Poet

[star]

Stick to ground work until he TOTALLY respects you. Put your riding on the back burner and concentrate on baby steps. You'll be farther ahead in the long run - and you'll be SAFE !

[Becca]

^exsactly what i was trying to get across thanks! cant wait to see you guys in april!

[Krista]

agreed with tammy!
if your horse respects you on the ground the sky becomes the limit for under saddle!
i've learned this lesson the hard way myself a couple times so take it slow and get his respect on the ground!

[blueboy]

Buying this may help alot. Even if it helps you understand your special horse a little more, I believe it would be worth the price. Clinton Anderson is a very practical/no gimmicks horse trainer who does not talk over your head. ......http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/products2.cfm/ID/120/name/Gaited-Horsemanship

[whudson]

Mar 9, 2010 22:10:47 GMT -3 star said:

Stick to ground work until he TOTALLY respects you. Put your riding on the back burner and concentrate on baby steps. You'll be farther ahead in the long run - and you'll be SAFE !

I agree. Safety first and when he respects you on the ground, it will transfer to the saddle.

You mentioned that when you fight, he fights back. My horse was the same..the harder you fought the harder he fought back. Now he is a wonderful, willing well behaved boy...just giving you hope that it can happen.

When Poet was first for sale in NS I contacted the owner and inquired about him. He has a clicker training background, have you looked into that? Most horses love it and it can open up some common ground between you and him. One day when you are around him and he does something well just cluck with your tongue and give him a treat. See if he perks up...my thought is that he will. But if you are interested in looking into this route as in something he has already been exposed to, I would suggest not going at it blind but do some study. What I mentioned above was just an experiment. There are many books available on the subject. If you want more info, feel free to pm me.

Good luck with your boy and have some fun

[Lacey]

I just want to say how PROUD I am of Poet and Danielle today in their riding lesson with me and Twist.
Today was HUGE, and it can only get better from here.
So even before she posts what they accomplished today, I just wanna say GREAT job.
And keep up the AMAZING work.

[stacey]

ahh Lacey, now you got me anxious to hear what happend !! ^^
But either way im sure your doing awesome with your new pony keep up the great work !

[karlah]

Mar 10, 2010 12:44:49 GMT -3 whudson said:

Mar 9, 2010 22:10:47 GMT -3 star said:

Stick to ground work until he TOTALLY respects you. Put your riding on the back burner and concentrate on baby steps. You'll be farther ahead in the long run - and you'll be SAFE !

I agree. Safety first and when he respects you on the ground, it will transfer to the saddle.

You mentioned that when you fight, he fights back. My horse was the same..the harder you fought the harder he fought back. Now he is a wonderful, willing well behaved boy...just giving you hope that it can happen.

When Poet was first for sale in NS I contacted the owner and inquired about him. He has a clicker training background, have you looked into that? Most horses love it and it can open up some common ground between you and him. One day when you are around him and he does something well just cluck with your tongue and give him a treat. See if he perks up...my thought is that he will. But if you are interested in looking into this route as in something he has already been exposed to, I would suggest not going at it blind but do some study. What I mentioned above was just an experiment. There are many books available on the subject. If you want more info, feel free to pm me.

Good luck with your boy and have some fun

This sounds like a good idea! I know Poet because he was boarded at my barn. He is definitly a smart horse, and I think he gets bored easily, and that boredom sometimes shows up as "bad behaviour." It would definitly be beneficial to look in to the clicker training, and give his mind some excercise!

Glad to hear your lesson went so well tonight. He is definitly a looker and can go far

[Danielle]

Thanks guys!

March 10th.

Lesson with Lacey and Twist today Kathy got me to work him on his two good rails where he listens well, getting him to move forward, at a rack, trot or canter, whatever he felt comfortable at. He racked at first and tried to canter a bit, but the last time I took him down those two rails, he trotted beautifully! He wasn't ducking out at all, he was staying perfectly straight and I was on the right diagonal too! I made the biggest fuss over him and then got off, to empahsize his good behaviour. I never dreamed he'd be trotting so soon, but I am so happy with him, I can barely describe it. Best day so far, hands down

[whudson]

That's great...glad you both had a good day and I hope it's smooth sailing from here on :- )

[unino]

Mar 9, 2010 22:10:47 GMT -3 star said:

Stick to ground work until he TOTALLY respects you. Put your riding on the back burner and concentrate on baby steps. You'll be farther ahead in the long run - and you'll be SAFE !

Im with Star on this one i wouldnt even be riding him untill his ground manners were down pat! Start at the bottom and work your way up! Sounds like he is walking all over you!

[krazie]

Great job in your lesson...while I agree with Star that the groundwork will do you good in the long run, you and your coach know what will work best for you. Don't ever be afraid to step back, reassess and try something new. I knew Poet briefly at Aiden's and he struck me as a horse who needs a job and something that will keep him interested - so a variety of groundwork and under saddle will probably help him greatly! I've never seen a combination come out of Kathy's barn that didn't have great success! Good luck!!

[Lacey]

Well I guess I can post this here? Danielle is gone for the weekend for hockey and she has me tending to this lovely boy of hers. So I got off work a little early tonight and went to the barn to take him out for a spin.

I went to his turnout to get him, not once did he pull or try anything mean. He was a gentleman in the cross ties, minus when Sox was poking at him. He was good for having his bridle put on and great for leading to the arena and tightening his girth and mounting. All round great so far.

I got him to walk around at first for the warm up, never hesitated once at the gate. He did look in the direction once, but I quickly changed his mind and moved him forward. He was doing straight lines around the arena at the walk and rack/trot. ALL the way around. So we started on some circles, and cerpentines and even some figure 8's.

But then the snow became too heavy and was getting in my eyes and I got too wet and cold, so I called it a day! We had a great ride, think I figured out a lot about him and we did great! I can't wait to ride him again tomorrow too see what else we can discover! I'll have a few pointers for Danielle when she gets back!

-Lacey!

[katie muise]

sounds like he learning already !

[Danielle]

Sooo happy to hear he was good for you! Definately have to talk to you soon about him