Mr. Blondie & the Beagles... well, duh!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

Some of you have endured my ceaseless sniveling about Mr. Blondie’s head-flinging / bucking-at-the-canter Bad Boy Attitude in the hunt field. (And many of you have given me useful suggestions and support )

We went out today and were out for a little over an hour & a half - lots of trotting, some walking, and the occasional short canter up a hill. We had the pleasure of riding with Ruby the Peruvian Chica, Mr. Blondie’s new Hot Box Lunch.

And in all that time, there was no bucking. There was ONE (count it, uno) quick head shake as we cantered up a little hill. Not a full-blown head-fling, just a quick shake of annoyance that stopped immediately when I said, “Noooo!”

<RAR pauses for the round of applause in honor of this momentous occasion>

So, I’m sure you’re all on the edges of your seats in anticipation of the secret to this success…

I longed his sorry yellow a$$ yesterday afternoon at the walk, trot, canter, and buck-bolt. And then took him for a walk/trot ride. And then I longed him again this morning at the fixture, even though everyone was laughing (kindly, of course) at me as I kept having to flick him in the butt with the whip to keep him trotting.

There were some other changes, too (I am so ashamed to have abandoned The Scientific Method by changing more than one variable at once :no:)

• I gave him a 1/4 tube of Ulcergard before we started this morning (I've been giving him 1/4 tube before his evening bucket, but this was the first time recently that I've done it before riding).
• I rode him in his normal hacking around bridle (eggbutt with a bean in the middle, no flash) instead of what I've been using the few times we've hunted this season: eggbutt gag with a bean in the middle, main reins on the rings and 2ndary reins on the gag
• ETA: I recently (as in a few days ago) started him on SmartCalm Ultra - not that it appeared to make any difference while I was longeing him yesterday...

So I can’t say for certain that it was the longeing that made the difference… but it wouldn’t surprise me.

The hunt itself was pretty small. I (of course) have no idea how many couple of hounds we had out - not as many as we often do, I think. And we just had the huntsman, 3 whips, and a fieldmaster for the otherwise non-existent first flight.

Plus The Short Bus of two. And we only lost the rest of the hunt once. Pretty good for us in that up & down fixture. (Unfortunately, my camera’s battery was dead, so no photos. But it was a great day. Cool without being cold, no wind, soft ground from the recent rains, broken cloud cover.)

Anyway, I’m thinking I will try this approach again. :yes:

[Beau_s_mom]

Thanks for reporting in. Awhile back, I wrote about my guy’s similar behavior (very embarrassed on Opening Day before God and everyone). I too added several things at once, so who knows what has worked. SmartCalm Ultra is in Duffy’s dish every am. I moved him to a new situation w/ more turn out and pony friend. Got a ThinLine pad. Changed back to the pellets he had been on last year (when all was right w/ the world).

Then the Winter of 2009-2010 happened and we have had few opportunities to hunt since Thanksgiving. I took a poster’s advice and rode the tar out of him before DD whipped off of him on January 16th (w/o incident). I hacked him out w/ friends and he has been a perfect gentleman last weekend. I have not been able to gallop him in the field yet-the true test of his ability to remain decent. I have a pelham to swap out his slow twist full snaffle when we are every allowed to hunt again. Ulcer Guard may be next…

Now to get passed this weekend and the forecasted snow…I have decided to do a NATRC ride in July so I will be housebound with all kinds of training/rule books to keep me occupied.

Keep us posted on Mr. Blondie’s continued success!

[Hotspur]

Ulcer Guard

Good for you RAR! I have been using Ulcer Guard the night before and the morning of each hunt this season with seemingly great results.

My saintly boy Riley, a 15 year old, 16.2 QH, has been hunting for 4 years, just LOVES it and will pull me to the trailer on hunt mornings. But he has always been a worrier and would come off the trailer starting to sweat. He would then be restless but mannerly at the meet, and settle in after the first 15 minutes or so.

I started the Ulcer Guard routine this summer as we did a few lower level events and he was obviously more calm and comfortable. This improvment has continued as we hunted a full season. He now comes to each meet calm and dry, stands quietly at the meets and is just Joe Cool all day. I have had this horse for 6 years and know him like a brother. So, I’m a great believer in Ulcer Guard.

