Bending

I thought it was a good time to talk about Mick and bending. Not all Percherons are created equal. Mick is almost sporthorse in confirmation. You look at him from the front and he is relatively narrow. The Amish would not choose him to pull  logs. BUT that makes him far more suited to the world of dressage. When choosing horses for "jobs" keep in mind that a horse that is "blocky" from a frontal view will have better balance. The one that is narrow or oval in this view can better develop supple bend. So here is a guy weighing nearly a ton that can bend easily -in the trot- on  a ten-fifteen meter circle.

The canter will be a different story. We have a lot of work to do to develop that. First, I need to get my round pen back up to work on any canter at all. To start a horse that size on a canter, one needs  some containment. Moving him and containing him with that much energy and mass is like working with a diesel locomotive I can't compensate for variables the way I do when working smaller horses. OK...MAYBE if I was still in my twenties!

Back to the trot. For his size, lovely and fluid. I truly enjoy watching him move in the field. See his natural movement tells me a lot about how he will be once he is schooled to compensate for the effect of a rider. On the lunge he can be moved through several sub-gaits of trot via vocal cadence. he understands voice cues very well. In fact, one has to be very careful not to send out the wrong signal. My stupid Basset  loves to "get involved" when I am lunging and when I raise my voice at the dog, I can get an unwanted reaction from the horse. Sometimes they are smart enough to know where it is directed but not always. I am anxious to do more work with caveletti but I need to rig something up or invest first. he does well with what I have done so far. I have rigged two up on a small circle. he might hit them the first time but after that he knows how to pace himself and use his body to adjust.

If no one ever rides this horse he will still be a reward to school. It is such fun to see his development through incremental groundwork. I tell students "its not about the ribbon, its about the ride" but I take it a step further in my own experience- its about the school.

More about "the school" in my next entry! Philosophy 101! 

Hot! Hot! Hot!

We went from slopping wet spring to extremely hot summer. I guess I am lucky that I work nights. I can rush home in am and do things with by equine buddies before it gets impossible. My theory is: Horse sweating in stall? No work. the heat index really has been over 100 so that's another indicator.

Mick and my soft eyed Arab -Cole can take it better than the Haflingers who are just a mess. Mick has been agreeable to lunging and in hand work. Cole-at 18- his light springy self. The Haflingers become stubborn and lethargic. In fact, poor little April Fool-the gelding- was breathing heavily on Saturday and had to be drug out of his stall for a cool shower to help him cope. The two mares are still slightly lame in the trot from the spring wet hoof mess but can be worked/trained at a walk. Fortunately their stall gets a better breeze.

In -hand, Mick is doing well. Just a little better every day. His back-up is straight and responsive. the "steps" to touch are a little more responsive but it is a slow process. Voice is critical. Tone, rhythm, and tempo are all part of the recipe. In fact, Mick responds very strong to tone and tempo. He hears me pick up my voice and he picks up his pace. I also work with cadence. Down the road in training, I should be able to minimize voice as more subtle aids taker its place.

I am using a new in-hand whip. I am really proud of this as it is the first product of my home grown bamboo. It is a thin stalk but suited perfectly to the work of in hand. It has a lovely "crack" too! The length is perfect to work with big ol Mick! Long and curvy to reach around his hocks for signalling.

I just keep hoping for more tolerable weather as our efforts are minimal, short and sweet. Oh for days where I can have nice long conditioning sessions! Tehre was no spring. I can hope for a long fall and minimal winter AND and indoor arena???????

Mick, Ground work and the Bitless Bridle

The spring muds are still taking their toll. I have had one Halfinger with glue and special shoes and now the second has lost a lot of hoof due to the abscess capsules finally falling away. I'm not trying any more heroic measures. They are in no discomfort so I'm just going to let nature take its course and when good hoof is back, they will return to their jobs. I have other horses that can use jobs and attention.

So... back to the Big Guy.

Yesterday he lunged well and gave me some good yields with whip to "buttons". No, not whipping him, just using it to develop pressure point communication.

Out of the stall he came with his Clinton Anderson rope halter on.This is a great, versatile halter. since their are no European style Cavessons available for Mick, I have had to improvise. This rope halter works great. Not all rope alters are created the same and I can only recommend the Clinton Anderson for this task. It has knots in just the right places and is made of a sturdy but pliable rope-giving it the necessary tension. While he stood ground ties, I applied a roller (surcingle) and walked him to the tack room where i added his Dr. Cooks Bitless bridle. I have already blogged on the success I had lunging him in this bridle. Today, I had set higher goals.

After lunging both directions, I found him very stiff on one side. No surprise here. What horse isn't? so I found a larger area and lunged him where he would have more space and could stretch more. The BB did its job. As always, he played rodeo Percheron with the upward traditions but they were mild in comparison to last years displays. for those of you who have never lunged a Percheron, bucking, pulling on the lunge line are something to be avoided. Thank goodness I have a strong set of shoulders!

Next it was time to do some ground driving. Previous attempts have been unhappy trials. Runoffs, rearing, etc. Now that I am down to two horse that are working, I have more patience and a BB! Off we went, down the drive. I had thought about staying in the pasture to contain him in the even of a run off but.. the pasture is rougher and tough on my knees so gamble I did. Things went really well. I started with circles before I moved down the drive. This gave both of us "a feel". Then we cautiously moved down the drive. Finally, he seemed to understand that my steps cannot match his and he moved quietly so I could keep up. We had no battle. he moved and look like a gentle man. the BB has given me a calm boy. I am learning he needs to hear calm in my voice. I cannot raise my voice if he picks up his pace. I must calm him down. he listens and responds. Turning was no great trial. I worked a little and ended on a good note. What a good boy!

Whether he gets a harness and cart or just is a ground driving champ, these exercises take him far in his development.