AOD Pt 4

Two posts in one day? I felt like I needed to post another entry. Mainly because this story took place over the course of 5 years, and I have just began to tell you the first year.. It plays a little in my favor though, because my riding has been on hold for the better sake of my horses and their training. This gives me a little time to start back in on my riding for the improvement. Beings I said that – I should tell you that this year will hopefully be my good riding year. I think I am going to live with my aunt over the summer, after I graduate, to train and ride with a grand prix level show jumper. Which most definitely should help my riding. Not sure, however, about the showing aspect. We’ll see where these months take me. Anyway, let’s get back to the story..

At this point I was using this stretcher “device” almost every-time I rode. I almost depended on it and relied on it’s effects – it did help reduce my ability to control this hot creature. I know what anyone is probably thinking, “why?” The device helped my new horse in the sense of sore muscles and extreme use of ones which weren’t fully developed. There were somedays where she would give up the “fight” with this thing and just let the ride take her, but I didn’t feel as if I was doing good for her. I read and learned the supposed “pros” and “cons” of this and similar devices. This time in my life was when I began the search, which will probably continue for the rest of my life, to find alternate ways to go about “horsemanship.” I use that in quotes because I was just learning about the real meaning behind that.

I decided to try something else. A running martingale. Another “device” but not as harsh, as the stretcher. This time my new horse could go about in a more natural state, move freely without the constant force of that bungee thing. If she lifted her head beyond a point, pressure to show her to come back down. That didn’t work very well. She had formed a resistance to another that applied pressure to the bit, areas of the mouth, and nose. My new horse used up every inch of this new found free space that the running martingale granted her. The pressure was not as extreme as the stretcher thing, so she took advantage of that and began to touch the sky once again.

AOD Pt 3

The next day I went to see my new horse, tacked up, and added the stretcher. ( I don’t remember all the things that happened that day, as it was years ago.) Her head was down, rounded, and I was ready to get on. I didn’t know how she would react to suddenly being “forced” to hold her head down. She went fine, or felt fine. I felt more in control and relaxed more in my seat. I think that’s really the only thing this device helped me achieve. Was to relax my hand and seat, and sit deeper. – Which helped develop my core. But my new horse, I know, didn’t enjoy it.

I know now that she reacted with a resistance to it, because she would try to pull the reins out of my hands and push on the bit. But I didn’t know that then, and when she would speed, I would stop and turn her in a tight circle. That’s when someone else came into play. The owner of the barn, who isn’t a trainer or instructor but a horse owner and rider, told me to stop her and turn her when she wouldn’t “listen.” I look back at it now and I feel tears well in the back of my eyes…

Now she rides in a halter, and goes so well. But that took time and finding my own route to take when working with her. And knowing good advice, from relatively bad. Something that is pretty hard to grasp when your just in the learning stage. I believe that’s really when my new horse and I bonded. Was when I broke it down and started to listen to the horse and not others who went against what I knew about my horse.

As of Dressage Pt 2

The head touching the sky was rather ignorant, and as I know today, it really has and had nothing to do with the head of this horse. The problem laid, at the other end.

At this time I was still taking weekly lessons, but getting a little “out” of it because I just wanted to spend my time with my new horse. In addition, I felt as though the lessons weren’t helping me, and getting me anywhere. I now regret, but decided to discontinue my lessons.

My instructor at the time, was helpful. When I got this first horse, I told her of the problems I was having with her head which was making it rather difficult to ride. I was around 13 years old at time.. She handed me a “stretcher.” A bungee type cord that runs behind the ears (while bridled) and through the legs to the girth. The barn has used these on some ponies and horses in lessons, so I was familiar with one. Just not what exactly their purpose was, except to “force” the head down. I questioned it, but knowing only of what my elder had told me, I agreed to try this device on my new horse.