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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 8, 2006 11:13:21 GMT 1
Hi, I have a stunning thoroughbred mare that i just adore to bits. She was originally intended for racing, but her lungs could not cope, and was retired after only one race. Since then... she has done nothing! (she is 9 now) ;D I met her almost a year ago, and her feet were so long, the hoof wall was dished, and the hoof splayed out about an inch or so from the sole of her foot. I have been getting them regularly trimmed... but they still are a little dished, but at least the cracks have almost grown out! (first trim Feb 06) Anyway, I really would like to ride her some time soon... but she has been out of work so long, and what she has done (racing) she found so unpleasent her jockey was quite brutal with her, and as a result her mouth is badly scarred. I really want it to be us having a great time together. I have been for about 3 rides so far, all in either paddocks, or once in an arena. They were good - but I really did not know what to expect, and she was quite nervous. I have done a lot of ground work over the last year - and generally we get on fine. She is the kind of sweetheart that lowers her head to assist you with the halter, and to trim her bridle path. I have a couple of questions really that I am hoping to find help with. I would like to have some kind of basic strategy for getting her to the point where I am confident to hack out with her, knowing she is not going to freak out and want to go home, and that she trusts me enough to go new places with me. Basicly - I want a calm, happy confident horse. The second question is given the state her feet got to - what is the best course of action, and what do I need to do to account for this in my strategy. She is not obviously lame, and the farrier is happy with her progress to date.
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Post by maryplain on Dec 8, 2006 11:29:04 GMT 1
I am not knowledgable enough to offer you any advice on this, but I just wanted to wish you luck with this mare, she certainly sounds as if she has found a lovely home. Hope all goes well with her.
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Post by Catrin on Dec 8, 2006 12:05:55 GMT 1
It sounds like you've made a good start. If you keep up the groundwork, she will build up confidence in you. Long reining is also good for maintaining fitness in the horse and its confidence in you. You may consider long reining in a Dually and if you feel confident, you could ride in it too. I have four TBs and always ride two of them in a Dually. Once the other two are backed, I will ride them in one too. In fact I don't sit on them,until I feel confident that I can ride in the Dually. Later on, I teach them how to accept a bit and bridle.
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SamD
Advanced Poster
God forbid that I should go to any heaven where there are no horses.
Posts: 419
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Post by SamD on Dec 8, 2006 12:22:39 GMT 1
Hi Rosiesfriend, I would say that if the farrier is happy and she`s sound the I would be happy, just keep and eye on them. As for the training part, most of my horses have been ex-racehorses and yes, they are very nervous and cautious horses, only because they have not been exposed to the outside world. When I first got my boy he had never seen a dog before and after a few tentative steps we managed to get them introduced. Try and do alot of confidence building excercises like walking over taupalins, pushing a bicycle past her, road cones, plastic bags, wheel barrows just everyday stuff. You will soon get to know what she likes and what she doesn`t like.
At some point you just have to trust her, and by doing that she may happily say, "I trust you too." Good luck
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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 12, 2006 7:27:20 GMT 1
Thanks guys... she is pretty good with the ground work in an area she knows... but take her elsewhere and its a different story... so that is exactally what I have started doing. Taking her just far enough away from home till she begins to get distracted, then ask her to do something she knows.
Where she is now... there are heaps of horses etc nearby... and as she has spent a lot of time by herself... she craves their attention. Luckily she now has neighbours, and one of them may become her paddock mate in due course, so hopefully it will help her out with this.
She sometimes gets really worried in new places, is the right tactic to take her to heaps of new places till she is comfortable with them? Is there any specific thing I can do to make her more comfortable with these new experiences?
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Post by Desperado on Dec 12, 2006 22:42:39 GMT 1
I have an ex racehorse who i basically retrained. She raced and then was retired to stud, was going to be shot because she couldnt have anymore foals, ex boss bought her and then gave her to me. She would run backwards or forwards in circles and then if you got on her and made her move she would jog everywhere. I did loads of groundwork with her and then started her again in a bitless bridle so she completly relearnt the aids and she was in a treeless saddle, we did loads of hacking and I made her walk everywhere until she calmed down and then we started trotting and cantering, now she is so calm and the best horse I could ask for, we have a great bond and she really is worth all the blood sweat and tears ive put into her, i was ready to give her back after a few weeks after i got her, she really did have a few screws loose bless her.