Best of luck to you and Mr. Blondie!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

Good luck with your NATRC rules! rivenoak and I took my boys to one of their clinics a couple years ago, and… lordy, they do have lots of rules.

One of the obstacles we had to negotiate during the under saddle portion of the clinic was quite simple: turn on the forehand, then back between 2 bushes. As I was in my jumping saddle, I kicked my feet out of the stirrups and applied leg to ask Mr. Blondie to turn.

You would have I had reached down and removed the girth from the saddle :eek:

“You can’t take your feet out of the stirrups!!! That’s not safe!!!”

They also wanted us to ride with contact the entire time… no mooching along on the buckle between obstacles.

Oh, well. It was interesting.

And good luck with your weather. Hope you get to ride again soon!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

Hotspur - glad to hear of someone else who appears to be getting success from Ulcergard. Mr. Blondie is such a good guy most of the time (unless I’m trying to blanket him, and then he turns into Jaws) - I just wish he were better behaved out hunting.

And now I’m thinking… I wonder how he would deal with jumping if he got Ulcergard before a lesson? He has a tendency to fling his head if we take a long spot (and we’re only talking about 2’ fences) - I’ve ruled out sore feet, but it never occurred to me that it could be stomach acids sloshing around. I’ve stopped jumping him because it seems like he doesn’t enjoy it.

Or maybe I’m just overthinking this…

[ManyDogs]

Beau’s Mom,
Do you hunt with Deep Run? I used to take lessons out thata way.
I’m picking a friend up at the airport in March (Richmond International :lol::lol::lol:) and will worship at Ukrops salad bar as time permits.

[bigbaytb]

RAR…question, why don’t you just put him on the powdered ucler guard everyday? It isn’t expensive and has helped my horse remendously. I event and foxhunt him…while he was usually laid back, he could get fussy and worried, now he is so laid back! He just gets the recommended dosage in the AM…and the nice thing is that it can be turned into a paste if needed too.

[wateryglen]

Round of applause for RAR!!!

Good for you’uns!! Bad boy 'tudes…life’s too short. Be glad it ain’t mare tudes!
But I’m betting it’s the bit change that did it. With “enthusiastic” horses; I’ve always figured that finding the right hunting bit is always a work in progress or an act of compromise. For me it was always what could I handle and what was I willing to give up to get that. Like for me, head tossing/shaking do-able but canter-bucking whoa nelley!!! And sometimes a good run right at the start of a hunt can get those hi-jinks outa them early. I was always too embarassed to lunge at a meet…:uhoh::uhoh: Yes, “buck-bolt” is a good term!!!
I think all your stars were in alignment that day PLUS it was a full moon!!! :yes:
Hunt on my friend! Be Happy!! YOU at least CAN hunt. We’re getting snow AGAIN tonight and another saturday meets will be canceled!
Thank god for my basset pack! Our hunting in the snow rocks! Sunday will be grrrreeaatt!!!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

[QUOTE=bigbaytb;4649806]
RAR…question, why don’t you just put him on the powdered ucler guard everyday? It isn’t expensive and has helped my horse remendously. I event and foxhunt him…while he was usually laid back, he could get fussy and worried, now he is so laid back! He just gets the recommended dosage in the AM…and the nice thing is that it can be turned into a paste if needed too.[/QUOTE]
Unless I’ve missed something, Ulcergard only comes in a paste form. At around $30/tube if you can get it online.

And Gastrogard / Ulcergard (identical product, just packaged differently) is the only medication proven to heal ulcers.

What product are you talking about?

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

[QUOTE=wateryglen;4649808]
Good for you’uns!! Bad boy 'tudes…life’s too short. Be glad it ain’t mare tudes!
But I’m betting it’s the bit change that did it. With “enthusiastic” horses; I’ve always figured that finding the right hunting bit is always a work in progress or an act of compromise. For me it was always what could I handle and what was I willing to give up to get that. Like for me, head tossing/shaking do-able but canter-bucking whoa nelley!!! And sometimes a good run right at the start of a hunt can get those hi-jinks outa them early. I was always too embarassed to lunge at a meet…:uhoh::uhoh: Yes, “buck-bolt” is a good term!!!
I think all your stars were in alignment that day PLUS it was a full moon!!! :yes:
Hunt on my friend! Be Happy!! YOU at least CAN hunt. We’re getting snow AGAIN tonight and another saturday meets will be canceled!
Thank god for my basset pack! Our hunting in the snow rocks! Sunday will be grrrreeaatt!!![/QUOTE]I’m more embarrassed at slinking back to the trailers (if one can “slink” on a jigging, shouting palomino) because I can’t control my horse than I was by longeing him, even when I had to beat him with the longe whip to get him to trot

