It's always interesting to hear what other people think of your horse, right? I feel like I always look at my horses with rose colored glasses. Look at my cute horse, he is so good and perfect, he is so straight and connected. And then people like Tracey or Heidi come in and say wow no, you've never been more wrong.
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| One day we'll have this canter under saddle |
I've done a lot of brainstorming about what to do with him after he's healed, how to handle his rehab, what was going wrong and how to not make those mistakes again. And it just feels like there are some pieces missing, some information that I have yet to quite grasp. What happened last fall? What should I expect this time around? Luckily, during the discussion with the owner of the facility on Friday, I had a huge breakthrough both on a) why things were going so wrong and b) what I need to do to fix it when he comes back.
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| Galloping |
She said a few things about him just in casual conversation that made me nearly hit myself over the head. Duh, just... duh.
1. She called him hot.
There's no way in hell this horse is hot. The horse I knew before he moved was so non-reactive that at our last lesson, Barbi was adamant that he needed to respond more quickly. I always use spurs and a whip to ride him, he's always the last horse on the trail, he's always the one getting passed in the arena.
Then October rolls around and I thought his buzziness was due to the move, but it persisted into December. Three months should be enough to calm him down in a new place... And when your lazy horse starts acting up, you're not going to be like "I think the fundamental way in which I categorize my horse has changed," you're going to think that he's gone off the deep end and needs to be brought back down to reality.
Looking back, although he's always been "lazy," he never runs out of energy. Even when he seems to be exhausted, that horse keeps plugging along. There's no "wear 'em out" element to him. Even if the pasture calmed him down to the point where he gave off the appearance as lazy, he's hot.
So yes, I have a hot horse. Not a neurotic one, not a sensitive one (he's more sensitive than Rico but not that sensitive), but a hot horse. Interesting.
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| Remember when he had muscles? |
I know this, but again never really let it register. Rico shuts his brain off sometimes, he takes lots of naps or quietly chills in his stall. TC doesn't do that, I don't think he sleeps, he's basically a vampire horse. So he needs to be worked mentally. I can't wear him out physically (he's too hot!), so I need to make his brain work harder.
One of the things I like to do is just school the quality of the gaits or connection, and I've gotten really bad about being too repetitive as I ride. I love plopping onto a circle and experimenting with the connection and straightness and what not just using my aids. I don't really use exercises as often.
And TC is okay doing the same thing over and over, it's not like he explodes because of what we're doing. But if I were to keep things more interesting, constantly be changing what we're doing, maybe his brain would engage completely and he'd learn to ignore the outside of the ring better. I think that's why during his swims he doesn't get so scared of people being above him, he's focused on the swimming and not on the outside.
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| So surprisingly athletic |
I know that, but she's seen so many horses that she pointed out that he was quite immature for his age. And he really doesn't seem like he's coming 5. For me, just hearing this reminded me that patience was going to be key. I'm very good at being patient, except in the case of bad behavior. Like if he needs to take a full year to understand counter canter, that's cool. If he needs to take a full year to understand that bolting is not the answer to a horse near him, NOT OKAY. But I need to approach everything with patience, not just the dressage training.
These realizations brought me back to Thanksgiving. That weekend was some of the best rides I had on TC after the move. I had two lessons with BRH trainer, who boosted my confidence and taught me how to ride through his shit like it was nothing. We didn't look to eliminate his behavior (which is what I had been trying to do) but to put him to work immediately and challenge him. I'd give anything for it to be Thanksgiving all the time (okay no, I'd rather not eat like that every day!).
After mentally pitching a bit of a fit on the ride home, I asked myself "what is the best situation for TC in the first two or three months after rehab, not taking into account money or location?"
Well, I want a barn...
- that is safe (arena lights + covered arena + place to longe/turnout in winter)
- that has good footing in all rings + paddock
- that has paddocks that are small enough where he can roam around but not hurt himself
- with no hills (bonus points if it has trails on flat land)
- where I can be in regular lessons
- where I have a trainer who can ride TC through his shit
And I mean ideally the barn would have a eurociser or similar, have an S judge to ride with, and the ability to haul out to nearby shows/facilities easily. Oh yah and the barn would turn my horse into a unicorn and I could ride off into the sunset...
