#95 - How Teddy Bears hate to be ignored

For the last two days I have tried a new method of catching Teddy, one that doesn't require me restricting his access to leave. I'm determined that he will not be left in a paddock with a halter on, which he never is, and that he will want to be caught.

From what I have heard and read catching a horse is the number one problem people have. With Teddy we have progressed in the right direction but very, very slowly. What was once a hour long chase around a paddock with me being a predator has gone to me luring him to a specific area on the property each time, which is the crush area (aka dining room) without a halter in my hand, then closing the gates on either side of him which restricts the distance he can retreat, then walking over and putting a halter on him. Mind you I have worked up to this. Once when I got him to the dining room he was on high alert and initially tried to leave before the gate was shut and then he eventually just accepted what was coming but has remained evasive to this day. It's at the stage now that it is always easy and works well because he accepts he has nowhere he can really go but it's far from my ideal.

I don't see this as being successful with my goal. I want him to come to me while I have the halter in my hand AND not want to leave, just be haltered, happy and not find it as the threat that he currently does.

On Saturday I tried something new. I walked out to the paddock with the halter in my hand in plain view and a piece of liquorice. I gave him the liquorice and walked away. He followed. I had one more piece of liquorice in my pocket that he couldn't see put most likely could smell. He walked up to me and I went to put the halter on him and he backed up. At that moment I shooed him away and walked in the opposite direction. 'Bugger off" I'd say, "I don't want you." In a few seconds he was following me again. I had my back to him and he put his head over my shoulder. I talked to him calmly and went to put the halter on him. He backed up, I shooed him and walked away. Again he hesitated with a look like he was trying to process what I was playing at. Then he walked over and stood beside me. I put the halter on him and gave him the liquorice that was in my pocket.

To me this was a success. He could have ran a mile like he used to but didn't, he came to me and he had to do what was needed to get what he wanted. Then when it was done I gave him heaps of pats and scratches which he loved and took the halter off. He continued to hang around me in the paddock for the rest of the time I was out there. There were no more treats but plenty of pats and scratches and that was reward enough for him.

This morning I did the same thing but with those mini Reese peanut butter cups which he also adores. This time he was different. He came over to me with the halter in my hand but he didn't get the treat. I went to put the halter on and he backed off sideways so I shooed him. This time he looked at me like, "get stuffed!" and then he went and ate grass as if to say "two can play this game". So I went and talked to the chooks over the fence. I was watching him from the corner of my eye and could see he was doing the same to me. I had to laugh at this mexican standoff! I continued to talk to the chooks and then I saw him walking towards me. I waited until he was half way and turned to say hi. He stopped but I wasn't going to him so he stamped his front hoof into the ground then walked over to me. I walked away. I thought that I wasn't going to reward his little hoof stamping tanty! He followed. I shooed him away one more time after he tried to back up and then he came straight over and let me halter him. He was wrapped to get that mini peanut butter cup.

After more pats and scratches I took the halter off him and just hung around the paddock doing my own thing and he followed me everywhere. Then he started licking me on the hands and arms like a dopey puppy even though he knew there were no more treats. He wanted to hang with me, to the extend that when I was leaving he was whinnying as I walked away. That has to be a good sign that he is starting to see the benefit of being haltered.

I've never had a problem with him wanting to hang without a halter, but for whatever reason he see's the halter as a negative and runs. He used to gallop around so fiercely at the sight of the halter that he actually made my oldest brother fall in the mud while he was attempting to get out of Teddy's way! So where we are now with his halter issue is leaps and bounds ahead compared to those days.

I figure that this is working so I will keep at it, even if it means that in the end he gets a little something tasty each time. It a far cry from chasing a a horse for an hour in the stinking heat or driving rain. Besides, its also very cute to watch him try to figure this whole tactic out.

He's certainly no dummy ol' Teddy, he's on to everything. Some people want a clever horse, as do I, but I tell you it's hard keeping a step ahead of them when they are quick to your every move. I envy those people I see with their horses that can walk up with the halter behind their back because Teddy would never fall for that! A bucket of feed wont even convince him. But liquorice - well that it seems is Teddy's Achilles' heal. So I'm off to the shops to buy more liquorice.

#94 -That horse named Dick...

I have a wonderful lesson today riding the horse named Dick.

My seat, balance and aids were good. I felt like things were much more natural and I didn't really have to think about all the balance stuff so I could work on identifying the feel of a diagonal change without being told, counted in etc. Of course once this new part was thrown into the mix some of the other stuff was momentarily forgotten, but it all came together very well and I was wrapped in having what seemed to be a great leap forward.

