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Living Diaries - Cappy |
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Cappy - My new friend. Missoula Park Capella 16hh Warmblood/Clydie Cross Gelding. Born August 2005 He spent his first 4 years of life with his Breeder, Natascha at Missoula Park in the beautiful NE Victoria. Last November he went off to the 'breakers' for 6 weeks where his spent a few days in the high country and then home again for 3 weeks. Then after a 4 hour trip from his country home, through the hills for a good hour and a half, he arrived at his new home with me. Don't forget to checkout the Gallery page for photo's and video's. |
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Cappy (Missoula Park Cappella) |
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27/4/12 - wow, finally I have my PC back up and running and a little time to sit and do a bit of catch up. Cappy is now moving nicely forward off the seat or leg. We started on the seat signal to control the forward movement about 10 days ago and he has run with it so well. One signal, wait for a moment and then off he goes into trot from the walk. A little slower at the trot and I haven't carried this over to the Canter as yet. The four weeks prior to this we were working on raising his frame and this was evident by the feeling of riding the back legs more and the higher head carriage. He time to build a bit more muscle to do this consistently. I used a lot of 10-12m Canter circles and tested with an exit from the corner circle down the centre line and keeping balance. We are starting to bring in 5m half loops when he is feeling strong. I have also started with heaps of rein back for as long a distance as it takes to become steady, pick up the chest and stretch over whilst stepping clearly back - immediately at this point I walk or trot forward. |
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| Easter 2012 (April) - we loaded up and went to Eddi Cutting in the King Valley in Victoria, Australia for 6 days of family fun & camping. Cappy and Rastus traveled in my float with Eco and Indi in Victor's float. Eco is Cappy's half sister of the same age. Of course, she isn't as good looking and stands about 15.2hh. Victor may start her own page so keep an eye out for that one. All horses were great with the overhead tethers and drinking from buckets most of the time. The loaded up in the dark and traveled 4.5hrs there, unloaded and went straight to bed. We had many campers over the week come and feed carrots, hugs and pats of the horses. We did have one big storm hit which downed tents that scared us all. When the storm hit, Cappy was the only one galloping up and down on his overhead tether so after a couple of minutes I caught him and tied him solid under the bush trees along with Eco to keep him company so that was a bit more experience for him. | ||
| March 2012 - Cappy did his first dressage competition at Ayer Hill and was so good. He took out 3rd for the HRCAV 3C test on 64.29% and =8th for the 3D test on 55.71%. He ran out of petrol after the first test but he tried so hard that I could not faulter him. The grounds were very slippery and he had 2 nasty slips during the warm up with 3 slides during the tests so the very fact that he only tightened and kept trying is such a testament to his laid back personality. He unloaded so calmly and stood nibbling hay in his tie up yard whilst I went to the secretary's office to present for the competition. When I returned he already had a visitor who recognized him so I guess he is a little socialite now. We walked up and down the grounds 6 times before we started to warm up giving him plenty of time to take it all in and he didn't even lift his head to look at anything - just calmly walked around. He was a super tied little boy when we went home. | ||
| February 2012 - Cappy went to the CCSHA Gymkhana at Werribee. It was in the high 30 deg C for the whole weekend with low 20's for saturday night so this was a good way to start him I thought - too hot to think of scary things. Sunday saw him with licks from head to knees from all the huge Clydesdale horses in the yards around him. He was fine with the heavy carts and wagons and went over to the indoor to see what he could do. He won 3rd in the led and 4th in the ridden. He was so calm he was wanting to sleep in the arena in the heat! Well done Cappy. | ||
| 14/12/2011 - due for next lesson with Roger | ||
| 28/11/2011 - We had our first lesson with Roger for the this year. Cappy went OK, forward off the leg, responsive to hands seat and legs, nice frame and a tad lazy! We will now spend the next couple of weeks getting him clean off either rein. He is not accepting the right rein correctly.... well not at all really but is good at hiding it. Great off the left rein. He is moving in a nice low and round frame and starting to look more like a horse than a baby. He still licks me to death and is so smoochy. | ||
1/11/11 - Melbourne Cup Day brought a muggy raining day so off for a ride with a friend and her horse we went. Whilst not brave to start with, about half way through our 3hr ride Cappy decided he needed to be in front so we were like a freight train. Not listening to anything which was quite amusing as he stayed fully up in front and in a nice long frame. Ummm. Well a threatened kick not pass brought his brain back into focus and we continued on for quite a while still wanting to pass but game to. About 3km later (trotting) he finally came fully back into focus and rode with me again so we upped the anti to a canter which he coped very nicely with. Later during the ride I went back out in front again and he was reasonably happy to stay listening to me so we worked flexing left and right and staying very light. He is very good at self carriage and receives lots of scratches and pats on the neck on any side I choose whilst remaining in contact on the other side - tests self carriage nicely. He came back tied but feeling like he could do it all again. Rest for him tomorrow and then arena work on Thursday. We ride Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays most of the time now. We work on good upright bends, soft and in balance so hopefully soon he may actually be able to go straight. He still licks me to death as he is just so lovable. |
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17/9/11 - Rode Cappy around the block here for the first time and he kept his eyes on everything. Twice we backed up because he thought it was too scary to go forward and both times, once he moved forward he continued past his scary patch so I am very pleased. We did a lot of trotting and walking and too many half halts to count to keep his Rhythm good and not rushed. We did canter towards the end but it was definitely rushed so I didn't do that for long. I was pleased when we got back to the Equestrian Centre that he wasn't recognized - he does look impressive under saddle. Once we had finished, we put him in with Charlie so they could play. After playing chasy for a few rounds around the paddock I am sure they spent the rest of the day smooching each other as they do this over the gate every day. Before I rode this morning I trimmed his facial hair, ears and bridle path and brushed out quite a bit of his winter coat. I think in about 3 weeks he will be in his summer coat and looking like a horse again instead of a big hairy thing. I still can't believe just how long his winter coat is! Cappy has been back at the Equestrian Centre for 3 weeks now with me riding him for 20min 4 times a week for the first 2 weeks and I gave him last week off as he was feeling lethargic. No temperature so suspected too much for him. That is why I took him out yesterday to allow him to enjoy the world instead of going around and around an arena. |
