The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Day 1.... The saddle. :D

8K views 60 replies 16 participants last post by  Erin_And_Jasper 
#1 ·
Well, started with Kathryn's Arab gelding today. I just let him kinda calm down a bit yesterday and the wind was terrible (40+mph with almost 60mph gusts). It is more bearable today (20-30) so I started with him. He took the bridle well, a little high headed and backed up a bit when I tried to bit him but nothing terrible. The saddle was a little more difficult, he kept wanting to move forward, so I just kept the inside rein short and let him walk until he stood. I'm not a big fan of tying solid when I saddle unless I have to. He responded well to the cinch, a little sensitive but no offer to hump or buck. He is currently standing with his head tied to one side while I wait for him to supple a bit. I haven't decided yet whether I will ride him today or not, I am here by myself and I will just have to see how he acts when I go back out.

Anyway, just thought I would share that bit of progress and a couple of pictures. :D





Here, he is resisting the bit just a touch. I tie their head around to teach them to be supple and give to the bit. It is not a solid tie and they can get loose if something happens but it takes a fair amount of pulling. That way it frees up some of my time to work with other horses or do chores while he learns. You have to know exactly how long to leave the rein, too short and he will learn to brace, too long and he won't learn to give.


Here, I knew it was time to tie to the other side cause he was just standing with his head to the side and the rein hanging. When he would move, he would turn in circles without pulling the rein tight.


So, on to the other side. A bit of resistance due to confusion but he figured it out quickly.




I am so glad that I bought that shorter cinch. It is way too small for Dobe but it is nearly too long for him.

Anyway, back out to check on him and do some more work. :D
 
See less See more
6
#27 ·
Ride 6:

Went to the country again, by myself this time. Last time, having another horse there was more trouble than it was worth. Warmed him up just a touch before I got on cause I've missed the last 2 days. Friday, it was raining heavy all day and yesterday I had a stomach bug :(. Only did a couple of circles to see if he would hump up and he didn't. Got on and started out but he was having a serious issue with something on his right side so we spent the first 5 or 10 minutes doing little tiny circles to the right until he calmed down. Made the 5 mile circle twice again today and he did really well, hardly any spooking at all. When we got back home, I worked him in some circles and it didn't take him long to really relax down into them and trot around on a semi-loose rein with his head down. Worked a bit on introducing neck reining as well but not enough that he really understands it yet. Maybe next ride. All in all, a good ride, especially considering that he hadn't been ridden in 2 days.
 
#28 ·
Ride 7:

To the country again. Made the circle in the bigger pasture this time instead of making 2 circles of the smaller pasture. He tried for the first time to act up a bit. We were about a mile away from home and when I asked him to pick up the lope again, he kinda kicked out with a hind leg. I tightened him down to a tiny circle and bumped with an inside leg until he felt right, then I stopped bumping and let him stop, still in the tiny circle. Started him right back up and no problem when I asked for the lope again. He is learning really fast and has already figured out to kinda rate himself when going down hills. Little bit of a scary experience though, we were loping along and he found a really soft spot and nearly went down with me. Curse this wet ground LOL. Other than that, no other problems. When I got back to the barn, I did quite a few more circles than yesterday and I can feel his trot really slowing down. I haven't tried to lope a circle on him yet cause sometimes he is still having a problem with following his nose but it is getting a lot better. He did wonderfully and really eased along with his head down. His stop is really good, he really buries his butt when I pick up my hands and he is beginning to get the idea behind neck reining. Other than the one little act up, today was a very good ride.
 
#29 ·
Sounds like your making real good progress with him!
 
#30 ·
Thanks PD :D.

Ride 8:

Stayed close to the barn today and worked in circles. Got him really following his nose and softer in his turns. Spent a lot of time working at the lope and he is semi-consistent about picking up the correct lead. He is a left-footed horse so the right was significantly more difficult for him but he did eventually get it. Eventually, he relaxed and loped some slow-ish circles with minimal correction on his direction. Didn't see the boogeyman anywhere today except in the old trailer. Had a new experience too, we were slowing down a bit and I was letting him cool out before I called it a day when here came this road grater barrelling down the road pulling one of those big round steam rollers behind it. I bet he was doing 30 mph and the roller was bouncing all over the place and making a horrible racket. He just looked at it for a minute and then was content to continue walking his circles as that whole thing passed within about 50 feet of us. I am really proud of him and I enjoy riding him. He travels nice but the more I ride him, the more I think that his gaits are not something that I will ever learn to love. I guess I spent too many years on stock horses and love the way they travel, IDK.
 
