Baby Greenie Support Group now open: Share Your Pain!

[Merry]

Hey, Bumpkin, that 51 & over division at Indio is just waiting for you and Elliot next year!

I love these stories. Today I took our three year-old Hanoverian across town to ride her at our trainer’s. She is just too perfect at home. So of course I have to dash my illusions and take her to a strange place. Steering? Ha! Bending? Bigger ha! Focusing on me instead of the horse playing in the turn-out? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

I, Merry, actually dismounted at one point when Barbie’s tail went up over her back and she snorted like a Hoover vacuum cleaner.

But I did remount and finish my schooling session… such as it was. I’ve decided she ain’t exactly ready to debut in a hack class somewhere.

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[DMK]

Laurie, I guess I have a test for the Bad Weather Question…

A. Are we in Serious Show Prep Mode and if so, is there ANY reason this should not be our “Day Off” for the week?

B. Do I need to prove that I can stay on a raving maniac or didn’t I do enough of that in my teens and 20’s?

C. Is it vital he learns a lesson today (other than the Mom Can Stay On lesson)?

D. Does he need exercise (has he been locked up for days) and if so, is there any reason a lunge line wouldn’t suffice?

If the answer is NO to all of the above, well, I guess you know what MY answer is!

Now of course a few weeks ago when we had all the rain, and it was cold, foggy and misty I HAD to ride him, and I couldn’t lunge him without tearing up the ring, I made the sacrifice. And I got to demonstrate my riding skills as he imitated Point Given (not the fast part… the airborne antics ). But I am not sure what we accomplished other than a demonstration of how an older ammy can still stay on a 4 year old 17’1 TB who can leap in the air in ways that give you an appreciation what a GP fence might feel like (if one were to go forwards AND sideways over such fences!)

Beezer - we NEED pictures!!!

acolvin - good luck this weekend!!!

*** Speak yer mind… But ride a fast horse… ***

[Starbucks]

We were with an old, sane horse!

I didn’t know he could yield so well … or passage, or canter in place … maybe he should become a dressage horse!

[Duffy]

Yes, Janet - that front did come in like a whirlwind, didn’t it!!!

I’m so sorry about ya’ll’s (word? )illnesses, Pam and Merry. When I think about my little aches and pains…

Pam, I hope they figure out SOON what is wrong with you so that some active treatment can start.

Merry, I’m sorry that you still feel the affects from your sickness, even though, if I recall from another thread, you are on medication?

Can you imagine our lives withour our horses and other pets? I sure can’t. Lame or not, you’re right!!!

[Merry]

So Hammie was deemed fit and ready to partake in the San Diego County Championship wingding at Del Mar. I decided to go, even though he’s still quite green (i.e. inconsistent) because the arena where I was supposed to be competing was away from the racetrack.

When I arrived, we’d been switched to the other arena next to the track and next to where workers were busy setting up elaborate, enormous Christmas light sculptures. Yes, each year there’s this holiday pageant where carloads of people drive around the racetrack and infield gawking at light displays. Apparently this was the time for setting it all up.

Anyway… in Baby Greens I made the cut-off in the first round to come back for the second round, which was an accomplishment, being the only amateur and the fact that the workers were using a hydraulic lift to put up the “tunnel of lights” display just over the rail from the 5-stride line. After my second round I eeked out a 10th place ribbon (lovely light blue).

The next day in the low amateur adult hunters, I pinned seventh in the first round (74) and got a 78 in the second round to move up to 5th in the “championship”. I was thrilled! As Beezer said, “There were flashes of brilliance, then obvious baby green moments.”

Then, just as I pictured a high ribbon in the hack, the resident Standardbred trotters came out for their morning exercise on the racetrack! Hammie just totally lost it! I looked at my trainer, and she just goes, “You might as well ride through it. You paid for the class.”

I felt like I was sitting on an exploding giraffe. Mike Neilsen was the judge. I’ve judged with him in the past, and my girlfriend was his assistant for years. So I happen to run into him in the show office that night and I said something off-hand like, “Well, I’m crazy enough to be riding a 4 year old in the amateur division,” and he smiled and said, “You were doing really well until the sulkies came out.”

