Lunging the naughty pony.....and float training!

Got Diesel out again a few days ago and thought I would lunge him to see how he behaved.....well I am glad I was only lunging him and not riding him!!! He was a total naughty little twit....spooking at his shadow, leaping around and bucking, being an idiot. I was not impressed and again was going along the lines of 'What am I doing??? Why do I have a young horse???? Will I ever enjoy riding him without worrying??? etc etc etc and again felt very defeated :o(

I think part of it was due to the fact that I left Chevy in the paddock with us, we were in a taped off arena so Chevy was on the other side and Diesel kept veering off to be with him. I feel that I really expect too much of Diesel, I want him to be perfectly behaved 100% of the time and in reality he is a young, newly broken in horse that has not had much asked of him in recent years! He is going to have his moment of madness but are these going to be too much for me to handle????

After making him work pretty hard and for the first time in his life get up a decent sweat I took him back up to the yards to cool off. As it was already pre-planned I hooked the float up to do some self-loading training with him.

I am taking Diesel to see Tommy Berhns this Saturday and will more than likely be doing it by myself so need to be able to float him alone. Well, I shouldnt have worried. He walked straight up to the float and just went straight on, stood there like a trooper and waited for my next instruction! I had put a small feed in there to encourage him but to be honest I dont think it was needed.

I then unloaded him quietly and one step at a time and once off reloaded again for another couple of times and all of the times he was great. Chevy was in the bottom paddock nutting off, whinnying and galloping along the fencelines and Diesel didnt even care so that was a relief....

So we had some good and also some bad. I dont really know where we are going to end up, and if Diesel is going to be my forever horse like I planned and hoped all those years ago when I brought him but in the meantime, until a decision is made, we will keep doing little milestones and working things out in our own little way......

A walking we will go......

So, Diesel has been basically left untouched for the last two - three weeks. The weather has been absolutely foul and once the kids went back to school last week I got really really sick with a cold and couldnt do anything so hence my untouched pony.

Today, I got him out and gave him a decent brush (he is possibly the fluffiest I have ever seen him - beautiful, soft black fluff) and decided to take him for a walk in-hand up the road. My hubby came along too!

Well, Diesels eye's were on stalks the majority of the time, and on the way back he saw some Alpaca's in a side paddock and I swear he grew to 18hh! All I can say is I am really glad that I was not riding him.

I dont really know what I am going to do with him over winter. The paddocks are getting a bit wet and muddy now and I dont want to ride in them too much longer and risk us falling over, yet I am not confident enough with him to take him hacking up the road yet either.

I see my options as:

*** Take him up to Weiti Station once a week and hire their arena so it keeps him ticking over a little bit (or if not Weiti find somewhere else).

*** Turn him out for winter

??????? Cant really think of anymore at the moment. What to do, what to do??????

Nothing new......

Thought I would quickly update with.......no news!

I just havn't had the time to ride Diesel so as the kids are now on 2 weeks of school holidays I have decided to turn him out for this time and then will bring him back in and am going to ride him twice a week over winter. I think that will be enough to keep him ticking over until Spring when we will really get stuck into doing some proper work.

On other news, my friend Leah finally had her foot amputated last Monday. Her horse died on the hunt field 6 years ago when she was riding him. When he went down he trapped her leg between his shoulder and barrel and smashed her ankle. After numerous operations it just would not recover so after much deliberation, operations and mind-searching it was cut off. She is doing amazing, a total inspiration to me. She is a true trooper and is already excited about riding again. I have been visiting her as much as possible in hospital and she is in really good spirits.

So that is my quick update. Hopefully once Diesel is ridden again I will get some new photo's.

First solo ride.....

So Diesel has been ridden a couple of times in the last week. On Tuesday me and Leah decided to go for a quick road ride but I was not keen on doing this with Diesel so she hopped on him and took him and I rode Chevy.

Well, Diesel was better behaved than his brother, the flies were really annoying Chev and he was a totaly grump arse....and Diesel, well he was as happy as Larry, wandering up the road like he had been doing it all his life! Had a couple of gawks at little stuff but for the majority of the ride was bloody perfect. Was stoked.

Yesterday, I was in a pretty foul mood. Nothing could have made me happier than seeing Diesel so thought why the hell not? Got him out the paddock, brushed him, tacked him up and took him into the arena area. My Mother was home next door so told her where I was going and could she just check evey now and then that I was okay.

Diesel was just super super super!!!! I did lunge him for 15 minutes first as I was feeling like a bit of a Nanna and couldnt just get straight on, but that is okay. He was doing some really beautiful work on the lunge, one ear constantly on me really listening, doing all that I asked and looking stunning to boot.

And then something just clicked in me and I realised I just had to do this 'first solo ride', if I come off I come off, if I stay on fantastic but it had be to done. I will admit to being a little nervous when I was mounting but once on I felt GREAT!!!

We walked around, and I did a fair amount of work getting him to steer and move off from my leg. Then decided 'bugger it' and pushed him into a trot and we were away laughing!!! It was a wonderful feeling, trotting around and feeling safe and knowing that I was on my Smeezie and that we were going to be okay. A very enlightening moment and I shall remember it for a long time.

I luff my pony.

He's back home.....

So, another update!

Where to start. Diesel was supposed to still be up at Weiti Station, and I did manage another ride in the Arena up there but it was just taking up too much time. By the time I packed the car up to getting back home it was a good 2 hours, when in reality I could have done it in 40 minutes if he was here.

Also, the other reason I had him up there was I felt really safe riding him in the confines on the arena and was a bit reluctant riding him in my paddocks, especially as the last time I did I fell off!

