Bridleless jumping with Maxi today...PICS/VID

[alwaysfallingof]

So today I was searching for New and Interesting things to do with the pony. I've only had him back off loan for a couple of weeks so we haven't played at riding with no bridle for almost a year. Normally I put a headcollar on instead, but today I decided what the hell, I'll just tie a string around his neck and get on with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB5zPzCUCl8
(sorry about the quality, they were taken on my phone!)

I love my pony :inlove:. So having established that I had brakes and steering, my friend had another idea:

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

And then:

It was really hard training myself to let go of the string around his neck - it wasn't doing anything but it felt so WEIRD to be not holding anything! I also got rid of the heavy stick I was holding in the video that was meant to be helping me steer because I kept on hitting myself on the head with it . He's such a good boy, he's not had any natural horsemanship training or anything, just enjoys being given new things to think about. He loved it!

 

[notpoodle]

yay!! its max!!! soooo lovely to see him 'do stuff' once more your bridleless riding is excellent!!

 

[newforest]

It's fun isn't it.

 

[alwaysfallingof]

It's lots and lots of fun . Wouldn't try it on Rosco though, that would probably be a recipe for disaster .

Julia, thanks . He says hello to you and Angel, he is really really good atm actually. I'm toying with the idea of getting him Cushings tested though, just can't quite bring myself to actually do it...

 

[notpoodle]

has he got any symptoms? i never had angel tested in the end but have put her on agnus castus (vitex for equids) which has really made a difference for her

 

[No_Angel]

Lovely video :happy:

 

[alwaysfallingof]

No_Angel - thanks

Julia, he's still very very fluffy, is underweight but ridiculously sensitive to grass and (although this is more difficult to be sure) is lethargic. I queried EMS with my vet but she says in her opinion he is far more likely to have Cushings. I think I want to know a bit more about what pergolide will actually do in terms of treating symptoms and the effect that withholding treatment will do in terms of progression of the disease and long term effects.