Gardening with Rabbits
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You sure have a nice place to ride.
Clip, clop, clip...
- Thread starter secuono
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bobm
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Ummm ... I was always taught to mount the horse on it's left side ... also I was taught to pull up on the reins as a signal for the horse to stop. 
- Thread starter
- #123
Doesn't matter what side you mount. At least a good horse should be fine with either side being mounted or dismounted. Only doing things on one side is never a good thing.
They used to only mounton the left because of mounted swordsmen having their swords on their left and mounting on the other side would whack the horse.
He's still learning to keep still. Some days he's good, other days not so much.
It was just a funny pic, no need to be a smartarse about it.
They used to only mounton the left because of mounted swordsmen having their swords on their left and mounting on the other side would whack the horse.
He's still learning to keep still. Some days he's good, other days not so much.
It was just a funny pic, no need to be a smartarse about it.
thistlebloom
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At NATRC rides the rider is judged on off side mounts and dismounts, so it's important to be skilled at both. Secuono is doing a good job of getting her horse used to a lot of different things.
It's also good to train your horse with "pre-cues". So a slight shift in your seat will tell him to prepare for a stop before you cue with the reins.
It's fun to ride in an arena bareback and bridleless and do gait changes, turns and stops. Really helps your riding skill and tunes your horse into listening to your body language.
It's also good to train your horse with "pre-cues". So a slight shift in your seat will tell him to prepare for a stop before you cue with the reins.
It's fun to ride in an arena bareback and bridleless and do gait changes, turns and stops. Really helps your riding skill and tunes your horse into listening to your body language.
- Thread starter
- #125
I tried to make a horse-cam video...truly nauseating! So much jiggling, bouncing, flopping, gahh!
We walked from the small area near the barn, through the blue gate that has hot wire, into the backyard and around. Then back through the barn yard and into the narrow pasture and down it's hill. Ended up trotting some, but it was a bareback ride, so I started slipping more and more forward. Horse stopped and waited for me to fix myself, lol.
70F today, so nice out!
We walked from the small area near the barn, through the blue gate that has hot wire, into the backyard and around. Then back through the barn yard and into the narrow pasture and down it's hill. Ended up trotting some, but it was a bareback ride, so I started slipping more and more forward. Horse stopped and waited for me to fix myself, lol.
70F today, so nice out!
- Thread starter
- #126
He will be leaving for official training on the 7th of this month!! 
Rode my boy on the 29th after my lesson. Found out I hate my treeless saddle, just a horrid fit/position for my legs. Have to wait until my boy is fit to buy a good saddle for him.
Selling the treeless, it's a Black Forest, if anyone is interested in it. *hint hint, wink wink* lol
First half of ride, with a saddle.
Going down the easement, where I dip my head under hotwire and horse stops, the sheep run off and Vanilla injured herself.
Then going back up that area, a thorn snags my shirt and it ends up whipping him on the rump and he spooks. =0 But he soon stops and we take a breather.
Once back at the white bucket, I dismount and lead him through the barn to ride in the other pasture. That's were the other video picks up from.
Second video.
He trots some, we walk up a steep, but short hill and he tries to turn to walk back down it, but I say no darned way! Too steep to go down it. Then I want him to walk through the two trees and he say's no, so I turn him right round and we go through it anyway.
He has zero issues walking through the little mini creeks/puddles, leaves, under trees as long as they don't whip him, he lives with these things after all.
_____
December 31st, I started to train again for backing out of trailer, but found a new way that actually worked for him.
He is terrified of the step down while going backwards. So I used food to distract him and ta-da!
Took a day off yesterday, will practice again today.
Rode my boy on the 29th after my lesson. Found out I hate my treeless saddle, just a horrid fit/position for my legs. Have to wait until my boy is fit to buy a good saddle for him.
Selling the treeless, it's a Black Forest, if anyone is interested in it. *hint hint, wink wink* lol
First half of ride, with a saddle.
