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which_chickSaturday Rachael and I went to the Barkman's stop sign past the covered bridge. She took Peake and I took Birb in the bareback pad. Efforts for her were "a better working walk" and I put her in front of Birb some to see how that went. It was fine.
We got home and did a couple of short driveway rides on Snap. Driveway rides are in the driveway. Turn left. Walk on. Turn right. Walk on. Halt. Back a few steps. Walk on. Turn left. Turn Right. Halt. Walk on. They're super low stress. The reason it's "a couple of short driveway rides" is because you ride the horse for like two minutes and do all the skills and then you get off the horse and tell her she's awesome and pet her. And then you get on her again and do all the skills again. And you get off the horse and tell her she's good. It's two rides. :) They are short rides but that's OK. They still count as rides.
I feel that the experience of getting on and doing stuff and then getting off again is undervalued by horsepeople who are just getting into the starting-horses-under-saddle gig. Like, they skim over the "get on" thing because that's scary and once they're riding they have no desire to get off and get on again. But, the "get on" part can be taught to ponies. Like, you can just teach them that this is a part of what they are expected to do, same as you teach them to lead or tie or load on and off a trailer.
For Snap, who is like 12.2hh (definitely PONY size), we did a lot of "put the bucket we are using as a mounting block around the location of pony's front feet" and "knock the bucket over" and "accidentally kick bucket under pony's feet" and "scoot the bucket around on the ground getting it into the right place" drills... not because Rachael is an idiot and can't work a bucket as a mounting block but because the pony IS A PONY and will likely spend her life being ridden by idiot children who ARE likely to diddle around uselessly with a bucket mounting block, kick it under the pony, knock it over, scoot it around on the ground fifty three times to get it in the right spot, etc. A good child's pony tolerates all that shit with cheerful boredom and dozes off until the kiddo manages to clamber aboard... so, we spent extra time explaining that part of the job to Snap.
It's rather interesting to see how people with limited "green horse" experience do on green horses. And here, when I say "green horses" I mean an unflappable and nonreactive pony that's maybe had a person sitting on it twice or three times to be led around but has no concept of "walk on" and barely any concept of "turn left, turn right, stop". This is not 'green broke', this is barely at all broke... so the rider has to do a lot of work to be clear and comfortable and not-excited about getting the horse to do the basic things. Turns must be smooth and clear... eyes, head, shoulders, hips should all coordinate to help the turn. Patient, sort of nagging for a "walk on"... you don't, like, pummel the horse with ponyclubber kicks but you nag patiently and ignore wrong responses like "stand still" or "back up confusedly". Green ponies do a lot to clarify the aids of the rider and highlight where the rider is lacking in clarity.
I make Rachael do the Snap pony rides because she's smaller than I am and because she wants to improve her horse skills. I do not need practice riding super green ponies. I know how to do that. She will benefit from the practice. Snap will benefit from the practice. Two birds, one stone. And that's going well.
Sunday Trys, Rachael, and I took Punch, Peake, and Genie out for a spin. We alternated who was in front so that everybody's horse got to spend time leading the ride. Genie and Punch were absolutely miles and miles better than last weekend, while Rachael and Peake did a good job and are looking more steady together.
Sunday I also added ponyclubber exercises for better stability in the saddle. This is the same stuff I did with the horrible children years and years ago. Hand inna air two three four, Hand onna ears two three four, Hand inna air two three four, Hand onna tail two three four. Other Hand. (repeat) Plus touch toe on same side, touch toe on other side, airplane left, airplane right. This was all at the walk, because we start at the walk. Trys (obviously) has seen ponyclubber exercises before, but Rachael... it was a whole new world. :)
Hand inna air means reach way up and open the rib cage. It's not enough to just put your hand up. You gotta put it WAY up. Hand onna ears means reach up and touch horse in between ears. Yes, you can reach that far. (This is on a 14.0hh horse. It's not a 17.2hh warmblood.) Hand onna tail is just that. Reach behind and put your hand on the tailhead of the horse. The two-three-four is beats of a horse walk because I don't want you to just bob out of position and immediately pop back in, I want you to be OUT of position and hold there and then deliberately recover. Muscle memory is a thing and it can be taught.
These exercises help people learn where "home position" is in the saddle and gives them safe, repeated practice at moving their bodies around, intentionally a little out of "home position" and then back into it again. Hand Inna Air part resets, grounds seat bone, opens up rib cage, etc. These are good exercises for rider flexibility and confidence and balance and shit. These are GOOD exercises. And so we were going to do them. Yes, of course Peake (Rachael's pony) is checked out on this stuff. I am not trying to kill her. Genie had no idea, but Genie is kind of unflappable at heart. It was fine.
Getting someone who has never done it to lean forward hard over the pony's neck to touch the pony between the ears while riding at a walk is... fun. It's fun every time.
What are you doing? That's not even close to the ears! Come on, now!
I can't reach her ears.
Get up here so that I can yell at you better. Of COURSE you can reach her ears. Lean down further forward.
I'll fall off. (actual quote)
No you won't, reason being there's a horse neck in the way to stop you. You can actually lie down on the neck (demonstrating). Look, just do it.
I feel like I'm going to fall off.
You'll be fine. Look, there you got it. Good job. Hand Inna Air.
I am probably having too much fun with this. But it's fun. And honestly, it makes better, braver, bolder riders with more secure seats. She's gonna love it when we start doing 'em in trot. :) I mean, assuming I don't scare her off before that. Assuming she keeps showing up to play horse. It'd be nice to have someone to play horse with during the eternal daylight of the summer. Shit, I could take Genie out For Rides and get her for real broke.
