A day at the stables

Looks like fun J9.

Jynx said:

That is definitely one gorgeous stallion! I have to say, I don't miss dealing with the boys' attitudes after breeding season! Even though my boy was generally a gentleman, they can definitely be total pigs!

Janine you seem to be doing quite well! The best way I remember posturing is to "Dolly Parton" it, or at least thats what my instructor used to tell me. The trot is definitely not as much fun, but pretty soon your bum will get used to it. Wait until she tells you to drop your irons and then post! :grin01: That was the hardest thing to be able to do after I broke my hip in a car accident about 9 years ago. Once you have all of the trotting down, the canter will be a breeze... just like a rocking horse

I'm glad to hear that the TENS unit is working well for you. My great-uncle had one placed and it gave him quite a few issues. Though to be honest, he wasn't very ambulatory in the first place and got quite comfortable with not moving, so he was reluctant to move even with the TENS in place.

I look forward to seeing more updates!

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Corsario is only 4, and as andalusians mature slowly he's got a lot of development to go. You can see that his back end is still under-developed, a lot more muscle and toning up over the next couple of years. His brain has some way to go too, he can only cope with short training sessions and has a very short attention span!
As for posture, you may be able to see that I'm spluttering with laughter in the second picture, because Kim was telling me to 'shag the saddle!' to get me to open up my hip-bones. At one point I totally lost the plot due to her descriptive terms and was laying on Merlin's neck hooting. Coordinating leg position, weight distribution, where my feet are, keeping my shoulders back, keeping rein contact and remembering to breathe while my friend is telling me my personal areas will end up like old leather just proved too much!
I've got a couple of dvds about basic riding skills Kim's lent me to study as well as the schooling book I read in bed. My homework is to study the dvds and work on my body position before my next lesson. Plus some Pilates stretches to open the hips and loosen the thigh muscles.
Wade, I'm absolutely having a ball! Merlin got a bit upset after the lesson by some workmen passing along outside the perimeter fence in high-vis jackets, and I got him settled and reassured without even thinking about it. I'd slipped out of the stirrups ready to ride him out of the school and a year ago I'd have needed new trousers rather than be able to settle him and stay in the saddle!
After the lesson Merlin always gets lots of praise and hugs for helping me

I just read through this entire thread and wanted to let you know that I very much enjoyed all the pictures!!!

Haha! I took riding lessons many, many years ago. But I don't remember my instructor describing seat and posture in quite those terms, lol! As they say, laughter is the best medicine - glad you still have a great sense of humor after all you have been through!

kathylove said:

Haha! I took riding lessons many, many years ago. But I don't remember my instructor describing seat and posture in quite those terms, lol! As they say, laughter is the best medicine - glad you still have a great sense of humor after all you have been through!

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I know the official term sometimes used is to 'polish the seat', to describe how you should move from the hips! Kim's working towards her next level of BHS exams, so she'll have to go back to using the official language before then!

I saw the word "stable" so I couldn't help eavesdropping. I'm new to the list. I don't think they've even posted my intro yet. I'm under the name Pal-O-Mine but I usually go by Devon. My hubby and I own 3 horses right now on a tiny property, two geldings and a stallion who is gentle as a kitten even at 10 years of age. They're Haflingers. ( hence the handle Pal-O-Mine!) I'll have to see if I can somehow post their pics to you guys, they're SUMMER pics when they were all clean and shiny. Now they've turned into shaggy, blonde, gypsy horses covered in mud! Our stallion has the most amazing mane! People keep asking us if he can see!

I better not let my hubby read these posts. He LOVES Andalusians! He wants to breed our stallion to an Andalusian mare so that he can ride a "half-dalusian". ( Rolling my eyes! ) Hmmpphh! Maybe when we get rich!

Devon

Today was bitter cold, and I discovered that the ski-socks I've bought were no match for the weather, despite all their claims to high-tech wizadry my toes were numb! The ponies weren't bothered at all, the unclipped ones are shaggy beasts and those with thinner coats and Merlin and Dutchess who are clipped were rugged up. As you can see, rolling in mud is a favourite pastime for them.

