Post by confidentgal08 on Sept 21, 2008 23:11:54 GMT 1
Romeo aka Pennorth confident lad has always done well for us in the inhand showing and always been in ribbons. We have owned him since he was 6 months and somewhat been babied. He always has been a well mannered horse even as colt and has a surperb temperment. we now hit the age of 3 years we work on the lunge to the voice and works over the ground nicely. variing to trot to extended to collected from walk to canter.
romeo has never been a rearer or a bucker or nasty in anyway, however one day things were going well and i thought i would introduce me backing him, this went well he allowed me to do this and got off a couple of days later got on and went for a walk OH leading, all going well and in the right direction. next day we then started to ask for him to walk away from the handler he was a little nervy this time of me asking this of him but walked about 3 foot ( still on the lead but slakened). ok so to get his confidence away from the handler i needed to longrein. Romeo didnt longrein no matter what way we attempted this. So me being propbably a little too hasty decided we would give longreining (which turned out to be a very good demostration of grass skiiing a miss) I mistakenly got on him again fine no prob asked for him to go away from handler and this time he threw a "OH MY GOD WHERES EVERYONE GONE" wobbler sending himself in such a tight spin i fell off the side door and landed extremly hard on my back (lucky enough i was wearing a back protector. Laying on the ground and watching the clouds, deciding if i did have anything broken and saying this horse needs to longrein. I did get back on just to sit to prove that I could get back on him safley which he allowed and just stood there for a min and walked a few steps with my handler. got off and left it as that for the day. Being a inhand show horse he was always used to someone being at the side and had been in contact with another showing friend who said that this would be harder than normal as he has got used to someone always at the side.
Oh i would have been so easy to sell him then but I did not want to as i was my fault as I kept telling the OH. I have backed loads of horses and ridden difficult ones in the past, thats what makes riding intresting for me, I love a challange i said to him. I said to him that I needed some outside advice on this one. Freinds i rang said that would come and help but i wanted constructive critisism, not horse advice domination, as it would be!!
I was watching monty roberts on horse and country that night aching with brusises that was going to be huge. I ummed and arrhhhed for a bit thinking that I dont know what the IH could suggest. emailed the office to find out who was near by and prices ect and invested in a dullay. (I dont know what life would be without it now)
I got an email from Lizp, who doesnt live that far from us as i later found out, we made an appiontment for a couple of weeks times as i was still a little sore. told Liz that he didnt long rein!!!
oh how she proved me wrong. she must have had some secret fariy dust, as Romeo made it look like he had being doing it for years. OK i still did a little bit of grass skiing in the next couple of weeks to come but it was more controlable. by then next time Liz popped over she said how do you feel about sitting on him. "I have no probelms with the sitting on its the walking forward away from the handler we have issues with". I said to her. In that meeting we walked away from the handler and off the lead rein, i did record this on video and watched this back later on. I looked extremely tense as i just did not know what or when he was going to put this spin in. he didnt and we walked a couple of 20 meter circles and left it there. ( more for my confidence). agian when watching this back it looked like he was teaching a novice to ride. completly differnt to this unsure scatty atttitude that i was used to. Liz came back a week later as i had built such a got partnership with her and was completly trusting of what she was going to say, so i could go solo. i had been lonreining through the week absoultly petrified of going solo still having bruises to prove from the last fall, i got on liz walked with us for a bit and then dropped out a bit further and we were on our own. I was grinning like a chesire cat. recored this aswell this time i was alot more relaxed as knowing that romeo had no longer got any issues with me being up there. I had to get off by myself this time no one to hold, i thought he is going to dissapear this time. He proved me wrong again and just stood there. Of course he had been doing it for years !!!!
Anyway as story goes on I now mount and dismount by myself. we walk, trot and starting to canter. nicley schooling over poles , using raised trot poles ( but we tend to jump them so dont do them that often) we have conquered scary bushes and flappy bags, birds and little people playing up by having an arugment while i am riding, nutty colts running up and down fences. the exitement of combines cutting the feilds. the list is now endless.
I longreined him out down our track which leads to bridleways and he was excellent as usual , went past the corn dryer which was on that we do usually have an issue with, no problems. we went for a little look at the traffic (hence I come straight out onto a 60mph road so didnt go that far) only to spook at a lorry with yellow sides that came hurtling down the road brakes screached to a stopped, driver giving me evils for being on the road with a horse (oh heaven forbid) romeo had a slight panic but released the reins and he turned his quarters slightly to the right huffed at the lorry and walked past it. turned around about 300 yards up the road and went home. this hacking out thing actually only happened as I have only ever taken him out on an extremely quite road a couple of times since we have had him, and having an email from Liz saying been out on a hack latley, i sort of did a werid smile and then sat back and thought well lets give it a go. Roemo has proved me wrong with everything else so far let him prove me wrong with this.
On our last discussion with liz i did say to her that clipping would probably need to be addressed with him aswell, as he is very figety when it comes to things like rugs and brushing as he is quite a sensitive horse.was even looking into putting him forward to the monty demo at towerlands, however today as he got a bit fluffy and weather is all up the spout thought i would clip him.
I hasten to add no sedation / twitches / silly behavour happen during this time.
