jacksons_five (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jacksons_five) wrote,@ 2008-06-02 16:39:00 |
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Jackson's Six
And he has had a lot of changes in his life over the last few months. He has moved quite a lot, which has been unsettling for him: first from his herd to the farm where he stayed while his feet healed. Then back to his herd. Shortly after that, the whole group moved to a new field, although most of them moved about a week before Jackson which unsettled him a little more. The new field is quite some distance from the old one, so everything is unfamiliar to him and it has taken him a while to start to settle down. I rode him to the new field and he was very happy to see his mare and the other geldings (and they to see him).
His feet have improved immensely and I now think that all the problems over the last year can be traced back to the fungal infection causing him discomfort. It meant he stood and walked loading the wrong part of his foot, which caused the imbalance, the abscesses and the crack - all now seem to be healing and his foot shape has changed. He lands properly flat or slightly heel first on the fronts now and is no longer tender over gravel and stones. For the first time since I have had him, he also has some wall growth and his heels are improving too.
We have moved to a yard which has a small outdoor school, so we have a chance to work on more formal schooling. At last, we are managing canters, which are amazing me - it is his best gait, and has been hidden for so long because the circumstances have never been right. He makes me feel like a dressage rider, he lifts himself beautifully and is smooth and powerful. It is still only a few strides at a time, but he is building it up every day and enjoying it now. It was one of the most noticeable changes as he got better over the last few months - he immediately started to offer to canter and it make me glad I'd never forced the issue before: he will always do whatever he is capable of, and if he refuses it's because he's not capable or not physically or mentally ready to do something.
He has matured well and is now a striking looking horse who turns heads.
He still enjoys his work. When I get to the field in the morning, I bring his headcollar or bridle. When I get to him, he will nicker and then start to head for the gate - he knows the headcollar means he's going out and he's eager to go. After a particularly good schooling session last week, when I got back to the field, he stayed with me and started offering the behaviours we've worked on in hand - circling me at liberty while keeping an inside bend and lifting through his shoulder. It is a very pretty sight. He has also learned "leg yield" at liberty, leading on to sidepass, and recently a new exercise called "hip shoulder shoulder", which I taught on line but which he now likes to do at liberty, again while nickering.
I am anticipating a different summer from last year. We have advanced a lot for two novices and both of us seem to find the progress reinforcing - his quick learning makes me want to do more with him, and he finds my excitement with his progress reinforcing too. The days where we've had breakthroughs are days when he spontaneously offers more work when I think we've finished.
And he has had a lot of changes in his life over the last few months. He has moved quite a lot, which has been unsettling for him: first from his herd to the farm where he stayed while his feet healed. Then back to his herd. Shortly after that, the whole group moved to a new field, although most of them moved about a week before Jackson which unsettled him a little more. The new field is quite some distance from the old one, so everything is unfamiliar to him and it has taken him a while to start to settle down. I rode him to the new field and he was very happy to see his mare and the other geldings (and they to see him).
His feet have improved immensely and I now think that all the problems over the last year can be traced back to the fungal infection causing him discomfort. It meant he stood and walked loading the wrong part of his foot, which caused the imbalance, the abscesses and the crack - all now seem to be healing and his foot shape has changed. He lands properly flat or slightly heel first on the fronts now and is no longer tender over gravel and stones. For the first time since I have had him, he also has some wall growth and his heels are improving too.
We have moved to a yard which has a small outdoor school, so we have a chance to work on more formal schooling. At last, we are managing canters, which are amazing me - it is his best gait, and has been hidden for so long because the circumstances have never been right. He makes me feel like a dressage rider, he lifts himself beautifully and is smooth and powerful. It is still only a few strides at a time, but he is building it up every day and enjoying it now. It was one of the most noticeable changes as he got better over the last few months - he immediately started to offer to canter and it make me glad I'd never forced the issue before: he will always do whatever he is capable of, and if he refuses it's because he's not capable or not physically or mentally ready to do something.
He has matured well and is now a striking looking horse who turns heads.
He still enjoys his work. When I get to the field in the morning, I bring his headcollar or bridle. When I get to him, he will nicker and then start to head for the gate - he knows the headcollar means he's going out and he's eager to go. After a particularly good schooling session last week, when I got back to the field, he stayed with me and started offering the behaviours we've worked on in hand - circling me at liberty while keeping an inside bend and lifting through his shoulder. It is a very pretty sight. He has also learned "leg yield" at liberty, leading on to sidepass, and recently a new exercise called "hip shoulder shoulder", which I taught on line but which he now likes to do at liberty, again while nickering.
I am anticipating a different summer from last year. We have advanced a lot for two novices and both of us seem to find the progress reinforcing - his quick learning makes me want to do more with him, and he finds my excitement with his progress reinforcing too. The days where we've had breakthroughs are days when he spontaneously offers more work when I think we've finished.
