Pedigree Query

1) YAY I FINALLY GET TO RIDE AGAIN! (AKA my trainer's finally close enough to me that I could get transportation, and there's not a show this weekend that I'm helping with, and it's probably going to be on the horse who taught me crossrails last time I rode him in a lesson!)

2) I hope everyone's endeavors are going well with their horses, I have to wait to see mine again, but she's in training, which started in May, and will end on the last day of July. I lucked out - she's getting time out on the trails too (including introductions to water!), and the trainer is confident but great with youngstock, and my mare seems to think highly of her, and she's been doing a great job with her! The main reason I enrolled her with this trainer is because the trainer teaches classical dressage, which I think is fundamental for a hopeful future event horse, especially since my mare's too young to jump (in my opinion) and she needs muscle tone before any jump work anyway!

When I get back down there, beginning of July, I'm going to try to teach her to stand for being braided, clipped, and bathed. She's so much fun, and she still has so much to learn! I'll try to post new pictures soon!

Congrats!

I'm a fan of using dressage to put a foundation on any horse. Good choice!

Looking forward to pix...

Here are some pictures of Babe, they were taken just under two weeks ago, on Sunday, May 28, 2006. She turned 3 on April 30.


Okay, she's kind of muddy, but I hadn't groomed her yet...


Here too...


Regardless of how much she's fed, we can't seem to get more weight on her, ever since she was at the old barn... although I noticed I can only see her ribs when she inhales deeply nowadays.


And here she is making a mess again though she always finds new ways not to step in her own messes...

New question...

Okay, so I took my lesson today with my normal trainer at a farm I've never ridden at before, the lesson was on a horse named Banjo, he's the one who I learned crossrails on last time I had a lesson.

I had been riding my friend's TB gelding, Magic (I excercised him from time to time for his owners, they don't ride anymore, claiming their age) who has a habit of taking off, but usually he's not a problem about slowing down, until of course, he spooked (no complaints there)... only when he'd spooked, there was no place to go.

Two other horses (his barnmates) were in the outdoor arena with us, the arena had trot poles in the center that hadn't been set up, a 2'6" jump (for my friends, who would have been practicing hadn't the weather been so cold), an open gate leading down a steep grassy hill and down a mountain, and the perimeter fence (which he could have jumped, as he used to foxhunt and jump after his days as a racer).

So we got half way around the arena, with no place to circle him without running into any of the above mentioned obstacles, he didn't respond to any of his normal cues to slow down, and I felt myself losing my seat. I grabbed onto his mane, and realized, there's no place I can point him without running into something, and knowing that he wasn't about to slow down, decided to get off. I did land on my feet, only to snap backwards.

In doing so, I hit the frozen ground, denting my helmet. I got back up, and my friend suggested that I get on a different horse, who already was winding down after his workout, so I did. I later found out (from an EMT) that I had a severe concussion, and should have gone to the ER (which I did, but 2 days later)... x-rays were done, and the diagnosis of my neck/spine showed 3 severe strains, and I was told that my helmet saved my life.

So, since then, I had to wait for my physical therapist to okay me to get back in the saddle. I've walked around on my horse two or three times, without a problem.

The reason I post this is because I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of the panic I get everytime I go faster than a slow walk, even on horses I know... today during my lesson, I was trembling like a fricking leaf on the back of the horse, and didn't even realize I had tears pouring down my face. I never used to be afraid at all of the horses I was on, maybe a little nervous on new ones I hadn't ridden, but other than the time I'd come off of Magic, never had fallen, and I had gotten right back in the saddle.

I did finish my lesson, and signed up for one next weekend, but because of the panic attack, my riding has fallen to pieces, and as a result, slid wayyyy backwards, which is bad, bad, bad news - especially when I go back to bringing my own horse along (even though by end of June/early July), although she's now had a lot more experience (yay!)