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| 4/4/11 - Finally got out to see Cappy today and he came straight up to me: he even hung around the gate once I let him go. I needed to trim his feet and take the last of his shoes off but I couldn't find his headstall so I loosely put a rope around his neck and let him stand at the back of my car. He was such a gem as he stood so well for me. He still had trouble holding up his good hind leg (this means putting his weight on his injured leg) so all is not well there yet. I have been told that it could take as long as 12 months before I know if he will make a full recovery or not, even though the scans showed no scarring. Tendons are such an important part of the horse and should be protected as much as possible. I do miss my Cappy. | ||
| February 2011 - Cappy moved to a farm to run with other horses for the next 6-12 months to fully recover from his injury and to be a horse of leisure whilst I sort out my future as I have left the farm. | ||
| 16/12/10 - I walked Cappy in the arena for 25min today. There was no heat or swelling in his leg afterwards so am very happy. | ||
| 7/12/12 - Cappy won't play with his new ball or likit tongue twister no matter how much I encourage him. I think I will take over an apple and wipe on it for encouragement. The chook is in the stable with him every day now. Naughty chook spreads all his manure everywhere. | ||
| 3/12/12 - Cappy had his second ultrasound on his leg and it is healing extremely well. The swelling is down within normal range now. The skin around the cellulitis is still inflamed so he will have another course of antibiotics. | ||
11/11/10 - Cappy had his first ultrasound on his hind leg as he is a little lame. It showed bruising and also that the greasy heal has turned into cellulitis. Polo did chase him last weekend and he was kicking at him for about 30min whilst being chased around. It is entirely possible that he kicked through the fence and bruised his leg as we have wooden paling fences with electric wires along the top. |
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26/10/10 Poor Cappy was waiting patiently for me to un hook him from the fence this morning when I went out. I thought it was strange that he didn't come up so I went down to him and here he was, catch of the gate through the front fasteners of his rug so he stood and let me unhook him. I asked Victor if he greeted him this morning and he said "no, he just stood at the bottom gate". Well that means he was hooked up for at least and hour and a half. What a level headed little boy he is. I have been stabling him during the day and letting him out at night and he is coping quite well. I am doing this to keep the UV from the Sun off his white socks where the last of the greasy heal is clearing up. He has moved into weight lifting mode now in his training and I must say that his developing canter and sitting trots are quite nice. Very powerful and comfortable for the length of time that he can hold them. |
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| 14/10/10 Cappy's leg is no longer swollen and 2 of the greasy heal patches have all but healed. The other 4 patches are well on their way to healing. He has responded well to increasing his feed by 50% and is totally submissive... well he still has a little bit of defiance but he wants to work for me now. We went out along the road at a very good forward and well balanced trot today for at least half of our 30 minute ride. Sharpie ran beside us so it was quite nice. We trotted past some men trimming trees beside the power line and he coped very well. When we go the end of the divided road and turned to come home he dropped the shoulder so I continued around the circle to start the turn again and he balanced up nicely so I was quite proud of him. Tonight he went quite happily into his stable so I turned off the lights and left him to feed on his hay and sleep. | ||
| 13/10/10 I stabled Cappy tonight and he was not happy about that. I had to stay for a while as he was seriously lining up the gate and I didn't want him to injure himself. I had been a few months since he was stabled and then he was beside Minnie. Tonight he only has the dog. Eventually he surrendered all hope of escaping and stood ever so tall watching out into the darkness for anything that may be the monster. I left the centre light in the breeze way on for him. | ||
| 12/10/10 Rode around the small block and over the creek today. Once again he carried on at the muddy lane down to the creek. It took us about 15min to go forward today so I have to happy as that was much better than last time. This time I stayed mounted and he did move forward off my leg, all be it very begrudgingly. | ||
| 11/10/10 Betadine is creating a lot of heat at the mud fever sites but less pain as previous treatment as Cappy is becoming more tolerant with handling of his swollen hind leg. The leg is slightly less swollen tonight than this morning. Cappy is behaving very fresh tonight. | ||
| 10/10/10 Cappy's leg is still swollen but no lameness. Rode for 30min and some really nice work. Getting much cleaner in the bridle and pushing his stride out a little more. Swelling came down with the work. Will try betadine on the mud fever in case the drench paste is causing the reaction in his hind leg. Chris washed him and together we removed all the mud fever scabs again so that I could put the betadine on. He was quite sore but survived the ordeal. | ||
| 9/10/10 Cappy has a very swollen near hind fetlock and cannon. I can't find a wound to see where it is coming from other than the mud fever. | ||
| 8/9/10 - great lesson with Roger East today. Working on even hands now and my position staying strong. I am to work on pushing Cappy up to my seat now and me not adjusting back to his slackened stride. | ||
| 6/10/10 - Cappy is due to have his front near shoe tacked back on. He was a bit naughty but most likely due to the mud fever causing him to resist his feet being handled by some-one else. | ||
| 5/10/10 - Wormed Cappy tonight with Equimax. He knew what it was and was not very receptive so I quietly persisted until he remained still and calm and let me put the tube in and out of his mouth. Once I released the paste into his mouth he curled his upper lip up for about the next 10min straight I think. I waited about 30 minutes and then gave him a new horse treat and let him go in the paddock. | ||
| 4/10/10 - only rode for 20min as Cappy had absolutely no energy at all. He tried hard but there was nothing there to give. He is due for a worming so I will do that tomorrow. I have slowly upped his feed but he seems to be getting more tied so I will give him a few days off. | ||
| 3/10/10 - I used Cappy in a mounted lesson this morning and I was so proud of him because he stood still with his head hung low whilst I instructed for 30min. Then we all rode a small trail ride for another 30min. | ||
| 2/10/10 - Rode for 30min in the arena today doing some nice flat work. Cappy is still so very lethargic so I am getting concerned. I have been increasing his feed slowly and he looks healthy but simply has very little energy. He is becoming much more evenly balanced and I can stand him up vertically reasonably easy now. He does have a very lazy back end so that is a little disappointing. | ||
