Stormy had his coggins test done today. He was very mannerful and polite so I was happy. It was a new vet and I really liked her. She said Stormy was cute and so perhaps I'm biased but I really liked how she worked with him and the other horses in the barn. Also, Stormy has an uneven smile so I guess he's going to see the dentist soon. I haven't been to the dentist since I got too old to be covered under my parents insurance but I will happily pay for Stormy to have his teeth done as often as needed. I feel it should bother me that my horse has a beautiful view out his bedroom window, lots of free time to play with friends, the yummiest food, the coolest saddle pads, beautiful tack, the best health coverage and only has to work 7 hours a week. I live below the poverty line, in a cold basement, (with no bedroom windows, but I think this place is too damp to set on fire so that really is only an asethetic issue, not a safety one), I only buy groceries for which there is a coupon offer that week, and am currently wearing a hoodie I've had since grade school. But it doesn't bother me, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love having my horse and I really don't mind sacrificing things to have horses in my life. Everyday my horse makes me happy, which is not something I can say about anything else in my life. So thanks Storms and don't worry about it, I'll get the bill.
Today before the vet came I went for a quick half hour ride. Coach told me to work on our halts because Stormy stops but then gets all wiggely and doesn’t stay still. He stops easily but he’s at that “wanna go, wanna go” stage so I think he’s just anticipating moving forward and getting a bit ahead of me. If anyone could recommend any good stopping exercises I would be grateful!
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For me, it's all about giving the horse a choice - I want my horses to choose (not be punished for moving or constrained into standing) to stand still, when ground-tied, when mounting, and whenever else. Instead of repeating what I've already written - check this post out if you'd like:
ReplyDeleteayearwithhorses.blogspot.com/2009/11/horses-flow-like-water-and-more-fun.html
If you look for my labels on mounting, there's some stuff about how I teach horses to stand still, on a loose rein, at the mounting block.
All my horses ground tie, stand on a loose rein for as long as need be, and stand still for mounting. These exercises also help teach the horse to relax and have patience, and if you're with the horse on the ground, to just plain feel safe with you.
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice Kate. Stormy does stand quiet for mounting and grooming and such. It's just undersaddle after we've started our rides that he gets antsy but some of teh stuff on your blog did help me out.
ReplyDeleteThe method I've been using lately is to work Stormy pretty hard for 10-15 mins. Then I ask for whoa and make him stay still for 5 sec. If he gets figity I send him on again and make him work some more. He figured pretty quickly that whoa was good and wiggling meant more work. I think it's made an improvment.