Tag Archives for trailer

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

First, let’s get the the ugly stuff out of the way…trailer practice had been progressing in the right direction. Ike has been walking right on the trailer with absolutely NO hesitation. I could not have been prouder of him. Well, today we had a minor setback. He walked right up the ramp and proceeded to eat his oats. He lifted his head and spotted the neighbor’s children in the woods (boogie men in disguise). He high tailed it into reverse and lifted his head. When he does that, it is higher than the back door. You can see where this is going. Bam, he hit his poll on the trailer – you can see the dented metal. The boy has a hard noggin. He then went into mule-mode and would not get back on the trailer. Sigh. Time for another lesson in patience. Twenty minutes later, he reloaded and managed to back off with his head down. We got the ugly out of the way before we rode, so I was hoping for a good day.

Managed to fit in a second lesson this morning. The divine Ms. C brought in the tractor as a stand in for a dressage judge’s booth. We started developing a game plan for the first show. How will we warm up? What if Ike is as high as a kite? Will I scratch or try my test if he is having a meltdown? So many unknowns and although we can try to plan for every variable, I know good and well that there is always another boogie man waiting for us.

We then practiced our tests.  Since I did not compete last year, I never studied or memorized any tests at any level.  It is somewhat nice to ease back in with the Intro tests.  [Heads up, Here comes The Bad.]  Made it through Intro A.  Simple test – need to work on our long diagonal.  Hate that you have to walk down centerline to finish.  With Intro B, we made multiple 20 meter circles to the left in order to achieve better bend.  Overall, it was our best effort.  Then it came time for Intro C.  Made it through the first trot circle, the right lead canter (and we got it!), the change of rein, our left circle, then……………………………………….oh, yeah, my mind went…………………………….blank……………………………………..rider error.  Better to get it out now.

Finally let us end on The Good.  My trainer is the best!  Her knowledge of dressage is amazing.  She has a way of explaining things that make complex concepts simple to understand.  She helps me set realistic goals.  Mere words hardly seem enough to express how much I admire her horsemanship and friendship.  Ike and I could never do this without her support and guidance.

Einstein

 

Trailer Work, Part 2, 3, 4…

No riding today, just more trailer work and we definitely need it.  Perhaps I was lulled into a false sense of optimism.

This past Friday, Ike was a star at trailer loading.  Ike is now very proficient at backing off the trailer, so it was time to introduce the side ramp. The beauty of the side ramp is that the horse unloads head first so they can see where they are going.  He walked right up the rear ramp on Friday and even used the side ramp a couple of times without any hijinks.

Today, well, let’s just say that he had an “Ike tantrum.”  Nothing like other horses’ tantrums, who I shall not name to protect their identities, his tantrum tends to be more of the growing roots variety.  There is a definite “NO” in his demeanor.  Recalling my new mantra of, patience, patience, patience, I plopped myself down in the trailer with the pink bucket of oats and waited.  My trainer’s husband also got in the trailer and waited.  Ike pawed the ramp, put two feet on the ramp, backed up, turned sideways, try to graze, and pawed the ramp again.  “Mom, will you just give me the bucket.”  He then walked on and quickly backed off without any oats.  The stood and looked at me.  Too bad I can’t give him the camera to take a photo from his vantage point.  I can only imagine what I must look like sitting in the trailer while shaking the pink bucket.

Fortunately, this session ended after only 30 minutes.  The desire for oats was too great and he finally conceded.  With no further drama, he walked up the ramp, calmly ate his oats, and walked right down the side ramp.  Daily trailer practice will recommence tomorrow.

Eeek, it is April 1st, 28 days until the show…

You must get ON the trailer to get down centerline…

One would think that loading your horse that trailered to Virginia from Florida would be an easy task. How wrong that line of thinking was. Ike lulled me into a false sense of confidence when he hopped on the Keifer slant load and headed to a clinic last fall. We hitched it up again in February for another clinic. He showed some reluctance to load after the second clinic was over, but after 15 minutes gave up and hopped aboard. We noticed then that he was a bit cramped with the slanted stall, soooo we traded in the Kiefer for a lovely Twi-Lite straight load with extra long stalls to accomodate Baby Huey’s expanding dimensions. Clinic #3 was scheduled for early March, so the new trailer was hitched, the tack was loaded, and we just needed the horse. After 2 hours, my ever patient husband noted that we would not make it by our prescribed ride time and that I needed to decide what to do – give up or muster on. I knew we could not give up, so my saint of a trainer came out and we worked for three hours before there was success. Had to resort to the “If you want your dinner, you will eat it on the trailer method.” Yes, I know, bribery is not the ideal method. I like to think of it as positive reinforcement. It works wonders with the dogs, and it is working with Ike.  He will now walk right on the trailer when he sees me holding that pink bucket.  Practice makes perfect, so hopefully this chapter is closed and we can move on to the next challenge.

The cool new ride: