#100 - OMG! My 100th BLOG! It's video time!

I cant believe time has gone so fast. And looking back heaps has happened in my horsey life and I love it. Sometimes I get so frustrated I'm in tears and others I couldn't be happier. My patience has improved an unbelievable amount and I've learned heaps. Teddy and I have taught each other a lot.

Today we expanded on the friendly, porcupine and driving games. I forgot to take the carrot stick with me so driving Teddy forward while standing in zone three just wasn't happening. He was just looking at me like, "What?"

It's been a long while since we had concentrated on this so it was fun and he was great. His friendly game is perfect so I will introduce and umbrella or something tomorrow, during the porcupine game I don't even have to touch him on one side but his sore side I needed to press on his skin. He was quick to look around so I think it was a matter of him worried I was going to make him sore or something. During the driving game he responded straight away but I still needed to wiggle the line, if I wave a finger he gives me the "What?" look again!

He lowers his head when asked but never all the way to the ground. That could be my fault as I used to just teach it to my waist so it's easy to get the halter on and off. I should have been going further if I really wanted to stick to the plan. Also, I can pick up all his feet from one side without changing sides.

I'll have to go back to the plan to see what comes next because I've forgotten! I had one of those little hand books in my pocket and when I took it out to read it Teddy was right there beside looking as if he was having a read too; but it must have looked tasty cause he then tried to eat it.

The rest of the time I spent leading him and just stopping at any and varied moments to make sure he stopped straight away and along side me. I did this leading from both sides. He's great at that too. Good job Teddy, I should mix it up more often and not ride all the time.

To celebrate our 100th blog I have posted this 40 second video of Teddy in the morning. I hope it's clear enough for you to see his droopy eyes.

#99 - By God She's Got It!

I am still doing well with the dressage. I'm pretty good at posting on the correct diagonal by feel alone and rein changes. I still cant stay at a rise for the length of the arena but am definitely getting better. It's weird trying to rise for so long on a loose knee; I wouldn't have thought it possible for anyone as it kind of defies logic to me. I actually can see now that my knees are my greatest issue. It's my bodies natural response to use my knees for security when straddling a big round horse so I need to think about this as I ride. Most other areas have become natural (of sorts) so I assume the knees will follow soon.

I'm really happy with my balance now too - once again I think this was about my knees as well as remembering to keep contact with my calves.

No double bouncing and my transitions to canter and out of canter are a lot smoother. I think as I've been having a lesson a week for three months now, give or take, I am doing OK. I'm happy.

When I came home I came up the driveway in the car Teddy spotted me and ran over neighing and then ran over to the gate and waited patiently for me to get out of the car and give him a pat. How I love that!

I think he knows I've been seeing another horse!

#98 - a little sensitive

Apart from my sensitivities which are still driving me nuts, I think Teddy's girthiness is starting to reappear making him a sensitive boy.

He originally had an issue but it went away while using the stock saddle and the anti pressure girth similar to the one pictured. Now that I have changed to an all purpose saddle and an anti gall girth I'm noticing some signs that must be soreness. Today when I ran a brush over his underbelly on one side he swung his head around to look at me and while saddling up it was evident he was uncomfortable and was starting to get crabby.

I'll give him a break until he's better and concentrate on ground work and then go back to the stock saddle as the pressure girth doesn't fit the other saddle. I'll also alternate activities between rides to see how it helps him.

#97 - Teddy was a legend today!

For the fourth consecutive day I have walked up to Teddy and put the halter on him without an issue - no tricks, no bluffs, no traps, nothing - halter in hand and a reward at the end. I'm very happy this is working so well and we have found that one thing that he thinks is worth it. No chaff, oats, carrots etc for this boy; liquorice is the go!

After work today I tacked up Teddy and he behaved wonderfully. Then I decided to use my bridle with a simple snaffle, I took the noseband off, I put the long reins on and mounted with one goal - to comb the reins over and over and over again and see how he responded.

My mounting block is in another paddock to the hallway where I wanted to do this exercise so I rode Teddy back to the hallway on as loose a rein as I could without feeling unsafe, to see how he would behave. I wasn't going to give him his head straight off without a plan as he has been unpredictable in the past. This time however, he pretty much had his whole head but I had the reins with my arms outstretched but still in control. He was fine. He wasn't quite sure if he should run off or not so the moment he gathered too much pace without me asking I combed the rein to the side. Within about five minutes he got it and was perfect.