My final class, adult am. hunters “championship” was yesterday morning. Hammie warmed up beautifully. And my first fence and lead change were perfect. But then, as we rounded the turn and spied yet another Standardbred and sulky… well, let’s just say I had a line at warp speed, and an oxer that resembled ‘Gambler’s Choice’. I pulled him up, circled, and had a lovely final line. I believe I distinguished myself by earning the lowest score of the show: a 40 from Arthur Hawkins!

Oh yes… and THAT was the round Queen of Horse Show Moms chose to video tape…

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[LuckyMe]

Hello to all you guys… I love this thread, its fun to read and its always good to know that I’m not the only one out there dealing with “greenie” issues. You guys all seem to be quite a bit better at this greenie thing than I am, wonder if you could help me out?

I’ve got a two and a half year old filly who I’ve had since she was weaned. She’s always been pretty easy to deal with, could get a bit “pushy” at times but nothing out of the norm. I have handled her exensively, done lots of simple ground work with her.

I got into a riding accident late last spring and so she was turned out for most of the summer, still being handled daily but not really doing much as I was not physically or mentally able to deal with her…besides, a turnout for a baby is a good thing! In september I resumed our 2-3 sessions of ground work a week. Started out fine, but things have gotten progressively worse. I don’t have the confidence I had last year-- she knows it and she’s got my number…kicking, biting, and now rearing. Her bad behavior escalates every week and tho I do my best to correct it I know I probably just radiate nervousness and fear, which she is undoubtedly picking up on!

I don’t know what to do with her anymore. I do get help from friends, etc. and I’m considering sending her for professional training but in all honesty I don’t know what I’d do with her when she came back-- I don’t know that I’d even be equipped to deal with her then, and I don’t have the money to work with a trainer fulltime.

Difficult situation, I think, becuase the problem lies not in her but in me! I’d hate to give her up, its like admitting to everyone that I’ve lost my nerve, but at the same time I’m not doing her any justice. So when is it time to step back and give up? Are her and I beyond help?

Thanks in advance, hope I didn’t intrude too much on your thread!

[2Dogs]

LaurieB - I don’t know. French Quarter was owned by Mary Anne Weisberg, a Californian who rode/rides with Karen Healy. Mary Anne was tops with French Quarter 6-7 years ago and was champ at the Garden and PA (maybe all three indoors - I cannot remember). Mary Anne stopped riding for a while but I now see she is back with Petrus. I don’t know if French Quarter was a small nor how old he was - he was dark dark brown - almost black - like the Warren up above.
If it is the same - he was very beautiful over a fence!

[BustersMom]

Merry, I am so glad to see that the plan we have in mind worked for you. We are going to go to a couple of real small local shows in August to try to get over this ring anxiety thing. Jumpsalot will ride over fences to provide “strong encouragement” and my child will do the flat for now. No need to rattle the green horse with a green child. Or rattle a green child with a green horse. We also have access to a real packer which will give my child some needed confidence. I will keep you posted on what happens.

Thanks so much for the support. It is SO nice to know we aren’t alone!!

[TrickOfTheTrade]

Chef~ you look really little on Dekster, he is really cute!! He is going to be huge by the time he is done growing!
Beau has a great head and is really pretty!

Just got done with a quick ridee on Trick… haven’t ridden in a week or so… our steering was a little rusty, lol, but we got around.

[JB]

Won2Keep, I will join you! Rio is still in the w/t stage, with lots of stops in the middle. “trot” is used loosely, as many times it’s little more than a really fast diagonal walk. Steering? Ha. Straight line? I don’t think so. Rubber neck? Anytime! He is, however, teaching me a few things: I must sit up in the saddle or else when he goes trot-trot-trot-trot-STOP I will end up as earrings. He has just started to get a clue that leg means move foward without me having to add voice and/or taptap with the whip. Cantering is not even on the menu this year.