Any suggestions? I'm not even sure that having myself on a loungeline will help my new lack of confidence. Ugh... but this is one battle I can't let myself lose, I love riding (and horses) way too much to ever give it up. [/i]

I read your post Rush and I suggest you see a therapist to help you through your anxiety.

I was in a severe car accident back in December 2004 on the capital beltway. I got back into a car about a week after it, but I was a nervous wreck. I wound up taking the Metro to work so I would only have to deal with driving to and from the train station. That worked fine until December 2005 when the weather got snowy/icy and I had to drive to the train station. I had a panic attack and decided that it was time to deal with my fear of driving, especially in winter weather (basically the time I had my car accident). I started seeing a therapist in January of this year and I am driving on the beltway again, albeit in the opposite direction of my accident. It's a start and I know one day I will drive on the beltway in both directions.

I give you props for getting back on a horse and riding. That is a momentous step. But the mind is a funny piece of equipment. You'll try not to think of your spill, but amazingly your mind will start equating going faster than a slow walk with that spill and suddenly your body reacts....you have a panic attack. It's a natural reaction. What you need to learn, as I did with driving, is not to let that anxiety overwhelm you. If you let that happen, then you will take no joy from riding and you'll be apprehensive everytime you're on a horse. Therapy will help you retrain your brain to guard against overwhelming anxiety. You'll control it rather than it controlling you.

I'm not on any medications to ease my anxiety in case your wondering. I've learned to think through my anxiety and control it.

Best of luck and let us know how you are doing.

Wow, Babe sure looks like a nice horse. I'm sure you love her very much! Unfortunately, she and you are proving the old adage that green on green equals black and blue.
I am pleased that you have found a trainer with the knowledge and patience to work with Babe. Hopefully, Babe will learn to do her job quietly and with confidence. Now you have to find a horse to do the same for you. These horses are generally called schoolmasters and are worth their weight in gold. They are excellent horses to learn on because they know their job and respond to cues when properly applied. This gives you the positive feedback necessary to develop your confidence. Once you know you can control all the parts of the horse at the walk, you will be much more confident at the trot and then at the canter. Rome was not built in a day and you will not redevelop confidence in a day either. Remember to take your time and keep it fun for you!

As for the weight, have you checked her teeth? Young horses need frequent dental care. Poor dentition can lead to poor food utilization. You may also find that a good dental program saves training $.

Unfortunately, she and you are proving the old adage that green on green equals black and blue.

Surprisingly, it wasn't my horse I came off of. She's actually really sweet under saddle, and that was before hiring the dressage/event trainer - she surprises me because she's very businesslike under saddle, although she's flighty to work with on the ground.

She's still green though, and yes, I do love her a lot. Her trainer fell in love with her after starting to work with her, which is amusing because she had a bad rep (the horse, that is), before I adopted her.

I've had her teeth done twice - the first vet didn't do a good job, but the 2nd vet, from a different practice, did a great job, and she did gain back some of her weight after that.

She's on a rotating dewormer schedule, and fed a well balanced diet, they're also great about giving her extra hay, and she's on rice bran (in addition to her grain) which has helped her maintain her weight.

As for the school masters, yes, I'm very fond of them The horse I had in my lesson is definately a school master, the one I learned crossrails on.

As for Magic, the horse I came off of, while he's not a schoolmaster, he's definately not green either. His owners had me ride their other horse, who's known for being a handful with his aerial manuevers, before letting me on Magic, as they don't think he's ideal for beginners. Magic's definately one of my favorite horses, still, as he and I have had a lot of fun times in the saddle.

Barbaro06, I'm considering therapy to get rid of the anxiety. I'm hoping that the combination of that and continuing to get back in the saddle consitantly will help rebuild my confidence. And you're right, minds are funny pieces of equipment... and stubborn!

Thank you both for your insight and comments/suggestions.

Sorry to read about your fall. Did you have any physical therapy for your neck?

Lovely filly, too. Though I'm no conformation expert, I do like her neck, and no complaints about the rest of her.

