Hacked Harry to the beach, across the creek and up the path parallel to Sims rd. Trotted all the way down the path once we got off the stones. Trying to keep him on a long rein as much as possible, and going away from home thats not too hard, just sliding a hand down th reins every so often to remind him. Trotting back down Sims Rd you do need to keep a contact with him, but just lightly and he was no problem.

Took Giant to the new developments, but didn't go to the beach, the tide was right in. Instead we trotted down the bridle path from where the road starts, and down the fork that heads towards Te Horo, then back down there and out to the landing strip where we did a couple of canter laps, pushed him out a bit (he wanted to go, then at the end he strted to think he was a bit tired) but it was really pretty wet.

Then it got wetter, it rained on us :(. Lol, wasn't too heavy, we trotted back down the bridle paths and walked home before we got too wet.

It actually turned into a reasonably nice day after the rain this morning. I hacked Harry out where I took Giant last time, through the developments and down to the te Hapua Rd entrance. Just did a little bit of trot and mostly walk until we got to the beach to save his energy. Then we went for a trot and canter down to the blue thingy. The beach was great, tide out but really stormy :). He did get a little bit excited, just when I brought him back from a canter and he wanted to keep going so we did that a few times. Made sure he was settled before we turned round and trotted most of the way back, doing a few trans to walk if he got a bit fast. Walked all the way back home.

Rode Giant up the hills down Harakeke rd, trotted a bit further down the road than last time and went up the hills after the fence, did much the same as last time, trotting up the hills and walking back down, letting him pause if he needed to, bt he was good, if you just let him take his time hes happy, its when you push him to go while hes a bit off balance that he start to just get a bit worried and rush or jump.

With schooling Harry I've been using some of the exercises from the 101 Schooling Exercises book (with an imaginary arena). After his usual warm up of walking and trotting on a long rein until he felt a bit looser, we started with Ex. 17, establishing working trot on a circle, then lengthening his trot out slightly across the diagonal, collecting him up again and coming to a halt. Lengthening then coming to a halt was good for him, pulling up and getting his back egs back underneath him beofore he go too strung out or hyper in the bigger trot. After doing this a couple of times each way I added a rein back after the halt.

We went onto Ex. 19, lengthening and collecting trot on a circle, which I think he did a lot better after doing the last exercise, he thought after lengthening that he was going to halt, so he was more ready to sit down and bring himself back, if he was a bit slow with it I just halted him again to remind him.

We finished by doing this same exercise in canter (Ex. 20), just pushing him out gradually for a few strides and then bringing him back before he got too excited about going fast, and building up the amount of strides we did.

Used the same exercises for Giant, but with him the emphasis was on the go rather than the stop parts. So with him in Ex. 17 I made the trot on the circle quite slow and started to build his trot up before the diagonal, then pushed him out as much as he could go on the straight line without falling on the forehand or trying to canter, then halted, sometimes also asked for a rein back, somtimes not, just to keep him thinking and listening. And again, the go after the halt is important for him, getting him to spring back into trot.

Ex.19, trans within trot on a circle, I do quite a bit with him anyway, but is still a very good exercise for him. And with him you can make a much bigger difference in his trot than with harry, brining him right back to a walk speed (but in trot), then focusing on getting him sharper off the leg so he would go forwards better and not disturb his balance.

Ex.20 in canter I modified a little, pushing his canter forwards on a bigger circle, then making the circle smaller as i slowed him down again so that he wanted to bring himself back, and the smaller circle means he has to bring the inside hind under himself more as he collects.

Giant probably ended up doing a lot of work today, I hacked him out as well, but he was really good :). Went down through the new developments, those dogs are all outside at the moment and they made a bit of a fuss, but he was pretty good about it, didn't do anything unreasonable. Trotted all the way along the path there to the beach.

Didn't plan on it but the tide was right out and the beach was so nice that I took him for a canter right down to the Te Hapua Rd entrance. Your right, he really did want to canter lol, not that fast mind, but he wanted to. Went for a splash to cool off and then trotted back. We came back through the developments again, just walking, I think he would have done a good few miles today.

Took Harry to the beach as well while the tide was out, except that we just went the normal Te Horo way, but then we headed up parallel to Sims road, while the tide was out there was space up the beach that way. Took him for a canter as well, he was great. Came back down Sims Rd, trotted where the verge is reall wide and then walked back. He was a little bit excited trotting, just made sure he stayed slow, asking him to slow down and then softening the rein again, rather than just pulling, until he just settled and trotted nicely.

Harry's been to the beach quite a bit lately so I went down Harakeke rd with him. Yay the hills on the other side of the hill road are finally open so I took him up there. Cool to have some steeper hills to ride on. He was good just cruising around them and then got a bit hyped up at the bottom a couple of times after I trotted him up a few. Just made him walk up the hills until he did it quietly and then when I trotted I waited until we were a little way up and then asked him to trot, or just kept walking if he got hyped up.

