Post by kitcat on Mar 30, 2009 8:37:26 GMT
As the title, Saturday's hack was not much fun. To start with it was very windy with some very strong gusts and it kept hailing and raining but we are not fair weather riders and set off to have fun anyway.
When I got Cav out I noticed that he didn't have a martingale on like normal but thought that he probably doesn't need it. The RS tends to put martingales on most of the horses/ponies to give a neck strap more than because they need it. Cav has been throwing his head around for the last couple of weeks but it didn't seem too excessive so I was sure we would be ok. Ha ha ha! He started throwing his head up going down the road and it continued all the way round. He was also really trippy going along the road both on front and hind legs and catching his toes going down hill. It felt like he just wasn't picking his feet up properly.
He occasionally bucks in the first canter so I tend to keep his head up but this time he was fighting me all they way, wanting to overtake the lead horse and complaining about going in a slow canter. Well, I thought the next canter will let him get it out of his system as it is a fast one up 2 hills. He normally loves this bit. At the bottom of the hill the first horse set off at speed but I couldn't get Cav to go. He was throwing his head as high as it would go (nearly got my face) and was jumping up and down with mini rears. I had to give him a big kick and shout to get him forward. We galloped up the hill rather out of control but he did stop at the top. By this time he was all sweated up and jumping around so we walked for a while and he seemed to calm down. Next came the long canter through the woods which is fairly flat and normally done slowly and just gives you the 'life is great' feeling. Again, he wanted to over take, he wouldn't do his lovely slow canter, his head was all over and at one point his front end came up and his hind legs slipped sideways. I really thought we were going over
Me being me swore very loudly and very badly 
and J in front looked round to see if we needed to stop but he had recovered by this point so I shouted to keep going. I don't think I have ever been so scared on a hack . By the end he was spooking and on his toes and really was not the horse I know and adore. J then said he had had a couple of days off at the begining of the week with a bad back 
We then had a long walk before heading back in to the woods again. I gave him a long rein where I could so he could have a stretch but the head throwing was still going on. Then his bum seemed to drop by an inch or so and he went what I can only describe as spongy. Really strange.
Then one of the other girls horses went down on it's knees and she managed to stay on until the horse got up and spun sideways. She has an awful graze all the way up her back now but said she was ok to continue. At that point I would have gladly walked back with her if she had had enough.
We walked all the way to the hill where we normally gallop and of course there was no way they were going to walk up that so we had a gallop and he did go forward (phew) but I had let my sister go in front as the horse she rides will not wait for the gallop and I didn't want to be trampled if anything went wrong.
We got back and I let the owner know that Cav didn't feel right and explained what had happened so I hope she will get him checked over properly. I hate the fact that I could have been causing him pain if he shouldn't have been out. She did say that he should have had the martingale and that one of the helpers must have taken it off whilst cleaning tack and not put it back. I will certainly not go out without it again.
Wow, that was a long one - a big bar of choccie for all who make it to the end.
When I got Cav out I noticed that he didn't have a martingale on like normal but thought that he probably doesn't need it. The RS tends to put martingales on most of the horses/ponies to give a neck strap more than because they need it. Cav has been throwing his head around for the last couple of weeks but it didn't seem too excessive so I was sure we would be ok. Ha ha ha! He started throwing his head up going down the road and it continued all the way round. He was also really trippy going along the road both on front and hind legs and catching his toes going down hill. It felt like he just wasn't picking his feet up properly.
He occasionally bucks in the first canter so I tend to keep his head up but this time he was fighting me all they way, wanting to overtake the lead horse and complaining about going in a slow canter. Well, I thought the next canter will let him get it out of his system as it is a fast one up 2 hills. He normally loves this bit. At the bottom of the hill the first horse set off at speed but I couldn't get Cav to go. He was throwing his head as high as it would go (nearly got my face) and was jumping up and down with mini rears. I had to give him a big kick and shout to get him forward. We galloped up the hill rather out of control but he did stop at the top. By this time he was all sweated up and jumping around so we walked for a while and he seemed to calm down. Next came the long canter through the woods which is fairly flat and normally done slowly and just gives you the 'life is great' feeling. Again, he wanted to over take, he wouldn't do his lovely slow canter, his head was all over and at one point his front end came up and his hind legs slipped sideways. I really thought we were going over
Me being me swore very loudly and very badly 
and J in front looked round to see if we needed to stop but he had recovered by this point so I shouted to keep going. I don't think I have ever been so scared on a hack . By the end he was spooking and on his toes and really was not the horse I know and adore. J then said he had had a couple of days off at the begining of the week with a bad back We then had a long walk before heading back in to the woods again. I gave him a long rein where I could so he could have a stretch but the head throwing was still going on. Then his bum seemed to drop by an inch or so and he went what I can only describe as spongy. Really strange.Then one of the other girls horses went down on it's knees and she managed to stay on until the horse got up and spun sideways. She has an awful graze all the way up her back now but said she was ok to continue. At that point I would have gladly walked back with her if she had had enough.
We walked all the way to the hill where we normally gallop and of course there was no way they were going to walk up that so we had a gallop and he did go forward (phew) but I had let my sister go in front as the horse she rides will not wait for the gallop and I didn't want to be trampled if anything went wrong.
We got back and I let the owner know that Cav didn't feel right and explained what had happened so I hope she will get him checked over properly. I hate the fact that I could have been causing him pain if he shouldn't have been out. She did say that he should have had the martingale and that one of the helpers must have taken it off whilst cleaning tack and not put it back. I will certainly not go out without it again.
Wow, that was a long one - a big bar of choccie for all who make it to the end.
