Treeless V Bates Isabel

It was interesting today because I rode out on Anky using my dressage saddle ( Bates Isabel) which I like very much. Compared with the treeless, it is much more comfortable and feels more natural, but of course, I haven't had time to get used to the treeless. What I noticed immediately though was the lack of feeling of the movement through the back compared with the treeless. I can't be sure, but I think Anky moves better in the treeless. Anyway, she was a good girl and we went off down a new track and she took it in her stride.
I took Remy up to the school for a lungeing session and he was a little on edge and spooked a couple of times. What I like is that if I stand still and ask him to stand he does and he calms down very quickly. We had a little walk and trot on both reins and finished on a good note, he was very calm and responsive going back to the yard following on a loose line, halting and walking on as I halted and walked on. He's really funny, we've just installed some large water containers and after checking them out initially, now when we pass them he stops and pushes the lid with his nose because he wants a drink.

Back to Hacking

Hacked Anky out today with Jim riding Corky. We had a lovely ride, Anky started out a little sticky but soon relaxed and started to stretch. She feels very nice when she's forward and relaxed.I've noticed a gradual, but real change in her movement since starting the treatment for her ulcers. She is far less braced and she is softer in her mouth. The flexion work is easier.
Lunged Remy again, he was very well behaved and attentive, I'm so proud of him.

Arranged an appointment with a barefoot trimmer for Friday so I'll have to start researching the various types of boot available. Corky has very flat feet and was a little footy when barefoot (whilst in foal) , but I'm hoping with the skills of a good trimmer and boots and pads where necessary, she'll manage. As long as she's sound in the field we can cater for her when being ridden.

Anky on the loose.

I took Anky up to the school today intending to lunge her lightly and perhaps a little in-hand work. Once up there I decided to unclip her and perhaps we could do a little free schooling, I really wanted to see her moving without the restrictions of the lunge line. She started off by following me around and I walked towards the bottom end of the school. Half way down she stopped and wouldn't follow me further, in fact she turned and walked back to the gate and just stood there looking over the field. I walked towards her, meaning to move her away, but before I got up to her she trotted over to the corner and stayed looking down the field towards the stables. I left her for about a minute then started to walk towards her, before I could reach her,she gave a half buck and set off up the school in canter. She's obviously feeling more energetic than she was, which is good, but I don't think that this was carefree play, she was suddenly a little apprehensive about being there and as she cantered around, skidding into the corners and turning sharply I was a little concerned that she may hurt herself. It wasn't panic, but she certainly wasn't happy. I stayed very still, off the track towards the centre of the school and at one point she came to a halt and I thought she'd collected herself, but she set off again at full blast. I talked to her calmly, but if she was listening,she paid no attention to it. Then, I clicked a couple of times and she immediately trotted up to me and halted directly in front of me. She was blowing and very alert, but she stayed with me at halt and I gave her a treat, standing still until she started to calm, then I clipped her up and we did some leading at walk until her breathing returned to normal. I'm not sure what it was all about, but it does prove what a powerful tool the clicker training is.
Todays episode has given me a little more confidence in the fact that she may be healing and I've decided to continue with the hacking out in company interspersed with lungeing and in-hand work. I'm also going to hack out alone and I'll take one of our long ropes with me so that if she gets anxious I can dismount and lead her for a while. That way I can get her out on the tracks and further afield.

I took Remy out into the garden and lunged at walk on both reins, followed by a walk over to say hello to the neighbours who are here on holiday.

This afternoon I watched the Brits win the Team and Individual Gold Medals in the European Eventing Championships and Lewis Hamilton winning the Singapore Grand Prix. Go Brits!!! I am waving my flag!!!

Square Eyes...

.....today, watching the European Eventing cross-country day on the tv.
Great Britian, best in Europe and arguably the best in the world. If I had a flag I would wave it. LOL
Feel a bit lazy having done nothing with the horses, but hey.