#31 ·
smrobs I think you are giving the lady her moneys worth. You are riding the horse fairly hard daily and that is good. Alot of trainers take your money and really put few miles on a horse.
I wouldn't hesitate to send you a horse for training. Your attitude, work ethic is good.
The lady will get a nice horse back.
As for the gaits?? they can be a little rough at first but given time they smooth out. My guy started with a rough trot but it has settled down to very comfortable with mileage.
Your guys lope is probably on the front and over time he will learn to lope off the hind and then it becomes far more comfortable. Like loping up a hill.

You are doing a nice job:)
 
#34 ·
My mare goes to her May 1st and I can not say how excited I am enough especially after reading the updates on this guy! I will probably send my gelding after my mare. If the pony wasn't so little I probably would send her too!!! LOL


BTW Smrobs got your message, found your email and will send a copy of coggins today.
 
#33 ·
Ride 9:

Worked in more circles today. He is picking up the lead that I ask for pretty consistently. Just saddled up and got on and started trotting big circles in the open lot. He was a little more forward but really relaxed after a couple of warm up circles. A little bit windy and he boogered once when one of my saddle strings flapped against his flank, he tried to make a couple little hops but I got him shut down and made him work in little tiny circles for a couple of minutes. No problems after that. He is really flattening out in his gaits and learning to rate himself. I have never trained a horse with vocal cues but I always talk to my horses. He is the only one that has ever picked up "easy" and "whoa" without me working on it at all. Of course I still give a rein cue for whoa too so that he won't rely solely on the word. He is progressing well though he isn't picking up neck-reining as fast as some I have ridden. Then again, I haven't worked on it a whole lot either. I have worked more on getting him flat and relaxed. Also, I have to keep reminding myself that I have only ridden him just a few times and he can't learn everything in one day LOL. The last filly that I rode didn't really start to get it until about ride 10 so I'll give him another day. Might go ahead and take him back to the country tomorrow. I'll have to see about the weather, we're supposed to have thunderstorms all day and they're supposed to be severe in the afternoon. But I look forward to it. Worked on leg yeilds a bit today too and he is really quick to move off my leg.

:D :D :D I am loving this and having more fun every day.
 
#35 ·
Ride 10:

Didn't have much time today. Stinking weather. I had just saddled up and started trotting circles when the rain hit along with the wind. So I kept going until he was nice and relaxed then called it a day. Didn't work on much of anything other than just riding nice and calm. Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer.
 
#38 ·
Ugh, stupid uncooperative weather. Stormed us out on Thursday and the wind has been blowing crazy since then. Today, it is a lovely north wind that I can't even stand up straight against. :(
Move to the great white north. The weather here is beautiful. In the mid 60's , sunny, dry, no wind. Absolutley perfect riding weather.

We could team up and start running endurance:lol::lol: You've got the right horse for the job. I need a partner?
 
#40 ·
Ride 11:

Not such a good ride today. He was pretty well behaved considering I missed the last 2. Just saddled and got right on. Went and worked in some circles and he was really responding to neck reining today, just a few corrections every now and then. Nice and relaxed so I figured it was time for us to take a bit of a break and go to the country. It was kinda windy today but not as bad as it has been so that may have played a part in what happened. We were going along really nice he was relaxed but having trouble staying in a straight line (one of the side effects of circles). We had gone maybe 4 miles when something scared the crap out of him. I suspect it may have been the windmill but I can't be sure. He did the lovely spook-suck back and got me off balance then proceeded to make a huge lunge/jump which just catapulted me out of the saddle. I tried my darndest to keep ahold of a bridle rein but no luck. I landed flat on my back and it knocked the air out of me but I got to my feet just in time to see him running the other direction with his tail sticking in the air :(. So walking I went thanks to the worst case of basketball butt ever known to man. I suspected he might have headed back toward the gate that we go out of to go home so that is the direction that I started walking. It was a rather refreshing 3 mile hike and gave my back just enough time to start really screaming. Luckily, he did run right back to the gate and he was standing there waiting on me. One of my bridle reins was just gone so I had to make do with some improvised roping reins made out of the remaining one. He was a little boogery when I first got back on but it only took him a minute to settle back down. I took him back around in a smaller circle through the pasture. I would have taken him back by the place he spooked except by this time, I was finding it a little hard to breath and nearly impossible to move with him so I was riding about like a sack of potatoes *shakes head*. So I made the little circle and towards home we came. I worked on some walk-trot-stop-backup the last quarter mile or so and he was being really responsive in spite of my riding stiffly. He didn't offer at all to misbehave again so with a couple more circles I called it a day. I guess it wasn't all bad, just the one big accident, which was entirely my fault. I am fixing to head home and alternate some heat and ice on my back in hopes that I won't be completely stove up tomorrow. I am supposed to go help brother brand 2 pastures of calves. Maybe next ride will go better.
 
