Post by chavhorse on May 21, 2011 5:34:04 GMT 1
This is liable to be a bit long and rambling so I apologise in advance! I have also posted this in the general section.
On Tuesday I had a lesson on Vardi, he has been in training for the last six months and I have been working alongside his trainer with his groundwork but not actually riding him to allow him some maturing time. Most people will be aware of his story but for those that do not a link is attached below.
www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=9649546#post9649546
I will freely admit that I was pretty nervous climbing back on board for the first time (rescue remedy was used as was a healthy bout of EFT therapy) but we had a good session with only a couple of minor spooks that I deault with calmly. We had another lesson on Thursday which went really well no spooking at all and some very good work on his right rein (his bad side) I got off feeling very confident that we were getting somewhere.
Yesterday that kind of changed. We started off as normal long lining him and he was going well, I then hopped up and we started to work on some supplying exercises, he was being responsive and listening to me and I was feeling very confident when suddenly bam! We were going at wharp speed round the round pen. I will freely admit that my first reaction was to block myself but then reverted to sit down heels down and whoa and we stopped. I kept him standing for a minute and settled him down again then set off in a small circle on coming out of the circle bam wharp speed again. Rinse and repeat the above but with 5 mins of small circles on each rein pushing his hip out then stop and a backup. Feeling back in control again I increased the circle again and could feel he was going to go again then bam yet another wharp speed. At this point I stopped and my instructor came over and took the reins and we stood for 5 mins.
It took every ounce of my resolve not to just jump off! My instructor insisted I stay on top even giving me a cigarette to calm my nerves whilst we stood still, he then led me on 2 circuits’ of the round pen which was like sitting on a time bomb! I then asked “Can I get off now” and did.
Talking about what happened I said I felt nothing untoward before he flew off for the first time, instructor said he was watching me and saw no rhyme or reason as to why it happened and was at a loss to explain it , we both think that after the first time he got himself so wound up that it was pretty impossible to bring him back down again.
So people I now have a bit of a problem!
I will happily admit that since I had the accident 2 years ago my greatest fear is a horse bogging off with me so my initial reaction to yesterday is “that’s it never again I am too old and too scared to put myself through this! If I say yesterday I could have quite happily have driven away from the yard, sent a cheque to cover his livery for the next year and never gone back again that would pretty much have explained it,
Having had a good nights sleep and some thinking and crying time (the main reason I am writing this now at 6am if I had done it last night it would have been an incoherent rant!) I am thinking that I have 3 options.
1. Sell him accept that the fairy tale ending is not for us as a team and just accept that I did all I could for him. This does not fit well with my bloody minded side.
2. Maybe it is a case of me at the moment needing something been there, got the t-shirt no drama at the moment and I need to build up my riding hours and skills on something like this again before attempting to ride Vardi again? Yes I have been riding for years and am experienced but have not ridden on a regular basis for over a year so my reflexes are not as sharp as they should be.
3. Push on with riding him….mmmmm will happily put my paw up and say I now have 0% trust in him so not an ideal scenario.
I am trying to be very rational here, I know I can ride and I know I enjoy it and do not really want to give it up, however I am also very aware that I have got to an age where falling off really hurts and I hate being scared (although when the situation is happening I seem to be able to zone in and deal with the problem then go to pieces afterwards). I have ridden other horses in the last two years and do not have the same sense of mistrust and fear I have with Vardi In fact I spend last summer merrily cantering about on my friends show cob whooping!
On the plus side I dealt with the problem and stayed on but and it is a big but at nearly 47 I really think I do not want this kind of excitement, also this was in the round pen doing exercises in walk so how am I going to feel first time in the big school, outside, in the woods etc as I said before the trust is not there anymore. The thing that always kept me going with this horse was that he had never put a hoof wrong well that has kind of changed.
I Have a lesson booked today at 11:30 and I will use that time to sit with my instructor and have a calm rational “where do we go from here” conversation and try very hard not to cry, I know I do not want to get back on top today!
