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The North Experience

49K views 548 replies 38 participants last post by  knightrider 
#1 ·
I find myself in a totally new realm. Not only with a new horse, but a new barn, and a totally different perspective than I had just a year or even 6 months ago. I kind of feel like I've been asleep at the wheel for some time, just too engrossed in the "ideas" and blind to the realities of what was around me. I feel like I am in a better place now with better support and I am so excited about North.

Sigh...North... When I think about him, I get butterflies in my stomach. I never did get a video of his movement before he arrived, so I basically made the decision off a few pics and his pedigree and conformation evaluation. Oh, and the word of the barn director regarding his temperament. Several people told me - DON'T get a TB. "They're crazy!" "They hard keepers and you can't keep weight on them!" North defies all the stereotypes.

He is now down to a half scoop of feed twice a day. He arrived getting 1.5 scoops, but it didn't take long for him to start getting chubalicious. The grass at the new barn is amazing. His temperament? Incredible. Each day I've been introducing him to new things. Last Saturday, while I was walking him out to the riding area, we had to pass a bright red big rig with a loaded flatbed while someone in the woods was shooting off a gun and a neighbor thought it was a good time to rev their Harley. He perked his ears and looked around. That's it. I've created such a bond with him through groundwork, and frankly, I never knew it could be so fun. When he does get nervous about something, he looks to me to tell him its okay, and I love that.

My 2 previous horses, and even my lease, were all seniors, so I went into this fully prepared for some tough moments working with an OTTB baby. It just hasn't been so. It took him about 3 days to fully settle in. Last Saturday, he stood quietly as I groomed and tacked him up. We do about 20 minutes of groundwork every day and he literally forgets NOTHING I taught him the day before. It's such a change from Forrest. Lol. Almost every day was like starting over with him. So that day we did a little work in the roundpen - moving off of pressure and such. I introduced the dressage whip - didn't phase him at all. And at that moment, I decided I wanted to get on. He was just so easy and calm on the ground, that I felt like I had to see what he would do in the saddle.

My guy was there with me, so I asked him to hold him while I mounted. North didn't move an inch while I got into the saddle. I patted him and then we proceeded to walk around the round pen. His biggest issue? Wanting to stop and eat grass. lol. And soft! Omg. For the most part I kept him on a long rein, but even if I took up just a little contact to help guide him, he would instantly round his neck and drop down. I had him in a D-ring Happy Mouth with the roller lozenge, and he was really quiet in it. I didn't stay on for more than 10 minutes. I just wanted to feel him and he felt incredible.

I honestly feel SO incredibly lucky to have been given this horse. He is everything I wanted and a completely clean slate. He never raced, only did a handful of training runs, so I don't even have all that to undo. The past 2 weeks with him have just been amazing. This weekend, my trainer friend, Helen, will start putting the saddle basics on him. I think he is going to be incredibly easy to train and I can't wait to see him going good under saddle.
 

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#2 ·
Several people told me - DON'T get a TB. "They're crazy!" "They hard keepers and you can't keep weight on them!" North defies all the stereotypes.
You know what my response to that remark would be? "Horses mimic the emotional state of their handlers." Once they are detoxed from their racing career, given a few weeks to decompress with pasture, buddies, and freedom to move, they will still be sensitive horses, but they'll need someone to actually drive them crazy to become that way.
 
#4 ·
Oh, the other one I forgot was them being tight over their backs. My old trainer literally shut me down before I could even tell her about him. She pretty much hates TBs, so I knew it would not be a good environment to try and develop him in. I think we are both right where we should be. :)
 
#6 ·
Im so glad you found each other and are making such progress. I think it's a perfect match and you made the right decision for yourself. Tbs are very sensitive but willing to adapt.

I think your trainer, like a lot of dressage people cant ride a thoroughbred. Theyre sensitive and cant be bullied or manipulated and wont tolerate what a wb will. Wbs have a different brain and mentality. Tbs are often quicker thinking, listen and need a real horseman and someone they can turn to and trust. If someone cant provide that they shut down and get scared.
 
#9 ·
I just love the look of this horse
From my own experiences of having quite a lot of TB's and OTTB's the problem ones tend to be the way they've been made rather than them being born that way.
If you deal with things like ulcers that a lot of the OTTB's can come with then they aren't hard keepers - they won't all live out in harsh weather without some blanketing/shelter but that isn't really the definition of a hard keeper.
The last two we had came to us on the 'poor side' but soon turned into porkers that needed restricted grazing when they weren't in hard work!!
 