#42 ·
Oh, yeah. Even if I sure enough can't breath, you can bet your butt I will at least get back on and trot a couple more circles before I call it a day. That tub of hot water sounds really good and I wish I had someone closer than 2 hours away that would give me a message LOL. I don't think it will really set me back much.....I hope. I will just have to be a little more aware next time we go by a windmill.
 
#44 ·
It's almost always in the second week that a horse will buck with me. They are green enough to be scared but comfortable enough under you to try something.
 
#46 ·
Yup. I'm at that stage with one of mine but instead of an 850# arab it is a 1300# half draft 7yo mare. I am trying really hard to talk her out of it.
 
#48 ·
Just wanted to share this with you... I too broke out my first arab this spring. He is 6 years old, was very nicely halter broke, but that was about it. I was very nervous about the job ahead of me because I had always heard that arabs were flighty and nervous horses. But I always thought they were beautiful! This poor horse had spent his young life in sales barns and I finally bought him from a rescue ranch (for $200). By the time I bought him from these great ladies, he had put on a lot of weight... but he was still needing some. Anyways, to make a long story short... I started him this spring, and it has been a beautiful experience! This is by far, the easiest horse I have ever worked with. He WANTED to learn! Arabs are definitely people horses, and they are just amazing! I spent 2 weeks on ground work with him, and a couple days inside of an arena on his back. We have been rode riding, trail riding, etc. for the last 2 months now, almost everyday. I have not had one bad ride yet! I too am finally learning what Arab lovers already know! He is my pal!
 
#49 ·
A good arab is worth it's weight in gold...on the flip side the bad ones can be spectacularly bad. They are easy to train and quick to respond, whether they are being trained correctly and being treated fairly is going to influence the end result in a bigger way with them than with say a stock type horse that is a little more forgiving as a rule. They have a nasty little habit of learning the things you wish they wouldn't along with those you wish they would learn. Good luck to both of you with your Arab projects! And Hudson, WE DEMAND PICTURES! (video is good too) =D
 
#51 ·
Whew, sorry I haven't updated in a while, been a little bit busy. He is doing pretty good. No hiccups since that one day but then again, I have really been riding him down. He is picking up neck reining really well so I went ahead and transitioned him to the swivel shank curb. He is picking up his leads consistently with only a little correction needed occasionally and the thing that I like the most is that he is really slowing down and relaxing. Keeping his head level and really breaking at the poll nice. When I ask for the stop, holy cow does he stop on his hocks LOL. My back is still a bit sore and I think I will likely require a trip to the chiro but that will just have to wait. Won't get a chance to ride him tomorrow because we are getting in about 250 head of yearling cattle from a feedlot. Not that it wouldn't be good for him to spend all day working cattle but these are often so wild that I really need a good dependable horse until we get them all out into the pastures where they belong. Also got the mare from Stacie yesterday and am really looking forward to riding her, will probably happen day after tomorrow. :D
 
#52 ·
Working cattle..that sounds fun. We don't have nearly that many head and once they are out to pasture, there isn't much for us to do with them. We did brand and tag our replacement heifers the other day.

Sounds like your getting more riding in than I am. <sigh> Between some very high winds (gusting over 50 mph) and rain, I've not been able to ride for the last few days. :( I hate being stuck inside. Sounds like this coming Monday I might get a break in the weather and then not again til Sunday. I'll be climbing the walls by then. :(
 
#53 ·
Oh, I understand completely how you feel. We had the same wind for a few days and yesterday and today are really the first nice days we have had. You are more than welcome to come join us with putting out the cattle, they are almost always really wild and require some talented (and broke) horses to handle them effectively LOL. We usually end up with anywhere from 700 to 1000 head every summer. :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top