I bought a pony! Meet Lola

[endlessclimb]

With young ones with really stupid ideas, (if possible) I’ll give them 10 minutes of “free time” where they are off the line and can do whatever they want, as long as it’s a trot or faster. I’m not going to goose them into being stupid, but if they want to they’re free to.

I don’t allow screwing around on a lunge line - no bucking, no rearing, no raring around.

I find the horses need the free time when the footing outside is not conducive to a good buck-fart-roll - too muddy, too icy, whatever. It gets all built up and they can’t figure out how to contain it. 10 minutes once a week or so, and they’re able to reinstall their brains and work a little.

[chestnutmarebeware]

Agreed! I was more referring to under-saddle techniques.

I used to do this with my OTTBs to let them settle before starting serious work, until my trainer walked by one day and commented “You’re just making her fit to keep up the shenanigans longer, you know”.

That was a lightbulb moment that took longer than it should have to show up!

[quietann]

I’ve thought about ear plugs or a noise-canceling bonnet. It’s worth a try.

ETA she is getting longed before most but not all rides. Feronia rarely if ever required longeing but my skills, such as they are, are coming back. Lola groks longeing and is generally well behaved.

We have a lot of mud right now, the ground hasn’t frozen solid, so Lola and a lot of the horses at her barn aren’t moving so much.

I love the trainer but the barn is… OK (like a 3 out of 5; I’m used to 4 out of 5.) New BO is doing a lot of fixing up but it will take a long time. It was a 4 out of 5 barn when Feronia was there.

[quietann]

@endlessclimb

I find the horses need the free time when the footing outside is not conducive to a good buck-fart-roll - too muddy, too icy, whatever. It gets all built up and they can’t figure out how to contain it. 10 minutes once a week or so, and they’re able to reinstall their brains and work a little.

I agree 100%. The setting is not conducive… We aren’t allowed to just turn horses loose in the indoor, although with 2 people to manage the situation, when it’s quiet one can do free lungeing. Lola is a genius at free lungeing, with the trainer’s mom. I’d like to give it a try.

(Context here: this barn was built ~25 years ago. The tack room is slightly below the indoor due to the terrain, and has a large viewing window that is level with the floor of the indoor. Sometime right after the barn opened, the BO turned a horse loose in the indoor, and it spooked and went right through the viewing window. Hundreds of stiches later, it survived, but, yikes. So one needs a second person with a long whip to keep the horse away from that end of the arena; there are also short temporary walls, and chairs in the indoor in front of the viewing window to form a visual barrier.)

[quietann]

Bluey, as always your words are very kind, and capture the situation very well.

Lola is a quick study, but she’s immature for her age, and can get really upset really quickly. I will say she is SO much better than when we started; the main issue with her now is that she’s really insecure about going out alone (not just with me; the trainer and her mom handle it better, as one would expect, but it’s not good.

I was 44 when I bought Feronia, and 59 now. That’s a big difference.

4 more months in full training, and I’ll see where we are.

[Bluey]

Maybe don’t give this a timeline, keep working at this and evaluating as you go if and until you may decide if it is working for you or not, now, next month, down the years.
Take the pressure of a decision, let it happen and always stay on the safe side.

A good friend sent me this some years ago, we just had some awesome sundown evenings:

[Eclectic_Horseman]

@quietann

Sometime right after the barn opened, the BO turned a horse loose in the indoor, and it spooked and went right through the viewing window .

Most dressage barns don’t allow horses to be turned out loose in the arena either because of the mirrors.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Posting_Trot

But, Rashid said, if you have a TB and you try that strategy, you’ll be galloping into next week.

With an Arab too… ask me how I know…

[Obsidian_Fire]

quietann, does anybody you’re working with, or yourself, know how to ground drive? I have found ground driving to be a VERY useful thing when getting young horses to develop confidence. You are behind them, so they are in effect the ‘leader’.
Some horses are more emotional than others, I find those are the ones that take longer, need lots of patience and going slowly. But when they get it, they got it, and by golly you always know where you stand with them. I’ll take that over a horse that internalizes and then explodes ‘out of nowhere’.
A friend of mine has a mantra with young horses and confidence: one step, stop. One step, stop. Wash rinse repeat.

[quietann]

My guess is that Lola knows how to ground drive, given that I’m pretty sure she was started at a Morgan barn. She may even drive with a cart. There is someone who comes to the barn for long-lining lessons but the timing (Monday mornings) is a bit hard for me.