| 29/9/10 - Peter Horobin due today to refit Cappy's saddle. It has been 5 months with this new saddle and he has changed shape quite a bit. Stuffing was added to full length of both sides with only a the very back remaining untouched. Along with the saddle padding settling in, Cappy had changed quite a bit as he is now developing some muscle and is looking fitter. | ||
| 28/9/10 - rode down the road today and Cappy was so balanced it was amazing. He was very flighty on the ground but once I mounted he lowered his head and went straight to work for me. I find I have to really push him along now as he is gets tired very quickly. I am pleased that his body is muscling up very noticeably now. | ||
| 26/9/10 - We walked around the small block today with Victor and Indi and Rastus. Victor lead Rastus and Cappy and I focused on vertical straightness with bending left and right at the walk. It was relaxing and I think we all enjoyed it. Chris came over and washed Cappy so he is looking quite smart again. | ||
| 25/9/10 - Victor rode Indie with us over to the club grounds today. It was a leisurely walk there and back and whilst we were there, Cappy and I did some circle trot work in the large arena so that he had no walls to enhance his cornering. He lasted about 10min and was out of petrol. We did get our canter right depart with a flying change in the take off so I was pleased. | ||
| 22/9/10 - we rode over to the lilyput lane arena and rode for a few minutes. We worked on our trot serpentines. He still has no energy even though I have increased the oil content and have added rice pollard to his diet. | ||
| 21/9/10 - Gave Cappy the day off today. He needs the break to recuperate I think. | ||
| 20/9/10 - Rode 30min in the arena at home. Very flat as no energy. Good work. Started some small rein backs, only a step at a time and he responded very well. Lined up against the wall and tested moving the hind quarters and then the shoulders and he did both in both directions very well so was pleased with that also. Trot work over the poles ok but the little fellow simply puts the effort in over the poles and then immediately lessons the effort after them during the circle and when he gets back to the poles he ups the effort to get over them nicely and so the cycle continues. I don't argue at this stage as he seems to have very little petrol in the tank. | ||
| 19/9/10 - PURC Rally Lesson with Nina Clarke. Cappy did very well with his corners. We had the ability to control the running out through the shoulders and do proper corners. Changing directions was very good. Canter lead to the right was an issue as I am finding it hard to stop his quarters swinging out to the left and taking the wrong lead. Even when he does strike off correctly he wants to fall back to the trot and straight down on the right shoulder so I have to be very mindful to keep it up straight. Our serpentines were not as good as they have been as to keep the balance and stay forward we had to do 15m size instead of 10m like we can do at home; home we are in a 60x20m arena so the boundaries would be assisting. We finished on a fantastic unbelievable note. I asked for a downward transition from the trot and he went straight to halt in a very balanced manner: stretching over the top with no weight in the reins and no sucking back, it was simply brilliant and far beyond his training level. I think he was just so tied he was taking the opportunity to stop instead of walk. Just love him. | ||
| 18/9/10 - What a laugh! I put a round bale of hay in Cappy's paddock for him and whilst I was with him he was happy to eat it but once I left the paddock he pranced, galloped, bucked, kicked and did everything to tell me there was something out of place in his paddock and he just wasn't happy. Every time I walked up to the bale he would eat and then when I walked away he would gallop around and snort again, so I left him for a couple of hours and then went back out to see what was happening. He would go up and have a few bites then run around again, go back and have some more to eat, then run round again. He wanted the food but not the bale in his paddock. What a laugh! After about 6 hours I brought Cappy in, washed his white socks, plaited his mane and gave him a good massage. Massage came first. Plaiting was hard as he fidgets constantly. Oh well, practice makes perfect, so I will try to plate him every couple of weeks to educate him on this one. Off to Club day tomorrow. | ||
| 17/9/10 - Had my lesson with Roger East today. Refer to the audio notes through the members section. | ||
| 15/9/10 - We cantered most of a good 5km today and when we stopped Cappy's back end started to tie up which is very unusual as he often goes double that as he is quite fit. I spent the next 5km walking him home so that the toxins could filter out of his muscles via his blood and process through his system. This was very upsetting for me. Note. After discussing with Roger we felt that it must have been because I implemented his muscle supplement too quickly on Sunday. It is so important to introduce any changes in diet slowly. | ||
| 14/9/10 - Cappy worked so well in the arena today. We are able to fluently move from vertical alignment left to right to left through the shoulders on a straight line. We can counter bend easily on the corners and circles. He is side stepping much more balanced and is starting to move more forward through the side steps so am very pleased with that also. | ||
| 13/9/10 - Cappy coped very well today with all the new ground poles I have placed all over the arena. I just kept taking him from one to the other until he started to focus on my commands and not just doing patterns for the sake of them. He still struggles with concentration and will do so for the next 6-8 months I expect. | ||
| 12/9/10 - Finally felt well enough to get on Cappy today as I have been so ill. We had a hard time refreshing what we had started with Roger over a week ago but after about 30min I could lean the shoulders both left and right going in either direction. Once I was sure I could do this on command (about another 10min) I got off and called it quits. I then went down to the arena and layed out a lot of ground poles in different patterns for tomorrow. I will put these patterns on the new Technical Page that I will put up on the site soon. | ||
| 5/9/10 - worked on moving the shoulders in the arena today. Took most a while before he would move his shoulders to the left on the left circle as this is his hardest so as soon as he did it at the trot we finished up for session. Took about 30 min from start to finish so I was ok with a short training session as he has a cold as well. The rain that had stayed away for the last few hours came as soon as we in the arena so we got quite wet. | ||
| 3/9/10 - Great lesson with Roger today. The arena we used was very large so we Cappy had to turn on his own without the support of the walls and it was noticeable to me that he could turn so much better and in far more balance. The footing was very solid compared to the wet arena at home and this may be the reason he worked so well over the top today. He was very solid and staying over the top and soft to my hands: continually I gave the reins and he stayed in self carriage. Today we started working on moving the shoulders to the left and right on either rein with neck bend to either side. This was so we can control the vertical alignment of the shoulders. We need this because Cappy will happily lean his shoulders to the right but not to the left and this results in a right shoulder bulge and falling out through the circles/corners. I need to control and move the shoulders more independently from his head and neck before I can start any lateral movements. No point driving the back end up into an incorrect front end! All the building blocks must be securely in place before we progress any step. On a side note, Cappy has a cold so he is not his usual sparky self today and ran out of energy very quickly. | ||
