water
Filed in Category: horse training
Worries With Water
Hi Ross Just read the blog. I enjoy when you place clips to look at as I don't really get a chance to look at different clips. I loved watching the dressage clip with the riders performing a lot of the old moves. I found the last clip on today's blog very disturbing. I can't believe someone would do that to a horse let alone post it on YouTube. O thought it started off pretty ordinary but it got do ugly I felt sick. How could she go from rubbing and patting her horse to belting on it when she was the major cause of confusion. I couldn't understand half the time what she wanted, that poor horse must have been doubly confused.
I have brought Nicky down to the agistment near home so I can work abut with her. I have not done much with her except the odd weekend due to all the wet ground we have had in nearly seven months so I am back to walking and standing around as she is a ball of nerves and just wants to trot or jog. I did have a couple of good days so I road her down to the dam to see if I could get her to just put her two front feet in. That did not happen, she would get right to the edge and plant her feet. She would try to turn right and I would block her, she would try to turn left and I would block her. I then tap gently but annoyingly with my legs and she would spin around on her hind to face the other way. I would turn her around and ask again. Again we would get right to the edge and stop there. This went on for abit but we got nowhere and I knew that I was not going to win the argument. I am now looking for your words of wisdom. I really want to do snake island in march and everyone says don't worry when all the horses get going she'll go in but I want her to go in because she feels comfortable not bullied. Interesting fact, I found Nicky's breeders. Her mum was an Appaloosa stockhorse and her dad a pure Clydie. They stopped using the dad because most of the foals were very nervy. They said the mum was not like that at all and was very level headed but that the dads genes must have been too strong. They sold Nicky as a yearling so had hoped that her temperament was like her mum but I had to disappoint them and say this was not the case. Looking forward to the clinic, see you soon.
I hope you make it to the clinic.
I'm glad you are enjoying the blog and the videos.
With regard to Nicky and the water situation, it's hard to know what to do without being there. My first thought is that I would have out waited her. If it took 3hrs for her to step a foot into the water I would not have worried. The other possibility was to get off and lead her into the water. Maybe even mount her again while she was standing in water and ride her in the water, out again and back in the water.
As I say I wasn't there and can't be sure what I would have done, but I hope I hav given you a couple of things to think about. Maybe you can come up with other ideas.
Hi Ross
I decided to give it ago on the ground with Nicky. She reared and carried on for a few minutes because she felt like she had no way to get out and eventually decided to take a step into the dam. Once she got her front feet in she sniffed and drank the water and decided it was ok to get further in. Then she started to play and splash with it and I had to stop her because she was about to have a roll. I would have let her but it was getting late and I didn't think she would dry off in time. Now I just have to wait for a warm day so we can ride in together. Photos to follow. Irena
Thanks for the photos. It looks like you made a good start.
Once Nicky is in the water and checked it out, be careful not to let her get fixated on playing in the water. This is where you can get into trouble because she has mentally shut you out in place of the water. When she is in the water, give her a moment to be okay and get use to it, then give her a job to do. Maybe do a little ground work while she is in the water. Try to become the centre of her focus again.
My old horse, LJ, loves to play in the water. He still goes into the dam every day and splashes and rolls. But in the early days this became a problem when I use to ride him into water. His need to splash and roll would try to take over the riding. So put your swimsuit on and take Nicky down to the water some more.