23/04/11 - Secret -  Worked some more today on the figure eight pattern. Once the "make me" face wore off, we got a good effort. Offering canter for longer today and lighter in trot around the barrels.

23/04/11 - Bluey - Same as Secret but on a looser rein with less being asked on the turns - hesitant to bother his mouth too much as he is giving so much at the moment and has only been back in work for a short time. Finished the session with some pole work at walk.

It was really nice to have Kitty and Anna watching our training today.  They dropped in to see us,  how we do it, and our youngsters.  Good chatting taking place, lots of tea and laughter.

21/04/11 - Secret - Good ride in the midday sun. Doing well in the snaffle but still needs more room for his tongue, wide, low ported myler has been ordered, hopefully this will be the one for him. Rode in the sand school, worked a figure of 8 pattern around the barrels in trot, hopefully we can progress to a sustained canter around it over the next couple of few days. Tried him over the poles left out from yesterday, no real issue just a teeny bit lazy picking his feet up! Time to get him out on a trail........

20/04/11 - Bluey - Saddled up, moved his feet and got on. 5 minutes in the round pen going over the basics, then up to the menage. Into trotting work, lots of circles and changes of direction - he must be finding this taxing as there were lots of nice offers to canter which were graciously accepted. Leaning out on the right rein slightly, this should improve with consistency on our part - moved onto some pole work, nice effort from Blue !!


20/04/11 - Secret - Same start as Bluey today, groundwork kept to a minimum. Put snaffle bit back in, seems to be much comfier now. 5 mins in the roundpen to warm up, then straight out to the large field. Something different today - worked him for 30 mins over the uneven terrain, said hello to all the neighbouring horses and went for  walk down the track. Calm and content throughout, pretty happy with him.

Notes by Hels

18/04/11 -  Secret - good ride today, very impressed with his efforts whilst playing with lateral work. Back up getting softer and more responsive, sideways is surprisingly light both ways also. Canter work proved interesting as Secret was much quicker to relax today. Bit may be slightly too large, might be time to find a smaller one or revert to the snaffle for the time being.

18/04/11 - Cilla - a short groundwork session - the first since her return from the deep south.... very much interested in what all the other horses were doing - Cilla can appear to be checking in, when in fact, she isn't remotely interested in what you have to say. Always nice feedback. Decided work at speed was not the right choice here, Cilla needs the next question to be asked almost before she has said "no" to the first one. So I asked her lots of questions, trying to give her enough time for a response, but not enough time for a brace to develop. Pretty hard for me! Turns out there is a difference between concise communication and micro-management.... who knew!  Worked on farrier prep at the end, easier if you let her check out, more difficult when you ask for her full attention.


Hels had a really interesting chat after training about not making it a contest with Cilla - it seems to have worked. 

David Stuart Demonstrates A Foundation Colt Start

David is back on the Farm at the end of May, to start a few colts for us, and  and hand over those he started last year.  He also just checks through those we have for sale, and hacks a few out.  It is an amazing yet busy time for us all and the farm is buzzing.  

David is a very special person and this was recognised by Ray Hunt and the likes of Pat Parelli.  David has such a nice gentle way of starting a colt, soft and gentle all the way.  For those in the know he is one of the best colt starting horseman of the moment.  On the Wednesday after of his visit we open the Farm up to spectators.  It's very informal, numbers are kept to a minimum and some of you are old timers at this. You get a ring side seat, to view up close, and the chance to ask David directly, any questions.  Not just about colt starting, but horses.  Anything horsey, he has a wealth of knowledge, so tap into some of that .... lol  

If you have never watched a horse being started then you are in for a treat, and if you have there is always more to learn. David's strengths are the beginnings and the development of a foundation on a horse.  His demonstration may digress as a David Stuart Foundation Start is only ever taken at the Colts pace. 

Tickets available on the website: 

www.quarterhorses.uk.com/quarter_horses/David_Stuart.html

Special Offer:  Buy 2 tickets - get the third free - So Join Up !!!

Bluey and Secret

Secret taking a moment - or was that Helly taking a moment !

16/4/11 - Bluey - first session for nearly 2 months, took it easy - 20 mins groundwork and then 20 mins ridden. Nothing complicated just went over the basics today. Ended on a good note, plenty of licking and chewing from Blue. 

17/4/11 - Bluey - a short and sweet groundwork session, asking for yields from FQ and HQ, played with the yo-yo game, gently reminding him of everything he learnt last year! A good prep. for tomorrows ride. 

17/4/11 - Secret -First day back after 10 days off - groundwork was nice, picking up his feet, even in the deep sand of the roundpen. Kept it simple, walk/trot/canter in the roundpen and then the same in the menage. Can't complain. 

18/4/11 - Bluey - Really getting back into the mindset for work.... head carriage a lot lower than the previous ride and much less of an opinion about every ask. Great ride today, kept the groundwork to the necessaries and got straight up. One rein stops improving, trot/canter transitions worked on briefly. 



Secret is really ready for a new home now, and someone is going to really enjoy this horse.  

Cilla and Secret

These two have now returned to the Farm after being topped up with more training.  They have had a few days of chewing the lush Derbyshire grass and the Aidee feed buckets specials and are now ready for Hels to take over their training.  She is starting to interview new candidates to help her with this too.  So anyone out there with natural horsemanship skills, who want the experience then please step forward.

Secret and Cilla - are turning corners -

Secret - yesterdays ride surpassed everything so far! the BYO has turned a huge corner and is responding really well. The suppleness in the ribcage is only the beginning! The transitions have become so snappy that the second from canter to trot caught me slightly unawares, but we ground to a halt in a nice shape whilst I got my balance back  - Happy Days!! There seems to be no amount of lead changes that Secret cannot handle and he never makes a mistake or strikes of on the wrong lead - we definitely like this. 

His heart rate has also dropped exponentially. In the 4 weeks he has been here he has gone from pounding heart and heaving flanks at the end of each ride to a muscled horse ready to carry out the next maneuver if we need to. Secret's foot placement, head carriage have and over all disposition have also changed dramatically; the tail swish is now minimal, the willingness with which he moves around in his own space is impressive and the fact that we had something of an effort to bring his hind feet underneath him as I asked for a stop means it's been a worth while week of work :)

Today we had a steady warm up and then a short stick and ball session and the highlight was when the lead change came, without so much as an ask, when I flicked the ball under his nose from left to right . . . "Nuff said!"

On to Cilla, I won't say too much about yesterdays ride as it was much the same as the others - the directions are getting easier and the leg yields are much improved.

Todays ride was something of a revelation . . . Suffice to say that I wish we had had some one there with a camera. Everything started off the well and and we went straight out to the arena saddled up and ready to go. Hind quarter yields were going well in both directions, soft lateral flexion, a few really nice directional changes at the trot and walk . . . and then it began . . .

The first buck, really wasn't much to write home about and neither was the second - the fact that we found ourselves cantering around in a steady, softly held circle was somewhat of a surprise for both of us, so I let her carry on and tried to stay as neutral as possible while she explored this. After a few goes around we came back slightly more gracefully than usual to a trot. So I thought, lets try left . . . and again, the first buck was more of a tail swish and the second swish produced a nice steady lope to the left on the correct lead. After maybe 10 minutes pootling (a technical term) around to the left we again came back to a trot, then a walk and then she stopped and backed up a step.

All of this might not sound overly exciting, but it was a real break through today with Cilla - the circles were held well, and the lightness was something new - I have been saying for a while now that once she worked it out life would be easy (ier)! Today she made it easy all on her own. Give them some space and in the end you can produce better results.