Spent the rest of the time preparing my glitchy laptop for a format and reinstall. Ughhh, I hate it when things don't work as they should. luckily, I've got a spare.

Treeless Try Out

I'm trying to find a suitable treeless saddle for Remy and today we had a meet up to try several to give me an idea of fit for both Remy and myself.
Unfortunately,one of the girls couldn't make it so we didn't get to try her Heather Moffatt, but all in all it was a very informative afternoon.
So in the line-up we had from left to right Barefoot Cherokee,Trekker Talent II( mine), Bob Marshall Endurance and Torsion GP.



I rode in mine first of all ( Trekker), to clarify my position firstly ( I was worried that I may be sitting too far back) and also to confirm the fit on Anky.





We'd already established that the saddle wasn't really right for Remy, although his withers are high, he is quite wide and the saddle looked like it would put too much pressure on his wither ( in effect, the pommel area wasn't wide enough). However it fits Anky quite well and even though it has memory foam panels to give spine clearance,I think, with the addition of a designated treeless pad it would be even better. The blurb for this saddle says that it gives a true bareback feel with the security of a saddle and I have to agree. Of the four saddles I tried today, this one felt the widest, but having established that when I felt comfortable I wasn't sitting too far back, I think I could really get to like it.

I tried the Barefoot Cherokee next.





The first thing that struck me about this saddle was that it was very comfortable, but I did feel higher up off her back. The pommel at the front wasn't as much of an issue for me as on the Trekker and when we tried it on Remy it seemed to sit much better.
It doesn't have panels underneath so must be used with a padded treeless numnah or saddlepad and has D Ring attachments for the stirrups so should be used with safety stirrups or a barnes buckle release system.

Next was the Torsion GP





This was definately the most flexible of the saddles and gave the definate impression that it would fit most horses with no problems and it was a good fit on Remy. Like the barefoot, it needs a designated numnah and also has D ring stirrup attachments. I liked it very much. Anky seemed to like it too. We all noticed that she started to stretch down and relax ( may be coincidental , I don't know). Gill who owns this saddle and the next one,the Bob Marshall, told me of the Treefree make of saddle which is a copy of the Torsion with some improvements, including T bar stirrup attachments, so I will check that out on the web.

The last saddle is the Bob Marshall endurance.





For some reason we forgot to take a pic without a rider, but there's a pic of this saddle at the link below. Also the stirrups were a little short so I've taken a pic without stirrups.
This is the most expensive of the four and the quality is excellent. It seemed to sit perfectly on Anky and was very comforable. Like the previous two saddles, it needs a designated pad and has d ring stirrup attachments. It has very short flaps so gives a close contact feel for the leg. I also liked this saddle very much.


So, to conclude, I feel that I would be happy with any of them. Having looked at the pics I'm not so sure about heel/hip alignment,whether that's the saddle or me, but I know that the Trekker, Torsion and Barefoot saddles have a dressage version. By choice, at this moment I would go for the Torsion, it is the most flexible and I think, most suitable for Remy, although I think the Barefoot would be fine also.


Trekker Saddles

Barefoot Saddles

Torsion Saddles

Bob Marshall Saddles

We had a lovely afternoon and I have to say that Anky was very patient. We finished off with the obligatory eats, drinks and chat.

Stress-free?

Yesterday was a frustrating day. I decided to ride out alone with Anky as Jim was busy. I didn't know what to expect, but she was quite perky, obviously a little apprehensive without Corky but we started out and she felt relatively forward and willing. We got as far as the bend in the lane going into the wood ( 10 minutes out) when she stopped dead and immediately spun round and legged it back towards home. It took me completely by surprise, she's never been quite as spooked before. I managed to stop her (kudos to the treeless, it was very secure), after about 50 yds, luckily without touching the electric fence at the side of the track. It didn't worry me, but we are supposed to be having stress-free ( for Anky) hacks. After halting I turned her back, away from home and asked her to walk on. She walked forward about 30 ys and then stopped again, obviously looking for whatever was lurking round the bend. Our stress free ride wasn't going to happen so I dismounted and led her quietly and calmly down the track for a few hundred yards until she started to calm down, then turned around and headed for home. She was still a little apprehensive when we got back to the yard. I wasn't angry at Anky, but I am very frustrated with the situation.

