The Importance of Flat Work and Focus

Well a few weeks have passed now since my return from the MS ride (see the pics below all taken by All Action Photography), and I had many nights to reflect over my plan of attack with Roxy. I was riddled with doubt, but determined to find a path to follow, one that would lead me to the next MS Ride and a more rounded, established horse.

I have never claimed to be an expert when it comes to horses and more often than not have relied on instinct. Now with the internet and the wealth of knowledge out there I am inundated with ideas and methods to achieve my goal. It is easy to be swayed by a million well meaning suggestions or methods but there is one thing I know to be true. Every horse is different and while basic principles are the same you must be ready to change your approach and rethink your plans to suit the horse you are riding.

It was with this in mind that I knew that Roxy NEEDED focus and work in the round yard and arena. The trail is brilliant for training but every now and then you need to strip it all back and get into a confined space, then concentrate on the foundations from which everything should extend. It doesn't have to be hours and I like to use the "5" rule...practice each thing five times.

My first goal was to get Roxy rounding and collecting. I began with some coaching from Leah, then I tried it on a dressage arena and had some success. I then decided that my hands were not responsive enough and moved onto a Market Harborough. Once the horse has had time to get used to this piece of equiptment the way in which is works is a god send. Roxy is starting to soften and round up, find her own relief by lowering her head and if feels wonderful! I am even using it on the trail rides now, which I wasnt sure about at first, but is really working for us now. It gives me the chance to ride on a loose rein but to gather up and practice collection when I can.

My second goal is to stop Roxy's evasion with going forward away from other horses and the paddock. I am riding with a lead mare each time I go on the trail and slowly extending the distance when I can. I am starting to focus more on when she starts to build to evade and when I sense this coming she gets pushed forward at a trot and I am assertive and firm with her.

This approach to Roxy's training has been going for two weeks now and the changes in her are thrilling. Every ride sees improvement and although I am not ready to test her in a large group of strange horses she is performing so well within the small familiar group.

I wont be attempting any official ATHRA rides for the remainder of this year but hopefully after one or two test rides with a slightly larger group soon I will know where I stand in regards to the larger groups.

So what next....well I will continue as I am mixing flat work with trail rides. I will try to stretch her comfort zone and the distance between her and the other horses and I will take the time to do it right. I am really enjoying this time with her and the achievements we are making.

I want to thank with the biggest hugs my friends Leah, Lucy, Christine and Rhonda as without these girls and their fantastic horses and advise my job with Roxy would be much more difficult. Lucy and Leah's support and encouragement is something I truly value..thank you...thank you.

SO on another note I am looking forward to next weekend where I will be attending a horsemanship clinic and in a few weeks the Snowy River Festival in Dalgety. I am going to take my cheeky daughter Jade and have a girls weekend camping and getting amongst it in the snowy mountains!

Until the next post...yeee haaaaa!

Love Lorrie

xxx

MS RIDE 2009

There is so much more to write but for now enjoy this...

Things I Learned on the MS Ride 2009

• A pair of jeans can last more than two days
• A hairbrush is not an essential item.
• Camping near the fence is good, leaving your new saddle pad on the fence to fall off and be pissed on by someone else’s horse…not so good
• PMS and camping don’t mix
• Side passing for 27kms really isn’t as hard as it may sound
• Two young horses together on the trail with 200+ others is a bad combination
• Metal horse shoes hitting stones in the middle of the night is a fire hazard
• Getting out of bed and walking to the toilet at home is never as bad as it is camping
• You have to push the gas knob in to light the gas
• A horse can float for four hours straight and not die
• Wind is relative, what you thought was windy night will pale in comparison to a gale force windy night
• Getting spanked by the tent for 8 hours isn’t as kinky as it sounds
• A book will go mouldy if you don’t shut your tent properly and the rain gets in
• Red desert dust is almost impossible to remove
• Dust storms are best avoided by being at the pub
• 100+ horses are capable of pushing down 600m of fencing and escaping into 1000’s of acres and not giving a stuff about your feelings
• Just because your horse looks innocent don’t assume it is
• Soup ladles are too small
• Your body doesn’t seem so bad after 2-3 days of communal showering
• Never brag about not falling off…Karma will bite you in the arse
• Bruises on your inner thigh hurt, dry humping your saddle is optional
• Make friends with a nurse…they have everything you need
• A sudden downpour can add 6 inches to your height and take 12 inches off your waist
• Thongs are no good as gumboots
• People who pee in the middle of the night on the ground make a lot of noise
• Sluts is a term of affection
• You can spend 9 days sharing a tent with someone and not want to kill them
• Alcohol is necessary
• Losing weight is possible if you eliminate alcohol….therefore losing weight is not possible