[CharleyHorse]

I rode a greenie for a little while and she was insane- when she was in heat ( like every other day ) and you were riding her if you put your leg on her she would stop dead and not move. She was really really really fancy but hard to ride, when she was bad. But when she was good she was sooooo nice =)

QUINCY COME HOME! I MISS YOU! and of course Piggy Par, Princess Anisette, and Boberino! Oh did I forget Stro? Hey BTW whats an 8 letter word with only one vowl? SP?

[Lord_Helpus]

Well, I found out why Mikey was lame – he had stepped on a hypodermic needle and it was into his foot 1.25"…

He had surgery today at Rood and Riddle (full anesthesia and the whole shebang – they consider wire inside hooves a real emergency over there and go into high gear —).

Right now it appears that the needle missed the navicular capsule and bursa (by about 1/8th of an inch, if that), so the tentative outlook is good. But the culture will take 2 days to grow, and only then will we know what kind of infection we are fighting…

I have not given a shot in months and keep a really clean barn. So, it appears that the most probable place he could have stepped on a needle was when I took him over to the prospective new barn last Friday to be tried…

We found it because as I was lunging him for the vet, he suddenly went EXTREMELY lame and we stopped and looked and he had blown an abscess out the bulb of his heel… So we took x-rays and all of a sudden, there was the needle!

So, off to R&R (15 minutes away – I am lucky) and within 2 hours, he is in surgery…

He is still there tonight. I may get to bring him home tomorrow. And then we start with the stall rest and changing packings (a hole has now been dug into his sole to let the abscess drain and to medicate the needle track adequately).

Somehow, I thought I was through with this last month from Sophie Moose. Well, at least I am getting good at abscesses – especially the really bad and infected kind…

Poor Mikey. When he went under he fell really hard-- despite 4 people trying to ease him to the ground. And then it is so undignified to have your legs put in hobble-type things and be hoisted up by your feet, all trussed like a chicken…

What a day!

[wtywmn4]

Awesome Bumpkin, you go girlfriend!! Tooth and all you are riding! You are awesome.

Have to have one of those lovies, keep chickening out…Aleve really works well…

[GRF]

HighEq.
You may possibly be the owner of my horse’s cosmic twin.
When we first purchased my BGWB,(Selle Francais)he was so unwilling,that he would exhaust my trainer in the schooling area, on the flat, then go in the ring and pull his arms out, as he dragged him to the jumps. Sticks, spurs, death threats,nothing worked.
Felix,(my horse)was singularly unimpressed with the idea of working on the flat, and he wasn’t going to be talked out of his political position on this issue, no amount of lobbying would move him.
He’d root on the forehand, fake you out by picking up his head, but not engaging his butt. He’d kick out or buck in order to show his displeasure. No amount of leg would make him go forward, and once going forward, down shifting and adding was out of the question. Over the jumps, he would sort of “harpoon”, and launch horizontally over the jumps, in one slow, sticking move, instead of rocking back…too much work.
He spooked at everything,(still can be a little more “sparky” than I care for…) and the “tranter” was, and is still, his favorite gait. We began to solve these problems this way.
My trainer gave me (older A/A jumper rider) the assignment of developing the flat on this horse.(we had previously done this with my now retired, “been there done that” jumper) We agreed, that if I ever intended,(and I did, and have)on showing Felix, that he needed gears that I could control. We agreed to continue to have him professionally shown in the high schooling jumpers, for the ring mileage, but the horse would remain with me at home.
I took Felix home from that trainer a year and half ago.
There are days when Felix is still an absolute jerk. He can make me reconsider ever sticking my foot through a stirrup again…but it’s those other days…when he is so incredibly willing, he moves off my leg, he’s light in hand, he actually canters,even gallops when asked, instead of the canter barely past a trot. It’s those days when we nail every distance.
We haven’t been without our share of problems, inclding, a long arm cast, that ruled out WEF this past winter. (put my hand on his neck doing a roll back, my ligaments just ripped…not fun… but we nailed the jump!) I’m riding again, we took a few steps backward, at first, but we seem to be back on track. There is no simple recipe for making up “baby green beans”, but this is what I’ve found to be the best incredients for me!
Patience, patience, patience…(the anti-words of the type a rider!) Persistance, and repetition.
You must stick with it! Be consistant. Stay on track, it will come! (just not necessarily on your time schedule!)
Believe in your mount, believe in yourself, and your ability.
Beware of trolls, and detractors.
It’s easy to become discouraged when the success outcomes seems to be less than effort inputs. We all clearly need supportive professional help, not critics who joy in the shortcomings of others… or who are ashamed, embaressed, or horrified, by an A/A/ errors. (we’re not the professionals, darn it!)
I feel very lucky, to now have a trainer at home, who is very supportive, who loves my horse,and has an incredible relationship with him, in every way. She has been highly successful with him not only at home, but in the show ring, amongst the best “company”. All of this aside, she is compassionate, empathetic, yet realistic about my frustrations with Felix,and my level of ability. She knows and respects my (minor but real)equi-history. We respect each other, and the horse. We share the same work and riding ethics, and work all our “Felix problems” (and all horse related problems) out together. We keep an open mind. We keep going forward with our little project, and we welcome input from others.
Felix has turned out to be a mighty special guy, whom, I am sure,(someday)will take me as far as I ever wish to go.
I’ve never given up on Felix,(although I’ve come close) and he has never given up on me. Likewise, my trainer hasn’t given up (EVER) on either one of us!
We all must find what recipe works for us, since every rider and every horse is a special creation, unto themselves.
I hope I’ve been of assistance.
Keep us up to date with your progress.

