181. When you have a nice hack it makes all the difference.

Today i hacked out with Alex and Fenna and had an absolutely lovely time, it couldn't have been any more pleasant and to top it off we even had a motorbike ride passed us without even a flinch of fear so i think Spice enjoyed it too :)

180. Having the right mind set...

Yesterday evening being the stubborn, determined person i am i decided to hack Spice out on my own again but for some reason i felt more nervous than last time. Why? I have no idea... i was a bit tired due to lack of sleep and if i'm really honest i couldn't really be bothered knowing that i was hacking out the next day and had worked Spice the day before so there was no real need. But i didn't want to let my nerves get the better of me so decided to go anyway. Last time i hacked Spice out alone she was as good as gold so i had no real reason to doubt that she wouldn't be this time but having said that we do have a history and sometimes you can't help but think about the bad times, all i could focus on was what could go wrong and rather than being excited about hacking out i was completely reluctant. Should i have stopped myself? Yes, because it's not just about making Spice confident it's about making me confident and getting on a horse when you feel anything but confident is never a good idea because they sense it the minute you are on their back. Because i was tired I also neglected to do any groundwork before getting on her and didn't even spend 5 mins doing any schooling which would have helped calm my nerves so i made a number of errors before even getting on. Anyway, to cut a long story short we went out and it was far from pleasant. For some reason i just couldn't relax which meant Spice couldn't relax and unlike last time where she didn't have a single spook she was spooking at things left, right and centre and i really had to focus on her 100% to get her passed them. There are things that Spice is genuinely frightened of where it doesn't matter how confident the rider on her back is she will still 'freak out' but i completely believe that her nervous temperament yesterday was totally down to me being nervous so i realized it was the worst thing i could have done to ride her in that state of mind.

So what have i learnt?...That sometimes i need to take a step back and really assess my feelings about a situation before rushing in. On the days where i'm feeling good and positive i should attempt to ride out alone but on the days where i'm feeling less confident (for whatever reason) i should ride out with someone else...in short i should only do what i feel comfortable doing otherwise i will knock not only my own confidence but Spices too.

179. Working in an outline without a bit!

Today (as you can see from the photos above) we worked on getting Spice to work in an outline in both walk, trot and canter and she did really well considering it was only the second/third time of being asked to come into an outline using a bitless bridle and got better and better as the session went on. She was very well behaved throughout the session doing everything that was asked of her and even threw in a few jumps at the end for good measure. Very pleased with her today.

http://www.artofriding.com/articles/onthebit.html

178. Bonding...

Yesterday evening i couldn't wait to see Spice because i had been away on holiday for three days so hadn't seen her for what felt like an eternity! I absolutely hate leaving her and for the first two nights of my holidays had two nightmares about her being injured or hurt. Anyway, upon my arrival at the yard i was very pleased to see this wasn't the case and that actually she looked exactly the same as the day i left her. :)

After giving her her hoof supplement i lunged her and then took her out for an hours walk (barefoot) to help condition her hooves. Barefoot wise she is doing brilliantly at the minute - every week that goes by i see a marked improvement. Her hind hooves not only have concavity but now have a really tight white line which in my opinion aswell as being the correct shape are the two most important things to change during a transition. Her front hooves have stopped chipping and are also beginning to get concavity. I love her being barefoot because i know she now has the right amount of shock absorption 60-80%! more than a shod horse to keep her limbs free from injury and lameness. I no longer worry about her hooves as i did in the first 3-4 months and watching her trot and canter with ease and no sign of stiffness or lameness is great. I can't wait to see how much her hooves improve in the next few months (as the general feeling is that it takes a full 9-12 months for a horse to fully complete its barefoot transition) so i'm guessing i will still see improvements for at least another 5 months. :)

I love taking Spice out for walks and i think Spice really likes it too which is great. I feel i bond with her so much more when i am at her level and i think because we are on an equal footing she doesn't feel any sense of being alone.

Saying that I make sure i stand at her girth area and put my arm around her back and lean on her while she walks so i am in a similar position to what i would be if i were riding her as that way she is leading by my directions and cues rather than simply following me. She was a complete angel in every way yesterday doing everything i asked without any hesitation. If i could just manage to de-spook her against tractors and motorbikes i don't think i'd have any complaints hopefully i will figure out a way to do this soon but until i do i have at least one ride i can do where i know the chances of meeting either are very slim. :)