Best wishes to you -
WH

WarHorse - unfortunately, no physical therapy's been done on my neck, because the physical therapist didn't see as big of a problem with it as the instability in my lower back. Thanks for taking the time to comment, and the compliments on Babe

Rushtawin,

I always enjoy your posts.

I have one suggestion for you. Learn the one rein stop. Will give you control you didn't know you have and confidence that you can avoid trouble if it ever presents itself again.

JonR


website where you can request a free (not even postage) Ride Safely Dvd from Weaver that demonstrates the one rein stop. Be patient because it takes every bit of the 6 weeks and more to get it.

http://www.hillshepherd.com/cgi-bin/per ... .cgi?sid=6

JonR, thank you for the URL for the free safety DVD and the suggestion! I'm all for learning about more ways to stay safe and love adding to my collection of horse related items (so far, mainly books).

Babe's trainer just send me an response to my inquiry email about her progress

"She's doing GREAT, actually. She has calmed down considerably being lead in and out to pasture. Friday I lead her in with Eowyn at the same time, both horses were worked up more than usual, and she was far easier than her best days 2 months ago. She is longing in full equipment, W/T/C and doing very nicely, her balance and strength is improving daily. She is still fussy about her stall doorway, but it is improving slowly. I plan on longing her daily for a few more weeks, until her canter is slow, steady, and balanced for a minimum of 5 minutes each direction, then I will add in under saddle work. Since she has been backed, I expect that to proceed at a good rate, as well, but I feel that her strength and balance are a much more significant issue at the moment any ways. She has even been hosed off once, and had her dressage tail and bridle path trimmed with scissors."

I'm so glad that this trainer cares about her well being so much too!

More good news, after calling my campus again, they finally called and released her vet records to me from before I adopted her! Now I just have to work on getting ahold of her JC papers... the vet clinic is tracking down her fetlock x-rays, and will be sending me a hard copy of them so the farrier and trainer can see them (they both asked for them out of curiosity although she's sound ever since I started working with Babe back in September!), I need to ask my vet when's a good time to x-ray her and see what her growth plates are up to. I'm probably going to wait another year before checking that, it's not like she'll be started over jumps for another year or two anyway.

Rushtawin,

What is your mares registered name if you know it?

JonR

Tyler's Run
Sire: Radio Star (Storm Cat X Andover Way)
Dam: Tyler's Tops (You and I X Sounding Off)

Keep the faith... it takes time after a bad fall to get your nerve up again. My riding over the years has had setbacks, too. I've never been an overly bold rider, despite having good skills... sure, I'm no Beezie Madden, but I do know what I need to do, even if I don't quite get there all the time...

Take tonight, for example. Took my OTTB mare up to our new 100 x 400 flat-as-a-pancake pasture that we've just grown grass in. She hasn't been up there in quite a while, but seemed pretty calm. I got on her last year in our paddock a few times and she was totally fine, so I wanted to try her in a bigger area. My hubby was helping me with her... after longing her a little, I decided, what the heck. She was being pretty quiet. He went to give me a leg up—it was almost comical, one moment I'm looking down at the saddle, the next, grass. She took off like a bullet and ran down the hill back towards the barn. She was fine, not freaked or anything, so we tried standing her next to a mounting block. She was *right there* with my hubby holding her, and I SO wanted to swing a leg over then I lost my nerve... I was afraid she'd bolt before I got completely on...

Being 35, I'm even less brave than I used to be... so I longed her out for a while, mad at myself for chickening out...

But you know, these things happen to every rider... you just need to ride around on a bombproof pluggy old school horse a few times. It does wonders to your "horsey" morale and your confidence will build up again. Trust me on that... then slowly, you'll feel up to tackling a more challenging horse... that's why tomorrow, I'm going to take my lazy Morgan for a putt...

Babe is a pretty mare, too... good luck with her and don't be discouraged!