by Dream_Merchant » Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:07 pm
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Loku -- thanks for your lovely comment, he can really jump! - you pretty much read my mind actually.
I ride him in 2 point all the time already, I forgot to mention he has this thing of been quite backy -- when I first get on, I'll trot and around and flex him up through the neck and back, then as I go into canter, I get into 2-point because he sort of bucks and plays around a bit. I've had his back checked for problems, nothing... I've had him flex tested for lameness issues, nothing... so I know the bucking is a back problem -- he is very short in the back which makes it easy for him, and the buck isn't vicious, its more playful than anything. If you try and pull him up for it, he goes right off his brain, if I let him play for the first 5 minutes, he is fine throughout. And I find when I'm jumping him, if I'm off his back all the time, he is more relaxed, where if I sit on him, I can feel him tense up a bit.
I used to strap him as a race horse when I lived down south -- he used to get super wound up at races (used to be dripping with sweat before he went into the race), that was mainly due to how he was been handled before I graduated from stable hand to strapper. Within three race meetings, I had him so he was reasonably relaxed at race day (he was still tense and jack up a bit, but he wouldn't sweat up like he did). Anyway, I moved closer to the city and he went back into old habits with the dickhead who was racing him -- I always loved him as a horse, he really took my fancy and anyway, I got offered him, and $300 dollars later he arrived.
At shows now, he is really good -- I can go up to the gate and jump off, pull the saddle up if I need to or anything like that, and get back on and he is fine. Before he would rear and sweat up and just go off his brain -- he has really settled into the routine in that aspect.
He is fantastic in a grid situation -- really snaps up and gets off the ground and WAITS!!! Yet, as soon as you come to a single fence, bam, he wants to run a bit if I need to wait.
I also found, if I change the jumps around continuously, he doesn't know where they are, and so doesn't come off a corner and start throwing his head around because he knows there is a jump coming up -- I think he is smarter than I give him credit for! I only have about 6 jumps at home (the grid, and then 4 jumps, and a combination) - so there is no worries about me building super long courses! haha.
We also go out on rides, in which he just loves!! He used to be a jackass out in the forest as well -- but now he is so relaxed and cruisey about it, I hardly touch his mouth out in the forest. I might take him back to a bridle set up I had on him when I first started jumping him, because he never used to be a dickhead back then -- it was a french link snaffle and a cross over noseband, I might try that bit again at least anyway, he seemed comfortable in it.
I'll certainly try those suggestions and let you know how he goes! As I said, he is just brillant on the flat -- flying changes, leg yeilding, walk to canter transistion (haven't got the canter to walk ones quite yet), lengthening of strides, comign back etc....
<font color=royalblue><i><b>Horse; you are truly a creature without equal - for you fly without wings, and conquer without a sword
NCAS Level One Coach</i></b></font>