I am soo soo proud of my boy and he just keeps better by the day. I laughed to Liz when she said we will be competing by the end of the year. we are not far off now. seriously looking into do a prelim dressage to get him started in the next couple of months.
thanks Lizp your name in blue is well deserved and we couldnt wish for a nicer person to work with romeo and I. You have taught me a lot as well about myself in such a shortspace of time of about 10 weeks.
romeo has never been a rearer or a bucker or nasty in anyway, however one day things were going well and i thought i would introduce me backing him, this went well he allowed me to do this and got off a couple of days later got on and went for a walk OH leading, all going well and in the right direction. next day we then started to ask for him to walk away from the handler he was a little nervy this time of me asking this of him but walked about 3 foot ( still on the lead but slakened). ok so to get his confidence away from the handler i needed to longrein. Romeo didnt longrein no matter what way we attempted this. So me being propbably a little too hasty decided we would give longreining (which turned out to be a very good demostration of grass skiiing a miss) I mistakenly got on him again fine no prob asked for him to go away from handler and this time he threw a "OH MY GOD WHERES EVERYONE GONE" wobbler sending himself in such a tight spin i fell off the side door and landed extremly hard on my back (lucky enough i was wearing a back protector. Laying on the ground and watching the clouds, deciding if i did have anything broken and saying this horse needs to longrein. I did get back on just to sit to prove that I could get back on him safley which he allowed and just stood there for a min and walked a few steps with my handler. got off and left it as that for the day. Being a inhand show horse he was always used to someone being at the side and had been in contact with another showing friend who said that this would be harder than normal as he has got used to someone always at the side.
Oh i would have been so easy to sell him then but I did not want to as i was my fault as I kept telling the OH. I have backed loads of horses and ridden difficult ones in the past, thats what makes riding intresting for me, I love a challange i said to him. I said to him that I needed some outside advice on this one. Freinds i rang said that would come and help but i wanted constructive critisism, not horse advice domination, as it would be!!
I was watching monty roberts on horse and country that night aching with brusises that was going to be huge. I ummed and arrhhhed for a bit thinking that I dont know what the IH could suggest. emailed the office to find out who was near by and prices ect and invested in a dullay. (I dont know what life would be without it now)
I got an email from Lizp, who doesnt live that far from us as i later found out, we made an appiontment for a couple of weeks times as i was still a little sore. told Liz that he didnt long rein!!!
oh how she proved me wrong. she must have had some secret fariy dust, as Romeo made it look like he had being doing it for years. OK i still did a little bit of grass skiing in the next couple of weeks to come but it was more controlable. by then next time Liz popped over she said how do you feel about sitting on him. "I have no probelms with the sitting on its the walking forward away from the handler we have issues with". I said to her. In that meeting we walked away from the handler and off the lead rein, i did record this on video and watched this back later on. I looked extremely tense as i just did not know what or when he was going to put this spin in. he didnt and we walked a couple of 20 meter circles and left it there. ( more for my confidence). agian when watching this back it looked like he was teaching a novice to ride. completly differnt to this unsure scatty atttitude that i was used to. Liz came back a week later as i had built such a got partnership with her and was completly trusting of what she was going to say, so i could go solo. i had been lonreining through the week absoultly petrified of going solo still having bruises to prove from the last fall, i got on liz walked with us for a bit and then dropped out a bit further and we were on our own. I was grinning like a chesire cat. recored this aswell this time i was alot more relaxed as knowing that romeo had no longer got any issues with me being up there. I had to get off by myself this time no one to hold, i thought he is going to dissapear this time. He proved me wrong again and just stood there. Of course he had been doing it for years !!!!
Anyway as story goes on I now mount and dismount by myself. we walk, trot and starting to canter. nicley schooling over poles , using raised trot poles ( but we tend to jump them so dont do them that often) we have conquered scary bushes and flappy bags, birds and little people playing up by having an arugment while i am riding, nutty colts running up and down fences. the exitement of combines cutting the feilds. the list is now endless.
I longreined him out down our track which leads to bridleways and he was excellent as usual , went past the corn dryer which was on that we do usually have an issue with, no problems. we went for a little look at the traffic (hence I come straight out onto a 60mph road so didnt go that far) only to spook at a lorry with yellow sides that came hurtling down the road brakes screached to a stopped, driver giving me evils for being on the road with a horse (oh heaven forbid) romeo had a slight panic but released the reins and he turned his quarters slightly to the right huffed at the lorry and walked past it. turned around about 300 yards up the road and went home. this hacking out thing actually only happened as I have only ever taken him out on an extremely quite road a couple of times since we have had him, and having an email from Liz saying been out on a hack latley, i sort of did a werid smile and then sat back and thought well lets give it a go. Roemo has proved me wrong with everything else so far let him prove me wrong with this.
On our last discussion with liz i did say to her that clipping would probably need to be addressed with him aswell, as he is very figety when it comes to things like rugs and brushing as he is quite a sensitive horse.was even looking into putting him forward to the monty demo at towerlands, however today as he got a bit fluffy and weather is all up the spout thought i would clip him.
I hasten to add no sedation / twitches / silly behavour happen during this time.
I am soo soo proud of my boy and he just keeps better by the day. I laughed to Liz when she said we will be competing by the end of the year. we are not far off now. seriously looking into do a prelim dressage to get him started in the next couple of months.
thanks Lizp your name in blue is well deserved and we couldnt wish for a nicer person to work with romeo and I. You have taught me a lot as well about myself in such a shortspace of time of about 10 weeks.
What a lovely story,and a terrific example of how an RA can sort what seems a huge problem virtually over night.
;D 
I will be dragging him out next time though. 