Mucking out the stables soon had us warmed up, then the vet arrived for Valiento's castration (gelding). He was sedated then had his groin scrubbed and local anaesthetic injected . Then the skin of his testes was opened, and the ligaments and blood vessels were crushed in special clamps before each testical was removed. There was very little blood, and 3 hours later he was back in the field. He'll have antibiotics for 6 days and be encouraged to stay active to let the wound drain and heal.

After lunch (No, not 'prairie oysters') I had a lesson on Merlin in the school, he was in a lazy mood so getting him to keep in a good walking pace and working trot was my task, and to try to get better circles without him 'falling in' to the right shoulder, which he tends to do. The madleg is definately improving, all the stretching and the tens sessions are helping to regain control.

Lovely! LOL.

Speedy recovery for the boy I hope

Those are interesting photos. Hope your baby heals up soon. They can stand when they're sedated?

This soooo isn't DYK Lori, you fool. LOL!

Tula_Montage said:

This soooo isn't DYK Lori, you fool. LOL!

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I have no idea what you're talking about, Elle.

You mistress of manipulation!

LBoz said:

Those are interesting photos. Hope your baby heals up soon. They can stand when they're sedated?

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The vet carefully worked out the sedation on Valiento's bodyweight so he would be totally relaxed but stay on his feet. With smaller colts where she can't work underneath easily she gives more sedation so they go down. He did need to be supported a little a one point, hisback end started to sway until we got him re-balanced.

It's always nice to turn to this thread for beautiful pictures. mostly. Just kidding, but I really do like the shaggy look of the unclipped ones.

Looks like a fun (and cold) day Janine! One thing I do when my horses drop their shoulders is force them to drop their hindquarters. That makes them lift their shoulders in order to compensate. Its much more uncomfortable for them to work with a dropped hindquarter, and it teaches them to lift their withers, especially when working a circle.

No matter what, I can never hang out to watch any of the boys being gelded. Even though I work in the OR, I just can't stomach testicles hitting the floor!

What is that horrid white stuff on the ground??? Nice pics...

Jynx said:

Looks like a fun (and cold) day Janine! One thing I do when my horses drop their shoulders is force them to drop their hindquarters. That makes them lift their shoulders in order to compensate. Its much more uncomfortable for them to work with a dropped hindquarter, and it teaches them to lift their withers, especially when working a circle.

No matter what, I can never hang out to watch any of the boys being gelded. Even though I work in the OR, I just can't stomach testicles hitting the floor!

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I'm getting there, gradually! Learning how to get the hindquarters engaged and collected to get Merlin working on an outline with elevated paces is the stage I'm going into now. I found a really useful couple of internet sites that are helping the pieces fall into place. Heather Moffett's 'kinder way' explains the use of seat, leg and reins as well as giving you exercises to do off the horse that are really starting to help. Coordinating, balance and timing are all improving. Although he's 9, he's only been lightly worked so Merlin is still fairly 'green' in some ways and naturally falls over to his left side on the circle so I'm having to learn to compensate and support him rather than spiral instead of circling!
He worked really well by the end of the lesson and we achieved perfect circles in both directions, so he got big hugs and extra carrots for being so good. Dutchess has been rested because she'd strained her back, but if she's given the all-clear by next week we may be out for a hack instead of in the school.

There was also an article in Horse & Rider a few years back (don't remember) about collecting the front end and reducing shoulder drop that works more with moving flexion that worked really well for a very short-backed mare that we had. It was very difficult to focus on hind-end work with her tiny tiny short frame, so I tried this and it worked. Since Merlin seems to be short in the back (as are most Welsh/Welsh-crosses/light drafts/arabs/etc) this might work better for you too. Let me see if I can find it for you... its buried in my garage somewhere! I remember it definitely being easier to do... just alot of repetition). The only thing I can really remember is working them off balance first (with the head and neck flexed away from the circle) and they end up naturally correcting themselves. Its also a trick I used to encourage them to take the correct lead, and quickly push them to use their inside leg in a working trot, which makes it a hell of a lot easier to pick up the correct diagonal. There was more, but I just can't remember! I'll try and find it.

Make sure to take pics of the hack! (It took me 5 pages to figure out that "hack out" was the same as "hitting the trails" for me lol!)