we need (both of us) to work on
1. staying out on the circle
2. moving up a pace when asked
3. right rein.. (now where have we heard that before? but at least he'll go right it's just harder than left)
but he'll halt when asked, and on the left rein halted square and stayed out on the circle.
i did about 10 minutes, i suppose, which i thought was more than sufficient.
at least the arena wasn't the mush it was the other day - only because there had been an overnight frost, but that made it just about right
what i can't do - is deal with picking out feet when there's stones stuck in them. Turns out the way i pick feet up result in pressure on the scar on the left wrist, with consequential effects into the hand as a result of the nerve damage. I simply couldn't get enough strength to get the stones out. so i had to get someone else to pick his feet out.
That'll be easier once the shoes come off as then not a lot will get stuck and I'll just be getting mud out.
this afternoon we went for a walk round durham, organised by the local council, quite interesting, and here's a view of the cathedral taken from Frankland Farm
And i finally, tonight, dismantled and cleaned bridle, martingale and headcollar. the latter two got oiled as well...
The lunging went well - nice start to working him and discovering his strengths and weaknesses. I imagine that race horses are not very supple so a big part of your work will be to develop him equally side to side.
ReplyDeleteBummer about the stones and hand but I think you are right about less of that with no shoes. However I do remember that mud in their feet can be like concrete at a certain stage.
Glad he lunges. That's a good start for your training sessions. Lots of body language on your part should get him to learn about keeping out on the circle.
ReplyDeleteYou can also use the lunge whip in your leading hand and kind of point it out at his shoulder when he drops in. Usually the horse will move away from the point of the whip. He'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, I should think.
So sorry to hear about the problem with your wrist and the hoof pick. That's not very convenient. Maybe you can figure out a way to pick all his hoofs with your other hand??