I'm not sure what to do with her. Yesterday, I thought I'd just stop doing anything with her and let her recover, let her be a field orament. Or is exercise going to actively help her improve? Knowing she's not fully well is really colouring my judgement when I'm riding her and I'm not sure this exercise regime is really going to help her get well. Should I just continue with the lungeing and in-hand and leave the hacking out? Or only hack out in company and take her in the school the other times? God only knows, - at the moment, I don't.

I left her this morning and took Remy up to the school. He's not been up there for a few weeks and he was a little distracted, looking at things. He was a good boy though and I lunged him lightly on both reins followed by a little walk down the track to our apple tree.......

Back in the stables, I tried my new treeless on Rem again, we're having our treeless try out tomorrow, a few friends are bringing their gear for me to try so he's going to get a lot of attention.
I did the same again with Bonbon, five minutes in the stable, oh she is a lovely little girl.

This is the life!

Our two dobes were lying in their beds this afternoon and I watched Elfin lick Obi for over five minutes! She likes her man clean. She's going to peel him a grape next!!

Beautiful Day, Great for Hacking

It's been a beautiful day today and this morning after spending some time in the stable grooming and massaging Anky, we rode out. Just a short ride as it's a couple of weeks since we last rode. The treeless saddle(here)that I've just bought still felt quite wide, but after a few minutes I settled into it and I have to say it's growing on me. Anky felt fine and at one point going through the wood she became very alert, but stayed forward and she felt pretty good. The dentist confirmed that her teeth are fine and she is starting to feel very soft in her mouth and she's much more relaxed through her body.
Before putting them all in the field I spent some time in the stable with Bonbon, just a few minutes of the same work as yesterday plus a little backing up from the voice. She's our little girl and we love her, but I also really like her personality and her willingness to participate.
A good morning, followed by an enjoyable afternoon playing sax and piano and chatting with a friend over a bottle of wine.

Remy and Bonbon in the field this morning.

Changing Coats (not rooms).

It's been brighter today and was wondering about riding, but Anky has been so good whilst I was away and I'm wondering if riding her is causing her too much stress. I think our rides have been stress-free, relaxed and only at walk so I can't believe it, though you never know with horses.
They're all changing their coats ( hmmmph, I hate it, a sure sign of winter coming) so this morning I gave them all a good grooming. They have good shiny coats (even Anky's is much shinier now), all to be replaced by coarse woolly fluff ( like putting away shorts and t-shirts for jeans and jumpers). They seemed to enjoy it. Bonbon, curious and wanting to join in. She's such a sweetie, always has been, although she seems to have hit the terrible (well, not really so terrible :-) )twos at the moment, testing out her authority. I've started to do a little bit extra with her. She's very good on the lead rein and well mannered in the stable, but she's started getting pushy at the gate at coming in times and also feed times. She's being groomed by our head mare to be 2nd in command and gets a little bit anxious trying to keep her position at the gate keeping the other 2 away. They have a certain order of coming in which very rarely changes. Corky (head mare)comes in first, then Bonbon, then Remy (unless Anky really wants to come in) then Anky last.
It works very well. Bonbon does get a little bit impatient and worried at the gate, but I'm sure as she gains confidence this will change.
Today, in the stable with Bonbon, I did a litte work with walking on and halting. I use click and treat (never, ever thought that I would use this method, but it really works, Trudi got me into it). I asked her to walk on from my voice with me standing and touching at the girth, at first she didn't understand and started searching my pockets for treats and giving me big kisses, but after asking a few times she walked on at the signal. Then halting, just the same asking for the halt, then on halting, clicking and treating. She's a smart cookie, and so inquisitive and interested in things.
I did the same with Remy, but he was far more interested in his grub (typical bloke!!) should have cleared his hay away if I really wanted to get his attention. :-().
After putting them in the field I picked some more tomatoes and some fruit from the garden.

