Post by racaille on Oct 18, 2013 6:35:11 GMT
It''s been a long time since I've updated you guys about Racaille. We did the full work-up - even bloods looking for stress hormones - to see if there was anything physically wrong with him. There isn't. Sometimes a horse isn't shouting with pain, it's being a prat. The vet even laughed at me when I asked if R could be suffering back pain.
So. Clean bill of health, just a behaviour thing. Pretty annoying as he's never been brutalised in any way but he's the way he is, a wild pony off the mountains.
So the teenager has been working him very consistently and boy, what a change! He's still challenging but he has settled down into an amazing little horse. You have to ride him like a stallion (I couldn't) but have very soft hands and a good sticky bum but it's do-able. He loves speed and gets bored very, very quickly but the teenager has been having a lot of fun with him.
So we decided to have a go at a new discipline. (He might event a bit this year but his genetic make-up is rubbish for jumping: QH x Spanish and although he never refuses - he knows no fear which is not always good - he is capable of going through a jump. )
We took him to an endurance training day and he loved it. He was very excited to start with, cue a lot of bunny hops etc but then settled down to a very good trot, although wasting a lot of energy on his silly Spanish high-stepping trot - looks pretty but pointless. He even let the teenager hold him to a sensible canter even though the piste in front of him was obviously very tempting!
On Sunday I am taking them to the Camargue for a 20km competition with some of the guys from my group. It should be great fun as long as R doesn't explode with excitement!
So. Clean bill of health, just a behaviour thing. Pretty annoying as he's never been brutalised in any way but he's the way he is, a wild pony off the mountains.
So the teenager has been working him very consistently and boy, what a change! He's still challenging but he has settled down into an amazing little horse. You have to ride him like a stallion (I couldn't) but have very soft hands and a good sticky bum but it's do-able. He loves speed and gets bored very, very quickly but the teenager has been having a lot of fun with him.
So we decided to have a go at a new discipline. (He might event a bit this year but his genetic make-up is rubbish for jumping: QH x Spanish and although he never refuses - he knows no fear which is not always good - he is capable of going through a jump. )
We took him to an endurance training day and he loved it. He was very excited to start with, cue a lot of bunny hops etc but then settled down to a very good trot, although wasting a lot of energy on his silly Spanish high-stepping trot - looks pretty but pointless. He even let the teenager hold him to a sensible canter even though the piste in front of him was obviously very tempting!
On Sunday I am taking them to the Camargue for a 20km competition with some of the guys from my group. It should be great fun as long as R doesn't explode with excitement!