Hello everyone,
I am working with a well educated 4 year old Irish Cop/Tinker gelding. We did a couple of Join ups and it built trust and complicity.
I also did some long lining and it went really well because he responds with enthusiasm to the reins and to my body language. There is not a lot to teach there, for he is fully trained.
I have started to work with him last week, after 6 months of leisure in the pasture. He became a bit chubby and I would like to build him somme muscle, before starting to ride him regularly.
Do I need to long line him, or could I just make him exercice in a round pen using my body language (without any line) as we do during Join up ?
Which are the pros and cons ?
Thank you for your answers,
Laura.
I am working with a well educated 4 year old Irish Cop/Tinker gelding. We did a couple of Join ups and it built trust and complicity.
I also did some long lining and it went really well because he responds with enthusiasm to the reins and to my body language. There is not a lot to teach there, for he is fully trained.
I have started to work with him last week, after 6 months of leisure in the pasture. He became a bit chubby and I would like to build him somme muscle, before starting to ride him regularly.
Do I need to long line him, or could I just make him exercice in a round pen using my body language (without any line) as we do during Join up ?
Which are the pros and cons ?
Thank you for your answers,
Laura.
Don't think I've seen you around before (but I'm lousy with names!) so welcome to the Forum! :)
If you by "exercise in a round pen" mean (very crudely put) "chase him around at different speed", I think that might possibly get him exercised in regards to fitness = stamina/heart capacity and also loosing a couple of pounds.
As for building muscle tone, maybe not so much.
If you want to build some muscles, you first of all need to ask yourself which muscles you want to work with and then what kind of work that would engage these muscles.
Of course, just moving about builds a bit of muscles and strengthens sinews/tendons - (very important to remember them! They take much longer to build strength than a muscle do) - but if you want muscles to carry a rider you need to work with more controlled exercises that makes him use his back and hind legs.
Therefore, since you say he responds so well to the lines, I would recommend long lining (two lines!) in the arena - as well as in the forest.
Work with half halts, transitions, leg yielding, shoulder-in "lite", lots of circles and serpentines, all the time making sure that he is working with propulsion from behind and that the movement "travels" through his back and forward to the bit so that he is in contact and works towards collection, as well as getting soft and supple in his sides as you bend him. That is how you control that the right kind of muscles get a good work-out.
You can also work over poles in all sorts of constellations. Take him for long walks outdoors, which will make both of you more fit, and walking up and down hills are excellent muscle-builders!
Thank you very much for your detailed answer.
I will work with long reins (and side reins) to make him use his back and hind legs, so that he will support a rider more easily and to avoid injuries due to his long lack of activity.
The ground of my question was that :
- First of all, it is really beautiful to see a horse exercice in a round pen and even more if he is free of all equipment.
- The horse I told you about is really calm and pays close attention to me. So the Join up has nothing to do with "chasing him around", but is more the simple fact of him understanding that I want him to move forward, without any fear or panic.
- I use a round pen quite wide and my "long" reins are not so long ... Meaning that : to keep the line flowing in my hand and not pulling at them all the time, I need to run behind the trotting or cantering horse. Which is not so convenient you will agree on that. I will be buying longer reins to work in better conditions.
On the same matter, I would like some advice on another horse :
I also work with a 22 year old horse, who is really well educated, calm and easy to work with. It is the perfect horse for a beginner.
He also spent 6 months of leisure in the pasture. His owner told me that he has some knees problems causing him pain, but that he can still be ridden and make long walks.
I have started to groom him and take him out of his pasture to walk on the line. He seems to love the human company and the attention he gets.
But as we worked with the long reins in a round pen, he didn't show a lot of enthusiasm. His trot is really slow and I can't get him to reach a proper working speed. I wouldn't say that he limps, but his movements aren't smooth. When I try to get a canter he will just kick.
I really wonder how I should work with this horse in the future.
Does he tell me that he is in pain and doesn't want to work anymore, or should I keep exercise him ?
