if sufficient work has been done would mean that your horse is calmer. I must say I am very impressed with the clicker thingy though!
 
hackedoff - permanently banged up ? what you done ?

I have been thinking of trying longreining, I've never done it before and am just getting the courage together to try it !!

Lucyad - what doesn't she do ? :rolleyes: We've had bolting as soon as one foot's in the stirrups, we have dancing forwards, backwards and sidewards, we have the sideways glance to measure just how far she needs to go so my legs can't reach the stirrups from the block. I normally back her up a lot, line her up again (which she does beautifully) and then as soon as I go towards the stirrup it all starts again. Last week I did get on in under 15 minutes and last Tuesday with an instructor there too it only took 10 !! Clicker training is something I've been thinking about trying and am looking on line for some advice about how to start it - do you know of a good book ?
 
he he amandal- there's a thread about 'what side you fall off on' I've managed to knacker my shoulder in a driving pony to-do, as usual down but not beaten :D . Seriously, get someone to show you how to long-rein its not rocket science (hey I can do it) and it may help both of you.
hackedoff x
 
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