| 2/9/10 - I worked Cappy at a walk for 20min in the arena to ensure I had his full concentration, then gave him breakfast just in time for the farrier to arrive and put on his new shoes. Apparently he was much better today with his behavior, balance and strength for each leg. He struggles with concentrating for so long. His hooves are changing shape to grow into the work and feed he is receiving so I am very pleased. | ||
| 1/9/10 - Rode around the block this morning. We are still very nervous when we go past the area of the dog attack. Cappy worked so well that by the time we came down our steep drive home, he was dragging his back feet for every single step so I felt a bit guilty as how hard I had asked him to push over the top for so long. He tries his heart out for me this lovely fellow. | ||
| 29/8/10 - Lunged Cappy in the arena today and he did quite well which was a surprise as I haven't lunged him for a while. | ||
| 28/8/10 - We did a quiet walk around the lane, lake and aqua duct today. We led Rastus and Victor lead Indi with Corie riding him. When we got down through the bottom gate of the paddock, Cappy went to take off when the gate swung against the trees behind us. He has remained scared of things around us ever since the dog attach. He only got a few yards and then stopped but almost bucked as the lead rope to Rastus wrapped around his behind so it was a bit tense until he stood, let Rastus catch up and see that nothing was after us. The rest of the ride went well. I did note that he led Minnie without any issued but leading little Rastus he is quite different. | ||
| 25/8/10 - 30min walking in the arena today with working on getting the Atlas and Axis vertebrae to also bend to right with the rest of the neck. He did very well and working fairly consistently by the time we had finished so I didn't push him into a trot and risk raising the difficulty at this stage. | ||
| 22/8/10 - Rode at Gembrooke. Victor rode Indi, Karen rode Tino and I rode Cappy around the tracks for an hour and a half. We walked all the way as a thank you to Cappy for being so good in his training and trying so hard for me. I wanted to give him a work out with no pressure and lots of pleasure so this was it. It was a great ride. | ||
| 20/8/10 - lesson with Roger East. Cappy is working clean bends to the left but not to the right. He bends most of his body to the right but not the last couple of vertebrae at the top of the neck. To get these to bend I would loose his hind so we had to... Refer to the audio notes through the members section. | ||
| 17/8/10 - 25min into our arena work today, Cappy got the idea of pushing up and over from behind and we got some amazing trot work. He could only do about 3 x 20m circles and then was totally out of puff. Instead of trotting up and down, we floated with some up and down. I must admit that he was pushing so over the top and down that if he had of changed his mind and bucked (which he has never done) then I would have been history as he was on such a long rein to allow the freedom for his stretch. It was like looking at an Arab that was built too heavy and large. We didn't get very good canter work and we struggled with lengthening at the trot until the very end. Walks were great with some good long rein at the end as well. | ||
| 15/8/10 - We rode in the Arena today and he was quite tetchy. Understandably as the neighbors dogs came to the fence whilst we were in the tie up getting ready and he broke off and waited outside the stable complex in a very terrified state for me to control the situation; that damn dog attach the other week is still having an affect. Anyway, getting back to the workout. We weren't turning very well so I started the pattern where I come down the centre line doing 10m circles left and right. Really funny at the start as he simply couldn't change bend until he would hit the fence on the other side of the arena. After 10min of this he was working quite well at it - surprised even me how much he improved once he understood the pattern. Got tetchy a few times. His moving off the leg sideways is coming along really nicely. I started to ask for some lengthening out of the corners, across the diagonal and he understands that something is being asked but isn't sure what it is yet. He is going along quite well. | ||
| 14/8/10 - Very windy today so all animals were on edge today. We rode up the rode and back. Cantered most of the way there, turned and came home. Took 30min. Cantering was good but at the trot he didn't really want to stretch out and over. He would every time I asked for a step or two then shorten so that was a bit tiresome. We took sharpie on the lead beside us again. After the dog attach, Cappy was watching her and she was healing way out to the side as much as the lead rope would allow her. They both coped well so in time we will get back to normal. Very sad when I think about how much this dog attach has affected us: most unfair. | ||
| 11/8/10 - A very interesting ride in the arena today. As we were both watching everywhere just in case of a danger (residual from the dog attack I think), every time something made a movement or sound, including my dog wandering around the paddock beside the arena, Cappy would take off. It made for a very lively ride. Eventually I gave in tied my dog up with helped after about 5min. I concentrated on staying forward today as we had lost some of this when we were learning to come off the leg and Cappy wasn't too happy about this as it meant harder work for him. A few times he would warn me by shaking his head and then once when I insisted on forward movement he took off along the long side of the arena, dropped his head and had a little skip in the air; not a buck but thinking about it I think. Any-way, after that he just floated around for the next couple of minutes and WOW, I liked that. He is only just starting to show muscle build up on his legs and rump so I can't wait to see what he will have in a year or two. Well... maybe I can as he still needs to work on submission first. I don't want to stamp out his wonderful ego so I have to take things along very calmly. He loves his rides along the roads and these help to keep him forward. Back to today's work, I have been doing a half 10m circle and leg yielding back onto the long side so today after we had done these a couple of times I did a half 10m circle and then leg yielded away from our side to the long side on the other side of the arena. He did them very well for an unbalance fellow so I called it quits on that for that exercise. We did a long time on the 20m canter circles as he was determined that he didn't need to turn back into the wall and I was determined I would have a good circle with no hanging on the reins and good push through from behind with a long top line. Um mm. lot of work but eventually he stopped ignoring me and did his work so I was pleased with the long awaited outcome of that one. All in all, a good training session but I came away thinking we should be a little better in tuned. | ||
| 9/8/10 - Rode around the block today and wow, was he full of himself! Very nice to ride but a bit scary as he was jumping at everything that moved. We went past the area of the dog attach and both of us had eyes glued even though we were doing a slow gallop. All was good and we made it home safe and sound. Have a pressure spot under the saddle today so I will need to watch this and if I get more I will need the saddle re-adjusted to his growing shape. | ||