Pic below shows not just any watermelon, this is our delicious, juicy, mouthwatering, home grown watermelon!!

Dressage should be fun!

Since returning from the UK, I've had no inclination to ride. I feel like I've got jet lag ( LOL, I think it's all those English Germs!!). I'm sure I'll get over it and be raring to go after the weekend ( weather forecast is awful).

This really brought a smile to my face.

Horse Dentist

We had the horse dentist today and I'm pleased to say that all the horses were well behaved and Remy and Bonbons teeth are developing normally.

Anky's droppings are more or less back to normal now and she's been quite perky the last few days. They've been shut out of the front field for a few weeks because the acorns were falling so today we let them back in. An added bonus is that the field is quite sparse because it's been so dry, so not the usual lush grass (great for Anky).

I took this little vid.

Back Home in La Belle France

Got home this afternoon after spending 6 days in the UK with family. I hadn't been looking forward to it and there were too many people, too many cars and too much noise and rubbish, but I had a great time catching up with friends and family.

So true to my word, this is my new boy. He'll be arriving in the next couple of weeks.



I wonder what the others will think of him?

Tiger Tiger, Burning Bright

Second ride on the treeless. The very large pommel is definately an issue. Perhaps it'll help to open my hips! :-) I'll stick with it, see how it goes. Anky certainly doesn't seem to mind it.
I have 3 friends who all ride treeless and they are coming over for a lunch bringing their gear with them so I'll be able to test another 3 saddles, it will give me more of an idea.

I'm off to the UK tomorrow to visit family so won't be blogging unless something fantastically interesting happens whilst i'm there ( highly unlikely).

However, I may be visiting a stud who have developed this new breed, so you never know!!


Cats and Horses, my two favourite animals ;-)

Experimenting Treeless

I really want to back Remy before the winter but he's quite an awkward shape at the moment so i've decided to try treeless.
The budget won't allow an expensive purchase so I've been looking at mid-range, well made brands with a good name.


I know nothing about treeless saddles and after a little investigation I've looked at several including the Heather Moffet, Barefoot, Trekker and Torsion saddles. I really would like to trial the HM Vogue Fhoenix but as I say the budget won't allow,and trying to get a treeless agent in the sticks in France may be difficult. I've been keeping an eye on treeless saddles on ebay and came across a like new Trekker with all accessories, numnah, leathers, stirrups and two very nice neoprene girths. The bidding was very low, so I put in a bid and 2 days later, voila! it was mine. Hmmmm, I didn't really think I'd get it and was in the process of ordering a Barefoot. Never mind, I paid for it and it arrived yesterday.

Its a rather ugly saddle but the quality looks ok. It has nice soft leather flaps and a nubuck leather seat. It has memory foam panels on the underside which give spine clearance. I'm not so sure about that, the panels dont look very deep, but we'll see, the blurb on their website assures me it can be used without a special numnah. The numnah that came with it has an insert for panels, but unfortunately not the panels themselves. I do have a gel pad which I could use though.

So, this morning Anky was the guinea pig. She came in looking ok, ate her brekky and set to eating the hay, so I thought I'd test the saddle on our hack.
The saddle is very light and the stirrup leathers attach with traditional bars and not rings. It came with a set of bates t-bar leathers which I have on my other saddle and really like.
It looked a bit strange on her, bigger than a treed saddle. It felt secure when I got on and the first thing I noticed was that it felt wide. The rather large, ugly pommel at the front seemed to be forcing my legs apart. As we progressed on our ride and i settled into it, placed my seat more central between the pommel and cantle it became rather comfortable.
It's true that you can feel far more of your horse moving underneath you, Anky really was moving my seat more today. She seemed unconcerned by the saddle, walking out purposefully, relaxed and soft to my hand. So, we'll see how we go with it, but my first impressions are positive. If I intend to use it on Remy I am going to have to get used to it and feel confident riding in it. As my first foray into treeless I feel that it was rather sucessful:-)

Work on the lunge again with Remy, this time at the bottom of the garden. He was fine, if a bit sluggish. Walk on both reins out on the circle. A short session.

