Evie is 2 and a half years old now. We’re slowly preparing her for her future career as a well-behaved riding horse (hopefully). Our trainer/friend thought that today was the perfect day to put a saddle on her for the very first time. We’re not going to ride her yet, she’s far too young, but letting her get acquainted with the equipment is an important step towards that.
Having a saddle on your back and a girth around your belly is quite an event for such a young horse. We’ve been lunging her, so she’s used to that, and she’s also used to the bridle and a double-jointed snaffle/bit (?) . But you never know how a young horse reacts to the saddle. So, there I was, well out of the way with iPod at the ready to shoot some exciting footage of Evie reacting to the saddle.
And here it is, the blockbuster movie of the future. Just a couple of warnings before you watch it:
- it is a very exciting movie, so make sure you’ve taken your pills (actually, nothing exciting happens, it is the most boring movie ever. And long!)
- my voice is back and you will hear it (when trainer/friend shuts up for a moment 
TRAINING EVIE
We’re very proud of our not so little girl. She’s behaving very well.
Don’t look at her fat belly. She’s had a bit too much to eat the last couple of days. And she is a woman. You know how it is with women. One bite too many and immediately we put on pounds. Fortunately for her, Evie is one of those girls who loses those pounds faster than you can say ‘diet’. If I didn’t love her so much, I’d hate her.
Other horse related news:
I’ve started yet another blog. It is called: de andere paardenfoto. Which is Dutch for ‘a different horse-photo’ or for ‘horse-photo with a difference’. It is a Dutch blog and I’ve started it with the aim of trying to get people enthusiastic enough to hire me for a photo-shoot of (them and) their horse(s). Who knows what it will lead to. You never know how a cow catches a hare. I’ve only just started it yesterday, and I’m almost continuously adding photos to it, but perhaps you’d like to take a look over there and scroll down to see what I call ‘de andere paardenfoto’. Please let me know what you think (be honest, but gentle).
"'Round and 'round she goes, and where she stops nobody knows!"
ReplyDeleteFascinating!
And as for "de andere paardenfoto" let me just say that every photo there is marvelous. If I (a) lived in Holland and (b) owned horses, you would be my equine photographer of choice.
Well done, Evie! Well done, Carolina!
But since I was brought up in Texas, I am compelled to add, "You call that little thing a saddle?"
Rhymeswithplague:
ReplyDeleteFunny you should say that. About the small saddle I mean. As if you were there yesterday. Friend brought saddle with him, because we thought the girths on our own saddles were probably a bit too long. And he's training his own horse, same age as Evie is, with this saddle, so he was sure it would fit. Some people who saw him at work with his horse, mentioned that it was such a small saddle. Saddles have different sizes and he compared it to our own saddles, which are 17,5 inch saddles (not small at all) and his saddle was exactly the same size. So not a small saddle either (only a shorter girth). And then while lunging her in the video, he mentions that Evie is such a big and mature looking horse. At which point I say: "But that's because she's wearing a very small saddle!"
Hmm, it was funnier yesterday, when I said it. Anyway... it's as if you understand Dutch. ;-)
Cow catches a hare? A Dutch aphorism that means ? The only thing comparable that I can think of is: Eine Kuh macht Muh, viele Kühe machen Mühe.
ReplyDeleteKaren: how a cow catches a hare is literally translated from the Dutch: hoe een koe een haas vangt. It means: you can never tell, something unexpected may happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't know what your German aphorism means ;-)
She's such a good looking filly! Nice lofty trot!
ReplyDeleteThere may be no thinking about a saddle when one must think about the bit! He looked like he strapped it on -pretty darn well too.
In Pony club we were taught use lunging cavasons so the horses have a fair take on the cues, never getting hit with a bit. They learn to have contact without uneven pressure. They do look medieval, I'm told.
I still use the L. Cavason on Wa..she is so senitive. I will put one or both sidereins on, for the direct contact and her acceptance.
Loved your voice!
I know nothing about horses except that I think they are exceptionally elegant creatures and I could watch them and smile stupidly for hours. Evie is beautiful and - to my untutored eyes - so biddable.
