Monday, November 2, 2009

Some Improvement

This is going to be a really horrid week for me, school-wise, so I got a ride in this morning, but I don't know when I'll get to ride next. Maybe not til Friday, depending on how dedicated I am. :-/

We made some progress. Not much, but some. I turned Izzy loose in the arena to run, then groomed her, then lunged her. Fortunately, I ride early enough and it's cold enough that I rarely have much arena competition right now. I used two different large circles in the arena {(the top end and the middle) to let her get used to whatever she was spooking at yesterday. We didn't even attempt the end with trees. She was ok.

I didn't pick up my whip at first. We just worked on lining up at the mounting block, then standing to be mounted, walking off, halting, and dismounting. Strangely enough, she didn't even try to run for it today. After I picked up my whip, I spent a minute or two stroking her with it to make sure it wasn't worrying her. Then we went through the whole mount/dismount process again, and she was still fine. I don't know about her some days. At least she understands what she ought to do, which is nice most of the time, but frustrating when she doesn't do it.

I didn't want to try anything too challenging to day because I had too much homework and work to do today, so we just walked and trotted. It was ok. She wasn't as forward as she might have been, but she didn't slop around, either. My saddle slid around yesterday, so I rode in a breastcollar* today and made sure my girth was really tight. We had no slippage problems, so that was good. Once we'd trotted both ways, I just got off and put Izzy away.

Also, I realized that I've been talking about sending horses to trainers in a demeaning way. I do not mean that at all. If someone does not have the time, expertise, confidence, or energy to train their own horse, I absolutely support sending said horse to a trainer and then being involved in the training to form a better partnership. Due to my riding history, I think I ought to be able to train a horse, more or less. I've ridden and worked with all different stages of horses, but I've never had to put it all together before. So while sending a horse to a good trainer is a noble endeavor, it's also quite expensive and would be a big step for us. I'm hoping we can work through our issues without having to do that.


*I got my breastcollar on craigslist for $10 which included a standing martingale attachment. I just looked them up, and the same item on dover costs $150 and up. Win!

4 comments:

  1. I am so impressed with your bargain hunting! Awesome find! And I understand what you are saying about sending horses to a trainer. Ultimately, if you can do it yourself it's very rewarding. If you can't do it yourself, and you can afford to send the horse to a trainer, that can end up being a good situation as well. The people I feel really bad for are those that are really struggling with a horse beyond their skill level but can't swing it financially to get expert help. That can be a very frustrating and intimidating situation. Sounds to me, however, like you are doing a great job with Izzy. Hope you get through the week ok!

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  2. I don't think you made it seem as if sending a horse to a trainer was bad at all. Sometimes it's the only way.

    My Toby went to a trainer for a few weeks. Tucker went down to Kenny Harlow for some weeks too. Mind you, I had already successfully trained two young Thoroughbreds already, so I wasn't exactly a novice.

    When the time comes and you realize you have reached a point in the training that you just can't get past on your own, a trainer is the perfect solution.

    So far, you sound as if you are doing fine with Izzy. You'll know if the time comes when you need more help.

    Great deal on the tack! I love a bargain like that!

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  3. Hey, I'm an ebay girl at heart, especially for horse tack at a good price. Check out www.horseloverz.com (you may already know about it) great site with good prices, and once you order, you get coupons for discounts and free shipping often for next orders that last months!
    Your Oldenburg is just gorg!

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  4. There's a great deal of satisfaction in training a horse yourself. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had a trainer ride Spider. I only have someone else ride him when I get stuck on something and need to know if it's me or him. Of course, he had the basics when I bought him, just not any dressage training.

    When I was younger I started several babies myself, not so sure how keen I am on that now that I'm older. Young people bounce, old people splat : )

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