I was often successful at recognising the diagonal correctly which is great but what I think is more important is that I was often successful at recognising when I had got it wrong. I also knew each time the rise was out of time once I got the diagonal correct.

I think riding Teddy during an exercise like this will actually be a benefit as the horse named Dick is a 16.1hh Quarter horse and is a total barrel guts (though he doesn't have thin legs like I've heard some Quarter horses do. He's a well proportioned horse.) I love this size and type of horse but I am pretty sure that when I ride the slighter framed 15.3hh Teddy who is a Stockhorse, I will be able to feel the diagonal a lot more pronounced, which can only be to my benefit. Yay for Teddy!

I spent most of the lesson at the trot and in the end I could feel it in my lower back so I will need to find out some exercises to strengthen that part of my body as it is taking a lot at the moment having to control my upper and lower body simultaneously but in different ways while maintaining my balance.

It was one of my best lessons even though the weather wasn't good, with high winds, drizzle and cold. It makes me want to go again tomorrow... pity I cant afford it. I need to win lotto and quit my job, pay off all my debt and just go riding!

Hey it's my blog and I can dream all I like!

P.S. The pic is for the injured Shelley as it reminded me of her pony Pebs.

#93 - There is something to this lungeing...

Teddy was stepping away from the mounting block again on Saturday so I left him saddled, took off his bridle, haltered him up and did a good lungeing session with him. This was our first real lungeing session as the only other time I have done that kind of work with his was during the Parelli partnership program and that's not really lungeing at all, more sending and yielding work.

This time he was warmed up and went through all three paces on the lunge twice, then I took him for a ride for a good 45 minutes. It was probably the best ride I have had with him as we completed some circle work, I worked on my balance at Teddy's quicker pace and we worked on diagonals.

At first I tested him with leg aids on the ground by rubbing the stirrup irons over his stomach back and forth to see if he was actually as responsive to leg aids as the trainer claimed or he was being unaccepting and forward. I don't know why but I just needed to be sure. It works out he is perfectly fine and is just particular good at leg aids. The rubbing with the stirrup irons caused no movement whatsoever so it was a good indication that when I ask him to move on, trot, canter etc he is responding directly to the message and not being forward.

He may not be as forward as I think he is, it may well be me being a chicken. But I'm telling you horse riding is an extreme sport so I need to be cautious! Taking corners at the trot has never been my strong point with Teddy because he is quick but I think I have now got that covered too so my confidence is growing. I was still a little forward in my seat position, particularly when going from a seated trot to a rising trot but the improvement was noticeable. I've probably at level 4 with all I have learned so far.

Interestingly, even after the lungeing and the riding Teddy tossed his head more than he has done in ages. I was using a full cheek snaffle as I was getting paranoid about the Pee Wee bit, but I might have to see how we go and maybe go back to the Pee Wee. I may also call the Australian Bit Bank for some advise.

I've decided that the lungeing did him some good so I will continue to do it before a ride and I will also start to make some video tapes of our rides - for one it will show any potential buyers that he's actually a pretty good horse and it will also help me with my riding skills.

I've had a few enquiries from people wanting to buy Teddy and I have been open and honest with them all. One will come and see him this week, another thought he would be too forward after I described my experiences, and the third I thought the 16 year old girl was too green to take Teddy on as she had never actually owned or cared for a horse before, just ridden for many years. This is ok, I really want the best for all involved. The woman who thought he would be too forward was really happy with my honesty commenting that it's a rare thing with horse sales. All I know is I am not going to do to someone else what was done to me. Besides, as you will see from future videos of Teddy, he has come a long way and is a bloody good punk horse!

I'm more concerned about how my bum is going to look in these videos!

#92 - Tell your horse you're selling him & watch him become an angel!

Yes it is true! I was saddling Teddy up and he tried something new. Each time I got on the mounting block (aka old coffee table) he stepped away from it. Three times he did it and he's never done this before. It was almost like he was telling me that he had decided we weren't going for a ride, he had plans to do something more exciting like eat grass!

I looked him square in the eye and then pulled out the mobile phone and said, "That's it! I'm calling for someone to take you away right now!" He walked over to me and put his head down.
"Nope, #%@! Off!" I said.
He put his head down lower and tickled his lips across the top of my boots. I stepped back and just stared at him. He didn't move. I put the reins back over his neck, took him to the mounting block and hopped straight on. We spent the next hour riding around in a full cheek snaffle and he was fine. Of course there was some head tossing but nothing I couldn't work through.

What a cheek that horse has got! Always something LOL! Well if he thinks he's going to try being the boss of me he has another thing coming!

