Big changes in the past year!
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:57 pm
A year ago I lost my best horse Merlin after major colic surgery and it felt like the world had ended. 
I struggled through the months not feeling particularly inspired and not having anything to ride [or even wanting to ride].
Eventually I had Zeus collected and frozen for AI in October and then had him gelded in November so that I could finally end up with a nice new riding horse that I could take out and about to events without needing extra helpers [rules and regulations for stallions mean that you always need at least one helper for a stallion at shows]. There were a number of other PRE stallions arriving into NZ last year so the decision to geld him was made on the fact that he had a very high libido and his future on-going use would be limited, so it didn't seem fair to keep him entire and very frustrated for most of his life which would also cause issues for management and handling at home.
I worked him inhand over the Xmas holidaze [along with his mother who hadn't been ridden in the past 8 years!] to get him fit and ready for breaking in and he went off to the breaker in early January as planned. He turned 5yo in November so was much more developed mentally and physically and was more than ready for a riding career. I also did a 3 day classical dressage clinic at home with his mother who coped well with her conversion to a riding horse from being a broodmare and paddock ornament.
Zeus has come back after several weeks of steady work at the breakers where he learnt to do lots of things including how to herd cattle and many other useful things to prepare him for his future life of doing public displays, being a working chap on our farm, and he will be my Working Equitation horse as well. I have yet to try him herding the sheep but I'm sure he will love this as stock work is bred into the breed and they are all excellent working horses.
Finally I have a lovely new horse to work with and he is coming along really nicely and we are starting to have lots of fun together at last! B)
He's such a dude in the paddock now his mind is on being nice to people rather than sex
Working Equitation bridge practice. Wish I could hide the neighbours house and mess!
We do lots of cone and obstacle work
Next step is to add in the garrocha and my horsebow... Last week we played with him ignoring a mare while we were working in the arena and he was fantastic after the first couple of minutes where he just had to have a little shout at her. 
I struggled through the months not feeling particularly inspired and not having anything to ride [or even wanting to ride].
Eventually I had Zeus collected and frozen for AI in October and then had him gelded in November so that I could finally end up with a nice new riding horse that I could take out and about to events without needing extra helpers [rules and regulations for stallions mean that you always need at least one helper for a stallion at shows]. There were a number of other PRE stallions arriving into NZ last year so the decision to geld him was made on the fact that he had a very high libido and his future on-going use would be limited, so it didn't seem fair to keep him entire and very frustrated for most of his life which would also cause issues for management and handling at home.
I worked him inhand over the Xmas holidaze [along with his mother who hadn't been ridden in the past 8 years!] to get him fit and ready for breaking in and he went off to the breaker in early January as planned. He turned 5yo in November so was much more developed mentally and physically and was more than ready for a riding career. I also did a 3 day classical dressage clinic at home with his mother who coped well with her conversion to a riding horse from being a broodmare and paddock ornament.
Zeus has come back after several weeks of steady work at the breakers where he learnt to do lots of things including how to herd cattle and many other useful things to prepare him for his future life of doing public displays, being a working chap on our farm, and he will be my Working Equitation horse as well. I have yet to try him herding the sheep but I'm sure he will love this as stock work is bred into the breed and they are all excellent working horses.
Finally I have a lovely new horse to work with and he is coming along really nicely and we are starting to have lots of fun together at last! B)
He's such a dude in the paddock now his mind is on being nice to people rather than sex
- PC240486.jpg (118.45 KiB) Viewed 9262 times
Working Equitation bridge practice. Wish I could hide the neighbours house and mess!
- P3260553.jpg (187.36 KiB) Viewed 9262 times
We do lots of cone and obstacle work
- P3260576.jpg (183.3 KiB) Viewed 9262 times
Next step is to add in the garrocha and my horsebow...
Last week we played with him ignoring a mare while we were working in the arena and he was fantastic after the first couple of minutes where he just had to have a little shout at her. 