Besides, one of our out-whips used to longe her stallion before hunting, so there’s precedent. (OK, OK - stallion vs laid-back QH - I know - not the same)

I’m not so sure it’s the bit. The only difference between what we’ve been hunting in the past few times and what we hunted in yesterday was that the old one had “emergency brakes” - in the form of the curb reins attached to the gag. Those reins rested almost exclusively on his neck, and I rode off the eggbutt rings. I suppose there’s some subtle difference in the feel, but I don’t think it’s that much.

I dunno.

Whatever it was, I’m glad it happened. I was on the verge of saying, “EFF IT!!! I AM DONE WITH THIS NONSENSE!!!” and resigning myself to the occasional shuffle around the 'hood.

[Beau_s_mom]

Three Dog, card carrying, color wearing Caroline Hunt girl, here. Capped and lessoned w/ Deep Run folks, very fun crew. Yes, Ukrops’ salad bar and other goodies had been known to save marriages, cure sick children and keep otherwise reasonable women in the barn past dark. They were recently acquired by the group that owns Giant and I hope they keep the grocery stores just as they are.

Watery, I am so lucky to go out w/ the Foxboro Foothounds when all other hunting seems to cease to a halt. Ran at least 2 rabbits (or the same rabbit twice?) last Sunday in Fauquier County. Out MBH is from Illinois and is not daunted by frosty temps; however he is known to go in early when the Bears game is televised in these parts.

Thought I’d ride today before the big snow. Held for the farrier at about 1:00 and was so cold, I just gave up. Duffy and his pony companion, Oreo, are happy as clams in thei rbig pasture with blankies, hay and run in. We’ll see what Sunday holds.

Now off to find out all about the Competitive Trail Ride rules. Curling up w/ Hylands, [U]Endurance Riding[U] and NATRC Rider’s Manual. It appears to require prerequisite knowledge of at least Basic Math. I maybe in for a long night. Hope Beau’s Dad is planning dinner. I am off duty.

[Beau_s_mom]

What was I thinking…we were in Fluvanna County w/ the bassets. Sorry.

[PVBZoE]

RAR, i’ve longed before a hunt too. it’s hard for some horses, they know what is coming next. then they can blow off some steam.

Mr. Blondie’s new Hot Box Lunch

my favorite!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

Yeah, that Mr. Blondie. Just a bundle of nerves before we set out - as can clearly be seen in this photo taken of him Sunday morning.

Check out that lower lip. Yep, he was all wound up.

[brightskyfarm]

copwboy challenges

Heres a link to some of the challenges, vids/pics…
did one this fall, and it was awesome!
http://www.extremecowboyassociation.com/sample_obstacles.htm

darn cold fingers… sorry for the spelling
cowboy challenges

[JSwan]

@Risk-Averse Rider;4649832

I was on the verge of saying, “EFF IT!!! I AM DONE WITH THIS NONSENSE!!!” and resigning myself to the occasional shuffle around the 'hood.

I’m so glad that didn’t happen! Glad things worked out.

[wateryglen]

Mr B. - the Studmuffin!!

Well now…:eek:
I enlarged/printed that picture of Mr. B and took it down to the barn and showed it to my mares. I posted it on the wall. They are all 3 standing there looking at it and are clearly smitten. There’s a lot of limp ears, sighing, lip smacking and wanton looks. I think they are in love! I think he’s going to get some fan letters from the Wateryglen Farm Fillies. They are pushing each other away so that they can get closer and see it clearly. They know a blond studmuffin when they see one. They are Canadian so they like the rugged, handsome ,cowboy types. Yup, Casanova Cowboy!! :yes: OOoooooo and he hunts too!! OOooooooooo:sadsmile:
Ack! All these hormones for one so far away…alas!!!

[Risk-Averse_Rider]

LOL, waterglen - I hadn’t seen your response before.

He is a handsome lad, isn’t he?