ReplyDeleteI liked your voice too - nice laugh:-)
Hey, good luck with your new venture - cows, hares, whatever! I shall visit - expect more ill-informed comments;-)
Evie is gorgeous. She seems to be very easy going and didn't mind the saddle at all,very sensible. Nice mover. Bet you can't wait to ride her someday.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful horse and indeed she is doing very well. Ik kon het lekker wel verstaan Niet alles hoor maar jij kwam luid en duidelijk door met "foei toch" lol
ReplyDeleteWell, you were right about it being long! I watched the whole thing. And I kept on looking for that fat belly and somehow I must have missed it. Then again, I don't know much about horses, so perhaps your idea of a fat belly isn't the same as mine!
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing your voice & your laugh.
ReplyDeleteHugs & love,
Mimi
Ummm... how DOES a Cow catch a Hare??....
ReplyDeleteWell done, Evie! She's even picked up the correct lead.
She's doing so well. Surely you've lunged her before this tho, so well behaved. I agree with all horse stuff, we don't lunge with a bit, just a cavesson. Mind you mine have forgotten what a bit is for these days. You're lucky having a horse that retains weight and loses it in work. I have a porker and one that looks like one of the horses of the Apocalypse, mind you he's 36 years old.
ReplyDeleteTo all of you who are concerned about the use of the bit while lunging:
ReplyDeleteKacy (Allhorsestuff) was the first to mention it and this is what I replied through email:
The bit-thing has been on my mind too. It's good that you mention it. We've been lunging her with the medieval looking cavesson ;-), which has to be strapped around her head much tighter than the bridle to prevent it from shifting. So wearing that she can't even move her jaw, which isn't ideal either. Did you know that you can put a LOT of pressure on the nose using a cavesson? And I don't really like that either.
I suggested that we should use the cavesson to put over the bridle, to prevent the bit from shifting through her mouth, but Jans said that it wasn't necessary. Now... he's been training horses for almost all of his life and uses his method (slow, easy and relaxed) for all of his own horses too. They are all nice and light to ride. And I know he cares for the horse, because he doesn't like nosebands to be too tight (lots of people do that), he doesn't really like snaffles (? the strap around the mouth that goes under the bit), because it prevents the horse from opening its mouth. I'm not using a snaffle anymore (I always had it very loose anyway).
So, even though I know that it can be an uncomfortable feeling for her if Evie pulls on the lunge, I'm accepting his way of doing this. Fortunately he's open for discussions and will seriously take my opinion into consideration. She has been nibbling the bit, which is what we want when we ride too. I have to say that she doesn't pull on the lunge at all now. He puts the lunge through the bit ring, over the head and attaches it to the other bit ring. I know it is not the best option, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't suffer. I have one of those small straps that you can attach to both bit rings and that goes under the horse's chin, with a ring attached in the middle for the lunge, but that pulls the bit rings together, so not a great solution either.
We're always taking care that we can put at least two fingers between nose strap and horse's head. We actually need to go shopping for a new bridle for Evie, because this one is indeed getting too tight. Almost all the straps on her bridle (Naloma's old one and a size Full) are fastened in the last (or is it the first, depends on how you look at it) hole. She's a big headed girl. Will buy a new one this afternoon!
Yesterday we've had the saddle on her again. But this time with stirrups flapping around. Her only reaction was to gallop a bit faster at first. Nothing weird. Today she has a holiday ;-) Tomorrow or Friday we will put sidereins on to get her used to the contact and the restriction of head movement. We'll lunge her with sidereins two or three times a week, for about 15 minutes, before winter sets in and makes it impossible to do something anyway. And next spring we'll slowly take things up again. I'm not in a hurry to really ride her. Happy to wait until she's four.
I think she would have protested more if the bit really bothered her (it has been gnawing on my mind too, as you may have noticed be now ;-)). We have experienced that she really lets you know when she doesn't like something! But she takes the bit really easily when saddling her. We've been using the bit five times now, the first time WITH the cavesson over the bridle actually. That was months ago, so I'd almost forgotten.
But please, good ideas are always welcome and I'm open to criticism ;-) We all try to do the best thing possible.
So... I am aware and I'm really pretty sure that the bit isn't bothering her too much (the lunge goes from one bit ring, over her head to the other, putting some pressure on both sides). She has a tendency to let us know what she likes and what not. Very clear about that actually ;-)
A VERY nice mover!
ReplyDelete