| 8/8/10 - We led Rastus today whilst Victor lead Indi with Corey on top, around the Lilyput Lane dam and it was such a nice ride. Cappy did very well considering at the start Rastus bit him on the rump. He nearly wore a kick from that bite. Seeing a 3 year old child's face on a ride like that makes life worth while. He did so well for such a little tacka and he was in the saddle for nearly an hour. | ||
| 6/8/10 - Had a lesson with Roger today at the Indoor. Refer to the audio notes through the members section. | ||
| 3/8/10 - Cappy was brilliant tonight at the indoor arena. He moved off my leg either side so much more responsively than last night. His bending to the right through the neck was about a 2 vertebrae bend so I am super happy with that one. He worked so hard and tried everything I asked of him. I even started to do quarter turns on the haunches... well the start of them. I could bring his shoulders around very well for the first time. He is just as trainable as Minnie but with more paces. I just wish I could jump a head a couple of years into his training, but then again, then I wouldn't have all the bonding that I am doing now... so I think what I have and am doing is best. We should be heading over to the indoor tomorrow night and then Thursday off as we have a riding lesson with Roger on Friday before work. | ||
| 2/8/10 - Took Cappy over to the indoor last night and he moved very well off my legs both left and right. Takes him longer to bend his neck to the right and copes with a big bend but not with a small bend. It is a bit funny at the moment as once he starts to move his hind legs off my leg then he goes for about another 4-5 steps before he can re balance - bit like a drunk person trying to walk straight but taking those few steps to stop the sideways falling. We had a horse running around beside the open side of the arena and a bull some-where in the dark calling out so it put him on edge a bit. We did have a few attempts to run off but as we were in an arena he didn't go far and by the time we finished he was very obedient (but still on edge). I must admit that the dog attach last week has left me considerably less confident for the moment and it is taking great effort to push myself past the fear. No good training a young horse if I can't. I have come down overnight with a rotten cold so I am not sure if I can train Cappy at the indoor tonight. | ||
| 29/7/10 - Cappy went well in the arena tonight even though the lighting was missing a few parts of the arena. I rode with my night riding light on my helmet so that at least we could see in the really dark parts. He is bending his neck quite well to the right so I am pleased about that. I felt quite nervous to go beyond a walk and I have put this down to the residual effects of the dog attach and the insecurity I felt. Any-way, I eventually did push through the fear and we did trot and canter before we finished and he was great. Animals are so resilient: they impress me. | ||
| 27/9/10 - Out along the tracks today we were attached by a Rottweiler It fully attached and I had to keep hitting it with my whip to get it to release each time it held it's bite on Cappy's legs. Rear legs, front legs, his nose and he bit my foot multiple times as well. I tried keeping Cappy as still as I could but this didn't help either. Eventually we took off down the road with this damn dog still attacking until I came across a man outside a shed. With assistance, eventually the dog left us and went back the way it had come. We went home a different way. The event was very traumatic and I can only hope that Cappy copes in the future with unfamiliar dogs that may come across our path. | ||
| 25/7/10 - rode in the arena at home today as the water has finally dried up enough to use it. We mostly walked and concentrated on bending of the neck to get Cappy soft to both sides and amazingly he was quite good to the right today so Friday's work really sank into his mind. We worked around the poles first so that he concentrated on moving around them himself rather than on me telling him. Once he was soft and supple at that we moved away from the poles and into some serpentine work, then added in some trotting and heaps of walk/trot/walk/trot transitions. Then he did some really good attempts at leg yielding back to the wall for me on both reins. Next time I ride around the block I will do some leg yields whilst staying well forward and see how we go with that. I am very surprised at just how much he learns and I am coming to understand that he is a slow and very thorough learner so it appears that he struggles on the first time but when you come back to it he has it very solid in his mind. | ||
| 23/7/10 - We had our lesson with Roger today and started to teach leg yield. Of course we are only at the start to to move the hind quarters over by a signal from the legs for one step at a time is great for now. Cappy has no bend to the right as he just won't stretch the left side so I will start doing stretches on the ground as well to assist these muscles, ligaments and tendons. | ||
| 19/7/10 - I was not happy as I was in a downer mood so Cappy took me out on a lovely hour ride at a walk around the tracks. It was freezing and I could hardly move my fingers when we got back but he just walked along, in fact so well that for the last 20 minutes I turned off my headlamp and we just walked along in the moonlight. Yes I did have 2 flashing red lights on either boot and a reflector vest just in case a car came along. He was brilliant. That is stuff bonds are made of so even though I was flat he 'came to the party' and cheered me up some. | ||
| 18/7/10 - Cappy did very well at our clubs Rally Day. He didn't have his turning on cue and was falling in towards the other young horses when he could, but when I did concentrate he cornered very well. It was suggested to us that we down transition just in front of the corner and up transition after it to get his focus back on the job and this worked very well. Our half halts are so sensitive that we tend to over due it a bit so more fine tuning on my behalf needed here. Canter transitions are coming along better than could be hoped for at this stage and as soon as he transitions up he powers on enabling him to flex at the poll and lower which in turn, stretches his whole top line - and very noticeably from length of neck over the top. Over all a good ride. | ||
15/7/10 - Cappy,,,, Cappy,,,, Cappy,,,,! What a silly boy today!!! It took us an hour to walk (if you could call it that) past a little Lamb drinking from his mother on the fence line. An hour! I am typing this the following morning and my body is aching so his must be too. We go around this track on our night rides and have also done it with other horses on our day rides, but this day we were on our own and the farmer had put sheet in the paddock we ride past on the way to the creek crossing. Eventually we passed, step by shaking step. I kid you not, his whole body was shaking he was so terrified. We did eventually get that if we go backwards we incur the whip and the spurs, if we ignore the leg and stand stationary then we incur the spurs, if we go sideways we only incur the rein as a steering aid and if we walk forward (no matter how wobbly) we are left completely alone. I must admit, I finished the ride very upset with myself for selling Minnie and starting again. Today I am a little more relaxed and acknowledge that he has he paces and should go to Grand Prix so... persist I must. Minnie left yesterday for her new home so Cappy has been super friendly and even came up to the gate in a rather hurried fashion... bet he was sorry for that later. I guess we can really go ahead now and create a good bond - if it will be half as strong as Minnie's and mine then it will be well worth it. |