We got home and did a couple of short driveway rides on Snap. Driveway rides are in the driveway. Turn left. Walk on. Turn right. Walk on. Halt. Back a few steps. Walk on. Turn left. Turn Right. Halt. Walk on. They're super low stress. The reason it's "a couple of short driveway rides" is because you ride the horse for like two minutes and do all the skills and then you get off the horse and tell her she's awesome and pet her. And then you get on her again and do all the skills again. And you get off the horse and tell her she's good. It's two rides. :) They are short rides but that's OK. They still count as rides.
I feel that the experience of getting on and doing stuff and then getting off again is undervalued by horsepeople who are just getting into the starting-horses-under-saddle gig. Like, they skim over the "get on" thing because that's scary and once they're riding they have no desire to get off and get on again. But, the "get on" part can be taught to ponies. Like, you can just teach them that this is a part of what they are expected to do, same as you teach them to lead or tie or load on and off a trailer.
For Snap, who is like 12.2hh (definitely PONY size), we did a lot of "put the bucket we are using as a mounting block around the location of pony's front feet" and "knock the bucket over" and "accidentally kick bucket under pony's feet" and "scoot the bucket around on the ground getting it into the right place" drills... not because Rachael is an idiot and can't work a bucket as a mounting block but because the pony IS A PONY and will likely spend her life being ridden by idiot children who ARE likely to diddle around uselessly with a bucket mounting block, kick it under the pony, knock it over, scoot it around on the ground fifty three times to get it in the right spot, etc. A good child's pony tolerates all that shit with cheerful boredom and dozes off until the kiddo manages to clamber aboard... so, we spent extra time explaining that part of the job to Snap.
It's rather interesting to see how people with limited "green horse" experience do on green horses. And here, when I say "green horses" I mean an unflappable and nonreactive pony that's maybe had a person sitting on it twice or three times to be led around but has no concept of "walk on" and barely any concept of "turn left, turn right, stop". This is not 'green broke', this is barely at all broke... so the rider has to do a lot of work to be clear and comfortable and not-excited about getting the horse to do the basic things. Turns must be smooth and clear... eyes, head, shoulders, hips should all coordinate to help the turn. Patient, sort of nagging for a "walk on"... you don't, like, pummel the horse with ponyclubber kicks but you nag patiently and ignore wrong responses like "stand still" or "back up confusedly". Green ponies do a lot to clarify the aids of the rider and highlight where the rider is lacking in clarity.
I make Rachael do the Snap pony rides because she's smaller than I am and because she wants to improve her horse skills. I do not need practice riding super green ponies. I know how to do that. She will benefit from the practice. Snap will benefit from the practice. Two birds, one stone. And that's going well.
Sunday Trys, Rachael, and I took Punch, Peake, and Genie out for a spin. We alternated who was in front so that everybody's horse got to spend time leading the ride. Genie and Punch were absolutely miles and miles better than last weekend, while Rachael and Peake did a good job and are looking more steady together.
Sunday I also added ponyclubber exercises for better stability in the saddle. This is the same stuff I did with the horrible children years and years ago. Hand inna air two three four, Hand onna ears two three four, Hand inna air two three four, Hand onna tail two three four. Other Hand. (repeat) Plus touch toe on same side, touch toe on other side, airplane left, airplane right. This was all at the walk, because we start at the walk. Trys (obviously) has seen ponyclubber exercises before, but Rachael... it was a whole new world. :)
Hand inna air means reach way up and open the rib cage. It's not enough to just put your hand up. You gotta put it WAY up. Hand onna ears means reach up and touch horse in between ears. Yes, you can reach that far. (This is on a 14.0hh horse. It's not a 17.2hh warmblood.) Hand onna tail is just that. Reach behind and put your hand on the tailhead of the horse. The two-three-four is beats of a horse walk because I don't want you to just bob out of position and immediately pop back in, I want you to be OUT of position and hold there and then deliberately recover. Muscle memory is a thing and it can be taught.
These exercises help people learn where "home position" is in the saddle and gives them safe, repeated practice at moving their bodies around, intentionally a little out of "home position" and then back into it again. Hand Inna Air part resets, grounds seat bone, opens up rib cage, etc. These are good exercises for rider flexibility and confidence and balance and shit. These are GOOD exercises. And so we were going to do them. Yes, of course Peake (Rachael's pony) is checked out on this stuff. I am not trying to kill her. Genie had no idea, but Genie is kind of unflappable at heart. It was fine.
Getting someone who has never done it to lean forward hard over the pony's neck to touch the pony between the ears while riding at a walk is... fun. It's fun every time.
What are you doing? That's not even close to the ears! Come on, now!
I can't reach her ears.
Get up here so that I can yell at you better. Of COURSE you can reach her ears. Lean down further forward.
I'll fall off. (actual quote)
No you won't, reason being there's a horse neck in the way to stop you. You can actually lie down on the neck (demonstrating). Look, just do it.
I feel like I'm going to fall off.
You'll be fine. Look, there you got it. Good job. Hand Inna Air.
I am probably having too much fun with this. But it's fun. And honestly, it makes better, braver, bolder riders with more secure seats. She's gonna love it when we start doing 'em in trot. :) I mean, assuming I don't scare her off before that. Assuming she keeps showing up to play horse. It'd be nice to have someone to play horse with during the eternal daylight of the summer. Shit, I could take Genie out For Rides and get her for real broke.