I’m rethinking my orchard approach. She’s pretty comfortable right at the entrance to the orchard, I could make that our “home base” and take baby steps leading her out from there.

I agree that getting her out in front of me could be a good thing.

[2DogsFarm]

@quietann

large viewing window that is level with the floor of the indoor

Have they considered protecting the (assuming glass) window with a covering of hardware cloth or stronger material?
Left bare, it sounds like an accident in waiting
My barn was built surrounded by drylot at the front. Builder put in 2 residential storm windows w/screens on a wall inside the drylot.
Horses destroyed the screens the first Summer & managed to crack an outer glass pane.
I had the windows covered with hardware cloth bolted to the wall.
Light gets in, but no more fear of broken glass.

ETA:
Unless you’re already pretty skilled longlining, get proficient before trying that in an unfenced area.
Even then…
Says someone who regularly longed her pony in the nice flat roundpen-sized grass just outside the fenceline.
Until the day he pulled the line out of my hands & took off for a sprint around the 2+ac fenceline.
TG, he ran back to me, as I’m at the intersection of 2 roads, 1 leading to a very busy SR just 2mi away.

[Spudsmyguy]

I had a youngster appy filly that knew without tack she was free to screw around on the lungeline but once tack went on, she was all business and ready to learn.

[Salty]

My Fearless Leader told me that it was my responsibility to set limits for my TB mare, because she would never say no. There’s just no way that you can exhaust a horse like that into submission.

This time of year is hard for working young horses. Mine, who is usually more or less perfect, was a recalcitrant fool today. The wind was howling, the ocean was thundering, and it was spitting rain. Lots of wildlife around, too. I got some forwards and some softness and called it quits.

Don’t get discouraged!

[quietann]

Agreed - this is a tough time, though where we are it’s mostly just muddy and gray.

I do get torn between quitting a ride or a walk when she’s been really good, and working with her longer to let her get out some energy.

[Salty]

It’s a tough call when you don’t have turnout but I’d always try to quit on a good note, even if that makes for a short session.

[quietann]

Yes. In my perfect world she would get worked twice a day… but that won’t happen.

[Kinda_Kooky]

Is there anyone available to pony you on your mare along where you want to go trail riding?

Apologies if this has already been suggested or occured.

IMO this would really help both of you progress. Does your mare have access to turnout? I realize the arena dilemma but otherwise, does she get out enough?

She is a lovely mare and I believe both of you would benefit greatly from being ponied regularly where you want to go.

Scheduling such things is always difficult, but this particular experience might give you both an opportunity to relax. Also, a job that your mare can recognize and graduate from.

[endlessclimb]

My young mare was fan-tas-tic last night. Focused, relaxed, thinking - even on a complicated exercise (“circle of death”).

I bet tonight she will be a total moron. This is why this time of year is so frustrating. Gah.

All that to say - do not give up hope. Just keep plinking away at it, and work the horse you have that day.

[OnAMission]

When horses don’t “ride out alone” it means they consider themselves alone and without a leader when they are alone with you. Some horses are either confident enough or give to humans enough that that is written in already but with a sensitive or inexperienced horse they need to learn it from you. That can happen in 5 minutes or 5 years or more depending on the rider/handler. Highly suggest Warwick Schiller or any number of trainers that have some focus on that to learn ways that you can be a stronger presence for her and you gain confidence with her, IF you want to do that. No shame in not wanting to do that when another horse might suit you better. I have really liked Ryan Rose over the last year, he’s not always perfect but I think he has some great points that are easily digestible. If you’re interested in learning more in that direction it might help your new relationship with this horse though I certainly can understand just not wanting to have a project.

[quietann]

Unfortunately, no ponying where we are. When trainer and her mom are both available, trainer will ride another horse while her mom leads me on Lola on foot (or both horses will be led on foot.) The interesting thing in these situations is that the other horse (always older and less green) has acted up, and Lola would just stand there and watch, after an initial startle.

Turnout – she is out 24/7 but the paddock is small and muddy. There are 2 or 3 group paddocks but they have grass (because stupid New England weather means we aren’t frozen yet) and I am not sure about having her out on grass. She is a very easy keeper. She has lived in a herd in the past, but not recently. My guess is that she’d get along well with other horses in a group.