ForgotPassword?
Sign Up
Search this Topic:
Forum Jump
Posts: 791
Jul 5 08 5:19 PM
Posts: 2547
Jul 5 08 6:02 PM
Oh man, THANK YOU! *beams* I haven't been able to work with him nearly as much as I'd like (my bad knee has been giving me HELL) and I was hoping the improvement wasn't all in my head. It's funny how you see a horse every day and don't even really notice the changes.
I got a Mattes sheepskin pad to use while he's still changing shape and it has helped a LOT. Also, longeing in sidereins. He still runs around with his head in the air like in the earlier pics quite a bit, but they're getting less and less, and shorter and shorter.
Thank you again!
Posts: 2496
Jul 5 08 6:05 PM
Jul 5 08 6:31 PM
Titan4549 wrote: Can I see the old pictures? He is a cutie. I like his neck. Very nice.
The old pictures should be the top two in this post! Where he's all furry and his back looks kinda swayed.
Thank you! He is a doll. He has quite a Personality but we get along really well, which helps a lot!
Posts: 833
Jul 5 08 7:58 PM
Posts: 476
Jul 5 08 8:02 PM
Posts: 7839
Jul 5 08 8:32 PM
Jul 5 08 8:38 PM
baxtersmom wrote: JDK, he looks awesome! The loin and croup muscling look terrific! Let me in on your secret!
Oh, man, THANK YOU! Hooray! Actually, it's just loooong, sloooooow practice. We started out just walking. For a month. He had to relax and stretch; hell, half the time we never got further than walking on the buckle. Then trotting, but no racing around with his head in the air. When my knee acted up, I longed him over crossrails and in sidereins (never longer than 20 minutes), again, long and slow. Lots of walking, lots of stretching. NO FIGHTING. If he started to hollow out and dance, we went back to walking. Very exciting, I can tell you. Heh.
We still barely canter. Until he's truly relaxed and soft and through at the walk and trot, I see no reason to move to the canter, since he gets too excited, wound up, and hollow (he still tries to canter off with me periodically, if he gets all worked up about something. *grin*).
But I swear, the barn where I board did half the work for me. He's turned out on 8 acres on a hill, with a small herd that runs and plays quite a bit, for 8-10 hours a day. Going up and down those hills has put muscle on his butt and shoulder, and made him carry himself a lot more correctly.
I'd still like to see more muscle on his back, and for him to lose a few extra pounds, and firm up his butt (I like a rounded muscle, not as angled as you see in these pics). But then again, I can say the same thing for myself, so there you go!
Jul 5 08 8:40 PM
gait2go wrote: Those should be "before and after" photos in a book on conditioning and training. I am especially impressed with the difference in his neck muscling. Absolutely terrific job.
Man, you're making me blush, now. Thank you! He's a lot more fun to ride, now, too, since I can really feel him using his back. He's way more forward instead of up in his gaits, and his overstride at the walk is RIDICULOUS now. I really think he's going to be something special!
Jul 5 08 8:49 PM
Jul 5 08 9:00 PM
baxtersmom wrote: I'd still like to see more muscle on his back, and for him to lose a few extra pounds, and firm up his butt. But then again, I can say the same thing for myself, so there you go! Since you've had such excellent results, I have a question about sidereins/ lunging...! I am working on lunging Baxter in sidereins to encourage him to lift over his back more as he goes... under saddle I'm not sure I'm asking correctly, or else he's just not strong enough yet to really round up with my weight on him. In the meantime, he's a long guy with a skinny hiney (typical TB), so he's terrific at long and low, but tends to tip onto his forehand. He's also really just *too* long, and needs to compress himself a bit. Suggestions for siderein length etc for getting that nice round loin and bum (besides a genetic transplant)? PS. Sorry to hijack!
Hey, no worries! The OTTB I worked with at my trainer's had the exact same problem, so I can actually try to answer, though without seeing him it's just a best guess.
It sounds like he has pretty much the opposite problem as Justin did, so the recipe's a little different. I worked Tango (the TB) under saddle and did a LOT of transitions...walk to halt to backing up, to walk, to trot, to halt, to trot. It really forces a horse to get himself together, and doesn't allow him to plod around on his forehand forever. They really need to engage their hindquarters to do the transitions smoothly and square (make sure he's coordinated and together, not stumbling into and out of the transition). Backing up especially gets a horse back onto its haunches, but be sure to allow him to move forward immediately after the backing. This also applies to longeing...lots and lots and LOTS of transitions (not the backing up, though!).
Is he comfortable accepting contact? Tango didn't love being longed in the sidereins, but we worked through it. Basically what I did was attach the sidereins a little higher on the surcingle/saddle than I would on a horse going long and low. I would set them so they sat exactly where they'd make a straight line from the bit if the horse was on the bit (flexed at the poll) and collected, his face vertical. You start out with them set longer than that, walk and trot, then stop him, shorten them a hole, walk and trot, stop, etc. until he's actually in frame with his face vertical. It's much harder for a horse to just thump on its forehand when it's being asked to carry itself in that frame. This might take a while to reach...the muscles aren't there, so the sessions should be short, and you should gradually work your way up to a shorter siderein/more collected horse. If he's not used to going in frame, it'll take longer, so I'd start with the transitions and go from there. Also, don't push the collection on the longe line, since sometimes a horse feeling that pressure on his mouth will get very upset, if it's not built up to gradually. Always make sure he keeps moving forward, when longeing.
(transitions are also very handy for Justin, who can occasionally pretend to be a total bird-brain and invent reasons to be worried, when he doesn't feel like working. It's remarkable how fast transitions refocus a horse on YOU, instead of the cow two fields over or whatever!)
Also, crossrails. Horses have to engage both ends over crossrails, and they're GREAT for longeing! And hills, to build his rear end up. If he's stronger there, it'll make all this much easier on him.
Jul 5 08 9:11 PM
Posts: 415
Jul 6 08 4:15 AM
Jul 6 08 5:23 AM
Posts: 3069
Jul 6 08 7:07 AM
Jul 6 08 7:16 AM
Posts: 4589
Jul 6 08 12:01 PM
Jul 6 08 12:12 PM
quincy99 wrote: Another Morgan fan chiming in:) He is beautiful and typey! Good to hear he is in such good hands with you. What is his registered name?
His registered name is "Car-Will's Major Magic." He's by Willy Boyden (grandson of Corlyndon) and out of Arro's Easter Bonnet (by Funquest Bentide). I think once he's really fit he's going to be a stunner...he's got amazing legs and bone, he's solid as a rock, and he's got that great classic Morgan look to him (I love just watching him play in turnout!).
Thank you! He seems to enjoy the whole learning-dressage thing, mostly 'cause he's smart and likes a challenge, I think. And he's an absolute puppydog on the ground, with the best ground manners ever. A real people-horse. I love that about the Morgans!
Jul 6 08 12:16 PM
JDKdressage wrote: . A real people-horse. I love that about the Morgans!
Posts: 9747
Jul 6 08 12:38 PM
Share This