Since moving Lily to a dressage barn and riding on the UVM Equestrian Team, we have learned a lot. By the spring semester (January 2007) I was taking a weekly private dressage lesson; plus riding in the twice-weekly team lessons. My new trainer's first comment was, well, she kind of looks like a mini-Trakehner. I was really excited, M (my trainer) said my little Morgan mare looked like a warmblood! Looking back I realize I'm not sure how much of compliment it was seeing as I don't like Trakehners for their serious lack of brains and tendencies to be stupid and dangerous, and M agrees with my opinions.
As I headed home that summer with Lily, I was so excited. I was loving the dressage, and how much easier it was making Lily to ride. We had also been jumping a lot and M felt that Lily had a real talent over fences. By spring I had been jumping her 3'6" on the occasion and she was still showing amazing scope (such as leaving out two strides before a 3'3" oxer). The summer of 2007 however, was a disaster.
By the end of June Lily was rearing. This is a horse that I started myself and had never even kicked out while under saddle, let along rear. She was very attached to the barn (even though she went out by herself, she didn't have a turn-out buddy), and by July had reared and taken-off with me back from the lower pasture to the barn. By August I could barely ride her. Every couple of steps she would toss her head up, and if I pushed the issue she would go up. I had looked at her feed, her feet, checked her back, had the vet come out. Checked her saddle, bridle, bit (french training snaffle), and nothing seemed wrong.
September came and I brought her back up to school with me. She turned into an angel. The first week was like having my horse back. She was happy to work and wonderful to ride. Then she started rearing again. We looked at everything again. Then it got worse, she started kicking out when I touched her left side. It started when I was riding, and progressed to even just went touched her left flank. M took a look at my saddle and decided that with the muscles she had developed from doing all the dressage, it didn't fit, when I was sitting in it. Hence why I never figured it out on my own. The saddle was fine until my weight sat in it (and I'm not big, 5'9" and about 130lbs) and then it started pinching her withers.
Unfortunately the damage was already done. It didn't matter what saddle I put on her, it still hurt. So, from October 2007 to January 2008, I rode her bareback. And everyone thought I was completely nuts. I even questioned my own sanity at some points. I was getting on a super hot sneaky mare that had just learned that rearing gets her out of work, with no saddle. We didn't canter for at least 5wks, and the first 3wks included a whole lot of walking and learning not to jigg. In December my best friends mother let me borrow her old keiffer wide tree dressage saddle. Bingo!
Over the summer Lily was getting grain, being turned out on grass, and being taken care of by a barn manager that believed a horse should always have hay when in a stall. She has gained probably about 200lbs. So a wide-tree was perfect. I slowing started putting the saddle on her again. I also had a saddle fitter come out. After ruling out pain, I started on a major attitude adjustment; because not only is Lily a mare, she's a Morgan mare. Which means she was born as a super alpha opinionated horse.
Basically my rides went like this: brush gently, and ever time she kicked out, give a good slap and touch the area again until she got over it. Then get on. Walk, ask for trot. Then just just kick. She had no interest in going forward. If kicking out didn't work she would start to back up then rear. I put on spurs. Ever time she tried to rear I doubled her (pulled her head to one side) and dug my spur in to go forward. I added the spurs because I tried this very unsuccessfully with out them. For such a sensitive mare, she sure is good at ignoring me when she wants to. As M put it, I had to get rid of her rearing before she killed me. And if I couldn't make her go forward, I could get her to stop rearing.
About 4wks later she was getting pretty sick of the whole thing, and starting to act like a normal sane horse again. We started private lessons again, and she just got better and better. Soon we were jumping again. However, through all of this, I made a sad decision. I decided that I wanted to sell her. As much as I love her to death and she is an amazingly athletic horse, she is not what I want right now. I want something more consistent that is easier to ride. I may only be 20 (almost 21!), but I have had green horses my entire life. My first horse was a 4yr old with 6month of professional saddle seat training. Next was Mylo (the love of my life and one horse I would always take back in a heartbeat) who I bought as a 2.5yr old that drove and was being introduced to a saddle when I got him. So I want something for me. I am happy to put in the finishing work, but I want something not quite so hot. I am in college taking a full course load, I ride on the UVM Team, am in charge of Fundraising this year, plus I work at least 20hrs a week. When I go to the barn I want to know I will have a decent ride at least 8 times out of 10.