I wanted to jump Giant again, took him down there, but even just trotting around it was redicuously wet, so I took him out the same way as Harry. Trotted down the verge till we got to the new road and then up the hill just after the trees... its pretty steep, but then up hill isn't such a problem.

We went across to the new hills, was a very cool ride, it was late in the arvo with the sun setting and you can see pretty much 360 from up there. Good exercise for him on the hills, and good to have some steeper hills to practise on now. He was a good boy, started with easy hills and then zig zagged down much steeper ones, if he wanted to stop I just let him and actually rewarded him for it (its much better that he stops and collects himself than rushes down), then just quietly pushed him down again. Trotted and cantered him up a few hills and just kept letting him take him time going down.

Rode Harry out with you this morning, he was all good, prob a little tired from yesterday. So I concentrated more on watching you and Giant ;).

Try and really set things up to go right and don't let even the tiniest thing go past. Going down that stony path he was looking into every path to the left that lead off it and drifting into them, that would have been a good opportunity to correct him and get it out of his head.

Turning into the water is still the same thing, if you let him do it once hes going to try it again and each time he does it its going to be harder and harder to stop him. The first time he does it its will be a sort of "I wonder if I can just...", the fifth time he does it is going to be "I'm going". A lot easier to stop him the first time and tell him off so he doesn't try it again.

Sometimes its best just to avoid the problem so it doesn't get worse, you could have ridden up on the sand to avoid him turning into the water, or halted when a wave came towards him and then ridden him up towards the sand dunes so that he couldn't turn into the wave, but go were you've told him. Then you can start testing him to see if he'll stay parallel to the water for you, if not, go back and fix it.

I know hes strong - thats why you have to outsmart him instead of fight it. I also know its frustrating when you just want to have a nice ride, but you have to loose the frustration, it doesn't help either of you. You asked me the other day if I get angry (lol), but perhaps this is were it comes from... I learnt to ride on ponies that would try and buck me off every single day, I used to get very angry at them, but somewhere along the way I seem to have managed to loose all that (for the most part anyhow), I learnt over and over that it doesn't help. Sometimes you just have to stop and get a hold on yourself and focus on fixing the problem so that the next ride is better.

- I didn't tell you any of this while we were out there cos I wanted to see what was going on without disturbing you ;).

A couple of things on hacking out with others as well, doesn't matter so much with me on someone like Mate, but with other horses and riders... Always let the other person know what your going to do, don't just trot off and leeave the other person behind. Same at gates, always wait until the other person has got back on and sorted themselves over before you ride off. And when your riding infront, esspecially if your trotting and cantering just look back every now and again to make sure the other person is still with you.

I jumped Giant this afternoon, he was cool :). In our warm up I came down pretty hard on all his little habits... getting him properly infront of the leg and going forwards, and no letting him get that shoulder out, really making him turn properly. No excuses for anything.

Then all the work is the same, just with jumps inbetween. Hes getting a bit better at going forwards to and away from the jump and hes staying nice and straight for me. Still sometimes hes really lazy and just doesn't pick up, he hits it and doesn't even react. Thats the only thing he does that annoys me, usually they'll hit it and learn, he just does the same thing again, but that may change and they go up and he starts trying a bit harder.

And I did put them up again a little bit and he was better, I wanted to go up more but he slipped coming around as they were so I left it.

Took Giant to the beach, hoping he would do his turning for me, but he was really good lol. Took him to the beach the normal way so that I could ride him down the beach all the way. Took him for a trot and a canter and although he was a bit slowish and took a bit of get go he didn't think about turning.

We went a bit past the pink stump and then cirlced back to the right and off the beach through the developments. Cruised back through the hills and down the road, got a bit of a fright at the dogs but at least the cows were over the other side of the paddock :).

I just rode him in his normal bridle, but I'll set up a different one with the Fulmer bit for you. I think its probably best, even if you are cantering to pull him straight up if you feel him thinking about turning, stop him, make him straight, then hard forward again. If nothing else at least the transitions will help get him focused better on you.

It would also be easier to control him (and good practise for you) if you keep a contact on the bit when you trot and canter (still long rein for walking) him out hacking, that way you're ready as soon as he wants to try something. Then when you can trust him more start riding on a long rein again.

Was such a nice day I took Harry to the beach aswell, just took him in the opposite direction to entertain myself. Trotted through most of the developments and a little way south down the beach, went for a paddle and cantered most of the way back home, he was cool, actually better cantering than trotting.

Once the hype wore off from cantering and trotting so far he was a bit tired, that was quite a bit of work for him.

Got both of them clipped today, Harry was great, I'm sure hes been done many times before, trimmed his back feet as well. Just took it slow with Giant, he wasn't silly about it, just really wary of them. Ran them all over him again before I started and he settled down. When I started actually taking the hair off he got all worried again, and everytime I movd to a different spot I had to calm him down again. But by the end he was really good, just stood with the rope over his neck.

Kept him untied the whole time - always untie and hold them when doing something new or something they might not like.