Just had to Brag...:-)

Today I had a pretty special thing happen to me....often with our horses we are so consumed by training, riding, behaviour etc that we don't notice how far we have really come. It is not until a stranger points this out to you that you realise how lucky and special you are to have a horse and not just own it, have a relationship with it.

Today I stopped at the paddock to feed Roxy. Some days she comes running some days she doesn't. Depends on her mood and hunger factor I guess?

Today was a "I am looking but not sure if I want to come or not" day.

I began to stroll across the paddock and between Roxy and I stood my other four legged friend Monty. At about the same time a car was driving past the paddock.

As I went to pat and pay Monty some attention, curiosity and perhaps a little jealously got the better of Roxy and she came cantering up to us.

I gave her a warm welcome and decided not to put her halter on and just started walking. I then began to jog and asked Roxy to join me by clicking to her and asking her verbally to 'trot on' after a few moments she did. Then I stopped. She stopped. I walked. She walked. I jogged and she jogged and we continued like this all the way to the yards.

When I reached the yards, the car that had been driving past had made a u-turn and was now back down the hill near the yards. A lady wound down the window and after initially mistaking me for someone else, went on to say how beautiful it was to watch, a horse running to its owner and interacting like we did.

I was so, so pleased and proud that someone had actually noticed and mentioned what I already know in my heart. To have validation from a stranger was very special.

Never ever believe that you can't realise your dreams when it comes to horses, because I truly believe that they are the most amazing and complex animals alive and the rewards of true companionship are priceless.

Cheers

Lorrie

xxx

Secret Rides and Big Laughs

On Satuday just gone Rej and Rhonda finally got to enjoy the ride that Chris and I google earthed and found last week. After a practise run by Chris and I to make sure the track was clear, and we weren't going to upset any of the locals, we took off early to get a nice start.

The day was perfect and the horses behaved excellently...we havent laughed so hard in a while and Rhonda almost completely lost it on the platform as Rej continued to engage us with beaver stories as well as some bumbling and fumbling that was classic comedy..."George you bastard!" She really loves her horse...no really she does :-).

After posing at the lookout in various unglamourous shots we were lucky enough to have a tourist pop by who was keen to take our photo. We then asked if she could please take ours and she obliged.

We got the horses off the platform before one of them did a bowel evacuation and headed back along the track. A very steep climb up meant a very steep climb down. We had trotting and cantering and Nugget was stoked to see that cows dotted the hills as well. Luckily for us that bull had very short legs and didnt stand a chance of chasing us up the hill!

Only two weeks to MS and all the horses are going brilliantly. Getting sorted to go is another story. We are having a meeting this weekend to organise the logistics of the drive and hopefully that will make me a little less anxious. I am pretty nervous about such a long trip but we have some nice stops planned and I am travelling with seasoned professionals so I am in good hands

Enjoy the pics

Love Lorrie

xx

At the look out

Rhonda and Nugget...love this pic.

My riding buddies for the day Rej, Rhonda and Chris

Overlooking 7 Mile Beach what a treat!

Getting Fit for MS and Cow Hunting

Well it has been awhile since my last post because I am so darn busy skiing and horse riding. The long story short is that Roxy continues to improve and our battles are not so much of a battle now, but more of a whinge on her part followed by some assertiveness on mine. A little bit of no I don't want to go that way from her and that is responded to with 'oh yes you are and now for being rude you can trot'.