Lots of barns near me meet most of my requirements. My friend's barn has small paddocks, good footing, a eurociser, and I can be in regular lessons... but it's on a hill and she probably won't ride through his shit for me, at least not regularly. Ideal barn matches all those things except the trainer part- no lessons, no trainer rides. The training barn I was thinking of nearby is the closest to meeting these requirements, but I don't know how I can do it financially. Certainly not a long term solution and I don't like having to put a point of no return on us coming into winter.
- that is safe (arena lights + covered arena + place to longe/turnout in winter)
- that has good footing in all rings + paddock
- that has paddocks that are small enough where he can roam around but not hurt himself
- with no hills (bonus points if it has trails on flat land)
- where I can be in regular lessons
- where I have a trainer who can ride TC through his shit
And I mean ideally the barn would have a eurociser or similar, have an S judge to ride with, and the ability to haul out to nearby shows/facilities easily. Oh yah and the barn would turn my horse into a unicorn and I could ride off into the sunset...
Lots of barns near me meet most of my requirements. My friend's barn has small paddocks, good footing, a eurociser, and I can be in regular lessons... but it's on a hill and she probably won't ride through his shit for me, at least not regularly. Ideal barn matches all those things except the trainer part- no lessons, no trainer rides. The training barn I was thinking of nearby is the closest to meeting these requirements, but I don't know how I can do it financially. Certainly not a long term solution and I don't like having to put a point of no return on us coming into winter.
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| So much freakish suspension |
The barn I kept landing on is the barn where BRH trainer is. That's the perfect situation, minus the unicorn stuff (although Tracey trains there so if I rode with her, she'd turn him into a unicorn pronto).
The paddocks are just big enough where TC can move around but not be at risk of injury, they have small turnouts that I could get him used to being turned out in, they have amazing footing in their 4 arenas and 3 round pens, they have a hot walker (which he's never been on but I bet he'd be fine). They bring in people like Barbi regularly, as well as having Tracey come in 1x/week, and obviously BRH trainer is there 6 out of 7 days per week.
The paddocks are just big enough where TC can move around but not be at risk of injury, they have small turnouts that I could get him used to being turned out in, they have amazing footing in their 4 arenas and 3 round pens, they have a hot walker (which he's never been on but I bet he'd be fine). They bring in people like Barbi regularly, as well as having Tracey come in 1x/week, and obviously BRH trainer is there 6 out of 7 days per week.
I could put him in training with BRH trainer. We could work together. He's always on the property (he owns it with his wife) and always willing to hop on a naughty horse or give an impromptu lesson if something goes wrong. TC's bolting wouldn't even register with him, as he's used to breaking racehorses. If I'm scared, there's no doubt in my mind that I want BRH trainer to be there. He just has a very calming presence and always downplays what TC is doing. That's exactly what I need.
Plus, TC has already been there, he's quiet there, it isn't like introducing him to a new facility, a new trainer. I have a social support system in place, friends there who willcall 911 help me if something goes wrong.
It's perfect!
Plus, TC has already been there, he's quiet there, it isn't like introducing him to a new facility, a new trainer. I have a social support system in place, friends there who will
It's perfect!
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| Go pony go |
But...
I live an hour away with no traffic. I work one hour and fifteen minutes away with no traffic (it's more of a straight shot since I live 30 minutes away from work). There's never *no* traffic around here. There's just no way I could go out there all the time.
BUT, and this is where the scheming begins. Two things come into play: first, my work schedule is very flexible and second, the board is 2/3 what the board is at the barns in my area.
The first point- I can finagle my schedule where I can ride four days a week and only do the long commute (work -> barn in probably 1.5 hours) one day per week. On the long day, I could be at the barn before 5 by planning my schedule and leaving work by 3. In the summer, that gives me plenty of daylight. By winter, he'll be used to being ridden in the evenings that he'll be okay... or...
