Re: Attitude !!!

Well I would have the boss mare, dominant, tries it on, hates being ridden more than once in a day, a fire breathing dragon, hates leaving the gelding, don't like hacking alone, any excuse to stop and plant and evade, another horse who can go from stand to gallop in one movement except she don't launch herself in the air first as did Tonka. This same mare can also be loving but being a Belgian Warmblood the TB part seems to be effecting her, when in the mood 4ft fences no problem just sort of pops over them hard to explain, a very bouncy ride, does flying changes. I confuse her as don't carry a riding crop but she still gets a wack when she plays up, no spurs and I ride with a loose rein most of the time except when in work.

Re: Attitude !!!

Danser used to love her work. She adores going out for hacks, especially fast ones. She loves speed and hates having to walk. She was quite awkward to load but i could load her on my own, in fact it was better doing it on my own as she was alot calmer about it if was just me and her and in the end i got her walking straigh on. I had to take the partition out and let her have the whole trailer to herself so she could stand how she felt comfortable bit travelled fantastic that way. At a show she was brilliant and always showed off in the show ring, she was showing queen and won or was placed in many ridden classes (if the judge wasn't predudiced against coloureds which we did come up against quite blatantly at times) and coloured ridden classes. She isn't so happy being retired as she loved being in work so i am thinking about letting her doing 1 day a week of hacking when her foot is better if her ligament stands upto it.

Charlie loves schooling work and adores jumping but scares the live out of me so i am working on that one. He does like to hack and is better on his own.

Sky is just a great little horse and does whatever i ask of her. for a  year old she is so chilled and ides out on her own or in company and will take the lead and will go past scary monsters without even looking at them. She hasonly been in the school twice so i can't really say what she is like schooling but so far very willing. Obviously not done much with her as she is a baby. In fact she has had most of the time off since i backed her so i will find out more next year when she is 4 years old and i start riding her more.

Re: Attitude !!!

I think the title said it all really when it came to ZZ doing any work - her attitude sucked!  When I first got her the battle would be to even get her tacked up, then once you managed that (always in the stable) you then had to get on, eventually would find someone to hold her!  After months of work she achieved the standing still to be tacked up and mounted but the ridden side never improved! 

Hacking was a nightmare in company and alone, you have no idea how scary tarmac, mud, gravel, grass, trees, gates, people, cars etc etc can be.  Schooling hmmmm, try to lunge me and I will kill you attitude, just look at how fast I can go and how close I can get.  Ridden schooling work the attitude was well lets see how long it takes for me to dump you on your arse.

Many thousands of pounds later, numerous visiting trainers and her going to live in reschooling twice, many apologies for her putting people in hospital she was retired at the grand age of 6 and labelled "unrideable"!!!!!

Now if the question had been what is her attitude to retirement, laid back and enjoys every minute of it provided you do not deviate from her routine at all - guess whose in control in this relationship - yeah and I love her for it :-) 

By the way I will point out she came from a "professional show jumpers yard" and was being sold as "a mare with great potential" the day I met her she dumped her rider in the school, I should have walked away but I was in love big time!!!!  Actually I wonder now if I had learnt dressage with her rather than wanting to jump her if things would have been different, hmmm maybe not!

Re: Attitude !!!

In all honesty with Dubai being as young as he is I am constantly changing the work and play schedule. He was gelded on Friday but as a young unknown stallion myself and my trainer who is also the yard owner, made sure we were firm but fair. Thankfully he is A quick learner. Whinying on the leadrope or under saddle big nono, walking everwhere with a relaxed head down position and quiye often licking and chewing. He had to learn to bring his head down. He had learnt running and prancing around snorting was the way he was suposed to act around humans. not true!

He adores his work. I use a lot of positive reinforcement with him. Vocally or a neck itch. Loading he follows me straight on. In fact the only time I have ever seen a semi spook out of him is when I was doing a small lunge prior to loading for the clinic  outdoors and my dad was hitching the trailer and opened the boot to sort the cabels out..he tanked for half a curcle then realused it was too much effort aha. I have never seen him buck and fart about on the lunge riding or free lunging. Then again I have only had him a month and a half so I am sure it will changw. I did buy him for his attitude though. Calm but alert and willing to please ;D