When I say he got it I have to emphasis here that the whole feel to his body changed and I felt him relax - truly relax. It is probably the first time I've felt this from him while riding. My long reins are the kind that can allow him to put his head down and eat grass while I remain completely straight in the saddle with the reins in my hands. He was so relaxed that he actually stood still with me resting the reins on his neck for as long as I wanted! I was stunned! No jumping, fidgeting, anything. Completely still. He actually went to eat grass after a while he was that relaxed!

I continued the exercise combing the reins briefly then I decided to give him his head completely and just point him in the direction of the open front paddock and see what he did. He calmly walked off in that direction and if he steered off course I neck reined in the slightest way and he followed my request. I tried the other direction and he responded to that too, so out of curiosity I neck reined in a full circle - he pirouetted!

I excitedly called Steve out to watch, reminding him that I was talking about and showing him Teddy as he is today and Teddy may have a different plan for tomorrow. The fact I was saying to Steve "Look! Look! He's standing still!" may sound odd to some but to me it was amazing. He didn't even toss his head once and I was using a snaffle bit! I took him back to the hallway and combed the reins as lightly as possible in each direction, in circles, forward and to a complete and steady halt and he was great at it. AND WITH NO HEAD TOSSING! Seriously!

What I have learned today is Teddy can do dressage as I was told, that is obvious, but he clearly doesn't work well in a frame like I have been riding him and this could well be the reason for his head tossing. Even though I've had him seen by a vet, chiropractor, healer, dentist and farriers he may well have pain due to the carriage of his head in dressage. Or he may just think dressage sucks - who knows! I'm learning dressage as its the greatest teacher of balance not because I want to go in comps. Also what I know is Teddy has done polocrosse, jumping and hunting as well - I have been told all about this - but why no-one told me my Stockhorse is actually Stockhorse trained is beyond me! He certainly didn't learn to neck rein and circle like that on his own! Someone somewhere had to have taught him.

I remember when he first got here I had him in the paddock with the cows and he cornered them against the fence. I thought as no-one had ever mentioned stock work and I had spoken at length with his two previous owners (the only two people who have owned him as one was his breeder) that this behaviour must be deeply ingrained in the breed. It wasn't like he did it non-stop or anything, just a couple of times, but I do remember thinking it.

Now Teddy and I have something to work with and I'm wrapped! I hope that we continue on this path and I can adjust my training to suit Teddy's skills. It's early days yet (actually just a day LOL!) but if things go well my beautiful boy will be staying right here with me because the ad to sell him is for a dressage horse or an all rounder! He's got the all rounder part down pat but if dressage is a source of discomfort for him I will have to rethink what is the best thing for him.

Maybe I'm the best thing for him after all!

#96 - A visitor for Teddy?

A friend Shelley, who is heavily pregnant, went and fell down the stairs and broke her leg so badly she had to have surgery and rods put in. Thankfully her baby is fine but as a result of her acrobatic trick she will be in a wheelchair for eight weeks. The whole giving birth in three weeks thing, already having two girls to care for and unable to go back to her house until she can navigate the stairs has just added to her problems.

To help I have been asked to take in her 30+ year old pony Pebbles, who has Cushings Disease. Here are the pros and cons to this:

Pros

• I'd be helping Shelley out which I'd be happy to do
• I will see what Teddy is like with a little friend (he loves company)
• I will see what Teddy is like when company eventually leaves (that would be interesting)
  
• Pebs has FounderGuard to help her with her Cushings Disease
  

Cons

• Cushings Disease brings on laminitis and I have a ton of grass which is just inviting a fat pony to chow down
  
• A 30 year old with Cushings could get easily stressed by the move to an unfamiliar place and get sick (Cushings is know to get worse due to stress)
• If Pebs gets stressed due to the move the FounderGuard wont help her (even the makers of the product acknowledge that)
  
• I couldn't live with myself if something happened to Pebs under my watch

Shelley assures me Pebs wont founder but who knows about what stress the pony will be under and the effect the sudden change of environment will have?

The other option is that I go to Shelley's place each day on my way home from work to give her the FounderGuard and whatever else is needed.

I checked with a friend who cares for sick horses for $10 a day as part of her business but she recommended that Pebs not be moved and thought she should definitely not go to my place as my grass is too lush.

I'll have to talk to Shelley and see what she wants to do - this is all she needs!

#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.