The second point- I can legitimately afford to take a lesson + a ride per week from BRH trainer and have it be just as expensive as boarding near me + one lesson a MONTH with someone. So if I ride Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, BRH trainer can ride on Tuesdays and give me a lesson over the weekend. Tack on the hot walker or turnout (when he's cleared for it) on the other days, and we're totally good AND I'm not going to have to back off going into winter OR go into debt this summer.
After a few months, when ideal barn opens up (in a perfect world, which this is not), I can a) move him there with the confidence that I can handle ANYTHING he throws at me without a trainer or b) decide that the commute really isn't so bad and it's fine to not see my horse every day in exchange for being able to be at the perfect barn for us (plus I move to a new apartment in October so I can move along that long commute and eliminate an hour or two a week of driving).
BUT, and this is where the scheming begins. Two things come into play: first, my work schedule is very flexible and second, the board is 2/3 what the board is at the barns in my area.
The first point- I can finagle my schedule where I can ride four days a week and only do the long commute (work -> barn in probably 1.5 hours) one day per week. On the long day, I could be at the barn before 5 by planning my schedule and leaving work by 3. In the summer, that gives me plenty of daylight. By winter, he'll be used to being ridden in the evenings that he'll be okay... or...
The second point- I can legitimately afford to take a lesson + a ride per week from BRH trainer and have it be just as expensive as boarding near me + one lesson a MONTH with someone. So if I ride Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, BRH trainer can ride on Tuesdays and give me a lesson over the weekend. Tack on the hot walker or turnout (when he's cleared for it) on the other days, and we're totally good AND I'm not going to have to back off going into winter OR go into debt this summer.
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| He's so short in the neck, it makes me giggle |
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| He looks like one of those short necked little ponies |
It's not a pleasant idea to keep my horse an hour away from where I live, but if that's what it's going to take to get us back in gear, so be it. If I can learn how to ride my hot horse and get some lessons (and some trailering to new places maybe) in with the trainers who I know and trust, rather than taking a chance on a trainer I don't know... maybe it's worth it.
Certainly worth exploring. But for now, we have a long way out before any decisions need to be made.
I've wondered about TC being hot, but wrote it off because I try to relate everything to my horse and the fact that you are so adamant that you don't like hot horses. Funny how it works.
ReplyDeleteI think that the baby racehorse trainer barn would be amazing for you guys. The commute would suck, but your sanity would be worth it.
I was so surprised by that because he just doesn't ACT like a hot horse most of the time. Most of the hot horses I've met have also been sensitive, and I kind of threw them in the same category. But TC is hot without the sensitivity. You can kick him with rowel spurs and smack him fairly hard with the whip and he's fine. But he's hot, always wants to be moving and doing something. So I'll have to figure out how to ride him through it!
DeleteI'm definitely leaning toward that barn at this point, I want to talk to my vet and maybe do some rides on Rico in the afternoons after work to see how hellish that commute really is. But I think at least at first, that's where I feel the most comfortable both with TC and financially.
I have one horse that is hot and sensitive, and one horse that is lazy (af) and sensitive. I like the lazy-sensitive one better, because I can keep up with him and manage him better than the hot-sensitive one. The hot-sensitive one is better at changing the game up quickly, but she's not that fit so I can outride her.
DeleteWhat I really want is a lazy, not-sensitive horse and that would be perfect thanks.
Rico is lazy and not sensitive! But kind of to a fault.
DeleteI could do lazy sensitive to an extent (needs to not be too neurotic since my seat sometimes lights them up), the little paint horse is like that. You can shift your weight just a bit on him and get whatever you want. On Rico you can shift your weight just a bit and get whatever he was already planning on doing.