So I decided it was time to put my brave pants on and bring the boy home to ride him here. Went and picked him up on Monday (he was awesome to float again) and he has settled back in really well. He is so much calmer aswell, not such a fidget bum!!!

This morning I went out and set up a taped arena for me to ride in. I just felt I still need those boundaries while we are getting used to each other. Its not a full size arena but big enough for us to get the hang of eachother.

Got Diesel out, brushed and tacked him up and took him over to it (and before you think I am either brave or stupid being alone Leah was with me with Chevy)...

Lunged him in there for about 10 minutes first (I think this was more to calm my nerves than anything) and then felt ready to get on. Used my new mounting block that I made yesterday and got on. We just pottered around, walking here and there, doing lots of circles and just getting him used to what reins mean and my legs. It was such a blast. I even felt confident enough to have a trot aswell and that too was cool.

I just think that since Diesel was broken in I have felt that I should be doing everything, and NOW!!!!! Yet in reality what is the hurry. If I end up just walking him around all winter who cares? If it takes us 3 years to get to a show who cares? So we are going to POTTER. I am not going to pressure myself, or force myself to do anything I dont want to, I am just going to take it easy and do it when I AM READY, not when people think I should!!!!

So my new Motto is 'Good things take time' and Diesel is a good thing and we are going to take our time.......

I rode again....and it was AWESOME!!!!!!

So, time for another update as its been a week since the last one....

I went up on Friday with the intention of riding Diesel. I have watched Alice ride him quite a few times now and he is coming across as quiet and lazy, which I really like the look of - Yes, I am officially being a total NANNA, but I dont care :o)

I got up there about 9.30 and spent a good hour just giving him a really good brush and some atention and fuss for a change. He had also lost a shoe so Leah came up and put the shoe back on for me. Tacked him up and then Alice hopped on him first.

She rode him to the arena and walked, trotted and cantered around and he was perfect, didnt put a foot wrong. Took a fair bit to get him going, and keep him goin....once again, I really like this!

So then it was my turn, and I was really excited about getting back on. No nerves atall. Took him to the mounting block and he stood very still while I mounted and adjusted my stirrups.

Asked him to walk on and we were away laughing. I had a total blast on him. There was no naughtiness atall. He was quite happy plodding around at our own speed (which was relatively slow lol). He really listened and I just love how soft his mouth is! He is like putty in your hands. We only walked and trotted as I didnt want to freak myself out with anything too much so I was very happy with what we did.

Unfortunately when I dismounted from my ride I tweaked my back. Wasnt too bad to begin with but after I untacked him I gave him a wash with Bayticol (sp?) as he is covered in ticks and my back got worse and worse. Yesterday I literally could not get out of bed without help and I was in agony. Ended up going to a Osteopath who did some manipulation and massage but I am still really sore so am not sure when I am going to be able to ride again. Am gutted. I think it stems back to when I hurt my back when I fell off but I am really struggling to walk, get up, move, everything! Cant even do housework - bummer!!! ha ha ha

So, once my back is sorted I am going to get stuck in to riding. I am really excited about the prosect of riding Diesel over winter. I think I will flag Alice doing more schooling with him at the moment as I feel I am capable of doing work with him.....just hoping that I can keep Diesel up there as a grazer for a few months while we get used to riding together....

All in all I am really excited about our future together again. Good old Smeezie.

Photo's from our ride:

Update.....

So, after the disasterous ride I was really sore. My back was twinging, I had a really sore chest, sore wrists and generally muscle sore all over. I was ready to give the whole 'young horse thing' up. After a few days and having a chat with alot of friends, and Diesel I felt a bit differently.

Diesel has gone back to Weiti to finish being broken in. I spoke to Alice there the day after I came off and she basically said that he had only been ridden for that first week as the second week there he had been sick so to get him back there. He was taken over in his new Apex float I picked up last month and he travelled beautifully in it so was very pleased with that.

I got a text on Day 2 saying 'Morning, Diesel was cool this morn, rode him down to the arena by himself and worked him there, very lazy!! But no dramas.'

Day 4 text update was 'Yr pony had a bit of a smacked bum today! he didnt like it but hes a changed man! Cantered around and around :-) We're away laughing now Keri'

I went and watched Alice ride him in the arena yesterday (4th March). She rode him down the road to the arena by himself and he was definitely looking around alot but didnt do anything wrong atall. She walked, trotted and cantered him around the arena and he was aewsome. Very lazy and took alot of work from Alice to get him going (which to be honest I really really liked).

So I then had a really good think about what I wanted for me and Diesel over the next few months and this is my solution:

Diesel is officially broken in after this weekend but is going to stay there for another week for Alice to hack him out and do some schooling with him. I am going to go up at the end of the week and Alice is going to give me a quick lesson on him.

The next week Alice is away at HOY so I am going to pay for Diesel to graze there still and I will be going up there to ride him in the arena that he is familiar in.

The week after that he is going to stay there still and once again Alice is going to do more schooling and hacking (which gives him the 2 weeks schooling we had planned to do all along after being broken in. Then he will come home!!!!

I am being very realistic about me and Diesel. I am really quite excited about riding him again after seeing Alice ride him the other day. If for any reason I do not feel safe enough riding him or he totally freaks me out I will sell him, I dont see the point in me owning a young green horse if I dont want, or cant pluck up the courage to ride it. Just a waste of money sitting out there waiting for me to get really brave, which in all reality might just happen.

If I find it enjoyable riding him then obviously he will be staying forever (like the original plan). Time will tell, and there is no point in rushing this......