I met Katharina and told her our history. She said she doesn't take in young horses for full-time training, she doesn't focus on ground work, but she does give riding lessons. I showed her some ground work and she took over and did some nice in-hand work with Mag. She knows enough to be able to teach me, even if it's not her specialty.
She's very gentle and subtle, she never aggravated him with the whip even though she was tapping it on his girth area to get him to bend. He never once gave her a nasty face even though she was asking for lots of bend and crossing over of his legs (and I know now that those things are very hard for him).
While lunging him on my 10 foot line he responded very well and all she had to do was look at his hip and he'd disengage and face her with both ears. But I noted a rebellious toss of his head, too, for some reason, on several of her requests to halt. That's new.
He relaxed and stretched down and started to drag his nose in the sand and clearly wanted to roll, and she clucked him forward. A few paces later she asked him to stop with a very slight gesture of her body/eyes. He did, and then he reared a full-on, pawing the sky rear, like Padron here:
(photo stolen from Bakersfield dressage). When he finally dropped to the ground, he stood facing her, chewing politely. K looked at me, "Is this normal?" I said, "This was the very first time." She just stood there, perhaps contemplating her mortality. My heart just sank. She wasn't even pushing him at the time. If it had been me on the line, I would have ran at him with the whip and made it clear that rearing is never an option by making him work hard.
She taught me some in-hand work, like Lukas had begun, but a whip handle against the girth really works better than a hand.
She said she's not sure she can help me because she won't ride him, but I said, "If I could come here and be coached by you in this (covered!) arena, it would be helpful." She said "Where will you practice?" I told her about the parking lots.
She complimented me that Mag is extremely light and sensitive to her slightest requests. I said it's an Arabian thing, but that he's actually calmer than most young Arabians. At first he was quite hot so I'm not sure she believed me, but he calmed right down and stood there half asleep when we talked. He even did a sort of join-up with her, following her every move with no pressure on the line.
I hope it works out with her. I can't tell how good she is at this point. She did agree with me that what Mag needs more than anything right now is not massage, but hard work. She said, "He's definitely not easy." Funny, I bought him because he seemed so easy in comparison to all the other horses I'd seen.
I went home and tied Mag up for an hour and then trimmed his fore hooves (farrier comes next week to do the hinds).
Then I decided I'd better just do it. Recreate the accident.
Alone, but with a helmet.
I call it "Defensive saddling" - starting with the surcingle, I hold the halter so that his nose is tipped toward me and then swing the thing on him repeatedly. Then I reach under and grab it and with one hand hold the straps and the buckle and pull so that it tightens without me actually buckling it (buckling with one hand is not possible, I don't think). I swear he had this, "What? What?" look on his face, why I was tormenting him. He did nothing, but standing still doesn't mean calmness - he was worried.
Then I did the other side, same thing. Then I did it with the saddle. Except first I threw the pristine white saddle pad too hard and it went right over his back and landed in the poopy mud. AGH! The reason I mention this is because Mag did not flip out. I did. I ran for the hose and hosed it because I'm not sure it's machine washable and somehow both sides were covered in mud. But good Mag for not getting upset. I often throw things (blankets, towels) on him and then drag them off his side so they land beside him. But usually I'm on the same side as the thing I'm pulling off.
Anyway I feel better now; I'd been avoiding recreating the scene, because my leg is not healed yet. Almost.
I'll email K and tell her I'm ready to ride. After lunging.
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9 comments:
I'm sitting here shaking my head at her remark that Mag is "definitely not easy." I don't see him that way at all. He just needs work. I agree about the rear-up. I would have dealt with that immediately. My daughter's QH mare did that once at a show, while on the longe, and I whoa-nellied that right away. She never did it again. He who yields first, loses. Somehow, some of this seems too gentle for me. One must know when to be firm and when to be gentle, and horses immediately know when you yield, and in the beginning, there is a lot of "firm." "She just stood there, perhaps contemplating her mortality." I must admit, this made me laugh. We've all experienced that, many times!