Laura.
I hope this helps you
Bud
About the 22 year old gelding: he shows you what he can do and what he cannot!
Nobody can tell when any horse should no longer be ridden, but this one shows you he's more comfortable when taken for a hike and in the pasture. Listen to what he's trying to make clear to you, he'll thank you for it! Enjoy his company, let him enjoy yours....
If he's had 6 months of leisure let him have many more! Knee problems are often a result of arthrose and hard work, so movement is good, but no more stress for joints at this stage in life. The owner might want to make some money by letting him be ridden by a beginner, I think this kind of gentle horse is great to help beginners how to groom and move around horses, but let this older horse have the rest he deserves.
Keep us posted,
Miriam
Thank you Bahila73 for your answers. I have already watched a few videos and it is really helpfull.
Dear Miriam, thank you for answering one more time one of my posts. About the 22 year old gelding : I groomed him and took him for a walk on the line today, then he followed me in the round pen (without any line) just a follow up to exercice him a bit, and he does seek for company.
His owner does indeed want to make some money by letting him be ridden by a beginner, but she told me that I could just get him to move a bit (walk and trot in the round pen) without letting the sessions be to long and intense. But on the other hand she wants us to go for a hike together (her on the 4 year old and me on the 22 year old gelding). I don't want to ride him, he doesn't seem fit enough to me. If he won't trot for 3 lapses on the long lines in the pen, how could he carry me for an hour or two ? After 6 month of inactivity and with his knees problems, I am afraid to hurt him.
We are the horse's advocates!
They don't have a voice, the only way they can show us something is not comfortable for them is by behavior.... You can be his voice and ask the owner to have him checked by a vet, so they can decide how poor his knee condition is. Try to be there when the vet comes, ask as many questions you can think of, and always have the well of the horse at the first place. You might search for some anatomic information to help you find the right questions. The internet is a great source for this kind of info! Of course you should give your owner a chance to express her financial concern, try to find a solution that suits all, and respects the horse's health.
You have a great opportunity here to grow in the responsability towards the horses you work with by showing your concern about this elder horse. Any owner should be happy to have you around and having the well of their horses as No.1!
If you can make the difference for this one horse, it doesn't change the world, but it does change the world for that one horse....
We'll keep our fingers crossed for you, please keep in contact!
Miriam
when I wrote: " If you by "exercise in a round pen" mean (very crudely put) "chase him around at different speed", " Please note the words in italics! I was merely simplifying the act itself for the sake of my reasoning and it had nothing to do with how you work your horse. :) It's lovely to hear that he is so attentive to you. :)
As for dealing with short lines, I know what an inconvenience that can be, but you've answered the problem yourself already. While you wait for the longer lines, try working in circles of different sizes while moving up and down the arena, which makes it a lot easier to keep up and place yourself more to the side and in the middle.
That said, he best work in long lining is done either at a brisk walk or in a collected trot, so all in all you shouldn't have to run behind them! It's also dangerous as you could stumble and end up with a bruised ankle or kicked in the head. (On the flip side, it will get you in a better shape as well!) ;)
On the old horse, I will just say that I agree fully with what Miriam said!
Some horse owners could be of the mentality that riding the horse might be the ONLY thing that the horse has to offer us and when they can`t be ridden any more, they become useless and should be sold or ---------------- The way that i view the older horse now is that they have SO MUCH to teach us about ourselves and especially about being better horse people. Laura Marie, you write about this very fact above when you described that older horse followed
you closely while at liberty into the round pen. There was something that came down between you and that horse, at that moment, that caused him to CONNECT WITH YOU. That is exactly what i am writing about here. These moments like that are to be treasured by us and hopefully delved into so that we might give them an opportunity to live again. I have no doubt that you will bring about the right course of action for this horse. Follow your gut feeling here. I do not believe it will miss-lead you
All the best
Bud
My thoughts: You were transported by a magical horse. We all need to look for the magic
Thanks
Bud