Happy Days

177. The innocence of horses.

Yesterday evening i decided to hack Spice out on my own again. It was a calm day, the sun was shining and the breeze was light. Spice's temperament was calm so i thought it was as good a day as any. As i started to approach the gate sensing that she was a little apprehensive i asked her to walk forward five steps at a time and as soon as i felt her wanting to back off i stopped her, patted her and kept her nose pointing in the direction i wanted us to go without asking her to move again until i could feel she had relaxed. A few more steps and a few more stops and we were out of the gate with no fight and happily walking down the road. As we walked along I could feel Spice was still a little anxious so just kept telling her what a good girl she was and how brave she was the whole time. I then realised something about Spice and perhaps a lot of other horses that are primarily driven by fear which is how innocent they are. And how really they are the true victims of their fear. Even though Spice knows full well how to get me off her back and by her side she never uses this knowledge to her gain without real reason in other words she never 'cries wolf' for the sake of it. Her reaction to her fears are always completely genuine and this made me realise how innocent she and a lot of other horses really are - unlike humans they have no sense of manipulation. As she walked along i felt as though even though she was scared she really wanted to please me and do as i ask - she didn't once try to nap. It was a great feeling when we finally got home after having had what has to be the first proper ride in ages where we haven't had any dramas.

176. Hacking out alone...

I haven't hacked out on my own since the motorbike incident because to be honest it's just a hell of a lot easier hacking out with someone else. Spice actually wants to go out when she knows another horse is going. She is far more relaxed and far happier which all in all make it a far more pleasant experience. Although she still has the odd spook she is less 'flighty' than when she is all on her own. I do long to hack out on my own with Spice even if it's just to the nearest field for a canter and back just so i can prove to her that it's not always so bad and have that one to one time with her but for now i am grateful i have people to hack out with as i'm sure Spice is. :)

175. Barefoot Transition - 6 months

Today Spice had her 7th Barefoot Trim. It is now 6 months since she was de-shod and 8 months since she was last shod. I have been hacking out for up to an hour at a time 2-3 times a week with boots on her front hooves and nothing on her hinds and so far so good. :) She hasn't got foot sore at all and her hind hooves in particular are looking great. The white line gets tighter with each trim and the barefoot trimmer said her frogs are looking brilliant. Her front left hoof is still chipping a little at the bottom - nothing more than 5mm but it would suggest that the horn she is growing is still not that strong so i anticipate that these will take alot longer to fully transition (if ever). Whether she will ever be able to hack out barefoot on her front hooves all year round is debatable but on days when she isn't comfortable i can just slip her hoof boots on.

I haven't actually used my Renagade hoof boots yet apart from trying them on her in the arena. I have been using the easy care glove boots which are actually quite good providing you get exactly the right fit. I have them in two sizes one pair are for the beginning of the trimming cycle and the other pair are for the end. So far they have stayed on in walk and trot up hills and down hills but i must admit i haven't yet been brave enough to canter in them. I might use my Renegades for cantering as they have a better reputation for riding over rough terrain than the gloves do.

So far, i am still happy that i decided to go down the barefoot route and i am even prouder of deciding to do it with a horse that most people (including myself at times) would have thought too 'finely bred'. Whether i succeed in having a fully barefoot horse is still an unknown but what i do know is that with each trim that goes by Spices hooves become healthier and to me that is a success.

174. Spices Fear of Motorbikes...

Today i decided to hack Spice out around the block where i had been walking her in hand as i thought that she would be fairly confident. However, as luck would have it no sooner had we left the yard we were faced with not one but 2 motorcyclists, a car and a van all at the same time. Needless to say Spice absolutely freaked. She was terrified at the thought of having to pass them without me by her side to show her the way. So, rather than have a big fight in the middle of a road with traffic waiting and a horse already in 'flight' mode. I decided to get off and walk her passed knowing that she would be fine with that. The problem i had was getting back on her. Having a 15.2hh horse and being only 5 foot tall isn't the best combination so i walked her along until i found a field that we could go in which had some higher ground for me to mount her from. However, at this point Spice had decided that she felt much happier and safer having me by her side and kept moving her hind quarters away from me every time i went to mount....Frustration is not the word. All in all i think it took me around 15 attempts to mount her (so definitely need to do some work here) and as soon as i did she let me know she wasn't happy and made it very obvious that she wasn't going to listen to me by attempting to choose the direction we were heading in so i promptly reminded her that i was the one in charge of the direction. However, I could feel her resistance and excess nervous energy with every step so i thought that before taking her back onto the road i needed to do some schooling, figure of 8's, tight circles, backing up, stopping, walking forward and so forth. After roughly 5 minutes of doing this she was putty in my hands and it was like sitting on a different horse. I continued to turn her every couple of minutes all the way home and made sure she was going at a pace i was happy with rather than one she was choosing. It wasn't the best hack in terms of obedience but the point is we did it and even with the obstacles we faced i ended the hack with a smile on my face especially after a canter back up to the fields. And what's more is that i have learned some more valuable lessons along the way.