#11 ·
I will try to get some video posted tonight, but Helen is going out of town tomorrow for a few days again, so last night I asked her to just hop on him to evaluate him for me. She rode him for about 30 minutes, just at the walk, and taught him a few things - a balanced halt, moving his shoulders and hind, moving off the leg, and just overall response to the leg. He picked up on things so quickly! They walked over a few poles and then she got off and said to me - "Tina, honestly, I don't think he's a jumper. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's hot enough to be a great jumper. But...I think he can EASILY go upper level dressage." :)

She's going to try to squeeze in another ride tonight just to reinforce what he learned last night and give us some homework to do while she's gone. She really wants us to spend the next couple weeks at the walk to refine the communication and continue with the groundwork. He looked amazing last night for a first ride. I am simply giddy right now. Giddy! Below are just a few shots from last night.
 

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#12 ·
Oh, those people who stereotype TB's are out of their minds. :lol:
But, they are definitely not for everyone. They are very willing, but only if you put the effort in & respect them. They're sensitive & definitely not 'push-button' horses.

I have dealt with a lot of OTTB's & they have all taught me something. They are all so unique. North reminds me a LOT of my girl Promise.

One lady I know told me she HATES Tb's because they all have serious issues & they're 'exhausting'. :lol: LOL, can't relate with mine!
People tried to talk me out of getting MY OTTB & now they are like woah! :lol:

North needed you and you needed him. :)

I am SO happy you have North now. I can tell he has those soft eyes (eyes tell ALL) & he took to you right away. :) Subbing, I am so excited to see where you two go! <3

It is GREAT you are doing all of this groundwork with him, too. It will pay off, & I can tell it already is. It will make your bond so much stronger too. :D You are doing everything right with him. <3
 
#19 ·
Good news and bad news...

The bad news is that I didn't get any video.

The good news is it's because Helen made me ride instead. Lol. But I promise I will get some this weekend!

She decided that it would be better since she was going out of town for a few days, and wanted to make sure I could get the same results when she wasn't there, so it turned into a lesson for both of us. I'm honestly glad she did too. We went over everything she taught him yesterday and he literally forgot nothing. It was only BETTER today. We worked in the roundpen.

He's super soft in the mouth and rounds his neck almost naturally, so Helen reiterated to me that I needed to totally leave his head alone and only work with my seat and legs. She said that because he was so soft in the mouth, we didn't want to teach him to duck behind the vertical. I was only allowed to use an open inside rein when I wanted to push him out. It was so much easier than what I was used to with Forrest and Tess and praise was the golden ticket for North. Each time I praised him for the correct response, it only got better the next time. Yesterday was the first time he'd been taught the halt. Today it was flawless and instant with just the use of my seat. No rein contact whatsoever. I was literally amazed. If I told you how exhausting it was trying to teach Forrest a proper halt for a YEAR and he still didn't have it by the time he left! Tess would halt, but you couldn't get her going again! Lol.

We worked on bending to the inside and outside, lots of change of directions, straight poles, then poles set up in a square, changing direction in the square, and halting in the square. He did so good in all of it, so for the first time... I got to trot! And he was fabulous! Omg, and I don't think I've ever appreciated such a smooth trot so much. Forrest had a gorgeous trot with lots of suspension, but each step was throwing you out of the saddle. With North, I could maintain my position and move him over, and not touch his mouth and it felt incredible. And when I asked him to walk with my seat, it was instant.

We kept the ride short, about 25-30 min. Helen said that he was doing so well that we didn't want to overwhelm him and for awhile, I should keep all work around 30 min. I rode him back to the barn with Helen walking next to us (just in case) and he remained relaxed the entire time. She said that seeing how amazing he was doing seriously made her want to get a clean slate baby to develop. Lol. Like me, she has had some tough horses with a lot of baggage.

And again, I sit here and wonder - HOW did this happen?? How did this amazing horse just happen to land in my lap under the circumstances he did? All I can say is the equestrian angels above must be smiling down on me and I am so very grateful. :)
 
#22 ·
That is amazing. Using your seat is the way to go, & it sounds like he is such a quick learner & does not need much rein contact to slow down/stop. That is GREAT. A lot of people rely on the reins, when really, your seat is the answer! All about the seat.

& I am so happy you got to feel his trot. :D I am glad it's smooth!! I'm sure it's nothing like what you are used to. :D

Helen sounds like a great trainer & she wants the best for you & your horse, which is SO important. Isn't it crazy how things happen? So unexpectedly. I love it!!

You deserve it. All of the things you have been through with the others have taught you a lot, & now that you have North, things are a lot better all around.
 
#23 ·
Yes!! This! ^^^ Helen is not just a trainer, but also a good friend. I swear I have to force her to take money from me for lessons! Lol. But she only wants to see me succeed. And even though she never succeeded with Forrest, she never gave up trying to help me with him.

I've been holding this in for a long time, but I honestly just need to vent...

