Gem and I stood in the middle of the arena and watched Jean get ready. She put on my Confidence Vest ,(I am lending it to her for now) took lots of deep breaths and led Stu over to the mounting block. He stood quietly while she fiddled and fussed with the position of the mounting block. I knew she was stalling. She stood on the mounting block for a bit, finally put her leg in the stirrup and swung her leg over. Stu just stood there. Yay!
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| Deep breaths.... |
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| Up and over! |
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| Touch down! |
Jean took a moment to breathe and then asked him to walk on. Stu flinched just a smidge when she squeezed her legs, but he walked off nicely. The anxiety that Jean was feeling was obvious, but I give Stu credit for not freaking out because of it. They walked for about 10 minutes and then called it a day. Not bad for the first time going solo!
Jean won't ride alone (that's a good thing!), so she has been coordinating with other boarders or her husband comes with her to watch. Her and I have coordinated to meet a couple of times. Her usual routine is to lunge Stu at a walk, moving up to fast trot and canter until she feels he's tired.
Now, I can understand the philosophy of using lunging as a training aid or to get out some of the P & V in some horses. :-) I don't know much about lunging, but I wonder if Stu needs much lunging. He doesn't not have P & V and he understands his verbal commands beautifully. He's pretty docile, really. Yes he is spooky under saddle, but he's new at it. I suspect that because lunging is an area where Jean is in control, it gives her confidence, so she does it for as long as she can. The Trainer believes in lunging before every single ride to set the tone. LA thinks that lunging should only be used as a training aid for green horses learning ground manners. Lunging seems to be a very personal thing.
Jean has been on Stu a number of times now and each time I see her, she's a little more confident. When she was on him last Sunday, she asked for a trot. Stu did a little bolt and scurry, but eventually got into a funky trot. Jean didn't keep it up for long. Frankly, I think she sort of scared herself when she realized how BIG the trot was. :-)
Jean is obviously exhilarated and happy about riding her boy. The comments from others at the barn have been positive and she is definitely on a high. It is so exciting seeing someone recognize their dream and I am pleased for her. I have broached the topic of getting back into lessons. She does not see lessons in her future any time soon. She believes that now that Stu has completed 60 days and she can sit on him, lessons are not a requirement because it's just a matter of her working him. I do disagree with her on this, but she has to figure this out for herself; no one will be able to tell her otherwise at this point. Jean hopes to ride Stu four times a week; three evenings and Sunday afternoons. I admire her commitment and watching her relationship grow with Stu will be fun and educational. Maybe next summer we will be hitting the trails together!!
I'm happy to see that Jean and Stu are getting some ride time together. It should help her gain confidence. I agree that she should take it slow right now until they get used to each other. He's not my horse and everybody does things their own way but for me personally I don't believe in lunging a horse to tire him out before getting on. I guess that's her decision.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I know everyone makes their own decisions on their training of horses and lessons for themselves. But I think she could really benefit from lessons and so would Stu. It's no reflection on her training abilities if they continue their training for a while longer. My horse Erik was very green when I got him as a three year old. He was with my trainer for training for quite a while and I had lessons on him for many years. I know Stu is smart and gorgeous but in my opinion I don't think sixty days is enough time to fully train a horse. Stu is still young and needs to learn many things before he is where he needs to be. I wish her and Stu good luck and many good rides.
I agree that she and Stu would benefit from lessons. Sixty days training just takes the edge off, IMHO. She's going through an elated stage right now and perhaps is a bit overly confident of her capabilities as a "trainer". I suspect that she will eventually recognize that she and Stu need lessons. :-)
DeleteSounds like things are progressing well for the most part, your friend may hit a sticky spot(s) and eventually feel differently.
ReplyDeleteFor me, lunging has had it's place in training our horses - but it's about connecting with them, and nothing to do with wearing them out. We did it more when they were younger, not very often anymore.
Good training takes time, a long time. 30-60-90 days is just a start. A good piece of advice I was given years ago was to "do as much training as you can afford". I've never heard anyone say, my horse has had too much training. The same can be said for lessons.
However, it is great fun to watch a horse & rider grow & progress together! Glad your enjoying your horse time!!
I love that piece of advice! When I was budgeting to buy and maintain a horse, I factored in weekly lessons. In fact, I can't imagine not having regular lessons. They keep me focused and stop me from becoming lazy. :-)
DeleteI think they look great! Stu is a good looking horse. I've always been partial to draft horses.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a very long time to have a well trained horse. Couple of years anyway. About lessons - I've been doing this a very long time and I still take lessons. Not often. But even after 20 years I still need tuning up now and then. L is at her best when I'm at my best.
I know respected trainers who have their own trainers.
I learned a good lesson from my thoroughbred. The more easily he carried me the more willing he was to do what I asked. What I mean to say is I know some people lunge their horse hoping to tire them out thinking they're less likely to have a "problem" under saddle. It doesn't always work that way.
That horse taught me a lot.
Stu is a beautiful animal. I like the big guys. :-) My instructor still takes clinics every couple of months. I like that she does because she has told me that she learns something every time, which she then passes on to her students.