2 goods and a not so good.

The two goods this morning.
Rode out with Anky and she was the best she's been. The walk was forward and purposeful, but relaxed and loose. She was soft in my hand and responsive. We were out for almost an hour, she was alert and just felt 'good'.
Remy in the school, lunged on both reins without assistance from Jim and he stayed forward and out on the circle. He started to slow and come in a couple of times but I put the whip towards his shoulder and asked him to walk on and he did. A very short but sweet session.

The not so good this afternoon, Anky stretching in the field.
I brought her in as the flies were also bothering her. She had a little feed of Alfalfa nuts and then lay down (sigh). She got up again after a few minutes and continued to eat her feed, then lay down again. After another few minutes she got up and started to eat her hay apparently feeling better. Not rolling, pawing or sweating, just uncomfortable. It is around her season time, so perhaps that is affecting her. Ho hum onwards..............

Lungeing Remy

Anky was in some discomfort when we brought them in last night. She was lightly stretching and when we brought her into the stable she lay down. She wasn't rolling, but definately uncomfortable. She only stayed down for a few minutes, then she got up and ate her tea. We kept them in for a couple of hours and she seemed fine, eating hay and acting normally. He coat was staring as if she was cold, so I put a (very) light rug on her for the night. I know it's been a little chilly the last couple of nights but it has warmed up a bit now so not sure what to do tonight.

This morning she came in fine, tucked into her breakfast and started on the hay. If i'm going to continue doing anything with her I'm definately going to have to assume she's feeling fine unless evidence to the contrary. I can't keep second guessing or I'll never do anything.
So, we hacked out and she was alert and forward but reasonably relaxed and soft in my hand. I was very pleased.
Remy in the school again. Jim took him out onto about a 15m circle on the left rein and I asked for walk on. Jim walked at his croup encouraging him forward and discouraging him from coming in. He was excellent and we even got a short trot. On the right rein he wanted to come in and resisted the driving aids so we went back to walking a smaller circle and getting a good walk-on and staying forward on the circle. After a few revolutions on the circle I asked him to halt and called it a day. We'll continue tomorrow.
I'm going to introduce him to trotting poles but can't find any for sale around here. Trudi can you remind me where you got yours please? (memory like a sieve!)

Chasse

The horses were edgy this morning when we brought them in.
After a few minutes I realised why! The Chasse (hunting) season has begun.
I hate the chasse, I hate what they do and although the chasse in our area have been courteous and mindful of our horses, I always have that feeling of unease and threat when they are around. I know this is France and I know it's what they do. I don't intend to try and stop them doing it (would be futile)and I'm not getting on my soapbox, I just wish they would go and do it somewhere where I can't see or hear them!! (a bit nimby, I know) To be fair, they only use the land immediately surrounding us once every 5 or 6 weeks, so I know I'm better off than a lot of people I know.
Last year on one occasion they got very close to our top field and the sound of the dogs and guns was very loud. Our horses were in there so I went through the field to the boundary man ( the one who tries to stop the dogs going haywire and running on to our land!!), not to complain (I'm always polite :-)), but just to remind him that the horses were there and they would be afraid. I had just started speaking to him at the fence when I felt a nudge on my shoulder followed by a head coming over my shoulder. It was Bonbon, closely followed by the others, they'd also come over to chat to the nice man!! How could I possibly tell him they were afraid!