173. Worms!

Yesterday, we administered worming medicine to our horses as they hadn't been done since last November so were well overdue and today we found big white tapeworms in their poo! So they definitely needed doing. We poo pick the fields every single day but it just goes to show that even in well kept, clean paddocks they are still susceptible. We used Equest which recommends that a single dose of EQUEST PRAMOX (moxidectin and praziquantel) is used in the spring and autumn, when tapeworm control is also recommended; and a single dose of EQUEST (moxidectin) is used in the summer and winter.

Sample Worming Calendar

February: Treat for Cyathastome larvae (5-day fenbendazole e.g. Panacur ™, or one dose of moxidectin e.g. Equest™). Then choose your class of wormer to use for the rest of the year, dosing at regular intervals. With the exception of the following specific treatments:

September: Treat for tapeworms (praziquantel, or double dose with pyrantel embonate e.g. Pyratape P™ or Strongid-P™ or Equitape)

October: Repeat treatment for Cyathastome larvae

December/January: Treat for bots (ivermectin e.g.Eqvalan™ Furexel™ Panomec™ Equimax™, or moxidectin e.g. Equest™)

Aside from the worms i took Spice out for a walk around the block today where we came face to face with a motorbike and she barely batted an eyelid at it. So very pleased. :)

Another successful day to add the list.

172. When your horse makes you proud...

Today, i had a friend of mine ride Spice in preparation for when i am too big to ride her. I anticipate that i have another 8-12 weeks before i will have to stop riding her so i thought it would be a good idea to get her used to being ridden by someone other than myself once a week so she gets used to it.

I was so proud of Spices behaviour...

When we got to the fields all of the horses were galloping around bucking, rearing and throwing their heads - i wish i'd have video'd it because Spice looked so beautiful with her head held high and her tail held up - just like an Arabian horse.

Anyway, seeing them all so excited made me think that this might be the one time that i might struggle to catch her but as i motioned for her to come to me in the middle of the field and all the other horses galloped passed she continued to walk on right up to me and stood perfectly still while i put her head collar on boy did she make me proud.

I fed her her hoof supplement, sprayed her with fly spray, tacked her up and couldn't have asked for a more well mannered, respectful horse. Then my friend schooled her and she was a complete angel. Walked, Trotted, Cantered and Jumped without any hesitation whatsoever which in view of the fact that she hasn't been properly schooled in 6 months is amazing.

I've always loved Spice but i don't think i've ever felt as proud of her as i did today. She was completely delightful in every single way and i feel very very lucky.

171. Learning how to ride your horse from the ground...

Today i decided to take Spice for a walk around the block and within the first few minutes we were faced with our first obstacle - a motorbike. Sensing that Spice might have a problem with this my first instinct was to have Spice stand still whilst the bike passed us. But having reflected on my actions i see that what i did was completely wrong. Why? because asking her to stand still and essentially not telling her to keep on going passed it meant that she had no forward momentum, no reassurance and nothing else to focus on but running away. I managed to control her spook by reacting quickly and telling her to 'walk on' past it (which is what i should have done in the first place) but whether i would have been able to do this on her back is a different story. She was already in flight motion and were it not for being in front of her i'm not sure she would have been quite as responsive.

So, what have i learnt? when i think Spice might be scared of an object in front of her...i need to give her the momentum to walk past it and re-direct her attention from the object to myself. Sounds simple and i know i've already learned this lesson before but sometimes even the best lessons can easily be forgotten (as i demonstrated today).

So bring on the motorbikes, the quad bikes and the tractors so i can put what i've learnt into practice!

Think forward, forward, forward!!!

170. You can't change your horses behaviour unless you change your own behaviour...

Today i decided to hack out from the yard on my own and back for the first time and it couldn't have gone any better. Spice was alert but 100% responsive to my cues so all in all i am really pleased. The future is definitely looking bright. If i'm honest it all seems a little too easy at the moment, after months of struggling to overcome our problems something finally seems to have clicked and all the issues we had before are slowly but surely fading away. It almost seems too good to be true...The biggest lesson i've learnt is that you can't change your horses behaviour unless you change your own behaviour. I always thought it was Spice that had the 'problem' but really in actual fact it was me...a little hard to admit but very true...

Anyway... i know i said i wouldn't talk about the arrival of the lentil growing inside me but this kind of involves Spice. Me and luke went shopping for some baby clothes today since we haven't yet bought anything and as we don't yet know whether it will be a boy or a girl we decided to just get some plain white clothes. However, when we looked at them we thought they needed cheering up so decided to buy some fabric paints and let our friends and family decorate them for us. I have already decorated my one and luke is in the process of decorating his.

As you can see, I thought it would be nice to draw Spice since she means so much to me. :)