[Dry_Clean_Only]

So sorry Beezer - Tig sounds like a great little guy. Its too bad he isn’t quite the dream horse you expected.

Its too bad there wasn’t thousands more people out there like you to take care of all the horses out there that deserve to live out their lives as lawn ornaments - Tigger is one lucky horse to have you!

[LaurieB]

This MLM is 49.

Here’s my “looking at a greenie story.” I told this recently on another thread, but what the heck, it’s worth repeating.

When I went to see Tess, my current horse, she was three and had been ridden just enough to be shown in the IHF U/S class, then turned back out. I first saw her in her paddock and thought, hmmm, she looks kind of pretty but what’s with that funky color and by the way, how come she doesn’t have a tail? (It turned out her yearling sister had chewed it off the day before.)

So I’m reserving judgement when her breeder/owner takes her and puts her in a round pen. She wasn’t even there a minute when I KNEW she was my horse. Mr. LaurieB who doesn’t know much about horses, but knows alot about me looked at me and said, “If you think you’re going to try and negotiate the price of that horse, you’d better wipe the drool off your face first.”

Here’s a picture of Tess the first time I saw her.

[wadino]

Pkd is your name Paige and do you have two horses. One named Fleet and the other Zoe? If so I know who you are. This is Ryan from Hollyhurst with Stella. Anyway let me know.

-Ryan

My VERY UN-expert opinion.

[wanderlust]

Oh, this may be the funniest thread I have ever read… only because I can empathize with every last one of you. Except for the few of you who say your greenies are angels and don’t ever do anything wrong. If only I could be so lucky.

I wake up every morning wondering what new “trick” my baby (ottb) will come up with. I bought him as an event prospect, and had high expectations of him. Until I realized that the trainers at the track weren’t lying when they said he “doesn’t like to run”. They meant it. Literally.

His reaction to basic, basic dressage training? “How on earth am I supposed to move forward if you have even the slightest bit of contact? You must be crazy! I think I’ll go up and down like a sewing machine and throw temper tantrums instead.”

His reaction to leg being applied? “What the heck are you doing???” along with much tail-swishing, and when I didn’t let up… he swing his head at my left foot (which I have discovered is his more “goosey” side) and bit my toes as hard as he could.