I was DEVOTED to my old barn and trainer, and did everything I could to help out or promote the place. I'd work shows, schedule clinics, take care of flight arrangements for the clinician. Me and my guy designed the new barn logo that everyone used for shirts and saddle pads and signs for the barn. I'd spend the entire day at clinics videoing everyone's rides and make a compilation video for the BO to post on her website. It didn't matter if I didn't ride until 2pm, I was there at 8am to catch the first ride. On holidays, when she couldn't get barn workers to show up, my guy and I would go out and help clean stalls and take care of the horses.

But when it came to me and my progress and learning, I was an afterthought. I literally have not lessoned with her since before Tess left. When I first got Forrest, she hopped on him and tried to strong arm him into the contact. When it didn't work, she got mad, and had nothing else to do with us. There were many a day when I was out there on my own struggling with him, and she'd walk right past us and not say a word. Offer not one inkling of help. But if she saw me working with Helen, she'd get mad or annoyed. We literally had to do lessons in secret when we knew she wasn't there so there wouldn't be any animosity, even though she never wanted to work with us.

When I stopped regularly riding Forrest because he was working with the horsemanship guy, I told her I was getting depressed not being able to ride. She suggested a few horses I could ride, and I thought "Oh, that's great. Maybe I will." Then she'd say "Okay, I have another lesson at 5p and then you can go after them." So no, not actually a horse you can get some ride time in, but pay me, and I'll give you a lesson. And frankly, by that point, and all that I had learned from Helen, I didn't want to lesson with her anymore. And then I was told that she was ridiculing the groundwork I had being done with Forrest and that it was stupid and pointless. Helen encouraged me to ride her schoolmaster mare to help me learn. Would teach me on her and refuse to take money for it. "She needs the exercise," she'd say.

I tried to tell her about North month's before he came. I texted her a pic and her response was, "OMG! Tell me more!" When I told her he was an OTTB, she stopped responding. When I saw her in person and tried to bring it up again, she didn't even let me finish. "DON'T get a TB! They're crazy and blah, blah, blah. You need to work on your seat more that way you have a better range of options for a horse." I was mad and said, "Improving my seat doesn't change my budget and I don't want another senior with either health or training problems I have to fix!" I never mentioned it to her again, so she probably thought I'd moved on from the idea. Later I told Helen about it and said, "How the hell would she know how good my seat is when she hasn't lessoned with me in over a year??!"

I still remember lessons with her on Tess when she would be yelling at me to "Get her head down! More!" and I had no idea how to achieve that. Helen never yells or tells you to just DO something. She teaches you HOW to achieve the end goal instead. Even now when I keep asking her what she wants to charge for putting the basics on North, she just says, "I don't know..." and then changes the subject. Lol.

So yea, it felt good to get that all out. We're in a better place now surrounded by people who support our improvement. It's a total win-win and I can't wait to continue proving her wrong with North. I post the hell out of him on social media, just so she can see how amazing my "crazy" OTTB is. Lol. :)
 
#24 ·
Glad you found a trainer. some people dont like my trainer but she works well for me and explains how to do things, not just yell at me. And i own an arab and i deal with ALL the crap about how they are Stupid, crazy, Reactive, you cant do anything with them, blah blah. my arab used to be more calm than the QHs we would ride with. hopefully we get there again. Really looking forward to your journey with him! sometimes a clean slate is what we need.
 
#25 ·
I understand. I felt a lot better leaving the barn I was at. Loved the people there but the BO was crazy, sometimes you grow and just have to get away from toxic people who hold you back and get in your way. It annoys me to no end how many trainer won't and cant work with a thoroughbred or a horse that requires a partner, rather than a bully. Some literally just cant ride a thoroughbred and make them seem crazy, even though the horse isn't crazy at all but they can't stand a rider who puts pressure on, on, on and increases it without respect for the horse or explaining the situation. You can get away with a lot more on a warmbloods than you can with a thoroughbred.

I also find it sad how many dressage trainers aren't horsemen and dont really have a clue what to do with a horse on the ground or how to desensitize them, gain their trust or partnership. I'm a big fan of NH and don't get why so many "conventional" disciplines shun it. It teaches a lot about energy and how you can raise or lower energy to get a response, it's about understanding the horse and being able to communicate it. Then you have people who have worked with one horse or a handful and think they know everything there is to know about horses and every situation. My pet peeve, I used to get so many side people commenting about Dante that didn't have a clue about him or the situation or how much we had worked through. People. Always easier to access and assume than to analyze and understand.

I'm glad Helen is able to help you so much with your new guy and is such a close friend of yours. Im glad you have each other to continue the journey on and are in a better situation with a horse you can achieve with. No doubt you learned a lot from Tess and Forrest but hopefully you'll have this guy the next 30 years :)
 
#27 ·
Hahaha, yes. It was very hard for me to see it back then because, well, I didn't know anything! Lol. And when you're new to this, you want to believe that the people that have been doing it for years and years know what they're doing and are teaching you correctly. That it's something you're doing wrong instead.