She makes me laugh when she then gets her sulky donkey ears. This doesn't last long though and they perk back up and dare I say it she enjoys herself.

Turns out she is quite the cow hunter and now I now know what is meant by the expression 'cowy'...she sees them and she is dying to herd them up. The other day on the trail a small Angus calf blocked her way and we were heading straight for each other. The mother cow bellowed but the calf stood its ground and Roxy just continued to head towards it....I was ready for some sort of explosion from either the calf or Roxy but I ended up with Roxy and the calf gently sniffing each other before the calf bounded off with its mum. Rox took it in her stride and we continued on.

She often turns her head to my foot to check in and get a scratch too and she has a heart of gold...ok gushing about her again now:-)

Tahoe is sold technically but I will write about that another time as I don't want to jinx myself.

Below is a pic from a recent ride....will post more later XXXX Lorrie

Baby Steps, Big Wins and a New Horse for the MS Ride

Well there's no beating around the bush so to speak, the great news is that Roxy has been voted in for the MS Ride.

After a mid paddock discussion with members of the Wild Waler Women, Leah and Rhonda, I came to the conclusion that I should trust my heart and my head and give Roxy a chance at this years MS Ride. If I am to be honest with myself, I can do this on her and I can have her ready, all things going to plan. I have never been one to chicken out of a challenge, and to have made the decision to get stuck in and get Roxy back to work, has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

So now where to from there? Well Leah and Lucy kindly offered to escort me out this morning with their beautiful mares Lola and Rose. Roxy is being treated as a green horse fresh from the breakers and Rose and Lola were there to hold her hoof and Lucy and Leah to hold my hand...or keep me talking which isn't hard :-)

So I saddled up Rox and did a flight test, she was calm and relaxed and it was all systems go...oh...what...we are going down the road and off to the complex? Love these guys no fussing around just get out and ride.

Roxy was nervous at times but brave and we took things steady. We reached the tunnel under the road, a real test for any horse, and Roxy gingerly got through it. She was a bit rattled on the other side but we did it. We continued on like this taking on mini obstacles and many of the evasions that had previously been an issue. Again gently and bravely Roxy took each challenge on, sometimes needing Rose or Lola to show her the way. She looked to Rose often for support but got braver and braver as we went on. On the way home she led the way and was first through the tunnel, relaxed and confident.

YIIPPEEE !!!!! We aren't back home yet but I can tell that Roxy is calm and really does have the potential I saw in her all those months ago.

There are some issues to work on...not racing to catch up, softer in the mouth and more rounded, but really I am ecstatic. Those things are nothing that time and gentle hands cant fix. As for the rearing, well I am sure in the back of her mind and if she was pushed in the wrong way, it might 'rear it's ugly head' but if I listen to her and consider her viewpoint and support her as a leader I truly believe she will be everything I dreamed of.

Thanks WWW for a wonderful ride and a massive confidence booster...slowly, slowly baby steps and big wins for everyone.

The only thing I regret today...no photos...oh well will get some next time. ;-)

XX

Lorrie

Nowra ATHRA Ride - Chris and Rhonda made the pics!

Well I never make the pics because always being last tends to get you out of frame, but two (possibly three) of my riding buddies made it....just! :-)

She leaves artwork nailed to the fence posts of Croome Road every three months and has a knack for choosing brilliant horses....On the far right is Chris and Premier Nev!

She masquerades as "Bush Pony" and true to form there she is hiding in the bush with old mate Nugget...Is that Rejie and George hiding behind them?

It was a great ride and there will be more photos to come as soon as I can be bothered to download them...which reminds me of how damn lazy I have become!! Crap in the old days we had to take that roll of film to the lab to wait days for it to be processed only to find they were all out of focus, legs and heads cut off and the lab developed them too dark and with yellow undertones.

Oh well better go order a movie off Box Office on Austar and get some take away delivered!

Cheers

Lorrie

xxx