This is SO interesting to me! I've never thought about "hot" in this way either. My mare is lazy and sensitive I think. Honestly the time she uses the most energy is when it has to do with her social life (where is my boyfriend, I can't see my friends, etc) but other than that, she's very much a conserver of energy. I know this because when she says "no", and I respond with "yes", she *always* responds with "oh, okay." She doesn't put energy into fighting or resisting. But she is definitely sensitive. Back to the social thing but also in her training too. She's not unsafe but she definitely cares what you do and where you're doing it. I can easily light her up with my seat at 10 months under saddle. She wants you to be very balanced and fair and she will let you know by bracing if you're not. Again, not unsafe, just sensitive. So so interesting!
DeleteYou know I think that barn sounds amazeballs, plus with BRH trainer there, it's even more perfect. Maybe you can get a transporter instead of driving?
ReplyDeleteI loooove that barn. I want to be there so badly. The commute wouldn't be forever, a year at most... when are self driving cars coming out again?
DeleteThose are some fascinating observations about TC and very interesting options for his post-rehab life! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm excited for his check-up so I can start making plans for real.
DeleteI hate driving so for me there are 5 barns I can chose from. I've been at one and will not go back, 2 are way too expensive, I'm at 1 and the other would be my choice if I absolutely had to move for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI think the BRH barn sounds great and you're certainly a lot more used to driving than I am. But maybe you'll find something else local. Or get a new job in the South Bay?
Yah I'm definitely used to driving! I already drive 2-5 hours a week to teach, 5 hours a week for work, 3 hours a week for TC, and 2 hours a week for Rico, so it wouldn't be much more driving than I'm already doing now (I think it's 11-12 hours now vs 13 hours then).
DeleteAt some point I'll hopefully get a job in SJ or LG or something in the south bay, and that will be much more convenient. Unfortunately I love my current job and have only been here for 5 months so should really stay at least another 6-7 months at least. But you never know!
I suspect that Tesla is the exact opposite combination: super sensitive but not hot....sometimes the odd combinations are hard to peg!!
ReplyDeleteSo hard to figure out! I have a sensitive lazy horse in my barn, but he can get really hot sometimes too. Gah! Horses!
DeleteInteresting observations about classification of horses. I used to throw horses who were hot and spooky into the same category. But now that I have a horse who is hot but not spooky I have revamped that in my mind.
ReplyDeleteIMO, rider confidence is hugely important. If you know that with BRH trainer's help you can tackle anything TC throws at you, you're more likely to be eager to get to the barn, despite the long commute. If instead, you're in the wrong situation, a bit of dread has the power to make that trip to the barn feel a lot longer and unpleasant than it would otherwise be. Obviously it's a personal choice for you, just my 2 cents.
Yah I feel like the more horses we meet, the more categories there are, until one day we'll have no categories?
DeleteYou make such an amazing point- I dreaded going to the barn after work when he was near my house. I'd get home and sit around and make excuses because he was so miserable to ride. But I remember over Thanksgiving (I was staying down there though) feeling SO excited to get to the barn. Definitely a difference there.
Even now, if I think about bringing him to a barn near my house, I start to feel that dread... but right now thinking about putting him down with BRH trainer, I'm REALLY excited and can't wait to get him back.
Two things.
ReplyDelete1. Friesian brain is hot. In my experience. Hot and thinking when combined with warmblood. And very easily distracted/spooked. It's not hot like a thoroughbred, but more hot like a boy with ADHD. Always wanting to do, learn, see, GO! Thoroughbreds are more like girls with ADHD, able to focus, but tend to get drawn in and impossible to pull away from whatever they are mentally working on. Can't wear either out (lies, literally can't wear out a TB, but neither will quit on you), but one doesn't get bored/wander as easily once engaged in an exercise.
2. I keep my horse an hour away (45 min without traffic. 1-2 hours with traffic. Slightly less from my work, most days.). It's worth it for the facility, the price, and the standard of care I know I can depend on. It sucks sometimes. And it takes a lot of willpower to get out there and stay on my schedule. And sometimes I think about all the time I spend in the car and cry a little bit. But then I get a new audiobook (The Golem and the Jinni is my current one, and it's GREAT!), and try to multitask reading or thinking or calling friends/family I never talk to. And it's okay. It's a trade off. Don't be too afraid of the distance. And remember, it doesn't have to be forever.