DeleteIn my mind, lunging to tire a horse out so he isn't a problem, isn't a reliable solution. He is going to spook if something scares him whether he's tired or not. :-)
I love my lessons and I learn something *every* time so I'm a huge fan of regular lessons. But I understand that not everyone is in that mind frame, though for someone with confidence issues, lessons have been a HUGE part of my growing and gaining more confidence. And as far as lungeing goes, I lunged my pony for six months and it had nothing to do with her. At. All. It was (much like you guessed) about me feeling confident and in control. Now, I only lunge if I can't let her blow off steam in the arena and she hasn't been worked in a few days. Otherwise I hop right on.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about lessons. Confidence is sometimes still an issue for me and accomplishing something in lesson always gives me a boost. I will be starting back to regular weekly lessons in November. I like that you use lunging as a release for your lovely girl. That makes sense to me.
DeleteFor me, lunging is a training tool and one I use only sparingly because it can put a lot of stress on a horse's legs, especially if the horse is young. I know a few people that lunge to take the edge of their horse before they get on, but you do run the risk that the horse is getting fitter and fitter and you'll need to lunge longer to get him tired enough to ride. I think you're right, Jean should continue with lessons, that way she will gain confidence where it matters, in the saddle, especially because it seems that Stu is spooky under saddle because of her nervousness. Maybe she would like a lesson if she could share one with you and Gem?
ReplyDeleteGeez, I never even thought of Stu getting fitter and fitter and it taking longer to tire him out! LOL! I hope that this is just a phase that Jean is going through and the lunge time is reduced over time. I have asked Jean if she would like to have semi-private lessons with me and Gem, but she has declined. :-( I have backed off a bit as I think she just wants to have one on one time with Stu.....and that's OK, too.
DeleteI'm a big believer in lunging. Especially if its making Jean feel better about getting on him. It doesn't need to be long, or tiring. Lucas needed to get out energy, Oscar needs some time to get his own body moving, and it lets me tighten the girth slowly. Lucas averaged 15-20 min, Oscar gets 5-7 min on a bad day!
ReplyDeleteI think once Jean has her sea legs on Stu and gets comfortable she might be more willing for lessons. I'd let it slide unless you think shes getting into problems. Shes moving at her own pace, and staying safe so far. You are a good friend to worry about her though :)
The Trainer is also a big believer in lunging. I am not sure how long Jean does it for ...maybe 10 minutes each way? You are right....she needs to move at her own pace and I think she is being level-headed and safe in her approach. If that changes, I will definitely speak to her. :-)
DeleteOh my goodness! I can see myself in her! And I have come a long way...and she will, too.
ReplyDeleteBut with both she and Stu being fairly green, lessons should be at the top of her list Both she and Stu will benefit greatly, as have I.
Lunging does seem rather personal. Personally, I don't believe in it. I lunged the heck out of my previous horse and she was perfect for me on the lunge line. But it didn't carry over into the saddle. She was a completely different horse under saddle...spooky, barn sour, and highly reactive.
I don't lunge my current horse at all. She just doesn't need it. She is a perfect trail horse. Just what I want and need. Calm, quiet, confident, brave, sensible, smart. And quite honestly I think she has gotten offended when I have asked her to lunge in the past. lol!
Best wishes for your friend. I hope she and Stu do well together.
~Lisa
Your beautiful mare is a perfect trail horse. I love looking at photos of your adventures!! I am hopeful that Jean will see the benefit of lessons and sign up again. I find your observation about lunging very interesting. I always thought that lunging was used to expend energy and reinforce rules and what was established on the ground would automatically transfer over when you put your butt in the saddle. I guess it's not always the case.
DeleteAw, I love those big guys!
ReplyDeleteI do, too. :-) When I saw Stu trotting when The Trainer was riding him, he looked so graceful.
DeleteMy, he is big isn't he?
ReplyDeleteGood for her, the first few rides are definitely the hardest. As they get used to each other it'll get easier :)
I've never lunged my hot, spooky mare before riding. Actually I think I can count on one hand the number of times she's been lunged. If I'm worried I'll do groundwork to see how well she's checked in. Step forward, step back, move your hind end over, and now she can do shoulder-in and lateral steps in hand!
Yes, he's big (16.1-ish). But the reason Jean has him is that he's too small! :-) He never finished off near the +17hh mark so he didn't fit with the driving team. In reality he's not that much taller than Gem. However, he must out-weigh Gem by a couple of hundred pounds. Gem looks like dainty next to Stu. :-)
DeleteCongrats on the shoulder-in and lateral steps! LA showed me how to lunge when I first got Gem, but like you I could count on one hand the number of times I actually used it. I like to get on and feel how he is. If he's really spunky, then I include lots of trotting in my warm up and that usually calms him down while loosening him up.
Hi Wolfie, sorry for not visiting recently but great to read your progress with Gem :D And so excited to read about Jean and Stu, she must have been so, so happy to finally ride her dream horse! Maybe once she's had some 'alone' time with Stu, she'll come around to the idea of lessons.
ReplyDeleteHope and pray that you're nowhere near the path of Hurricane Sandy, still take care and keep safe.
No worries, Joy! I was wondering what you were up to. :-)
DeleteThanks for your caring thoughts. I am no where near the really bad stuff, but Sandy has reached out a bit to us here in Ontario. The winds are picking up and we are expecting rain over the next few days. Nothing like what they are expecting or experiencing on the east coast of the U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes! I have friends in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Boston, New York and North Carolina and I have to say I am a bit worried for them.