KB, funny that the people where I live can be pushovers with their horses, and wicked forthcoming with their neighbors in social spheres. I was curious what you would do. Would you have ran at her with the whip and made her canter and then work hard? That would be my reaction, not just...standing there letting a horse paw the air above my head, thinking about it. I think she was in shock, perhaps, she's used to Haflingers. She is a very, very experienced Haflinger trainer, 20 years, accomplishing many awards and ascending the levels in the regimented ranking of trainers here. Haflingers are difficult, but in another way. Perhaps I'll give her the opportunity to experience the difference?
Two of her Haflingers galloped to Mag to greet him on our way down the hill on that path. She is not very talkative, I didn't get much out of her, other than she started riding at 6, like all German children, with vaulting. Then at 18, she discovered Western and took that on. I told her in America, none of us start with vaulting, we all start Western. Well? Am I wrong?: )
Glad I could make you laugh, when I was at my lowest point. Thank you again KB for your experience. Have you any experience with Haflingers? That may be all she knows.
Yes!! Happy to read this!! Sometimes just acting like a beginner and getting riding lessons like this, even on a very green horse, will train both of you together. I hope that makes sense.
Wow, can't believe she didn't get after him. Seems to be the German way? Having just sold my Haflinger, while they are awesome, they are wicked smart & totally understand their strength. So I'd think she'd know not to allow a horse to get away with something.
It sounds like this woman will be able to help you out. I think Mag needs a lot of work too, consistent work with a very regular schedule, so he learns that pranks like rearing just make it worse, not better. I also think you should be cinching him up every day. Maybe two or three times a day. First, the more you do it, the more confident you'll become, second, the more you do it, the less he'll fuss. Do you know if he might have ulcers? I know that horses with ulcers are very cinchy, even to the point of kicking, when they aren't normally kickers.
My horse used to do that rearing, pawing thing during groundwork once in a while when I was asking him for something he didn't understand or didn't want to do. He never did it under saddle, but it's been at least 2 years since he's done that. I don't even remember it anymore. He kicked me once while I was lunging, a barn cat tried to run under him at the same time I was asking him to canter and he hit me on the hand, I think he was kicking out at the cat. Two of my fingers turned black. That took a while to forget, but I did. I don't believe you have to be a trainer, or have special knowledge if you ride consistently, and always reward for the behavior you want, and always keep in mind what kind of horse you want him to be. I used to get knots in my stomach just thinking about riding him. I had problems with everything from bridling to saddling, to getting on and off. I just worked with one thing at a time and kept going, and now I'm not afraid to ride him on trails. Nervous on some of the tricky ones, but not afraid.
Great about how close this person is and the facilities!
As I remember, because it has been over 20 years ago, I ran toward her, pulling down. We were walking some where at a show, and I couldn't longe her right there. (I remember everyone's startled looks.) I just instinctually got mad instead of afraid. I think I backed her up, growling at her. Beauty was not bad but opinionated as mares could be. God, I loved that horse. She actually had a very slight dish in her head. Although she was registered QH and built like one, we used to wonder if somewhere back there was some Arabian because of that slight dish and that bit of spice she had to her temperament. This was before Khanalee, but I think she was a good preparation for Arabians.
No Haflingers here, but people look at them and think ,"Oh, pony!" Nope,little draft horse built to work.
BTW, I think what redhorse said is right. Saddle him everyday, many times a day. The way you do it defensively is wise, and it's good for his soul. And then make him back up a ways, all the way down the drive if necessary. When I got through riding Big Butts, I'd make him back up all the way to the pasture. It was good for his big butted soul. I used to look at my horses as my job. I had to go to work everyday to have a safe, reliable mount. And I was their job. Ha! And what she said about getting knots in her stomach and working through things, I so get that!
As difficult as it is, you just have to swallow the fear and get it done. He needs his butt kicked HARD with work, and lots of it. Having started every single one of my own horses, I know how terrifying it can be. You either do it ... or you don't. With my Arabs, I was always grateful that they were "close to the ground." Getting on Izzy the other day, after being gone for more than two weeks, took some psyching up - that dude is HUGE! And when he gets fussy and bucks or even rears, it's a loooong way to the ground. Best of luck to you! :0)
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