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"Only way that horses will win is to sit there and spend time with them. Show 'em that you're trying to help 'em. Love 'em. Talk to 'em. Get to know 'em. Now that's what you gotta do. You love 'em and they'll love you, too. People might call me crazy, but that's the way it is." -Eddie Sweat, groom for Riva Ridge and Secretariat
Training Log for Mosby Antisdel 11/28/07 Hunted at South River. He was very good, but no speed demon. He did brush me through a few trees before I figured out that it was purposeful and then we had a discussion about that and it was much improved. He went home with Monte afterward. 11/27/07 Worked in the indoor with good results. He is getting better able to carry himself. 11/26/07 After some time off for the holiday, we worked in the arena, where he was a little spunky at first. Near the end, though, he produced some nice work in canter and some very nice work in trot. Very good. 11/21/07 Worked in the arena on more of the same. He is getting more balanced all the time and fitness is coming. A few stuck moments when we started, but better after he warmed up sufficiently. He is gettting better about being led with his neck down and being polite on the ground, which is excellent. 11/20/07 Drizlly and cool all day, so he was glad to come into the indoor and work a little bit to dry off and warm up. He started out just a little stuck in his neck, but after just a few minutes came around nicely and was doing some, dare I say it, polite and balanced canter work. It was a delight to ride. He wasn't perfect, but I'd say he has graduated from heathen, and moved on to pagan, which is a big step. Pagans, at least, acknowledge a higher power. 11/19/07 Worked in the arena. We had a discussion about standing still for mounting and afterward. He is letting go regularly in his neck in walk and trot now and starting to figure it out in canter. He is coming a little fitter as well. He always tries to please. 11/14/07 More work on softening and giving in his neck and back with moderate success. He let go in his neck in canter for more than half the time. Very good. 11/13/07 Rode in the indoor, doing a lot of flexibility items. He is coming through in walk and usually in trot and sometimes in canter and he is relaxing his neck about 70% of the time, which makes responding to rein aids much easier for him. 11/12/07 Warmed up in the indoor where we had a major discussion about falling over the left shoulder, and came to an agreement about it. Then did a lot of trot and canter work which is coming along. Went out and taught a lesson while he cooled out. He had to stand and be polite or move exactly where directed for 45 minutes which was very good for him. We had some moments, but it ended well. 11/7/07 Worked in the indoor and had him actually balance somewhat in the canter and carry himself in trot. He is getting a little stronger and fitter and politeness is starting to happen. Coming along. 11/6/07 Worked in the indoor with much attention to being polite in his neck and on the leg aids. We had some lovely moments and some serious recalcitrance and wobbling. Canter work improving, but miles to go before it is fun to ride or easy for him, part of that is fitness, which is developing. Things are coming along. 11/5/07 He was quite dramatic about escaping over the left shoulder today and thus earned a dressage whip snap on the shoulder a few times, and much praise when he chose to stay even between the reins. Did just fine. 11/2/07 Out on the trail again. Much improved in being on the aids, but had a few naughty moments of attempting to run out over his shoulder, which he learned doesn't generally pay off in anything other than more work. Poor dear. Coming along and he got a rinse and some cookies at the end. 11/1/07 Took Mosby out on the trail. He wanted to shy at a lot of things, drop his back, raise his head, go crookedly and even managed to try to escape over his shoulder and tugboat his way back to the barn at one point. Suffice it to say that he ended the day a more polite horse than he started, and I will not have to do extra calisthenics tonight to retain my girlish figure. 10/31/07 Worked in the indoor on flexibility issues. He is coming along just fine. 10/29/07 Back in the tack after a weekend away. Did some in hand work, where he was surprised to learn that his new politeness skills are now required at all times. Then got on and did some more flexibility things and some trot and lateral work. It went very well, and all this basic work we are doing will pay off in spades in the near future. 10/24/07 Worked in hand and then under saddle. The in hand work is coming along. Under saddle, we discussed releasing in his poll, stopping, backing with a relaxed poll and introduced sidepassing, which went unusually well. He is smart and willing. 10/22/07 Worked him in hand in the arena and he remembered most of what I taught him. Yay. Today we added going by the door with him behind me. Twice, when we were trotting by he opted to leave for a bit, but then when he got the slight whiplash and nosebonk effect of the rope winding around the edge of the door, he figured out that following me was a better option. After we got that right and some other politeness issues discussed, I got in the tack. He stands very nicely for mounting. We did a lot of flexibility things as he is quite capable of using that powerful neck to only his own ends. I got him to let go enough that he figured out that it actually felt good to do that. Very good. 10/19/07 Worked in hand, discussing proper attention to the task at hand, yielding in his neck, moving his feet as directed and general politeness. He was mildly surprised to learn what is required of a horse in polite society. I got a great workout with all the walking and trotting we did! 10/18/07 Moseby arrived. I checked on him later in the evening and he was working with the group just fine. |
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