Elizabeth Wood
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TRAINING NOTES from Elizabeth
Joe Bear shows Political Pull that creeks are fun and a great place to get a drink!
Pride of the Fox learning to jump stone walls.
We enjoyed galloping alongside each other between fences. Elizabeth was the photographer galloping along on Political Pull.
Political Pull jumps his first stone wall at the Shamrock Hounds Pony Club Hunter Pace. March 24, 2007
The setting was gorgeous! "Brewster", "Foxy" and "Irish".
Ally rode Pride of the Fox for much of the day without reins!
training notes from elizabeth |
Our horses > training notes from elizabeth > March 24, 2007Our training notes often show schooling at the farm but may also include cross country schoolings and trail rides away from the farm. Go back through our notes to see how we train our off-the-track Thoroughbreds and prepare them for new careers as sport horses.
Trailer Rides and Cross Country SchoolingRiding a Thoroughbred cross country is one of the most fun adventures you will ever have. I like taking young horses or horses newly off-the-track out with more experienced horses for schooling. The cross country courses (or fox hunting territory) is so different than the race track that it becomes a fun experience for the horse as well as rider. We try to get the horses out of the arena as sure as we feel that we can safely control the horse should something scare him. The next step is getting them off-the-farm for a new adventure.
The first trailer ride after coming off-the-trackFor some horses, the first trip away from the farm brings back the fear of returning to the track. One of our horses started trembling and broke into a full sweat, just because he was loaded onto the trailer. As soon as we arrived at the quiet cross country site, he calmed down and cooled off.
Remember, horses have no idea what awaits them when the ramp is dropped down at the end of the trailer ride. For ex-racers, it usually means another race day, at another track. The more you can take your horse on short quick, and fun (for the horse) trips, the more he will start to enjoy getting into the trailer. He will quickly learn that there is no track where you are taking him. Don't make his first trip away from the quiet of your farm to a chaotic horse show - even if you are not competing. Take him somewhere peaceful and as dissimilar to the race track as possible.
Creek crossings with Political Pull and friendsRecently we took Political Pull to Dawson Forest to learn how to cross water. He was not at all upset about getting on or off the trailer. The race track training paid off there. He was well behaved and even though he was not thrilled about crossing the creeks, by the end of the ride he was cantering in and out of wide creek crossing.
He had his buddies to comfort him but they seemed unnecessary except crossing the first creek where "Brewster" agreed to play "pony horse" and lead Political Pull across the small creek. Again, bring along a calm horse that has a "Been there, Done that attitude" to the task that is new to your horse.
Knight Villain was an old hand at going trail riding and he followed his mom Tammy Gullet right up and into the trailer without hesitation. He used to not load well for fear of returning to the track but he is so dedicated to Tammy that he will follow her anywhere and even free lunge without a lunge line! Never underestimate the value of ground work to build trust and obedience with your horse. Knight Villain is not at all put off about water so he was a good horse to bring along to calm "Pull's" fears.
We brought along several horses that enjoy going through water and they were able to communicate to Political Pull that the water was fun and not going to hurt him. Joe Bear was the first horse into the water and before long everyone was trotting and cantering in the creek.
Lessons like these pay off when you go to a competition and there is water on the course!
Cross country schoolingFor Political Pull's second trip away from home, we choose the Shamrock Hounds Hunter Pace. Hunter paces are fun and a great opportunity to school all types of cross country fences. "Pull" had only jumped a few of our cross country fences before going on his first cross country ride away from home.
Political Pull loaded without any issues and so did Pride of the Fox, "Brewster" and Irish Morning Mist. They were quiet when we arrived at the event and remained quiet - even as another non-Thoroughbred reared up and fell over on his rider when waiting to start the ride.
We used the hunter pace as a chance to school the small fences - not really as a competition. Winning should never be the goal in early outings. If you scare you horse, you will loose his trust and your training will be that much more difficult. Take you time and have patience.
We entered the Blue Bird Division (the slowest) over fences. We walked, trotted and cantered (and sometimes galloped) between fences. At each fence we took turns jumping the fence until the horse was confidently jumping it. The day was filled with photo ops and Political Pull was happy to be my moving tripod for the day sometimes allowing me to capture the other horses in full stride, galloping along side, in the wide open fields! Pride of the Fox and Ally Giles enjoyed galloping during the ride, and then one minute later, "Foxy" was walking calmly on a loose rein. Both horse and rider had great big smiles all day long! These photos were taken as Ally was trying to slow "Foxy" down as he and "Pull" decided to "race" each other when I came along side to take the photo. "Pull" was quiet enough even at a gallop to take these photos. Both horses came down to a walk when asked. What is even more important is that they did not get "hot" and difficult to handle just because we had let them run. These Thoroughbreds know the difference between being at a race track and riding with their special friend. Several times during the day, "Brewster" acted as tripod for Barry to capture "Pull's" big adventure. "Pull" jumped stone walls and coops for the first time. He proved himself to be bold and brave and best of all - quiet. All the horses were well behaved. It helped being with their quiet experienced buddies.
We had a great time - it was a well run event and the horses enjoyed the outing. In the end, Political Pull ended up winning the "Blue" in the Bluebird Over Fences division - by pure chance. Each of the horses finished behind him - winning second, third and fourth places. The ribbons were just icing on the cake for a fantastic day! Our mission was to expose the horse to new places and teach them to jump cross country fences. I say, "Mission accomplished!"
The horses mentioned in this Training Note from Elizabeth:Pride of the Fox and Political Pull are horses for sale at Bits & Bytes Farm. "Brew This" is Barry's "Special Reserve" horse and Irish Morning Mist was one of the first horses sold from Bits & Bytes Farm. He is now owned by Megan Brown. Joe Bear was recently purchased by Paula Gunnel's husband as a Valentine's Day gift for his wife who had been leasing "Special Reserve" horse - Joe Bear for several years. Tammy Gullet is mom to Knight Villain who was a former Bits & Bytes Farm "Special Reserve" horse as well. Miss with Attitude aka "Pooky" was a Prospect Horse for sale when she was purchased by Laura Durham-Dixon. She is also featured on our "How to Buy a Prospect Horse" page.
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