First I warm him up by lunging.
I take him through all of his gaits on a long rope.
..and then I use a mounting block to get on him.
Now we start to walk.
Trot.
Trotting more.
Now trotting the other direction.
Dominus has really good natural motion and WILL be a great show horse one day!
Trotting figure 8's through the center of the ring.
..a little rear - typical when we are going to the right
Before we canter, my trainer Kelli Lowery has a little talk with Dominus.
Cantering to the left is good.
Getting ideas..
and we start to canter right ok...for now.
not happy about it though.
Jumping into the canter again..
Nice Trot!..but you are suppose to be cantering!!
Tail swishing is never a good thing.
Let the fight begin..
Ummm..
Buck..
Big Buck! Enlarge this picture for unbelievable details.
Behaving badly..
Positioning for the rear..
Going Up!
and up higher..
Coming down.
Can I get off nowwwww???
He is mad..
I am madder!
Up again..
..and again..
Flex Dammit! (This is something called the one rein stop and something we do everytime he rears up with me.)
1 more buck..
..and a rear.
Until he finally canters to the right 3 full size arena circles (very large) without incident. YEAH!!!
31 comments:
OMG Julie that looks scarey. How were you able to stay on? You must be a really good rider.
Loved the pictures!!! Glad you had your helmet on.
Ginger
youre freaken nuts!! He is a gorgeous creature! (so are you by the way!) Im glad you won in the end. those were wonderful pictures and I really enjoyed them. I'm glad you didnt fall off! keep us posted how this adventure goes!!
hugs
vivian
In that picture "I am madder" you both have the same expression on your face!! LOL!
When I was ten my parents signed me up for horse back riding lessons and I was terrified each and every time I got on the horse (and I'm sure that poor, ancient horse knew it).
I finally confessed and my parents quickly unenrolled me. I do love looking at your pictures and wishing I was just a little bit braver.....
Hi Julie....I came back after you posted the rest of the pictures. Glad you left the comment on my blog to see more. Dominus really looks like he has some spirit, what a gorgeous horse he is, but you couldn't pay me to get on him. lol. Sure glad you know what you are doing!!! I looked at the picture again where you said he was mad...is that why the ears are pinned back?
I loved seeing you ride.
He is a beauty!!!!!
Hugs!
Kat
Very impressive riding!!!! Keep up the good work. You will win in the end and have a wonderful mount. Enjoyed the photos very much.
Wow! You've got guts! I hate those tough rides, but the worst part for me if having to work up enough guts to get on them again. :P
Great Balls of Fire, Julie...I would have wet down both pant legs when he started all that !! But, then again, I AM SCARED OF HORSES..just never have been around them.
The photos are AWESOME!!
Oh but he is pissed.
If it were me, I'd skip working to the left for awhile. He's going to grow up to be one of those guys who cuts his class short. STINKER.
But, he might just need a chiropractor.
My goodness - well sat!!
Ever thought about taking him temporarily out of Saddlebred School and finding a good classical dressage trainer? There are two inherent benefits to that: one, REAL classical dressage trainers (and they are hard to find) are very much conversant w/ equine physiology, and will be able to rule out pain as a possible cause of all this madness. (2) Once pain IS ruled out, the horse will then get exposed to the concept of FORWARD. Then you can bring him back and re-start Saddlebred School.
Just my thoughts. I could name names of a solid (think: WGC-winning) pro and a truly "many loose screws" horse for whom this tactic worked admirably... but I won't do so in public!
Dominus is aptly named! He wants to be the boss. He is beautiful. I think you are going to win in the end, though. You are one brave girl!
Hugs, Susan
OMG!! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Not that the situation was really funny for you but your photographer sure got fantastic shots!! They captured the emotions of both the horse and the rider. By the way, you obviously have very good balance in that saddle to stick him when he pulled his shanigans!! And I was impressed that you kept going and made him do what you asked!! That took determination!
He looks like a beautiful horse that will really make a nice show horse. Good Luck!
Indeed?
Well, good luck with that.
Dominus is absolutely gorgeous & full of Spirit! Wonderful photos & post Julie.
I can't believe it...WOW What a ride!!! You did sooooo great!!! At least you hung in there and showed him whos boss...right??!! LOL. Way to go girl!! laurie
good lord! I'm exhausted just reading about it and seeing the pictures. I'm not sure who won! Are you? Gorgeous horse.
Scareee!! I am afraid of horses (but love them). I would have been thrown off for sure!!
Have a great (safe) week!
Linda
Wow, I don't know how you stay on! That's amazing!
Hi Julie,
I'm back~ thanks for checking. Just been too busy to get on line. Will hopefully update my blog tomorrow. Fabulous photos! That horse is gorgeous. Oh how I miss riding horses.
Have a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Sandy
OMG! You are unbelievable! Look at you! That horse would have had me for lunch. What a beautiful being!
Looks like you are sitting on an area of the horse's back where its ribs are not there to support a rider. Have you tried a different type of saddle on him, one which will allow you to ride with your weight on his ribs instead of his loins?
Wow, what a great set of photos! It sounds like you've ruled out all the possibilities other than stubborness. And some of us just are...people, dogs, and horses. He's beautiful and sure has attitude...but don't you think greatness usually comes with some attitude? I do. It looks like he'll learn who the boss is eventually, because I think she has a little stubborn streak too ;o)
What a lesson!! ANd a fabulous horse and rider!! Thanks for the fun!
Kari & kijsa
JULIE!!! I would have been so scared!! These pictures are awesome!! Dominus is gorgeous! WOW! You are an awesome rider, that is for sure! I would love to be able to do that! The only time I have ridden a horse for more than five minutes, it took off and jetted through the woods! I was only 8. Awesome post!!!!
Hugs,
Amy
I agree with Anonymous, above. You are practically sitting on the horse's croup. Perhaps, for training, you should invest in a dressage saddle or all-purpose saddle that will bring your seat forward and help your young horse keep his balance until he is more mature and able to work with the additional weight of a rider on his back. Your horse looks uncomfortable, rather than "feisty".
So glad you didn't go flying off of that horse. You are one tough cowgirl!
The pictures are just amazing Julie! The one where you are both mad just CRACKS me up! Same face! Good for you for staying on! You are a brave woman!
Julie! omg this is hilarious! Thanks for sharing, it made my day:)
I wish I lived near you and could lend you my treeless saddle just as an experiment.....I am hoping your horse feels more happy and comfortable in his work soon. Then you'll enjoy it more as well!
Oh, my! At least you were able to hang on. I was imagining the worse as I scrolled down through the post-lol.
The horse is beautiful and your photographer got some great shots too.
JEEZZZZZZ girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are crazy, this looks so scary, I am scared for you!!!! omg - too funny -Hope it works out for you and Dominus, I have my doubts!!! haha!!!! good luck!!
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