And TBs are often delicate flowers with skin crawling with abuse sensors. (*Gentle tap* "She hit me! I DIE!!") But Friesian types will usually take a beating (*WHACK* "Oh, right, canter, I knew that... WHEE!")
DeleteI've worked with a few different friesians and only one was hot- he had the same bolt that TC has but he was a little more unreasonable since he'd do it out in the open as well as in the ring. TC only bolts in the arena, and not as far. That horse was not my favorite.
DeleteI think I need to get some more audiobooks. Well, actually I have a lot, I need a new phone- mine holds maybe one book at a time so if I'm not in the mood for that book... radio it is. Definitely on my list of things to do in the next few months. I'm glad you can share my commute pain! I can move in October to a place that's half way between the barn and work, which will cut back on my driving hours a bit since right now home is a bit out of the way.
Interesting! My trainer's friesian/dutch cross was super hot in the way you describe. And so are a few other ones I've known, especially one at my barn right now. The only differences between them and the "duller" friesians was breeding. All of these guys are from riding-focused breeding programs, not driving lines. The driving lines I've seen tend to be a little less... hyperactive?
DeleteTC's mom is definitely a carriage type, definitely has a heavier build. She seems really chill, but she's also like 19 years old and lives in pasture where her only job is to have and raise babies. So I don't know what she would have been like undersaddle. I hear Ideal was fairly hot, but I don't know much about him. TC was just so quiet for all those months I rode him, I never expected to be realizing drastic new things about him a full 14 months after starting to ride him!
DeleteVery interesting! I think that maybe the driving back and forth might not be bad as long as its temporary. Otherwise you get really worn out. Does BRH break young horses too? not just race horses? I'd consider my dream of buying a yearling feasible if yes! Send my baby to him to break lol
ReplyDeleteYah hopefully the bad drive (work to barn to home = 2.75 hours) will be reduced when I move to that place you hate, or a bit north (2.25 hours), in October. Then eventually I'll get another job further south so I'll be within 35 minutes hopefully.
DeleteHe does! He starts a lot of the dressage horses in the area and he jumps too! There's another guy who is probably more reasonably priced out in the central valley that starts a lot of my old trainers' horses. I might send my hypothetical next baby to him first, then go into training with BRH trainer.
I love those conversations with impartial observers. That emotional distance can add so much insight.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, the drive will suck, but sometimes it's worth it. Sounds like you definitely need some BRH trainer in your life. :-)
It's so helpful! I wanted to argue with her at first, like "um he is not hot, I can kick him with spurs" but she KNOWS him, it's not like she's lying. Emotional distance is a really good phrase to describe it.
DeleteYah the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'd be better off spending more time in the car and less time freaking out about my horse...
never gets tired & is always thinking. yup that about sums up my mare too haha... oh, and immature for her age too. she's 13 going on 6, lol.
ReplyDeleteseriously tho, sounds like a promising plan and maybe the timing will work out perfectly such that you're only doing the long drives just long enough to get TC really consistent before ideal barn opens up?
Yep! Gotta love them. Yah I'm hoping that ideal barn doesn't open up until 2-3 months in so that I can make a decision that's best for us. Maybe I'll have so much confidence that I'll feel comfortable with him up there + limited lessons. Or maybe I'll just accept my fate on the drive (the job isn't going to last more than 2 years, I'm sure, I want to get a job further south before my brother has kids) and enjoy my barn time even more.
DeleteMy only option was a barn 45+ minutes away. I moved to the country so I'm like 25 min away from my barn now (and have more options) but I don't think I would change. The drive is worth it (took me 2 hours once in the snow when I was living by school and I wanted to cry).
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is def a Friesian trait! My friend's half Friesian is the exact same. Not necessarily spooky but HOT in a way a TB isn't. And shes a bolter. And takes *abuse* (not like my princess TB). Very interesting to think about