Hi Guys,
I created a little space with 4 join up examples for you. If you would like to see something else, or feel that I need to do more as these aren't strong enough them please do let me know. I think that each of these horses have a more complicated story than the horses I am probably supposed to work with at my current level, but these are the horses I have access to! I think that in each join up there are things to improve and would really value any feedback on them to help me move forwards with my practice.
Really excited about finally being able to come out to Flag is Up and to meet you.
Matt :)
Join Up 1: (camera cut at the point of join up)
Join up 2 (restarted Join Up because camera cut out):
Hercules
Hercules is my horse - I have had him for a year and is the first horse I have worked with - a year ago I had never been near a horse. He is a 17h Friesian. He had two broken wolf teeth from a bit being smashed in to his teeth by a previous rider and so I am working with him without a bit. I felt it wasn’t necessary to use a bridle for the join up video as it a traumatic area that is taking a little time to move through. I could redo the join up and use a bridle with no bit if you would like to see that.
This was filmed on my own so I have had to bring the tack in to the space in the middle of the Join Up. Two videos - the first join up was great, but the camera cut out a the point of join up. I completed it and repeated the join up the following day. During the long-lining I had an issue where the stirrup leather came undone, so I stopped re-fixed it and dealt with the long lines.
Bundy - Join UP
Bundy came to my partner as a rescue - he has a tough past, which involved him being driven and being involved in a crash, where he was trapped under the cart, he has scares and that are constant with being was beaten, he had the tree of a saddle break and pierce his back in two places and he was left in a field with a head collar allowed to grow in to his head. No one has been able to ride him and when he first came to us you could not get close to him without a reaction. He is extremely reactive to sound and motion from above. His reactions involved leaping in the air in a large explosion, with a mix of rearing, bucking, bronking and kicking. He has been with is for 7 months.
He is now at the stage with my partner where he accepts the saddle and a rider and I have worked with him on line and at liberty.
For that reason I only work with him with a roller in this video, - you can see the reaction to the tightening of the roller, and so I took time to do this incrementally, as to do it in one go would have created a massive reaction that would not have been safe for me and would have undone some of the work that has been done with him.
I filmed this on my own and so had to bring the tack in to the space during the join up.
PEBBLES - Join UP
Is 4 year old, currently being started by my partner. She has very little experience of any one other than my partner and this join up was filmed the day after the first time she has had the saddle on. On the day of the join up the weather and atmosphere of the arena made the join up more difficult, but I think that I responded to Pebbles in the way I needed to. I would really value feedback on how to get the join up stronger.
Toots - Dually Work
Toots is a 13 years old kids pony, he has done all kinds of pony club events but is not naturally trusting and is deemed 'spooky and tight' by his owner. He does not currently have a saddle so I used a roller for him. This video is a short Dually session before his Join Up.
Toots - Join Up