Catching

Since the field safe headcollar went on, she’s been fine to catch. A flick back of the ears maybe on approach, but a stroke of the neck followed by holding the headcollar and she’s mine. I’m not a fan of headcollars being left on as I’m worried they’ll rub, and sure enough after a week she had an oozing wound on her chin. As I was planning on escorting someone on a hack the following morning and so wanted to be sure of catching her, I left it on for one more night, with the wound slathered in cream, and since then have taken it off. Would is drying up and healing nicely.

Since it has been off, she has reverted a little (probably as without being able to hold her head securely, I’m still a little apprehensive about staying close to her in case she spins round and boots me again). But generally, if she walks away it’s been a maximum of 2 or 3 times, then I stroke her neck, move my hand to her face, then quietly lift her head to put the head collar on.

Leading

I spent a few days just catching her and leading her around the field, close to the herd then moving further away, but without actually taking her out of the field. Though she initially planted a lot, as each session progressed she became a lot more responsive and willingly walked/trotted/halted alongside me as soon as I asked even moving away from the herd and working some distance away. After a few days of this I brought her in, and once she was away from the herd, I only had one more plant, the next day there were none. She’s still sticky leaving the herd, but every time she stops I turn in another direction and get her to walk with me. It means bringing in takes much longer, but I’m no longer trying to drag her in – at 6-7 times my weight, there’s no use trying to win against her with physical force. The improvements continued, but last night the herd were split and scattered along the length of the half mile long field, and many were on the move, so it took a lot longer to get her to the gate, plus she had a few plants on the bridlepath up to the yard, something she’s not done for a week. But, she did get there.

Taking her back out to the field, she’s wonderful. If I stop, she stops within a stride. When I walk, she’s with me within a stride. She’s definitely keen and willing to please, but we need to work on her attention being on me rather than where her herd is.

Lunging

Decided on Monday to lunge her, as a way of still working with her but avoiding the nerves of mounting when alone. This didn’t quite go as planned, as I’m not sure she’s ever lunged before, and she really didn’t get it and just followed me around. As I’ve spent the last 3 weeks getting her to walk with me and respond to what I do, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to suddenly  send her away from me, so lunging can go on the back burner for now. I just did some in hand work with her and called it a day.

Riding

She has almost always been great to ride, apart from the fall which was more of a collection of unfortunate circumstances. Last week however, the nearby football club had an evening match on, complete with noisy crowds and loudspeakers. Q heard them whilst tacking up, and to a horse that raced as recently as last autumn, it was quite exciting! Getting on was ok, but she immediately started bouncing around and leaving the yard was a mission – she spooked at the cat, she spooked at the black bags of hardcore stacked up against the wall (they were new, she’s fine with them now), she was going sideways, backwards, forwards, up, down. Someone from the yard kindly grabbed her and walked me out onto the drive, then within 40 yards or so she started to relax and I continued alone. Was going to do the ‘short triangle’ a not even 10 minute long ride, just to have got her out, but when I got to the entrance to the vineyard, I decided to go for longer. Was tempted to do the whole vineyard loop (but in reverse to the ‘fall’ route) however when we got into the field two other horses from our yard were on their way back, and as she was already very tense and joggy, I decided not to push my luck and did a short loop down to the bottom. Going up the hill was a bit of an experiment, as I wanted to see if she’d get strong and try and tank like before (was on a different uphill, and it was not grassy so I felt I could get her back if she did). I asked her to trot, and she was very keen, but stuck to a trot and then slowed with me as I slowed my rising. We got back to the yard still a little tense, but successful.

The next time I rode was Saturday morning, accompanied by Charlotte riding my Tilda, as her own horse is currently out of action. Getting on was an issue. Previously she’s been angelic at the mounting block. After the first few times, once she realised what it was all about, she stood rock steady, even waiting until I’d sorted her girth out before asking her to move away. Today she kept turning her quarters away, I kept re-presenting her at the block and eventually had to get assistance from someone on the ground. She was then bouncy leaving the yard, but again started to relax once we were 40-50 yards out. Today we did a longer ride, about an hour, on a nice walk and trot route. She was still a bit fidgety waiting to cross the road, but I’m used to just waiting at the side until someone takes pity on me and stops their car, maybe I need to be more assertive and ask the traffic to stop so we get across quicker. She was good in walk and trot both in front and behind, and again very responsive to my seat and legs. I want her to be happy with hacking anywhere, with anyone, and in any place in the ride. So far, so good.