Okay, so fast forward a couple of months… there are no eventers around the barn, but two of the better hunter/jumper trainers and a top dressage trainer/competitor/judge at the farm. So I start riding with the hunter trainer, who helps me discover that he has an absolutely fantastic jump. And he’s better on the flat… actually goes round and soft and forward at the trot. But is miserable at the walk and canter, unless completely left alone. Some incidents from my lesson last night:

“You need to ride him straight!!!”. Which would be fine, except he is learning how to move away from and around the leg, and has grasped the concept soooooo well and is trying soooo hard that the slightest touch with either leg will send him shooting sideways in an attempt to please me and get a scratch on the neck. So as he shoots off one leg, and I block his movement with the other, he shoots sideways in the direction from which he just came, and this cycle repeats over and over and over.

“He CANNOT do that while he is working!” In reference to the way he got an itch up his nose while we were cantering down the line to a fence… comes screeching to a halt and thrusts his head down to rub his nose on his leg in a manner that says “if I don’t get rid of this itch this very second, I am going to die!!!”

“Use your stick if he won’t move off your leg, don’t keep kicking.” Because he wouldn’t move. Literally. We were trotting along, he decided he was done, and stopped. Would not move. I hit him with the bat… he swished his tail. Still didn’t move.

There is, of course, the way he throws the huge, quick spook that leaves me thinking “Boy, how did I get from that side of the ring to this one?” when he doesn’t want to work anymore(I’m so used to this that he can spook while walking on a long rein relaxing that while others are yelling “hang on!!!” I’m laughing. I haven’t lost a stirrup in months, not even on the legitimately huge spooks that would get most people off). There is the “why are you sitting on my back while I’m cantering” canter-canter-buck, canter-canter-buck rhythm he uses to express his displeasure.

Gosh, I could go on forever. Thanks again for all of the laughs, and making me feel like I’m not the only one with these issues!

[Merry]

Well, just to clear things up, in the words of one of my beloved American authors, Mark Twain, “The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

I’m totally over the hump of my maladies. I’m just forever plagued with after effects I’ve learned to live with. Let’s just say I’ll never have a weight problem, because food refuses to stay within my body for an extended period of time, fish tacos or not.

But back to the topic at hand: Why Pam, darlink, are you suggesting to Bertie that her horse needs an occasional M.R.L.? (Mid Ride Lunge). I can’t believe we’re developing our own dictionary!

Hammie seems to be soooo sound that yesterday, when we were hitching up the trailer to take Tigger to his first show (more, I’m sure on that later ) he went bonkers! Hammie has started doing this every time the trailer gets hitched. So I had no choice but to turn him out, and he ran and ran… You get the idea. But he was sound. And his shoes stayed on. So I think I’ll jump him today, after I go to church and pray he stays that way.

I often wonder if I’m the only one who considers filling out the little prayer request cards with things like, “My horse won’t do a smooth right-to-left flying change.”

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[JumperEq]

I have a greenie…kinda. She’s really not mine, she’s a project horse that I work with whenever I darn well feel like it. She’s also only kind of a greenie. She hasn’t been ridden in 2 years and while she hasn’t completely forgotten all of her training, she’s quite the challenge. “Tot” is a 8 yr old TB mare. Okay…picture this now, a relatively healthy 8 yr old TB with not near enough turnout time and not being ridden for that length of time. Weee…

I rode her for the first time on Saturday. Otherwise I had just been longeing her to get somewhat into shape and to let do all that excess bucking without me on her back. The ride was fun. I had a short half hour lesson and we even hopped over a crosspole or two at the end. On the flat she was more like, “Okay…this is boring, OOOOH A SHADOW! What’s that over there? Maybe if I can turn my head just special I can see it at the right angle…” I started getting her attention better throughout the ride (thank God!). She only bucked a few times, and only one was pissy (yay!). Otherwise she was just doing some “wee, this is fun!” bucks after the jumps. This horse has a serious jump in her, too. My trainer wants me to aim towards Juniors with her next summer, since all we really have to do is remind her of her training. Last time she was shown in Children’s & Pre-Greens by my trainer’s daughter (yes…Pre-Greens with a 13 yr old, ha). They did really good, too. I believe Reserve in Childrens and Champion in Pre-Green. We’ll see how this goes… Oy vey…

.:Erin B #2:.
“When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught to fly.”