Rosie's Training Journal

[thathorsecrazychick]

Ok today with her I moved her up to the top ring in my surcingle and she did just as good for the most part like the other rings. So I’ll probably do a week or couple days in the surcingle like that. Then I’ll start driving her in her harness and bridle. I guess I didn’t realize that she is actually pretty advanced.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Or if I attached them like this with some sort of pin?

 

[MaryFlora]

I hope someone more experienced jumps in. My harness hooks to my cart so I don’t have this difficulty. You’re no doubt thinking a lot about safety already. I wonder if you punched holes to accommodate a heavy duty clamp of some sort, would that compromise the strap to the point where it could tear under pressure?

It is so frustrating when things don’t work together!

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

I hope someone more experienced jumps in. My harness hooks to my cart so I don’t have this difficulty. You’re no doubt thinking a lot about safety already. I wonder if you punched holes to accommodate a heavy duty clamp of some sort, would that compromise the strap to the point where it could tear under pressure?

It is so frustrating when things don’t work together!

Gah I know! But I was maybe thinking if it’s the right length I could have some sort of heavy duty pin going through to holes. Like you see in the pic. Cause I really want this to work without putting holes in it if I have to.

 

[Dragon Hill]

However you decide to attach your traces to the single tree, just remember it's important to be able to disconnect quickly and easily. You might try quick release snaps. I use them to connect my traces to the single tree.
Not a good picture, but you can google carriage driving quick release snap. One side is a snap, the other side is a removable pin.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Ok so this is a more recent thing that has been happening. Rosie keeps getting rocks up her foot when we work on the road trotting, before though this wasn’t happening so now I’m just confused.

Guess I’ll probably have to look into boots for her feet

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

So I gave Rosie’s mane a final wash before it gets cold. I don’t have heated water. And touched up on side passing which I haven’t done in a while. But after a couple try’s it was great. I’m doing a challenge this month my friend challenged me to. I’m going to make up a dressage inspired routine in hand. Does not need to be perfect so I’m just touching up on certain things.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Ok so I was wondering what kind of hoof boots would you guys recomond for road work with my mini horse. Im not going to get them right now, but I will definitely in the future be doing a lot of stuff on the road with my mini.

 

[1roadtoad]

I don't know a lot about what different boots or brands would be best for road work, but I did have one of my minis, Lady use a brand called "Soft Rides". They were super easy to put on her and held up well, in that she wore them daily. They had gel inserts which could be replaced if necessary. Like I said, others on here know way more than I do, but I did like the brand. Good luck finding something for Rosie.

 

[MaryFlora]

I bought a pair of EasyBoots for my mini Tiffany. I measured her hoofs very carefully per directions and the size ordered fit great. She’s used them off and on for the past two years and they have held up very well.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

I don’t know if this has happened with you, but Rosie acts a little unsure at times about the top ring in the surcingle and perfectly normal in others. Which makes me think she’s fine with it but also unsure… idk she’s confusing me a bit

 

[Dragon Hill]

Maybe start your training sessions in the second from top ring, work her through whatever your routine and then switch to the top ring and work her through your routine. You may have to do this over several sessions, until you feel she's totally comfortable on the top ring. Also, you may want to check her mouth to be sure there isn't anything bothering her.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Maybe start your training sessions in the second from top ring, work her through whatever your routine and then switch to the top ring and work her through your routine. You may have to do this over several sessions, until you feel she's totally comfortable on the top ring. Also, you may want to check her mouth to be sure there isn't anything bothering her.

Thats sounds like that would help. Im driving in a halter, and I dont there is anything wrong with her mouth but Ill check. Its just certin times when in the top ring she acts unsure other times she acts like she always does when driving. Ill defintly try that though

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

She acted about the same… maybe it’s the lines I’m using, there a thousand times lighter than the lunge lines I was using. So maybe she’s just getting confused about the pressure on the halter?

 

[Dragon Hill]

Yes, that could do it. Also, if the snaps are different, that would also change how it feels to her.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Yes, that could do it. Also, if the snaps are different, that would also change how it feels to her.

It’s the same kind of snap. But they are way smaller. So I guess that makes sense.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Would she be considered ready for blinkers… cause she will just keep going all over the road most of the time when we’re heading up hill. But not down hill which is interesting. The video I show is after the fact cause I couldn’t get her on video going zig zags?

 

[Dragon Hill]

Some horses are started in blinkers, some never wear them. So I think it's just whenever you decide. The zig zag is her not staying between the reins. I would guess too much slack in the reins and she doesn't feel any guidance from you and just does what she wants. Going down hill she is probably walking a little faster and taking the slack out of the reins herself and feels guided. That would be my guess anyway.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Ok I think she’s confident now in the top ring she has been for a week or so. So I had a half of a session yesterday in the surcingle and the other half in harness and not set up. She did the same stuff she always does in the surcingle. In the harness though it seemed like she got confused when to stop. I said whoa every time but it took her a while to get for some reason. Today though I put her in the harness again and….. she responded really good to stopping so I guess she just needed a bit of time to click that she can stop the same in harness. I think maybe before she could see me stop so she knew even better than just going off my word. Which makes sense, though it seems today she got that she doesn’t need to see me stop to stop.


I’ve had her in harness before, even have done very little ground driving but that was more to see how she would react and that was a while back.

With the road zig zag stuff I think you were right it does seem that way and I just need to adjust myself a bit.

Here’s a short video at the beginning of our session showing her getting the whoa.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Ok I may have just been working oh ground driving more often then not… so I’m going to try to switch that up. So I worked on bowing today. For about 15 minutes she did good a couple times in the middle of it she started to just already start backing up to bow without me putting the lead back. But at the end she then acted like “what are we doing” then finally ended on her doing a full bow.