Any input would be gratefully received.
On Tuesday I had a lesson on Vardi, he has been in training for the last six months and I have been working alongside his trainer with his groundwork but not actually riding him to allow him some maturing time. Most people will be aware of his story but for those that do not a link is attached below.
www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=9649546#post9649546
I will freely admit that I was pretty nervous climbing back on board for the first time (rescue remedy was used as was a healthy bout of EFT therapy) but we had a good session with only a couple of minor spooks that I deault with calmly. We had another lesson on Thursday which went really well no spooking at all and some very good work on his right rein (his bad side) I got off feeling very confident that we were getting somewhere.
Yesterday that kind of changed. We started off as normal long lining him and he was going well, I then hopped up and we started to work on some supplying exercises, he was being responsive and listening to me and I was feeling very confident when suddenly bam! We were going at wharp speed round the round pen. I will freely admit that my first reaction was to block myself but then reverted to sit down heels down and whoa and we stopped. I kept him standing for a minute and settled him down again then set off in a small circle on coming out of the circle bam wharp speed again. Rinse and repeat the above but with 5 mins of small circles on each rein pushing his hip out then stop and a backup. Feeling back in control again I increased the circle again and could feel he was going to go again then bam yet another wharp speed. At this point I stopped and my instructor came over and took the reins and we stood for 5 mins.
It took every ounce of my resolve not to just jump off! My instructor insisted I stay on top even giving me a cigarette to calm my nerves whilst we stood still, he then led me on 2 circuits’ of the round pen which was like sitting on a time bomb! I then asked “Can I get off now” and did.
Talking about what happened I said I felt nothing untoward before he flew off for the first time, instructor said he was watching me and saw no rhyme or reason as to why it happened and was at a loss to explain it , we both think that after the first time he got himself so wound up that it was pretty impossible to bring him back down again.
So people I now have a bit of a problem!
I will happily admit that since I had the accident 2 years ago my greatest fear is a horse bogging off with me so my initial reaction to yesterday is “that’s it never again I am too old and too scared to put myself through this! If I say yesterday I could have quite happily have driven away from the yard, sent a cheque to cover his livery for the next year and never gone back again that would pretty much have explained it,
Having had a good nights sleep and some thinking and crying time (the main reason I am writing this now at 6am if I had done it last night it would have been an incoherent rant!) I am thinking that I have 3 options.
1. Sell him accept that the fairy tale ending is not for us as a team and just accept that I did all I could for him. This does not fit well with my bloody minded side.
2. Maybe it is a case of me at the moment needing something been there, got the t-shirt no drama at the moment and I need to build up my riding hours and skills on something like this again before attempting to ride Vardi again? Yes I have been riding for years and am experienced but have not ridden on a regular basis for over a year so my reflexes are not as sharp as they should be.
3. Push on with riding him….mmmmm will happily put my paw up and say I now have 0% trust in him so not an ideal scenario.
I am trying to be very rational here, I know I can ride and I know I enjoy it and do not really want to give it up, however I am also very aware that I have got to an age where falling off really hurts and I hate being scared (although when the situation is happening I seem to be able to zone in and deal with the problem then go to pieces afterwards). I have ridden other horses in the last two years and do not have the same sense of mistrust and fear I have with Vardi In fact I spend last summer merrily cantering about on my friends show cob whooping!
On the plus side I dealt with the problem and stayed on but and it is a big but at nearly 47 I really think I do not want this kind of excitement, also this was in the round pen doing exercises in walk so how am I going to feel first time in the big school, outside, in the woods etc as I said before the trust is not there anymore. The thing that always kept me going with this horse was that he had never put a hoof wrong well that has kind of changed.
I Have a lesson booked today at 11:30 and I will use that time to sit with my instructor and have a calm rational “where do we go from here” conversation and try very hard not to cry, I know I do not want to get back on top today!
Any input would be gratefully received.
