Need help with Saddle Fit?
Before getting this new saddle, Gabe was having a lot of issues going forward. Now he is excelling in his trianing, and we are making leaps and bounds of progress.
I highly recommend Reed at +19492914224 to help you get a saddle that fits you and your horse. English saddles and endurance saddles. I love the one she brought to the fitting and Gabes mom bought for me to ride him in! It's so easy to ride in and gives me a ton of confidence on this young warmblood.
We need at least 1 more person to get her over this way soon to fit a horse I have in training, anyone need help with saddle fit?
Gabe went on a field trip today. We kept it slow and relaxed. He did really well. We had gunfire, loud trucks with Jake brakes, and motorcycles going down the rd. He really looked to me for guidance. Honestly, I didn't think he would be this good. I thought we wouldn't make it past the lunging process. We are trying again tomorrow, I will try and get a longer video!
He makes me look so small! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Another video in the comments.
Another one of Pheobe! She was very scared of baths. Teach them to ground tie, and suddenly they become willing participants! 🤣
Phoebe came to learn the gate.
Prerequisites to the gate:
Settling
Side pass
Turn on the forehand
Turn on the haunches.
She got it on the last day she was here. She goes home tomorrow! Until she comes back soon. I hope.
*volume on*
The back up teaches the horse to shift their weight on to their hocks and improves the canter depart, helping prevent a horse falling on the forehand and perpetuatally feeling like they’re running away. A nice canter depart sets the scene for many more maneuvers and quality movement.
Here I am riding in this glorified bareback pad on Gabe, 17.2 hand warmblood. I've been working with him for 4 months. The Colt starter got him to be able to accept a rider at the walk while being led. I couldn't start him at the time due to my health. Kirsten at criedmont also put some rides on him after the colt starter.
Never thought I would be riding this huge of a horse bareback! But he outgrew his saddle, and we are on the hunt for an extra wide dressage saddle!
I feel like the little girl in the movie War Horse, when I ride Gabe. He is turning into a brave, relaxed and forward horse.
Also, the groan is his owner, who is taking the video. I'm not sure what she was doing.
Beau is doing good! He doesn't have a good stop it turns out. But he is learning to have a soft stop and is learning leg pressures. I think Apollo feels a lot softer and broke after only 5 rides compared to this little guy. But I did a lot of in hand bridle work with Apollo. So basically, he was a get on and go, and he feels pretty broke.
Beau is here to finish he had 60 days with a colt starter.
OG is overcoming his fear of ropes. Still alot of work to be done with ropes, but he is learning to accept them.
OG proves train balance in the walk and trot and you get balance in the canter. Not bad for a 50 ride appaloosa! I could sit this canter all day. I was able to ask for simple changes and he gave me really good ones for his trianing level. So nice to ride a colt that has been trained to understand balance!
OG rocked it today. I didn't have a camera assistant, so no video of the ride. But I thought this was really awesome that his neck let go of all tightness today in the ride. We need this to happen in order to loosen the muscles at the base of the neck and in the shoulder so we can then begin the collection work. If you're not getting this looseness in the neck please get help from someone who understands how to achieve this!
OG riding in the indoor. He didn't know what to think about the poles on the ground, but with a little redirect, he went over them. Trying Cassidy Kettlestrings saddle, it has a FBN2 tree from roohide. Og said he liked it!
ROOHIDE FB:
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100064303884895
This video is done while holding a horse and a phone all at once. So not perfect. But I hope this illustrates that you can open the scapula up with dressage movements.
This horse, Ollie, was super tight in the shoulders and in one 40 min session loosened way up. Not with boy work or massage but with movement! Specificity movements that work on the spinal mobility. This allows the shoulders to relax and open up! I will be posting the movements soon to achieve this scapula result.
Turn on the forehand in forward motion, which releases the topline of your horse. Avi starts off really stiff in the neck and back. In the end, she is soft to the rien. This is our 3rd ride coming off a long break, so she is weaker than normal. In the end, her ears start to flop, which is a sign your horse lost its poll tension.
Think about doing tiny steps in front and big steps in back until your horses neck releases. Horses will shorten their stride behind when the back is tight. You can see as we go her inside hide leg takes bigger and bigger steps and then her neck relaxes. It is all connected.
This is also used to calm the nervous system down on your horse, so when buddy sour or anxiety hits, this will help. Just remember, without the forward movement, turn on the forehand won't help your horses body!
In case you have been wondering what we have been doing? Answer is digging ditches! And laying pipe and back filling with round rock.
Have a horse that isn't accepting the girth?
I can help. We found a saddle that fits like a glove. However, this horse is reactive to the cinches. We hobbled the back cinch closer to the front and did some rib stretches to help her accept the girth. This short video shows the beginning and the end of a 45 min lesson with this mare. We didn't try and wear her down. Instead, we worked on trust and acceptance of the girth. And she had a great experience.
Watch those ribs on your youngsters. I can come to you in whatcom county for $150 and do an evaluation.
Learning horsemanship is great for kids. Kids lessons available with lesson horses. 45 min lessons with grooming and saddling and 20 to 30 min of riding. Kids camps coming soon when the arena is done! Let me know if you want to sign your kids up.
Cost for lessons:
Kids 9 and younger $40.
Kids 10 and older $50.
Ranch riding is so fun! Ranch Versatility means you can work cows, ride a pattern correctly, be able to do a riening pattern, rope, and of course be able to do the trail course. Working on all these skills will mean you have a finished and willing partner who has skills! If you're interested in ranch Versatility pm me, the Northest Ranch Horse Show is in Lynden this fall, and it's so much fun! Still time to be ready to show!
