Thursday, October 18, 2012
Teddy Log: #178 - Oh how I misjudged Teddy
Teddy Log: #178 - Oh how I misjudged Teddy: Wednesday morning at about 5.30 am I was in the front paddock ready to catch Teddy to take him to Bolinda before work. I do this so I can le...
#178 - Oh how I misjudged Teddy
Wednesday morning at about 5.30 am I was in the front paddock ready to catch Teddy to take him to Bolinda before work. I do this so I can leave straight from work to our riding lesson and then head home. If I didn't there would be no way I'd get the time to get riding instruction.
So I'm in the paddock and I walk up to Teddy and he runs away. I think to myself that this is odd as I rarely have trouble catching him these days. I wait to see if he'll calm down but he is just getting more worked up so I go and get some food. Nothing. He won't even touch it. He bucks and races from one end of the paddock to the other. I think to myself that I've only got so much time to get him before I'm late for work so I need to do something. I approach him again and when I'm inches from him he runs. I'm getting more and more frustrated. I hide the halter and try to lure him to the crush but it was a waste of time. I drop everything thinking i'll go up to him with nothing then lead him by the mane when I get him. I get within inches again and he buggers off. I decide I've spent too much time and had to get to work so I gave up, called him ever name I could think of and stormed back to my float. While I was unhooking it I was calling out to him that he was a bastard no good horse.
I ended up going to my lesson but riding the school horse named Dick. It was a good lesson and I spent a lot of time wishing Teddy was as good as the horse named Dick, so envious was I of his sweet obedient nature. I drove home planning to retire Teddy once and for all and to ride the horse named Dick until I get my new horse.
During the drive home Steve rings telling me I need to get home before dark to see something. When I pull up right out the back paddock I see it - a new born calf from our cow Mercedes.
It took a while but it finally dawned on me that Teddy was trying to tell me about the baby that morning. As I'm sure I've written before Teddy is a sucker for a new bub and always carries on when one is born. The first time I noticed it was when the neighbours cow birthed and Teddy ran to the house neighing, then back to the calf, then back to the house neighing, over and over until I finally came out to see what the commotion was about. Every calf born since gets the same reaction, then by the end of the day he settles.
Poor paternal Teddy copped an earful from me when he was only trying to tell me how happy he was to see the bub. I was just in too much of a rush to listen. Who's the cow now?!
Rest assured I've wholeheartedly apologies to him and I'm pretty sure he has forgiven me.
Meet Number 3, our new calf and the latest apple of Teddy's eye.
So I'm in the paddock and I walk up to Teddy and he runs away. I think to myself that this is odd as I rarely have trouble catching him these days. I wait to see if he'll calm down but he is just getting more worked up so I go and get some food. Nothing. He won't even touch it. He bucks and races from one end of the paddock to the other. I think to myself that I've only got so much time to get him before I'm late for work so I need to do something. I approach him again and when I'm inches from him he runs. I'm getting more and more frustrated. I hide the halter and try to lure him to the crush but it was a waste of time. I drop everything thinking i'll go up to him with nothing then lead him by the mane when I get him. I get within inches again and he buggers off. I decide I've spent too much time and had to get to work so I gave up, called him ever name I could think of and stormed back to my float. While I was unhooking it I was calling out to him that he was a bastard no good horse.
I ended up going to my lesson but riding the school horse named Dick. It was a good lesson and I spent a lot of time wishing Teddy was as good as the horse named Dick, so envious was I of his sweet obedient nature. I drove home planning to retire Teddy once and for all and to ride the horse named Dick until I get my new horse.
During the drive home Steve rings telling me I need to get home before dark to see something. When I pull up right out the back paddock I see it - a new born calf from our cow Mercedes.
It took a while but it finally dawned on me that Teddy was trying to tell me about the baby that morning. As I'm sure I've written before Teddy is a sucker for a new bub and always carries on when one is born. The first time I noticed it was when the neighbours cow birthed and Teddy ran to the house neighing, then back to the calf, then back to the house neighing, over and over until I finally came out to see what the commotion was about. Every calf born since gets the same reaction, then by the end of the day he settles.
Poor paternal Teddy copped an earful from me when he was only trying to tell me how happy he was to see the bub. I was just in too much of a rush to listen. Who's the cow now?!
