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Post by cat67 on Jun 30, 2006 16:24:18 GMT -5
Is it a response to the bit? What if you have someone mount her in a halter and have the ground person just lead her off like "no big deal, we're just leading, it's just that someone is sitting on you now"? I've had that work really, really well with horses who balk and threaten to rear. Do you have a steady eddie you can pony her off of with a rider? That can work really well too, especially for the ex-racers who are used to being ponied. She must be rideable, she won money! Someone just must have fried her brain. These poor horses, we never know what they have been through.
Honeycutt...that's interesting. That is one good looking horse. He must really be expecting something bad related to a rider being up there. Have you tried putting something on his back that isn't necessarily a breakable human being? I saw someone post who puts a shirt stuffed with kitty litter on top of the saddle first and sees what they do with that. I thought that sounded like a smart idea!
I did have a horse years ago who really DID NOT want to get broke (unbroke 6 year old, two time AQHA top ten world show halter horse) and at the time I knew a bronc rider, so I had him get up there and not totally kill him but just whack him with long reins every time he bucked. He bucked, bucked, ran into the arena walls, bucked, bucked, and in 15 minutes or something it was over. The next rides, he gave up after a few bucks. I started riding him and all I had to do was pick up the end of the reins when he balked and he gave up and rode fine. He wound up being top ten in state 4-H showmanship and western pleasure. Sometimes they just need to learn that bucking isn't effective. I don't pretend to ride well enough to do that myself, though!
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Post by cat67 on Jun 30, 2006 16:26:26 GMT -5
The really funny part is that I am not as brave as I used to be, not by a long shot, but I have gotten on 2 rescued horses I knew nothing about bareback in a halter in the last 6 months...funny. Luck has been with me SO FAR!
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Post by schwung on Jun 30, 2006 16:33:51 GMT -5
I haven't done much with Honeycutt...mainly a time issue, I just have so many horses here and I don't even have time to work with my own. That would certainly be something to try...he definately knew what the saddle and bridle were all about. I am a little worried he might have been one of those bucking horses that are always showing up at the lot - although they were not told that he was. The trainer they used to use did ride him (supposedly, no picture to prove it and there were a ton of chestnut horses down there at that time) but he used a lip chain on a lead rope that he held taught while he rode - any attempt to put his head down to buck in anyway he would have gotten a pretty strong punishment, so I don't know. You are welcome to try for 3 for 3 on him!
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Post by pdevlieg on Jun 30, 2006 17:06:31 GMT -5
Azalea has had very minimal work - she would rear with groundwork, but never the over the top kind. She is MUCH better! Only one person has been on her since I have had her and that was bareback with halter. I was leading on the ground, then just next to her for support. When asked to move, you could see her shift her weight back but we kept it very easy for her so she never actually went up. Bucking doesn't bug me nearly as much as rearing does! I just need to get over it and get on her. ;D
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Post by cat67 on Jun 30, 2006 17:25:19 GMT -5
Sounds like you need to get on Azalea with a good ground person that you can trust to keep her calm and focused. I am going to do this for a friend of mine this weekend with her rescued horse - we figure she is such a foodaholic that I will feed her carrots or grain and distract her totally from the idea that EEEK a human is on her back! I do think that a lot of times if you have the bridle and saddle on, they anticipate something bad happening to them, whereas if you just slide on with a halter, they are more relaxed. Especially if they have been mishandled/manhandled/flipped in the past. Probably why I am more comfy getting on horses I know nothing about bareback. I also tend to figure it's easier to get OFF safely bareback if you have to...nothing to get hung up or caught on! If you want a good ground person to help you, I'll be happy to assist you when I come up at the end of July! Hmmm interesting on Honeycutt...I would love to meet all of these horses for myself when I come up there. See if I can figure out what they are thinking and what the triggers are! I love trying to figure out how horses think. I wish I would have had the benefit of the intellectual knowledge I have now about horse behavior back when I still had the courage required to get on anything and everything. But I think almost everybody over 35 feels that way!
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Post by pdevlieg on Jun 30, 2006 17:48:35 GMT -5
Good luck w/ riding Foxy! I know I used to hop on anything without any fear at all! Now, life is just not the same - those of us not quite over 35 feel the same way!
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Post by cat67 on Jun 30, 2006 18:51:09 GMT -5
Yeah, I used to train and everything but then I stopped riding for 7 years...the guts have gone out the window along with a fair bit of the balance I used to have. I do what I can. I'm more concerned about doing good, progressive ground work these days before I just merrily hop on anything and everything!
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Post by foxyfrosty on Jul 3, 2006 22:44:21 GMT -5
Cat let me know when youre coming up, I know of a fab vegetarian cafe downtown! My treat!
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Post by shireluver on Jul 4, 2006 11:55:50 GMT -5
We need to schedule a get together!
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Post by schwung on Jul 4, 2006 13:35:02 GMT -5
cat67 and safehorses are coming up for the SAFE clinic at the end of July. The more the merrier!
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Post by foxyfrosty on Jul 4, 2006 16:48:36 GMT -5
Ohh count me in! Ill be there...Cant wait to meet those 2 gals! Dawn you need to come to girl...
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Post by cat67 on Jul 5, 2006 1:19:46 GMT -5
Cat let me know when youre coming up, I know of a fab vegetarian cafe downtown! My treat! Sounds great, we'll do that for sure!
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Post by cat67 on Jul 5, 2006 1:42:05 GMT -5
Well, I had a great ride with Sunline on Sunday evening - we rode in the larger arena and while she was fussy about her face again, she totally ignored the jumping lessons going on in the adjacent arena and the four, count them four, puppies running wild around the property! Unfortunately, yesterday she looked stiff behind so I just turned her out yesterday and today. It's been so hot that I don't want to do much anyway unless I come after dark and today I had to reserve those cool hours for Horses I Get Paid To Ride. So Miss Sunline got a bit of a break. Here she is wandering around the arena today. I keep looking at her and trying to figure out how much of a butt she has grown. She definitely has more of one than she came with! Sunline wondering if her slave has finished cleaning her stall and preparing her grain yet. You can really see in this picture the old scarring in her girth area on the right side. It looks like she got hung up on wire fence or tried to jump something and missed. It's pretty severe, like there was muscle cut out that never came back. I wish she could talk and tell me what she's been through! Then again, it might make me have to go kill someone so perhaps it's best I don't know all the details of the morons who had her before me.
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Post by kaiyote on Jul 5, 2006 13:14:42 GMT -5
Hey, that's great that you got over your bias about having a blind horse. :=) Glad she worked out!
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Post by jellybelly on Jul 5, 2006 14:07:39 GMT -5
Man she looks SO much better. Good job CAT!
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