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Post by skismurf75 on Dec 13, 2006 12:54:44 GMT 1
Rosiesfriend - sounds like this girlie is very lucky to have found you and you seem to have made a good start.
I have no experience with ex-racers, and not much with anything else ;-) but have recently been working with a young pony who seemed to have missed big chunks of training. He had never hacked out alone and would get pretty stressed as soon as he got beyond anywhere familiar i.e the top of the yard drive! So we went an extra 20 yards a day, a little bit further if he was calm, and not so far on a "bad" day. When I felt him start to get tense we would stand quietly for a moment or two, then turn around and go home. Occasionally he would tense very quickly and maybe stop or go sideyways. I would encourage him to take 1 forward step before we turned so that we only changed direction on my terms, but without freaking him out. It took several weeks (i thought it'd be months but he's a great lad!) but now we can hack out for a couple of hours. He still has the odd "moment" - normally, if given time, he'll work through it himself, but if there's a bigger issue then I get off and lead til he's more comfortable with the situation.
It sounds to me as if something similar might be worth a try for you - but taking her out more in-hand to begin with as you're already doing.
I can only really say to let your horse guide you so that you work together - it's amazing how the trust comes if you listen and work with her.
You'll get some great advice from people here (as you have already) who are far more knowledgable and practiced than I, but feel free to PM if you just need a bit of moral boosting at any time! Someone here offered their support to me in a similar way, she was great at encouraging when things weren't going so well and also understood why I wanted to shout from the rooftops on other days!
Good luck and keep us updated xx
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Post by marianne on Dec 13, 2006 15:57:18 GMT 1
As much turnout as possible should ensure your mare is nice and chilled when you ride her (my ex-racer used to be at livery with 3 hours turnout/day and after 3 days not ridden I'd have to lunge a bucking bronco for 15 minutes before I even dared get on .... now he's out 24/7 he can go unridden for weeks but is cool as a cucumber when you get on).
Do you have anyone you can ride out with? Preferably someone with a safe sensible hack so you don't encourage any hyper behaviour .... It will also help her relax about new or strange situations if she sees that the other horse isn't bothered.
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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 14, 2006 10:27:58 GMT 1
Fab ideas guys - thanks.
I am lucky enough to be in a climate where she is outdoors 24/7, covered in winter of course, but then I'm in NZ so things are a little different down here!
I must say, I have noticed the difference calmer companions make. Its interesting to see how they communicate and reassure each other - even from a distance.
In her last spot - the other horse that was nearby was a total loonie - chased birds and stuff - I think he thought he was a dog! but put their paddocks closer, and they both calmed down and there was less fence walking, although sometimes she would hoon around in circles so you would swear she was on a race track. So much sheer joy from just running!
Apparently something bad had happened once, which is why they were kept separately... so much so that even if they were in next door paddocks there was electric fences set up to keep them from touching!
I took my girls rug off in her new place yesterday, and after following me and the wheelbarrow for a few minutes, and demanding some scratches along the way, she tottered off and had a grooming session with the neighbour. Good going for the horse who even on the track had to be kept separate! Your are right Marianne... mates can make all the difference to a horse.
The idea of a bitless bridle really appeals, and given that she has had issues with her mouth, may be an ideal solution. I'll do some more investigation as to where you can get them down here. I'm almost tempted to give riding her a go in her rope halter - but a bit more ground work first I think!
In the meanwhile - her feet seem a bit sore lately - I think it is something to do with a change from a soggy paddock, to a fairly dry one... any ideas?? or is it more likely to be something else. I can't seem to find any particularly hot or swollen areas, and don't like my chances of getting her farrier in before Xmas... though I'm going to give it a try!
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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 18, 2006 9:57:57 GMT 1
Yay! She offered me her back feet today!!!
I know it sounds like a small deal to some, but the horses I have had in the past i have always incouraged to assist me as much as possible. You bend to their foot... they lift it to meet you half way (what little angles... and old know it alls)
Rosie on the other hand has always been really funny, particularly with her back feet, and if she really does not want you to have them, she will jump from the leg she is standing on, and put all her weight on the other side... or will try to kick out when you try to pick it up. Or just stand there and ignore you. I always make sure that if she does get her foot back - I retrieve it and make it my choice when it goes back on the ground again.