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| 23/6/10 - We had a lesson with Roger East and Cappy was BRILLIANT! We worked on flexion at the poll with an indirect rein whilst remaining forward. Cappy has almost no muscle to carry himself like this so he wore out quickly. We will continue to train around the roads on this. He also remained very true to going forward off my leg and retarding forward off my leg as well - in other words, he did his transitions (including half halts) all off the leg, seat and back. | ||
| 20/6/10 - We had a lesson with Anne Leviston at the PURC Rally day in the worst of conditions. We worked heavily on transitions from the leg and not rushing forward by doing heaps of half halts. We got some nice rhythmical work and some great halts. Refer to the Gallery Page for this video | ||
| Have been riding in this gap but didn't do notes, except for the audio notes on lessons with Roger which are only available to members. | ||
| 18/5/10 - Cappy went much better tonight under lights with the donkeys next door. I think it was because Minnie was at the end of the arena in the dark and he takes his lead from her relaxed nature. Our balance was much better but less forward and he was really trying to listen to me and I was really trying to stay off his head. I was pleased with him. He is due for a massage tomorrow so I am hoping this will help him as he some bit knots in his muscles and has a slight swelling on one side of the wither under the saddle. I suspect I may have done that riding on Sunday with a torn back muscle as I was very uneven but didn't realise just how bad I was until later that night. | ||
| 16/5/10 - Cappy had a lesson at the club today and was quite tight and resistant. Our Instructor didn't understand how green Cappy was and asked for way to much so he was over faced with quite a bit of it. We did have a nice relaxing ride home and I won't be having any more lessons with that Instructor. | ||
| 12/5/10 - Cappy had is first lesson with Roger today and it was very timely for us. We have quite a bit to work on now. Members can listen to the Audio on notes via their email link. | ||
| 9/5/10 - Floated Cappy by himself to the Cardinia Riding Club Rally today. He stood patiently at the float before tacking up, rode calmly and submissive and forward for 30 min and then stood tied to the float eating hay for the next hour whilst I rode a fellow members horse. He loaded back up (with a calm but determined back out of the float then straight back in) and came home. I am so proud of him and super pleased. He was so much better than I had expected. | ||
| 3/5/10 - Cappy went down the road quite well except he was looking at everything and then when the sun rose the shadows turned into Monsters. The good thing is that he is now starting to trust me and is continuing to move forward: slow, but forward. He ignores Sharpie on the lead on our left side now and every so often Sharpie will try to run around the front and Cappy doesn't break stride at all so Sharpie will hopefully learn that not every horse will work around her and I am pleased that Cappy keeps his mind on his work. His new saddle is superbly soft and comfortable. I am looking forward to riding him in the arena tonight if the weather holds out until then. | ||
| 30/4/10 - Rode in the Arena today and Cappy is definitely not forward in there. In fact, hard work was what I am sure he was trying to tell me. We need a lot of work in there. | ||
| 29/4/10 - Cappy rode very well today with some really nice trot work and noticeably going fwd off my leg. | ||
| 28/4/10 Cappy walked out very well this morning with not much stiffness at all. He did get tied after 30min though. Very well behaved. | ||
| 26/4/10 - Rode Cappy 5 hours in total. We rode around the roads and one track from our place to the Pub for lunch and then rode home again. The track was very wet and slippery and Cappy wanted to big steps which meant he would slide more so I kept asking for shorter steps and he responded every time and went down this very steep track better than I thought he would be able to. We mostly walked with some trotting on the way there and he didn't rush, lag behind or do anything that I would expect a youngster to do. On the way home we walked the complete 2.5hrs and he was brilliant. He did arrive home very tied and the last 30min his back legs were getting a little wobbly due to so much work. I am so proud and am now even more excited because I can see that he is going to turn into another Minnie who I will be able to take any-where and not have any stress or problems. I for the 2nd time in my new Peter Horobin HK dressage saddle and I think I can say it is now 'broken in'! It was super comfortable and I can honestly say that I would recommend this saddle to any-one as it has a great comfortable seat that you mould into. I didn't get any of the usual pressure spots and Cappy stayed loose, forward and free through the shoulders and back the whole way. There were eight of us on the ride and I believe we all had a great time. | ||
| 24/4/10 - I have been riding Cappy every second morning before work for about 40min road work. The last 3 times I have done some cantering. He is so young and doesn't have the muscles or balance of a more mature horse so his cantering is very awkward. I will say that he covers a lot of ground similar to his trot. Chris picked up his new PETER HOROBIN HK DRESSAGE SADDLE last night so we have a 30min walk in it around the tracks today. It is so lovely and is breaking in very quickly. Cappy is already responding to a deeper leg. I have been using a SJ saddle up until now. If the weather permits we will be going on quite a long ride in 2 days time so hears to hoping. | ||
| 26/3/10 - Cappy was a very cranky young fellow this morning when I took him out of the stables so tonight I decided he could have a hoon around the large block and burn some of that extra energy off. Turns out he didn't need to do that at all, he rode out so wonderfully forward and not very 'looky' and so after some trotting and tiny bit of cantering we did about half the block in walk. It felt as though we had been riding together for years. | ||
| 16/3/10 - Cappy had tonight off from work but I did purchase a new Hanoverian noseband for him so after I finished riding Minnie I sat and oiled it ready for tomorrow night. | ||
| 15/3/10 - Rode Cappy in the arena tonight and he was pretty good. Still have some head tossing & tilting issues but his balance around the corners and his canters are very much improved. He can now canter half way around a 20m circle before loosing his balance so I am pretty pleased. He remains self motoring and willing to work so we went for about 50min with about half of it interspersed with walking. | ||
| 13/3/10 - Cappy is getting tied now as he has been going around the large block almost every night. We floated out to the bush and went on a lovely ride around the tracks. Victor rode Indi with us. | ||
| 10/3/10 - I rode Cappy around the block today with Karen riding Minnie. Cappy did start out not wanting to go along the track beside our house but once we got past that he sailed along wonderfully. He has gone down another hole in the girth so I started upping his feed tonight as I am going to ride every second day at the least. His cantering is coming along but no-where near strong enough to canter slow or very balanced - that will come quickly with riding around the block. It seams it is a good think having the arena under water. | ||