Rest assured I've wholeheartedly apologies to him and I'm pretty sure he has forgiven me.
Meet Number 3, our new calf and the latest apple of Teddy's eye.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Teddy Log: #177 - Bareback riding
Teddy Log: #177 - Bareback riding: I grew up riding bareback. Not well, but nonetheless I hardly used a saddle back then. It seems right and it was definitely convenient. I ...
Teddy Log: #177 - Bareback riding
Teddy Log: #177 - Bareback riding: I grew up riding bareback. Not well, but nonetheless I hardly used a saddle back then. It seems right and it was definitely convenient. I ...
#177 - Bareback riding
I grew up riding bareback. Not well, but nonetheless I hardly used a saddle back then. It seems right and it was definitely convenient.
I thought I would try to ride Teddy bareback but wasn't sure if he'd had the experience before. So yesterday he followed me to the crush area, which has a section I can seal off into a small yard, and I closed the gate behind him and gave him a good brush. He loved it.
The crush area is not big enough to ride in but he can spin around in it if he likes so I thought it would be a good location to see how he feels about someone getting on him without a saddle. At least he wouldn't get far if he tried to nick off and that he wouldn't feel threatened as the enclosure wasn't too small that he couldn't move.
After loving me for brushing him, I bridled him up, got the steps out and put him along side them. I began by just rubbing him on the back. And what a big back it is. The boy is chunky still. Slowly I added more pressure to the rubs and I could tell he was tentative about it because he would accept it for a moment then step away. Each time he accepted the touching of his back I would take the pressure off of him and praise him. We did this for a while until I was able to drape myself across his back. This was the real test. He only accepted this for a second before stepping away, and I slid off each time he did, but I praised him for accepting it in the first place.
We did this little game for a while and he was very well behaved. I could see his confidence building. I could tell he didn't know what to make of it and I left it on a good note to build him up to it over time.
Definitely slow steps with this one.
I thought I would try to ride Teddy bareback but wasn't sure if he'd had the experience before. So yesterday he followed me to the crush area, which has a section I can seal off into a small yard, and I closed the gate behind him and gave him a good brush. He loved it.
The crush area is not big enough to ride in but he can spin around in it if he likes so I thought it would be a good location to see how he feels about someone getting on him without a saddle. At least he wouldn't get far if he tried to nick off and that he wouldn't feel threatened as the enclosure wasn't too small that he couldn't move.
After loving me for brushing him, I bridled him up, got the steps out and put him along side them. I began by just rubbing him on the back. And what a big back it is. The boy is chunky still. Slowly I added more pressure to the rubs and I could tell he was tentative about it because he would accept it for a moment then step away. Each time he accepted the touching of his back I would take the pressure off of him and praise him. We did this for a while until I was able to drape myself across his back. This was the real test. He only accepted this for a second before stepping away, and I slid off each time he did, but I praised him for accepting it in the first place.
We did this little game for a while and he was very well behaved. I could see his confidence building. I could tell he didn't know what to make of it and I left it on a good note to build him up to it over time.
Definitely slow steps with this one.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Teddy Log: #176 - getting back into it nicely.
Teddy Log: #176 - getting back into it nicely.: Teddy tried it on in his very typical way when I mounted today. I'm determined that he will stand square and still when I mount and I take a...
#176 - getting back into it nicely.
Teddy tried it on in his very typical way when I mounted today. I'm determined that he will stand square and still when I mount and I take all the time it takes to gently encourage him into the right position. Sunday he did well but today I think he was like, "we only went riding two days ago, you've got to be kidding!" so today he would move just a little out to the side and when that didn't work he even tried a little nip but missed. It took a good 15 minutes to work through it all.
Once mounted we did some more exercises and did an excellent job. To improve and achieve centred riding I rode the last ten minutes with my feet out of the stirrups and the stirrups crossed over the front of the saddle. I actually found it better. Must be as I used to ride bareback as a kid (badly!) I did prefer it and it is good to feel the stability in myself. I do like the stock saddle too.
Once mounted we did some more exercises and did an excellent job. To improve and achieve centred riding I rode the last ten minutes with my feet out of the stirrups and the stirrups crossed over the front of the saddle. I actually found it better. Must be as I used to ride bareback as a kid (badly!) I did prefer it and it is good to feel the stability in myself. I do like the stock saddle too.
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