The farrier seemed to think that she may have had some bad trims - cut too close so it hurt - and was protecting herself. It may also have something to do with generally having sore feet from them growing too long, with cracks and the rest of it.
Anyway, to cut a long story short(er), she reared at some horses the other day, and got one of her front feed caught in a fence wire, giving herself a bit of a gash on her heel. Every day when me or the property owner has been in to check her, she has offered that foot up for inspection and cleaning etc. quite meekly (what a good girl!) but then front feet were not her main problem.
Now today, as we were lazing in the sun having a nice groom, I picked out her front feet, then scratched her on her bum, and she "rested" the relevant back foot for me to pick up. Round to the other side... and with a little scratching encouragement... she changed her weight and rested the other foot!!!
I really do not have enough exclamation marks for this!!!!!!!
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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 20, 2006 20:19:39 GMT 1
Right - now that that little bit of excitement is over with... before I ride her - I need a bridle and stuff!
The important question - what kind of bit would you recommend? I would really like to be able to ride in Jan - provided her feet are up to it!
Apparently - as mentioned above - her jockey did nasty things to her mouth - and if I was her I would be petrified of it happening again, and would want reassurance that bits do not have to hurt. My goal is to compete in dressage and flat classes in about a years time (no pressure tho - if we are not ready - we are not ready!) and I cannot afford 2 bridles - so bitless is not an option at this point. (although I intend to be able to ride in her rope halter)
Is this the right way to think about the situation, and what are my best options?
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cp
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 170
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Post by cp on Dec 21, 2006 11:26:59 GMT 1
Hi there
When I started working with my exrace horse (who was/is very fussy in the mouth) I started off by using a Happy Mouth, straight bar, loose ring snaffle. It's ultra mild and obviously stays very still in the mouth giving them the opportunity to learn to 'trust' the bit.
Also, personally I'd try and hack out with another horse the first few times. Something very steady, that will give her additional confidence. Racehorses are used to going out in strings, so hacking on her own is likely to be very alien to her.
Best of luck!
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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 21, 2006 19:59:53 GMT 1
Thanks!
Had the dentist in yesterday - he noted that she had a narrow lower jaw, and was likely to find a standard snaffle quite uncomfortable. On the upside - the 5(!) or so years of paddock rest means that her mouth is not all that scarred from the abuse she suffered - except that one of her front teeth has been knocked out of position.
Do you think I am being overly ambitious to want to go to our first show this time next year? It's just a local - relaxed atmosphere one which apparently has fab classes for newbies.
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Post by skismurf75 on Dec 21, 2006 20:19:06 GMT 1
Rosiesfriend, can't help with bits I'm afraid.
Re your ambition to do first show this time next year - I think it's good to have an aim as long as that's what it is, an aim, and if the time isn't right for either of you then you go with the flow. I noticed in a post a few up you said it's no big deal so sounds like you're on the right lines - I re-iterate what I said last time I posted, she's lucky to have found you!
I had the aim of the yard xmas show for little Davie to do one tiny junping round - mainly to see how he coped with all the spooky tinsel, inflatable Santa's and snowmen (which were quite demonic actually!!). We did a class where the "jumps" were about 6" and he came second in the jump off! Had a few spooks but nothing major so that was a success and we both came out of it feeling good - I am convinced he had a ball!
Sounds like the show you have in mind is perfect as it is local and relaxed. We use our yard shows to help folk out if things go a bit haywire - like if someone gets eliminated because of refusals, for example, they're not chucked out of the ring but the YO goes in to give advice and make sure they jump something to end on a good note.
Good luck with it all, I look forward to your future posts.....oh and by the way, Happy Xmas and here's to a lovely 2007 with our beloved neds! xx
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Post by rosiesfriend on Dec 23, 2006 7:12:32 GMT 1
Hey well done!!! That's awesome for a first outing!!
I wanted a goal because I did several years of lessons on my previous horses with no real goal - other than to be a better rider - and although you get good feedback via progress with the horse/pony - muscle tone, attitiude to work etc - I am hoping that this will give me a sense of purpose.
Merry Xmas to you to... and thanks for the help!!
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