9/3/10 - Wow, Yippee!!!! Cappy and I went around the big block by ourselves tonight. It's about 10km and we did it really easy in the hour although his legs were just starting to get wobbly in the last 500m from home even though his heart was full steam ahead. He started out really well which was a surprise to me after yesterday but it didn't last long and then he stopped and started backing up as it his little thing now days. So I turned him and he happily backed over the edge of the track into the bush.... um... will remember that he will do this under duress in the future. Anyway, not wanting to fight I sat and thought about it for a few minutes, smiled, hopped off and led him out and 3/4 down the track and remounted. He trotted off at an amazing pace and with a tonne of cadence so I was a little nervous but it didn't last long as a fallen tree looked quite scary. Umm, onward bound again after prancing past the tree and he settled into a very forward trot and very soft and free. He crossed the main road like an old pro' and headed off around the block like a free spirit - it is so nice to ride a horse that is so free again as I do miss Loui. He did sing out to all the horses we passed and asked me a few times if he could stop but the answer was no and he obliged by very collected trots past the horses and then stretching out again. We had some good canters and a few strides pushing up and over which was nice in the canter. I did have to get off one other time as there was a pesky little yapping dog at a fence and he wouldn't go past so not wanting him to learn to stop I jumped off quite quickly and led him 3/4 past, mounted and continued on. I think I have learnt that his mechanism to cope is to stop and back and if I lead him past whatever it is he is fine. Oh yeah, all the things he looked at yesterday were nothing today - he learns fast. I am fairly confident that I am blessed with another wonder horse. Note: Cappy is due to have his new saddle fitting in 2 weeks time. |
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| 8/3/10 - What a day. Cappy was a man eater at the start of today. Overnight he has dug a trench along the fence line for about 15m long and a good 30cm deep. He is certainly a believer of the boogie man today. I had to saddle him up with Minnie in the stables with him to keep him calm and when I went to ride off on him (leading Minnie) he simply decided that he wasn't going any-where. I dropped my glasses so had to get off and then I led him out through the yards and down the paddock. Paula and Bianca rode halfway up the lane way to greet us to help calm Cappy down. We got through the back gate and simply couldn't cope with the thought of the Donkeys next door that he backed up and kicked at Bianca's Mare. It was a harrowing 1km start to our ride with a few iffy moments but then once he got to stretch out along the roads he settled in quite well. He did finish like the quiet Cappy that I know. Very interesting to see this side of him. Makes me worried if the 31/3/10 Equestrian Victoria day is going to be a little too much for his young mind. I have chosen it as it should be the best day out with the qualified instructors guiding us but Cappy still has to want to be there too. | ||
| 7/3/10 - Chris and I spent all afternoon washing and scrubbing both Minnie and Cappy and I did plait Cappy's forelock and he is so very handsome. When I get a spare moment I will some photos up in the Gallery. He was so relaxed and such an Angel all day today. The arena is soaked after all our rain the past couple of days so can't ride at home. May take them around the block tomorrow. | ||
| 4/3/10 - Cappy and I were assessed Level 3 HRCAV today but we won't be ready to compete for some time yet. We are still getting to know each other and he is so young of mind and body. Karen was assessed on Minnie and Bec on her horse as well. Cappy kept wanting to go to Minnie so he didn't show case himself; even so, our assessor was very pleased with his movement and commented that once he has muscle he will be superb. | ||
| 2/3/10 - Well I HAVE A HORSE now. From the word go he pushed up and over, taking the bit forward to a long frame and powered on from this super charged engine underneath. Canter is still not there but the walking and trotting is to die for. We actually finished before dark tonight so we didn't have to turn on the arena lights. | ||
| 1/3/10 - 2.5 hours of the same as yesterday. Umm, think I had better go back water skiing as it is easier and less tiring. | ||
| 28/2/10 - Cappy has decided he shouldn't be ridden and should just walk around the paddock and be spoilt. Every time I touch his sides he kicks out so I went up and got the lunge gear and would mount and ask for forward, he would kick, I would dismount and lunge him for 10 min or so, I would mount again and ask for forward and he would kick again, I would lunge him again. This went on for 3 hours until he decided that it was easier to go forward when asked to. | ||
| 27/2/10 - Got home from our holidays after driving all night so slept most of the afternoon. I lunged Minnie and Cappy and then went back to bed. | ||
| 13/2/10 - Cappy must of thrown his feed bucket into the gate last night and caused the gate to swing closed as this morning I got up to find him standing quietly in the day yard. Well, I opened the gate and let him out but I have to say, trying to drink a cup of tea whilst slowly waking up is a little hard when you are being loved by a creature soooooo very tall who just wants to lick, kiss and love you!!! | ||
| 9/2/10 - Rode Minnie and led Cappy along the roads and through some of the bush last night. Victor rode Indie and followed along. Cappy was back to his pleasant self which was very nice. Through the bush we did some ducking and weaving as he was looking everywhere he hit his head on a low branch that I ducked out of the way from - after that he watched very carefully where he went. He has much to learn about where his feet are and the size of his body but that will some slowly. For the last stretch home I pushed Minnie out for a good canter and Cappy kept trotting: Victor was dumbfounded at just how powerful and controlled his back legs pushed him forward (like he wasn't even trying) and his front were stretching until he decide to slot in behind Minnie and then he lifted the fronts straight up so as not to hit her back feet. All the while I was leading him and he never changed pace or rhythm that I could notice. Back in the tie up he is still being impatient so I put the knee hobbles on. I watched as he decided he didn't want them and didn't stop until he actually got them off. Umm if he paws the ground again tonight I will put them on tighter and if he doesn't stand still I will consider side hobbles as well! He is so calm and watches me as he paws and chews the ropes - babies, I love them. | ||
| 8/2/10 - Cappy was super scared yesterday from the Donkeys. He started in the morning and when I got home from work he was still beside himself so I did feel sorry for him. Leading him up past the wood heap was a bit of a task as that is where he was when he first saw the Donkey's next door. He didn't want to tie up, or do anything that took him away from his comfort zone of walking beside Minnie. I lunged him for 15min - it took about 10min for him to settle to a nice relaxed walk, then rode him around the arena at a walk for 20min just to be happy together. He was much more comfortable every time we rode next to Victor who was fixing the fence that the trucks knocked over. Funny thing was he had a mechanical post hole digger he was using amongst his equipment and Cappy was fine with this; just not the Donkeys (who we could no longer see). I have now separated Minnie and Cappy again. Minnie is back in her old paddock (where Cappy has been) and Cappy is roaming the back end of the property. | ||
