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pasoman
08-27-2006, 12:15 AM
A while ago I wrote about my first ride on my new mare Felicity... This is the one the previous owner had gotten all the bad advice ( "beat her into submission.. and a trainer said he trains all Pasos with a 3 foot board")

Since August 7 th I have been riding her every weekend and she has make great progress.

The previous owner had kind of abused her with the bridle and bit... she had not been trained to a bit yet. (when I went to pick her up, I showed him the Paso headset that I use... Felicity jumped back as far as she could at the sight of a bridle.) Abuse??? or ignorance ???

Originally she would not stop.. she just put her head up and out.... had to turn her in a circle to stop her... would not stand still.. She now stops on a soft tug on the reins and stands still for as long as you want.

Would not go near mud on the trail previously... today she went through mud like a trooper... We had massive amounts of rain and hail on Thursday so the trails were very muddy in places.. I just headed her through the mud and away she went

Did not want to cross streams... now goes right through.

Last obstacle... she still does not want to stand for me to get on... Got on once today without anyone holding her. Hopefully we will conquer this in the near future..but I do think this will be a bigger demon to conquer.

She is a very smart little girl and has made gigantic strides in only a few weeks. And she has an incredibly fast walk.... Only have done a very slow corto and only for a very short distance... One step at a time..

Just wanted to let people know how Felicity is progressing and that all it takes is a little patience and time and you can usually turn around a horse that has some issues created by someone who did not know what they were doing.

It was a great 5 hour ride in a great park.... Hay Creek in Minnesota.

CarolU
08-27-2006, 12:34 AM
First, let me say that you are doing a wonderful job rescuing this girl! Congratulations! These are such sensitive horses, they frequently get overwelmed when pushed too hard and too fast through early training. Sounds like you have gone back and laid a solid foundation where before she had holes.


Last obstacle... she still does not want to stand for me to get on... Got on once today without anyone holding her. Hopefully we will conquer this in the near future..but I do think this will be a bigger demon to conquer.


Do two things with her...first push/pull on the saddle so she is standing square with all four feet and is prepared for taking weight. This will eleminate the first step away from a stand still. Secondly, I assume she knows how to flex. Flex her head to the side you are mounting on and hold her inside reing there, just where she has a relax spot when flexed. Then get on. If she does move, it'll be very little and towards you rather then away from you. Lots of rewards when you get on and relax there for a minute. Even a treat if you give treats. You'll conquer this demon very quickly.

Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS again.

Linda Y
08-27-2006, 12:53 AM
Great job! Kudos to you for taking this poor mare. She would soon have been one of 'those crazy Pasos'.
May she be a wonderful partner for you.

Minouri
08-27-2006, 01:07 AM
:jumpy I love stories like that.

Jane Hurl
08-27-2006, 04:37 AM
Me too, Minouri! Me too! :D

Pasogirlz
08-27-2006, 12:23 PM
Reminds me of when I first purchased Tequila. It feels SO good to achieve even the smallest victories w/these rescue horses. 8-) And it seems like it will take forever to get to the point you want to be, but time flys and they learn fast. It sounds like you are on the fast track. Congratulations on a job well done so far. I'm sure you will be pleased w/your end result.

motorgypsy
08-27-2006, 02:23 PM
FANTASTIC!!! Once they decide you are trustworthy you're on the fastrack for sure!!

pasoman
08-27-2006, 11:00 PM
Carol U... thanks for the advice.. I did not mention that is how I got on the last time. I thought the post was getting a little long. But in the beginning I had to have someone hold on to her as she felt like she was going to explode. Over time this disapated and I felt it was time to try this method.

However sometimes on the trail it was not always feasible to do this and then I needed to have someone hold her.

I am sure she will soon stand for me to get on.. I am just not rushing her.

Thanks again.

CarolU
08-27-2006, 11:03 PM
That is good to hear. I always love a happy ending!