As I headed home that summer with Lily, I was so excited. I was loving the dressage, and how much easier it was making Lily to ride. We had also been jumping a lot and M felt that Lily had a real talent over fences. By spring I had been jumping her 3'6" on the occasion and she was still showing amazing scope (such as leaving out two strides before a 3'3" oxer). The summer of 2007 however, was a disaster.
By the end of June Lily was rearing. This is a horse that I started myself and had never even kicked out while under saddle, let along rear. She was very attached to the barn (even though she went out by herself, she didn't have a turn-out buddy), and by July had reared and taken-off with me back from the lower pasture to the barn. By August I could barely ride her. Every couple of steps she would toss her head up, and if I pushed the issue she would go up. I had looked at her feed, her feet, checked her back, had the vet come out. Checked her saddle, bridle, bit (french training snaffle), and nothing seemed wrong.
September came and I brought her back up to school with me. She turned into an angel. The first week was like having my horse back. She was happy to work and wonderful to ride. Then she started rearing again. We looked at everything again. Then it got worse, she started kicking out when I touched her left side. It started when I was riding, and progressed to even just went touched her left flank. M took a look at my saddle and decided that with the muscles she had developed from doing all the dressage, it didn't fit, when I was sitting in it. Hence why I never figured it out on my own. The saddle was fine until my weight sat in it (and I'm not big, 5'9" and about 130lbs) and then it started pinching her withers.
Unfortunately the damage was already done. It didn't matter what saddle I put on her, it still hurt. So, from October 2007 to January 2008, I rode her bareback. And everyone thought I was completely nuts. I even questioned my own sanity at some points. I was getting on a super hot sneaky mare that had just learned that rearing gets her out of work, with no saddle. We didn't canter for at least 5wks, and the first 3wks included a whole lot of walking and learning not to jigg. In December my best friends mother let me borrow her old keiffer wide tree dressage saddle. Bingo!
Over the summer Lily was getting grain, being turned out on grass, and being taken care of by a barn manager that believed a horse should always have hay when in a stall. She has gained probably about 200lbs. So a wide-tree was perfect. I slowing started putting the saddle on her again. I also had a saddle fitter come out. After ruling out pain, I started on a major attitude adjustment; because not only is Lily a mare, she's a Morgan mare. Which means she was born as a super alpha opinionated horse.
Basically my rides went like this: brush gently, and ever time she kicked out, give a good slap and touch the area again until she got over it. Then get on. Walk, ask for trot. Then just just kick. She had no interest in going forward. If kicking out didn't work she would start to back up then rear. I put on spurs. Ever time she tried to rear I doubled her (pulled her head to one side) and dug my spur in to go forward. I added the spurs because I tried this very unsuccessfully with out them. For such a sensitive mare, she sure is good at ignoring me when she wants to. As M put it, I had to get rid of her rearing before she killed me. And if I couldn't make her go forward, I could get her to stop rearing.
About 4wks later she was getting pretty sick of the whole thing, and starting to act like a normal sane horse again. We started private lessons again, and she just got better and better. Soon we were jumping again. However, through all of this, I made a sad decision. I decided that I wanted to sell her. As much as I love her to death and she is an amazingly athletic horse, she is not what I want right now. I want something more consistent that is easier to ride. I may only be 20 (almost 21!), but I have had green horses my entire life. My first horse was a 4yr old with 6month of professional saddle seat training. Next was Mylo (the love of my life and one horse I would always take back in a heartbeat) who I bought as a 2.5yr old that drove and was being introduced to a saddle when I got him. So I want something for me. I am happy to put in the finishing work, but I want something not quite so hot. I am in college taking a full course load, I ride on the UVM Team, am in charge of Fundraising this year, plus I work at least 20hrs a week. When I go to the barn I want to know I will have a decent ride at least 8 times out of 10.
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