OK, it's been awhile...so what have I been up to? Well, my riding schedule has been a bit compromised thanks to my truck developing major problems with the cooling and oil pressure system which means major $$$ to fix since it's a diesel...
But, in more pleasant news, I've been working a little bit with Thor, a 3-4 year old Fjord Pony that bleongs to the people who own the stable where I board Max. He's an interesting little guy and relatively green but he's mostly sweet and cooperative. He's had some training, mostly driving, and he understands the concept of yielding to pressure (sort of). :-)
So why the sudden interest? Well. I've always been interested in Fjord Ponies and well, he just looks so cool and "prehistoric". :-) And yes, he's got a sturdy frame, standing at about 14.3 hands and he's perfectly capable of carrying my large-size carcass with no problems. :-)
Another reason is that my wife had decided to get back into horseback riding, at least enough to get confidence to trail ride with me, so I've been having her ride Max- I know his moves and know that for the most part, he's a steady trail horse and will be good for my wife. Unfortunately, unlike in the past, there's a shortage of suitable horses for me to ride so I'm working with whatever I can find and Thor is it for now.
Riding Thor is interesting...he really doesn't like to trot much and he tends to want to break into a canter- I'm working on making him maintain the trot. Also, the trot and canter are shorter-strided than what I'm used to with Max and it feels a lot like being in a rocking horse (like one of those I had as a kid). Also, Thos is SLOW...I thought Max can be slow but Thor is positively snail-like. Unfortunately, he tends to be lazy and you have to remind him constantly to pick up the pace. I use a combination of spur and crop, in a measured manner. Unfortunately, some of the previous riders weren't so patient and one went as far as to smack him with the whip while holding him back with the bit- end result was she was bucked off. So, like any horse, you also have to give him a "way out" and that means being light on the bit. Of course, he's also not so educated on reining so it can be a trial. Not a bad boy but one who needs schooling.
Overall, Thor is an interesting horse to work with. More later! :-)
Here's a picture of us together:
But, in more pleasant news, I've been working a little bit with Thor, a 3-4 year old Fjord Pony that bleongs to the people who own the stable where I board Max. He's an interesting little guy and relatively green but he's mostly sweet and cooperative. He's had some training, mostly driving, and he understands the concept of yielding to pressure (sort of). :-)
So why the sudden interest? Well. I've always been interested in Fjord Ponies and well, he just looks so cool and "prehistoric". :-) And yes, he's got a sturdy frame, standing at about 14.3 hands and he's perfectly capable of carrying my large-size carcass with no problems. :-)
Another reason is that my wife had decided to get back into horseback riding, at least enough to get confidence to trail ride with me, so I've been having her ride Max- I know his moves and know that for the most part, he's a steady trail horse and will be good for my wife. Unfortunately, unlike in the past, there's a shortage of suitable horses for me to ride so I'm working with whatever I can find and Thor is it for now.
Riding Thor is interesting...he really doesn't like to trot much and he tends to want to break into a canter- I'm working on making him maintain the trot. Also, the trot and canter are shorter-strided than what I'm used to with Max and it feels a lot like being in a rocking horse (like one of those I had as a kid). Also, Thos is SLOW...I thought Max can be slow but Thor is positively snail-like. Unfortunately, he tends to be lazy and you have to remind him constantly to pick up the pace. I use a combination of spur and crop, in a measured manner. Unfortunately, some of the previous riders weren't so patient and one went as far as to smack him with the whip while holding him back with the bit- end result was she was bucked off. So, like any horse, you also have to give him a "way out" and that means being light on the bit. Of course, he's also not so educated on reining so it can be a trial. Not a bad boy but one who needs schooling.
Overall, Thor is an interesting horse to work with. More later! :-)
Here's a picture of us together:
