Nice to hear you and Bam Bam achieved Join-Up. Curious as to why you didn't use a coiled long line slapping against you to create the noise pressure to go away?
BTW The Monty Roberts long lines are awesome!

I have Lupus and Fybromialgia, slapping the lunge rope on my legs hurts, so I've had to find alternative methods of applying pressure. Making a lunge whip that makes a notice when spun is something they only experience when I'm working them. They are also desensitised with it so they do not fear it, they know I'm asking for forward movement.

X

What you use isn't an issue, it how it's used & the intent that you use it with.
Most of the effort used to get them moving forward comes from within you, it's the "pressure" you put into your focus that matters, as you said Mel, they know you are asking for forward movement, that comes from the different way you use your body.
I had similar probs when i first started Libby, she was difficult to send away & i had to work very hard & i was very ill at that time too - still it teaches you a lot when it doesn't come so easy!

yes agree there Beryl, disabilities help in a way too though as we have to slow down and look at things differently.
X

Hi Mel firstly well done with your join up! Secondly , not that it glad you have lupus and fibromyalgia, but it's encouraging to hear how well u do with it and your horses. I have m.e and people really don't get that I can have that and a horse. Not saying it's easy and when I was house bound for a year all we did was groom and feed when I got a lift to see him! But they give you a focus and I find woody really chills me out and helps with my anxiety. Conflicts with the whole spooky horse thing but I do not know what I'd do without him! There's been times when he's really looked after me and he is one of the biggest contributors to my recovery so far. Sorry had to gush quickly, but it's just good to hear of others in similar situations!

Widgymaphlip, I was becoming a reasonable dressage rider when i got run over & fractured my spine & tore my whole body all down the right side plus my foot was run over..... I had terrible problems for 20 years before it was found that my thyroid had been damaged & no longer worked at all; I suffered dreadful fatigue & very severe pain in my back.
The only thing that got me through it was my beloved Rocky; at one time it was taking me 2 hours to get out of bed & dressed before driving up to see my beloved ponies, feeding them, then facing the marathon back across the tiny paddock to the car....
It's amazing how much strength you gain from being around the horses! You love them so much, their needs come way before yours so you can push yourself far further to do them than if it was just yourself & they do appreciate your efforts, they know if you're not well & are gentle around you. They are family animals & we are part of their family.
The power of love is immense!!

Widgymaphlip As Beryl says The power of love is immense!!
Our horses keep us sane in a life that falls to bits around us, with their help we can have a fuller life and they never complain that we don't look 100% today ;-)
/
Wow Beryl you poor thing, excluding the run over bit, know exactly where you're coming from on fatigue days.
You know I always looked at it that they become part of our family, but you're right we become part of theirs.
Take care !!
x

Thanks Mel.
On a good note, I've been having cranial osteopathy for a while now & i had a great day on Thursday; I went for a walk (what? me?) with my friend on Thursday & for the first time in around 20 + years sine the accident, my legs were working properly, with no muscle spasms & i was walking properly - the joy of my body actually working normally was fantastic, I was chuffed to bits!!!
I can definitely recommend Cranial treatment, my health has improved immeasurably since i started having it.

Good to hear Beryl!

Well done beryl!! And hats off to you for coming so far from such an awful time! With u on the whole fatigue bit. On really bad days I can't even sit up or speak but because I always look fine no one takes it seriously- not that anyone apart from my boyfriend and mum have seen me that bad. I was terrified when I decided to stable woods that I wouldn't cope but just being with him makes me feel so much better. Was a massive shock to my system when I got it as I used to run, kick box, swim and ride. Don't think I'll be able to run and swim again but I can now ride and walk my dog so am happy with that! Totally agree that although we think we save them it's the other way round. If only I can give back half of what woody and my dog Taz give me!
The thread seems to have changed somewhat but I'm glad we can share and encourage each other not only in our own recoveries but also our horses- high five to us for being so damn awesome!! Lol

with you on that one Widgymaphlip, we are damn awesome - lets keep on pushing girls!!!
I know what you mean, i've been called every liar under the sun; I had to do things cos i live on my own so had no one to help me, so no one saw how bad i was AFTER I'd dragged my body up to see my beloved Rocky & Sally. At one point, i was only able to get on Rock about once a month & had to hold on at walk to the front of the saddle!!!!!
Strangely, thats why i wanted an unbroken youngster cos i didn't want to inherit dreadful things done to it by someone else!

Wow! So much admiration for all of you. Great also to note your progress and how your horses have helped you through. Fantastic to hear about your walking, Beryl. You have all had such a tough time. Your determination is fantastic time and sharing helps. My horses, like my dogs and other animals are part of my family too and I hope I am part of theirs. My youngest daughter says " but they are just animals, Mum" as she is more like her Dad but my eldest daughter has the animal gene too. I have such a strong feeling of responsibility for all my animals - even the curly guinea pigs I have recently acquired for my grand daughter! Just scary that I am getting older - just hope I am around long enough to care for them all for the rest of their lives. Tumbled off my big warmblood the other day onto a gravel road when she shied and did a 360 spin after a large kangaroo had jumped out of the bushes onto the road right in front of her. Luckily didn't hurt myself but it was a bit of a wake up call.

glad you weren't hurt, still shakes you up though!

I had to do some in hand work with Libby today; she has got so bitey again & threatens to nip me when i ask her to move back & let me in the stable. When she did it today i was so fed up with it, i got hold of her nose & pushed her back as if i had the Dually on, then went in, she came forward again, not doing anything but into my space, so i did it again. I tacked up & as i was going to school, so get straight on her outside the stable, i walked her round the paddock before doing up the last hole on her girth, she had her ears back & nostrils wrinkled scowling at me, then made to nip at me again - she got a real shock when i schooled her hard on her bitless bridle!! I backed up hard, she made her sighing sound, you'd have thought i was killing her!!! :)
I carried on asking her to walk, halt & back before riding, then afterwards, i did some more groundwork. She went to nip once, but checked herself - very good - i ran, she didn't trot, so tried again, she thought she better & backed up better too, so we finished when she was spot on.
The best bit was. when she was back in the stable, she actually moved back out of the way when i wanted to go in - wow, there's a first!!!
I do need to keep on top of that controlling behaviour! The good thing was, i was on the bitless bridle, so that was a bit unexpected for her as shell be as good as gold if you put the Dually on!

She is so like my Tricka which we have commented on previously. Every so often Tricka will test the boundaries too - especially when she has not been handled for awhile. I notice she does the same with her companion horse, Uggs. He is still boss but every so often she will challenge him by putting her ears back at him. He quickly turns his back hooves towards her and that is sufficient for her to back off. Like you I sometimes use the hand on the nose when she is free but usually just chance her away from me until she comes in submissively.

Chance = chase

Yes, i usually try to be soft & ask, BUT madam oversteps the line too far; she's been flying at Ebony & biting her hard round the front post when in the stables, so she needed to be put back in her place!!! Poor Eb gets it just cos she's having a rub on the other side of the doorway.
A lot of it is she's not getting enough work due to still recovering from her fetlock injury, so she's a bit bored so looking for amusement!!!
It's difficult trying to explain the noise she makes, but it's a tiny bit like the keening of a puppy only in a long breath & quieter obviously. It's like " Oh God, she's telling me what to do - it's terrible!!!!". Silly mare.She worked nicely in the school instead of being a lazy mare.

Had to laugh reading through that Beryl, would love to meet your two characters :D
/
Bambam has done it again and picked on a weak point, my left side. I had a mini stroke when I was 32 which has affected my left side and it's considerably weaker than my right. I was trimming his feet on Friday holding his foot with my left hand, before I managed to rasp off the edges he whipped his front foot away from me and stepped forward right onto my foot, through my shoe and toe. Felt that one, couldn't wear anything on my foot for a couple of days, then poo picking yesterday morning I managed to bang the scoop on my toe ripping the nail off :( Hospital time again, thankfully cos it was bleeding quite a bit they put me straight through onto a bed to get my feet up. Xray shows that he's fractured the end of my toe and they had to take the nail off too. Feels much better that they've done that though.
The nurse hinted that I've more fractures on my foot and kept asking was it just my big toe that he got, so they must be from other times I've been trodden on and just carried on.
Time for steel toe cap boots.
:D

ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch!! poor you Mel! I had to have my big toe nail off once too, had to borrow my friends husbands size 9 wellie, I'm a size 5! It had to be muddy in the winter :).
Happy healing! Think you better get those steel toecaps!!

I laugh at Libby's antics all the time, she is so funny, just get fed up with the rudeness when she gets OTT.
Yesterday we went down a track she loves, we got to the end, where it goes downhill very steeply & very narrow underfoot, a tree had fallen with about 4 branches to get through! I got off to lead her through it as surprise surprise, i had no intention of plummeting headlong down the bloody thing; there was a tractor in the field gathering in silage which just had to come up to the fence at that point, but we couldn't see it as it was above us, so Lib was a bit worried, anyway, we got through the tree & ended up with Lib in front of me, so i had a job to get past her to get back in front trying to stay upright on the steep slippery bank with Lib leaning into me as i was leaning into her!
We got down eventually in one piece, so then i had to try to get back on standing on a bank, the saddle slipped right round her side - naturally - she didn't bat an eyelid bless her, i had to walk quite a way before i found something i could climb on to get back on her Tee Hee. She was a much happier, nicer girl yesterday & still had the manners to move back for me to go into the stable.

Lol, at least I can go around bare foot :D
Glad you got through in one piece, looks like your little adventure helped her a bit! Good to be helping each other.
x

Ouch! Sorry to hear that Mel. Do hope it mends and that the pain reduces quickly. Not sure about steel tips. Have been told that if a horse actually steps on them they can break and cause even more problems. Pleased you survived your ride, Beryl. Well done Libby.

Yes, do some research re boots Mel, I'm sure there are safer ones around, but memory rubbish as usual, sorry.
Yes, ride did Lib good, gave her something to think about, she's an intelligent girl & is much better with enough work to keep her interest. They do spend many hours in a small paddock to stop them getting laminitis, so she amuses herself bossing Ebby about & sometimes Ebby boots her, Libby often puts her head in the way of Eb's feet!!!

ok so now im scared of getting my feet mangled! glad your both ok otherwise and hope you heal quickly mel!maybe instead of steal toe caps, lots and lots and padding? glad all your babies are doing well!

Thanks everyone, toe is now out of dressings and healing quite quickly. Daft but since it happened, not once have they trod on my feet whilst I've been in sandals lol, just as well really.
I've had a look at peoples views on steel toe cap boots. Seems a lot have heard stories of, but no-one has seeming had a foot crushed.
I put this in the search...
"i got my foot crushed wearing steel toe cap boots with my horse"
One horsy website was alright with it until it got to heavy horses, shire horses etc. For smaller under 1000 horses and ponies steel toe boots shouldn't be a problem.
One website regarding the pressure a boot can take....
"compression rating of 75, which is equal to 2,500 lb. of pressure."
So it would have to be a pretty big horse jumping on you're foot to do real damage.

:D

xx

good research Mel.

Thanks Beryl. I got some boots and they're really cool for rasping Barney's feet with, cos he's so low to the ground he rests his foot on my steel toe boots and i can rasp him easier :D Not the idea, but it's worked with Barney :D