| 7/1/10 - Cappy was very disagreeable today. He didn't want to leave Minnie at all - they are now paddocked together. He didn't want to lunge as kept going into the corner and wanting to stop so it took a little discussion and a couple of kicks from Cappy THEN my big growly voice and he decided he would continue. Once he went forward in a relaxed manner, about 20min, I rode him around the arena. Have to say that he felt magnificent with all the power focusing on going forward. Every day I let him walk freely around the arena for a while and no matter if it is at the beginning or end of our work he follows me around like a puppy dog. He takes such comfort in humans. He is a lovely soul. | ||
| 2/1/10 - Rode Cappy around the big block today and he was such a baby. Dogs, cars, trees, everything was scary. If Karen wasn't riding Minnie with us then we would have gotten into some trouble I think. On a good note, he does have some power in his back end. Even when he was tied, if Minnie powered on then so did he and gee wiz he can move. | ||
| 29/1/10 - Cappy got his new shoes on today and he was quite good for a young fellow. His concentration is a little lacking though. | ||
| 27/1/10 - Cappy had a rest from work. He didn't like being left in the cross ties whilst I gave a lesson to a student on Minnie so he was a little cranky before his dinner. All good training for him. Unfortunately he did get one leg strap undone on his rug and then managed to ge the whole rug off so I now have to get a small seam that separated repaired so he will have to deal with the flies and sun for the next couple of days. | ||
| 26/1/10 - Spent 20min working on softness with flexion at the poll at a standstill. This was just to give him the understanding of the aid for flexion of the poll whilst remaining very soft and nothing else. He did very well and it was a nice time sitting under the trees do this. | ||
| 25/1/10 - Spent 20min tonight just sitting on his back whilst he walked anywhere around the property. It was a little amusing to me when we walked up to the back boundary gate, dropped our head to eyeball the wire and just stood for a few minutes, then lifted our head and walked off again. He started to chew one of the reins (I wasn't concentrating) so I reached forward to pull it out and scared him, he swung a quarter turn stopped and looked at me then went back to eating. I can see that he is going to be a super relaxed dude. I did get a little annoyed at the mess he makes when eating so I tipped his feed onto the cement to eat and then he kept his head still and didn't make any more mess . . . go figure that one out??? He is so smoochy. | ||
| 24/1/10 - Lunged for 10min and then rode a couple of times around the arena and he was very relaxed. | ||
| 23/1/10 - I put his new summer combination rug on this morning and apart from walking very slowly he just accepted it as if he had been rugged all his life. I left him out in the paddock for a few hours with his new rug whilst I worked with Rastus and Minnie. Later this afternoon I lunged him for the first time with only one lunge line from me in the centre of the circle to him. He went for the first 7 minutes then stopped and looked at me as if to say "Done that, what next!", so I waited patiently and then he decided to continue again. He worked the other side and then we spent some more time in the stable just hanging out together. | ||
| 22/1/10 - Cappy was perfect today with handling his feet and tapping the wall lightly with a hammer to desensitize him for when he gets his new shoes on. I put hung a plastic bottle with a couple of stones in it from his stable roof for him to play with and he seems to be a bit blazae with it.... um mm... maybe he has better taste in toys than I can afford right now. | ||
| 21/1/10 - Ron came over today to take a template of for Cappy's shoes. Cappy wasn't too good at keeping his concentration and fidgeted quite a bit. He kept wanting to put his back feet down and do other things but Ron was very patient and all went very well. Tonight I used the electric clippers to trim Minnie first and then Cappy's main; I did have to use the scissors as well as the clippers to get the bridle path as he was getting a little annoyed and I didn't want to give him a bad experience. Then I drove him down in the arena for 10min, gave him his tea and popped him out in the paddock tonight. The past week he was been in the stables as the nights have been very cold. | ||
| 17/1/10 - Led Cappy up to the club grounds for his first ever club outing and he was such a star. We came through the gates into view of the SJ arena and up went his head for a good look and he didn't miss a beat in his huge walk. Then over the hill and into view came the super sized Dressage arena full of horses, the floats, cars, horses in yards, club rooms and people: He gave a winnie and kept his eyes peeled and still didn't miss a beat. Into the yards went Minnie, Cappy, Indi and Rastus and he stood superbly for the day, even when Indi and Minnie were taken out but Victor and I to do some X-Country. He is my super star and exceptionally mentally balanced to take such a day in his stride in the manner that he did. Leading home with the cars beside us it is evident that he hasn't learnt yet that cars can't kick him so he still thinks he should give them 2m space; he flinches and keeps walking so I don't think this will take long as he learns so quickly. | ||
| Rode Cappy and led Minnie around the 'little block' tonight and he was great. Little looky but much better then I would have expected. | ||
| Rode in the Arena today rather late so we had the flood lights on and he finished in the night very well. Only rode for about 10 min but had both he and Minnie down there together. He just seems to cope with everything. | ||
| 11or12th/1/10 - 38deg C today so I decided it was too hot to waste. I have picked up a new KK bit for him and so I saddled him up, led him off Minnie around the arena and then hopped on. He was very relaxed and we walked around a few times and I was happy with that so hopped off. | ||
| 10/1/10 - Cappy has started to eat better now but is still suffering with the heat during the day. He seems much more settled but still weary. | ||
| 9/1/10 - Cappy hasn't been drinking out of the water trough so I spent quite a bit of time sitting in his paddock eating, drinking a cup of drink, picking grass and just being there. Cappy really seamed to enjoy my company. He hadn't eaten his feed from yesterday either. Slowly I meandered around the paddock and bit by bit he followed me to the water trough. Eventually, after much playing he did have a big drink and that was that! | ||
| 8/1/10 - 4hour trip home. He didn't move a foot (I think) as he was so still and then when he backed gently off the float he had sea legs. He couldn't walk straight for about 30m. After a bit of a shock at our 2 dogs running around, he quickly settled in. Chris came over to share this momentous 1st day with Cappy so I felt so blessed and lucky. We watched, patted, took pictures and planned a great future ahead. Chris is No 1 person in Cappy's support team and Natalia is No 1 fan (beside Chris and I). | ||
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