I also went for a lesson with Kim. It was good as I had a lot on my mind about my horse situation and it was cathartic to get it out and just have a casual chat about it. I also think that the last two weeks have effected my confidence and this lesson really settled me down. It made me see that all in all I'm actually riding pretty well. I can do the required aids at a walk, trot and canter, I don't ever feel like I'm going to fall, I'm actually progressing well with my balance, the bottom half of my body, particularly in this last lesson, has really loosened up and I'm a lot straighter.

It's funny, as a kid we were always told to lean back; by the other kids that is, because we never had instructors. Leaning back couldn't be more wrong so I am really learning from scratch. In the past I couldn't care less as long as I stayed on the horse, but now I have learned a new way I can really tell the difference in feel and movement and being able to ask the horse to do things. It's just a lot more comfortable for me now.

One of my friends, who was a good rider when we were teens, had a slight curvature of the spine and I now wonder if our style of riding has had any effect on her back as an adult. I guess it would be too hard to judge as we can attribute back issues to so many other things that we do in life. Her enthusiasm for horse riding hasn't been damaged so that is all that matters. Another friend has serious back issues from an accident at work and hasn't ridden in 8 years but still has horses and is determined to get back on. I guess that's the kind of effect horses have on people.

#91 - Teddy's not going to nuff nuffs!

I need to make it clear that Teddy is only going to be sold if the best of homes comes his way. I wont be letting him go to any nuff nuffs or yahoos and whoever wants him will need to explain to me the kind of home they will be making for him. Only good homes will be considered as he's already been through a rough time before he came to me; thankfully I don't think that was for a very long time.

I also wont be selling him to someone who wants to hack around, even if it's a great home, as I can and do do that with him myself around the property. Teddy's no trail riding horse.

The whole point is to give him the opportunity to be the best he can be and that is in a place that will nurture his dressage or polocrosse skills and take him to a level I'm not able to. He hasn't done anything wrong, if anything it's about providing him with the best opportunities out there to give his a great life. Until such a home comes we will continue doing as we are doing. I will continue Teddy log and riding, and lessons and ground work etc.

If the ideal place doesn't present itself I will happily keep Teddy and continue looking for another horse to work at my level with. I will just have two horses. That was always the plan anyway because horses are herd animals and I would prefer to have two for their own companionship (unless you consider the three horse argument but that is for another log). The cost has preventing me from doing it so far, but Teddy is a horse that keeps his weight well so he's not that expensive. I've also purchased Wintec gear so I have a stock saddle and a general purpose saddle so all areas are covered and they both can be changed to fitted to almost any horse shape so that expense has be thought out too.

From what I was hearing today it shouldn't be too hard to find a horse to free lease - I will wait for the right one to come along as there is no hurry. I ride a horse named Dick (see how I did that LOL!) at least once a week and ride Teddy at least twice a week so I'm not desperate to get another, I will just progress better on a horse less forward than Teddy.

I hope that clears it up. It's not about the money it's about the home Teddy will have. I love him too much not to do that for him. Day in and day out for a year develops that kind of bond, even with a punk horse with a bad haircut (check out his fringe in the pic above LOL!!)

Teddy Log: #90 - Teddy is now officially for sale

Teddy Log: #90 - Teddy is now officially for sale: "Ahhh that's a good scratch! What a handsome boy! Unlimited Potential Plus!Australian Stock Horse FOR SALE $3000 Teddy (Future Freddy) is a ..."

#90 - Teddy is now officially for sale

Ahhh that's a good scratch!

What a handsome boy!

Unlimited Potential Plus!

Australian Stock Horse

FOR SALE $3000

Teddy (Future Freddy) is a 15.3hh, rising 11yo, bay, registered ASH gelding.

Sire: Wiljohn Peeping Tom

Dam: Quickline

It is with great regret I have to sell Teddy. I am an adult returning to riding after many years and he is just too much for my level of riding at the moment. He was a polocrosse horse in his early days and then turned his hooves to dressage with his previous owner.

I have had a great time bonding with him, he has good ground manners and has completed the Parelli Partnership Program (no final assessment). Under saddle he’s a great doer and extremely responsive to aids but needs a more confident, experience and balanced rider than me.

Note he is not for a beginner.

He may suit a confident older teenager who is receiving regular instruction, but I would prefer a competent adult to take him further. He can jump, would suit someone experienced wanting to do a little of everything, or with the right person and further education he would make an excellent dressage mount.

Finding Teddy a perfect, loving, long term home is my top priority.

Teddy can be viewed by appointment in Kyneton, Victoria.

For more information please contact Tania by leaving a message in the comments section below.