She’s pretty much bombproof, but a few weeks back she goggled at some cows, and ran backwards until we got a lead past from another horse. Today we passed a sheep and 2 newborn lambs leaning against the fence, and she shot backwards. Not wanting to make an issue of it, I asked Charlotte to keep walking Tilda straight past, and Q followed happily. On the way back she didn’t even look at them.

Sunday was another hack in company, escorting Eddy for his first ride out with Heidi. Again we had issues getting on, and needed assistance from the ground, but today, once I was on, she was perfect – stood completely still even in the yard for a few minutes as Eddy was getting very excited about going out. Leaving the yard and on the rest of the ride she didn’t put a foot wrong.

Last night I’d arrange to ride with Emma on Millie. Though I much prefer to hack alone, I’m trying to stick with company on Q at the moment for safety’s sake, and so am seizing every opportunity for company, even if I don’t want to ride. Which I didn’t. Yesterday I didn’t want ride to at all. Not helped by not having much to do at work, my under occupied brain decided to occupy itself by getting myself worked into a big old nervous wreck, and I kept checking my phone every few minutes hoping for a message from Emma saying she had to cancel. By the time I reached the yard in the evening I was fighting tears.

She wasn’t great to catch or bring in – certainly the worst since I’d started all the fieldwork with her. But was ok to tack up etc, and Claire was helping me, trying to calm me down as she’s been through similar issues with Barack. Getting on she didn’t want to even go near the mounting block, so though I’m generally against using food as a reward, Claire got a handful of mix, we encouraged her to walk to the block, and I was on. I’d rather not have to do it that way, but my way wasn’t working, so? I’m a bit bothered by this mounting block thing, as it’s only been in the last week, and previously she’s been so good. I don’t know what’s changed in her mind.

Once I was in the saddle, she was fine, even walking out of a very busy yard, squeezing between the farrier’s van and a pony, past a few horses, and through lots of people and children. Emma and Millie had hacked over to ‘collect’ me, so I had a lead out of the yard but she seemed ok anyway, if a little bouncy. She soon settled though, and was nicely relaxed for most of the ride. Did the Mickleham Priory loop, which she’s seen once before, when she ran backwards on seeing some of the cows. She was fine all the way down to there, but when we got to a place where the cows were near the fence, and there were some walkers next to it too, and Millie decided ‘no’, Q played along and started shooting backwards, at one stage into a tree. Emma and I spent a few minutes getting a few forward steps, but the girls were making each other worse. The walkers moved out of the way and one of them came back to give Millie a lead, but then Q decided it was ok after all and walked ahead of him. I was very pleased with her for that. I’m not bothered at this stage at her reluctance to move forward, as it’s genuinely when she sees new things (different lot of cows to last time, and they were right next to the fence, and Millie was planting), but the running backwards slightly unnerves me as I’m not used to it. She moves forward quickly though, and if we have another horse that goes straight past, it’s over and done with in a split second. It’s only 3 times she’s done it, all very new experiences. I’ll take her down there again soon and see if she goes straight past next time.

She was a bit heakshakey and unsettled on the way back, but still good and listening, so no worries there. Two things have pleased me about my own riding recently – once last week when she saw a cyclist coming towards us, I felt her hesitate and within a split second had squeezed her on to make nothing of it, and yesterday when trotting, she spooked at something, shot onto the verge and threw her head up – I lost a rein but without breaking our trot rhythm gathered them back up again and carried on. Previously my reactions to both would have been a lot slower. I’m trying to not make anything a big deal with her, so quick reactions are important to me to make potential ‘things’ into nothing.

When we got back alongside our fields, the herd were having a run around, and I was a bit nervous about her trying to join in. Completely unfounded, as she didn’t even particularly tense up. Millie walked between us and the field as an extra barrier, but she was absolutely fine. Then Millie went her way, and Q happily walked back to the yard on her own. Calmest feeding yet, not even ears back, perfect to turn out, and I went home with a smile.

As always, comments and advice would be very welcome…