The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX

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[FrogInABlender]

Good Job Becky!! It sure looks like a professional grade arena now.

[HairOfTheDog]

Lots of things can happen the first time you trot them, and they may make a mess of them at first! ;~D. I'd do it first on the lunge so you can watch, and they can figure it out.

Yes as far apart they are, they'll probably jump them. To get them to trot them, start out with them spaced every stride, as trotting poles on the ground. Raise them only if they no longer give the same elevated effort, and keep them spaced every stride.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I know I'd get lots of complaints from pros. It's ground down to about the texture of face powder:(, yuk, I feel like I'm covered in grit. If there were more then two horses in there you wouldn't be able to see across it for the dust. But there is just now way I can water that big an area.

At the clinic, they had the neatest setup. They had these huge sprinkler welded on the top rail of the arena, 2 on each side and one on each end. Every night they watered, but it didn't take that long because the sprinklers really pumped out alot of water. LOL...I have to wait on the rain, and hope it does before the wind blows it all away,

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

What would be a ball park figure to start with feet wise in spacing them? Would it maybe be better to start with just 2 till they get the hang of it:)? I really don't know if I could get them to trot over them on a lunge line? wouldn't they just swerve in to avoid them? They try avoiding them with me on them. Well at least Rusty does, Harley is pretty good at going down the middle with not much steering.

Becky

[Duchess47]

It looks so good in the after picture :) Bob disked a fire break along the neighbor's fence line last night but he borrowed another neighbor's disk and it is set wrong to actually do much good.

Fire season has started with a vengence this year - last week a fire at Silver City (15miles away) and Silver Springs (10miles away), over the weekend, Pleasent Valley (about 30miles), yesterday Clear Creek/Spooner (30miles) and Badger/Brunswick Canyon (20miles). The Badger/Brunswick has between 700-1000 acres involved, 20% contained right now. The others are all out.

[HairOfTheDog]

I wish I was there and could help. They'll try to veer around, I position them right up against the arena fence so they can't go around on the outside, and enforce the inside by staying close enough to move them out with whip or body language and drive them over. Start out with one for two good circles. Don't be overly worried if they over-react and jump it, likely putting themselves in a canter. Reward that they went eagerly over it first, then worry about the trot later. Just say trot and bring them back down, once the newness wears off they'll stop jumping it.... then add the next [bump bump] probably somewhere in the neighborhood of two feet from the first one... when they'll trot the [bump bump] nicely, add another one [bump bump bump] and so on until you don't have any more poles. Move and adjust the spacing as needed. You aren't messing anything up if it's not right and they have to adjust.

Watch them go around at the trot without the poles. try to note how far apart their strides are and put the poles that distance, with the goal being that he can step in the middle between each one. Part of the goal is to get him to space his stride according to the poles, so it's perfectly OK and desired if they have to shorten or lengthen stride to match the poles... depending on which you want to work on any given day.

What I do is lunge them a few times around on the inside of the poles, and then when they pass by them and you're ready, I say 'poles' and feed them enough line to widen the circle... let them go round and take the poles a couple times in a row, saying 'poles' as they approach, then draw them in to the inside without stopping and give them a break of a few circles without them. Make sense?

If you want to wait on this a few days, I'll try to set up some example pictures. We're buying poles to start some of our own exercises with Cyn.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh great:).

I'll just keep walking them till I see your pictures:)

One reason I was nervous to trot them,I was surprised at how much of a bump they will take before they fall over. I expected them to fall alot easier then they do. Is that OK?

Becky

[Duchess47]

Badger/Brunswick Fire this morning

Tuesday wildfire statistics June 22, 2005 Badger fire 730 acres Time line 3:25 p.m. Tuesday: first reported 9:39 p.m.: 10 percent contained Location 4 miles east of Carson City in southwest Brunswick Canyon Carson City/Lyon County Fuel Piñon, juniper and cheatgrass burning erratically in steep and rocky terrain Resources 6 aircraft, 6 hand crews, 16 engines, 1 bulldozer Agencies 183 personnel from BLM, Lyon and Douglas counties, Carson City Fire, Douglas County Sheriff's Department, Nevada Division of Forestry and U.S. Forest Service Clear Creek fire 1.5 acres Time line 11:45 a.m. Tuesday: first reported 12:30 p.m.: Fire controlled, crews doing mop up Location West of Carson City between Highway 50 and Clear Creek Road Fuel Pine, manzanita and other forest brush Agencies Carson City Fire Department, BLM, U.S. Forest Service, East Fork Fire District, Nevada Division of Forestry and Tahoe Douglas Fire, responded. A helicopter and air tanker were ordered, but never used.

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20050622/NEWS/106220052

[HairOfTheDog]

It's good. They should be hard to knock over, so they learn to avoid knocking them. Standard cavaletti are on those crosses, and they won't fall over.

[HairOfTheDog]

Gads... are you close to any of the fires now?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I have to do this with a bobcat. It used to be easier when we had the tractor, but tractors are very limited in their usefulness here because of the rocks. We got alot more accomplished over all once we got the bobcat. I'm getting better at using it:). One time while working the arena and scooping up dirt to move back up it, I forgot to take my feet of the pedals that work the bucket. I was looking around at where I wanted to dump it. Well the bucket just went up, up, up, and then dumped backwards right on top my head. I was buried up to my waist in the cab:). That was such a shock. I was sitting there gasping like a fish out of water. Mack has almost banned me from using it.

I'm sorry about all the fires. Is there danger where you live?

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

OOHHHH....I thought they wanted them to come down easy, so the horses didn't hurt himself, or trip.

Well then the cement blocks are about perfect.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, my, I hope you all are safe..??

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Later on, with bigger arena jumps, they come down easy.

But with Caveletti, used for early jumping training, they actually want them to be pretty solid, so they don't learn to avoid the effort by just knocking the pole off. They won't hurt themselves if they hit it. They'll learn to respect it as a solid barrier they have to go over.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Thanks for the very good post on lunging them over cavalettis. With that explanation and your pictures, I should be able to do it. I wanted you to know I did read it, and wrote the number down to keep track of it so I can read it along with your pictures.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

I'll probably say it all again when I post the pictures ;~D

Bay hasn't done much work on trotting poles, and Cyn has probably never done them, so whoever we use as the guinea pig will be a pretty good example of a beginner horse.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, OK, that makes sense.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good. Wouldn't you think Harley will do it pretty good, since he had that jumping training last year? I figured that's why he does it better then Rusty. I just didn't have the confidence to try it faster then a walk:) I've only had horses jump things with me a few times, and I wasn't real thrilled by it:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I think, I'm going to go ahead and go get Rusty rode. I'm only riding him about 45 minutes, so the heat won't be a problem for that. I'm not getting anything accomplished in here:).

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh... You don't think you're going to move from this right into jumping? ;~D

I'm gonna guess when you do them at the trot, you'll probably leave them on the ground. Yours are nice big poles and they'll give you the exaggerated elevation of stride you want without ever raising them.

On different days, you can set them up higher and stick to your walking them, and some days try a set of walking them very close together, one stride apart. Do just two at a time at first, pause a few strides, then two more.