Anyway it put paid to our plans for riding so I lunged Anky followed by a massage.
We took Remy up to the school again to continue from yesterdays lungeing session.
The noise of the chasse was very distant now, but of course, Remy could still hear it and he was very distracted. What I like about him though is that he doesn't panic or throw himself about (perhaps he just can't be bothered). He stopped several times obviously listening to the chasse in the distance, but then when I asked him to pay attention, he calmly resumed his work. Not as consistant as yesterday, but I was pleased with the way he behaved.

Solution for Dubious Training Methods?

We hacked out today, we were out for 50 minutes and Anky was very relaxed and forward. She was walking out nicely and stretching out to my hand. She's much better taking the lead, much more alert. Corky looks to be getting fitter also, according to Jim she was on a mission today!

We took Remy up to the school for his first real experience on the lunge. I was the lunger and Jim was the whip holder. Remy will now walk on from the voice so it was Jims job to keep him moving and out on the circle. He responded really well and moved off from the signal, continued at walk and on the couple of occasions he tried to come in to me, Jim pointed the whip at his shoulder and pushed him out. No problems, no confusion, out on the circle on both reins. A good session. He's a cool character. I just hope he's not cool verging on dull. ;-)

I'm wondering if this would be a good solution for all those dubious training methods? It could save many horses from their suffering. Perhaps the FEI should look into it?

Support and Inspiration

Following on from something Horse of Course said I've been thinking about how much I've learned since moving to France 3 yrs ago. When we moved here I knew nobody, especially anyone with horses. I'd corresponded with Trudi who's since become a good friend and a constant source of help and information, thanks Trudi.
I missed the stimulation of the yard, the reassurance of having people around to discuss things with, ride out, just general support. I turned to the internet, dusted off my horsey books and gradually got to know many other horsey people in the area. It has opened my mind to different methods of training, different ways of interacting with horses. I find that I now have the support that I need, which gives me confidence and inspiration. So I'd like to say thanks to my friends and fellow bloggers.

Had a good day with Anky and Remy today. I'll write it up later.

Dodging the rain..........

....this morning with Remy and Anky. I took Remy into the garden to practice our lungeing technique (said in the very loosest of terms!!). I had an "I am totally useless at this" moment when he got confused and instead of walking on he kept coming in to me, but we continued and he did 'get' it and we walked around on both reins. For our next session I will take him up to the school and with Jims help, take him out onto the circle properly.

Anky has a scratch across her back where the saddle would lie, so she's having a couple of days off hacking. I took her up to the school again for a short lungeing session followed by a little in-hand work. This is all experimental for me but I'm taking Trudis advice and I think with a combination of Anky moving better and perhaps me starting to get to grips with it we're making some progress. Today we got some nice steps in shoulder-in and then leg-yield.

I've just put some Himalayan Salt Licks in the stables and Anky spent a good five minutes licking it this morning. She obviously needs it. Bonbon thought she'd like to share!!

:-(

Mum and Dad have gone home today. It always leaves me feeling a little lost. They were here for a week and it's gone so quickly. I'm going to the UK in 10 days though so I'll see them then.
Had a short session with Anky on the lunge this morning, much looser again. We finished with a short session in-hand and her walk was much more purposeful and the lateral work ( shoulder-in and leg yield ) was much more fluid.
Here's a pic taken by my Dad just before our hack on Monday.

A sigh of relief.

Our land was breathing a sigh of relief this morning as the heavens opened. We desperately needed some rain. The horses loved it, they were playing and rolling, loving the freshness and the lack of flies after the last few weeks of hot sticky weather.
It's my parents last day today, they go home tomorrow (sigh)so we went off for lunch in our local town. Whilst out we finally bought some water tanks (it's only taken us 2years) to collect the thousands of gallons of water that come off our roof and run straight into the gateway of the field. Hmmmm, we may get them set up before winter. :-))
Just been and checked the horses, they are absolutely filthy!! Happy though.