I came across this site a couple of years ago, somewhere in amoungst uni and various jobs (and not having internet for a year!) I lost touch, so I thought I'd make a new start here.
For years I have competed, dressage, eventing, show jumping. I have always been the strange one, trying out new methods, doing things differently to everyone else
. None of the methods I have used have ever quite satisfied me, the amazing things you guys do match the pictures in my head for what I have always wanted to achieve.
Last time I was on this site I don't think I was quite ready for it. I have since given up competing, and just train my own horses my own way, gleening information from every place I can find it! Just the other day I was working on desensiting my 3yo to plastic bags (he is super sensitive to noise and petrified of anything that makes a rustly plastic noise) and to cut a long story short I found that the best way was just to let him do it himself. I got upto were I could attach the bag to his saddle and ask him to go out on the lunge, from there I left him to it. If he became nervous he would just stop and calm himself, then walk off again, when he was happy he would try out a couple of steps of trot. I talked to him and encouraged him the whole timeand by the end he was trotting around calmly on his own (very proud
).
Same day there was an email waiting for me from this site, I logged on and everything I read seems to fit
.
This is what I want to do!
So a little intro of my horses...
This is my lovely Mate, I've had him for almost 5 years now. Hes a 13yo Irish Hunter TB, hes been my dressage horse, eventer, partner in crime (
) and best friend
.
Before I got him he had been trained upto medium dressage, and not well. He was a plank, terrible lateral walk, went in one frame (usually with a head tilt) with a locked jaw and back. Despite this he usually did very well because he is so lovely
. I have managed to improve all this a lot, but never really got to a level that I am satisfied with.
And gorgeous Ra, a 3yo WB who I bred, so I get to start from scratch with him. In the last few months I've started riding him, just W/T/C and hacking out. Hes still very much a baby so I don't do too much with him, plus I'm sort of waiting to find the way I want to do things...
I mainly follow Phillpe Karl, and a natural horsemanship trainer I worked with. Both very good (PK is just amazing, love what he does), but neither exactly what I want to do.
Besides my own horses I also ride racehorses (trackwork, beach and road), help people out with their horses (or mostly horses with their people lol) and take on a couple of dressage horses. In the real world one has to make a living... one day... I'll be able to work with all horses the way I want to
.
I've been reading as much of this forum as possible and really look forward to taking part! I'm going to have so many questions for you guys
.
My boys playing in the paddock...
And all three of us swimming at the beach...