In my opinion, a really GOOD trainer understands that all horses are different, and not everyone can afford (or even want) a big fancy warmblood. But they should be able to not only teach you, but help develop your horse as well. They should be able to assess your horse's strengths and weaknesses and help you build on or improve those. This is just not the case with my old trainer, but it took me a long time to see that. Her students never progress above training level, and if they do, it's because they stopped lessoning with her. She had one girl who was a naturally gifted rider and had been lessoning with her since she was 4yrs old, is 14 now with an educated horse, and STILL stuck at training level. She moved barns and started lessoning with Helen and within 6 months is now doing 2nd level. I'm too old to waste 10 years at training level. Lol

On a side note, I rode North last night for the first time outside the roundpen. There were some girls riding their pony in there, so I decided to risk it and see how he would do. A barn friend rode her horse out with us, and just sat nearby on him bareback. We thought it would make him more comfortable to have another horse nearby being ridden.

He was a saint. We did have one spook where he jumped sideways, but he was easy to recover and instantly acted like nothing happened. Lol. When the girls finished up, I took him in the roundpen. We tried the square exercise from the day before. He remembered instantly. We went through the square, circled around, and then without me even queuing him, he turned and went through the square again. Lol. I just love his brain and how quickly he absorbs everything. We practiced our walk halts, moving the shoulders, then haunches, and did just a little trot work and he gets better everyday. I feel like the sky's the limit with this one and am thrilled about the future for both of us. :)
 
#29 ·
I agree about trainers and understanding what that particular horse and rider need. Just like @egrogan the trainer my husband rides with has had many many AQHA top 10's as well as AQHA Congress Champions the barns FB page is full of pics of certificates that horses have earned under her training. But she takes lessons with my husband and his TWH just as seriously as her high point earners. To say she is worth her weight in gold would be an understatement. We try to show her our appreciation and she just says "that is what I am here for" she even had someone comment to her once that she would take anything in for a lesson - even an old guy on a gaited horse - and she said well yes I will if they want to learn!

So glad North is working out - he sounds lovely - and you deserve those moments of sheer bliss that only a horse back rider can know.
 
#30 ·
Isn't that disgusting? Your old trainer sounds like someone I know. :icon_rolleyes: LOL, like automatically disregards anything once you mention OTTB. It's sad.

She sounds super bitter. So happy you don't have to see her anymore. You definitely aren't surrounded by that negativity now, & I know that feels amazing. :D My old BO was toxic, I had to get outta there. Best decision ever made.

Helen reminds me a lot of my friend Christina, because she has taught me about all this groundwork stuff too! They want what is best for the horse.

I am so happy you didn't listen to those idiots (well, OTTB HATERS lol) & you have North.

I feel like both of our OTTBs are totally beating the stereotype. It is possible...I feel like groundwork is so important & people tend to skip it.

I know a lady who HATES OTTB's & only rides WB's. LOL. Her horses are push-button, too. OTTB's have taught me a lot. They just get such a bad rep. It's stupid.

That's great you rode him outside the roundpen, & he did so well!! :D I love that, it's the best when they feel unsure/or if they spook, then...that's it! Carry on! LOL. :lol: I am soooooooo excited for you guys. <3 Love this!!
 
#32 ·
i honestly met more crazy paints and quarter horses than OTTBs out here. even my friends horse wishinonastar was a saint and he raced untill he was 15 years old! breeding, training and energy of the people make the horse.

agreed about the trainers. my trainer works with anyone and each lesson is just as important. she is working with a 10 year old girl on a older stocky grade QH with dressage. she has been working with this little girl for a year. takeing her from never riding to winning her first training level test out of 7 riders and with a 76%. i mean for a little girl on a beefy QH with only less than a year of english riding (he had a good 4 months of anemia issues so he was not readable) i feel that's impressive. she is willing to work with odie and his quarks and me and my fear issues. she wont sugar coat it but she is not mean either. last lesson i got scared and freaked out trying to get him to lope. she told me i was a better rider than that. that stuck with me. every time now when i start feeling scared on a horse i remember that and i focus on what im doing NOW. Not what ifs.


I am SOOOOO happy North is doing amazing with you! Tbs are amazing horses. some are just not racers. Look at Cozmic One (zenyatta's first colt). he sucked on the track. he is training for being a jumper and he is a nice one at that.

dont let anyone get you down with this guy. hate to be that person but sometimes older horses are just so damaged they cant be fixed for certain things. Forest while he had the ability just was not going to be YOUR dressage horse. he might make a nice lesson horse or a plod along trail pony, but he was just to damaged to be what YOU needed. North seams to be just what YOU needed. Im excited for each update and i just love the new guy. enjoy working with a clean slate. sometimes they are the best to work with.
 
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