Going down the easement, where I dip my head under hotwire and horse stops, the sheep run off and Vanilla injured herself.
Then going back up that area, a thorn snags my shirt and it ends up whipping him on the rump and he spooks. =0 But he soon stops and we take a breather.
Once back at the white bucket, I dismount and lead him through the barn to ride in the other pasture. That's were the other video picks up from.
Second video.
He trots some, we walk up a steep, but short hill and he tries to turn to walk back down it, but I say no darned way! Too steep to go down it. Then I want him to walk through the two trees and he say's no, so I turn him right round and we go through it anyway.
He has zero issues walking through the little mini creeks/puddles, leaves, under trees as long as they don't whip him, he lives with these things after all.
December 31st, I started to train again for backing out of trailer, but found a new way that actually worked for him.
He is terrified of the step down while going backwards. So I used food to distract him and ta-da!
Took a day off yesterday, will practice again today.
ducks4you
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It is always so nice to see a novice learning on a safe horse! The backing off of the step up can be fixed by doing daily backing outside of the trailer, so that it's no big deal. I always use English and my horses KNOW that I say back for each step, and then, "Annnnddd, Down" for the backward step off of the trailer. I get to be their eyes.
Oh, and for the misunderstanding of "pulling on the reins stops the horse," the longer you train, the more precise your "aids", your weight, seat position, leg cues and rein cues become. You expand your vocabulary and then practice like you are going to Carnegie Hall with your horse. After years, your aids can become invisible to the average person.
Just yanking backwards on the reins is like huge font in bold and caps and many exclamation points, on the internet.
Oh, and for the misunderstanding of "pulling on the reins stops the horse," the longer you train, the more precise your "aids", your weight, seat position, leg cues and rein cues become. You expand your vocabulary and then practice like you are going to Carnegie Hall with your horse. After years, your aids can become invisible to the average person.
Just yanking backwards on the reins is like huge font in bold and caps and many exclamation points, on the internet.
- Thread starter
- #128
Lol, safe horse, well, he sure didn't start out like that!
He was a wild and terrified little thing! Never thought he would be anything but a companion pony. Started working with him regularly last autumn and he's turned into a whole new horse!
I forgot to link the video. I used the grain to distract him from the scary step. He will back on the ground, but on the trailer, it's just a very scary thing for him and he either shuts down or gets wide eyed and refuses.
He was a wild and terrified little thing! Never thought he would be anything but a companion pony. Started working with him regularly last autumn and he's turned into a whole new horse!
I forgot to link the video. I used the grain to distract him from the scary step. He will back on the ground, but on the trailer, it's just a very scary thing for him and he either shuts down or gets wide eyed and refuses.
- Thread starter
- #129
thistlebloom
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Secuono, does the center divider come out of your trailer somewhat easily?
A lot of horses are reasonably scared of putting their feet where there is no solid ground behind them.
Of course training him to back out straight is probably the best in the long term, but if you can remove the divider and let him turn and unload going forward it will increase his confidence in the trailer.
I had a big Arab gelding that scrambled terribly when loaded in a two horse straight load.
When I trailered him alone I would remove the divider and he would stand diagonally and ride calmly. He was just better balanced that way. I think before I got him somebody trailered him and didn't slow enough at corners so he became anxious about falling.
I'm afraid I can't watch any of your videos because our data is used up for the rest of our billing cycle so maybe I've missed something and am being redundant.
A lot of horses are reasonably scared of putting their feet where there is no solid ground behind them.
Of course training him to back out straight is probably the best in the long term, but if you can remove the divider and let him turn and unload going forward it will increase his confidence in the trailer.
I had a big Arab gelding that scrambled terribly when loaded in a two horse straight load.
When I trailered him alone I would remove the divider and he would stand diagonally and ride calmly. He was just better balanced that way. I think before I got him somebody trailered him and didn't slow enough at corners so he became anxious about falling.
I'm afraid I can't watch any of your videos because our data is used up for the rest of our billing cycle so maybe I've missed something and am being redundant.
