Stephen Gowling

Bishop Auckland, United Kingdom

Englishman trying to ride western!

Commented on Prestarting Luna

03 Jan 09:16

I’ll be interested to see how you deal with the digging as a few of ours think they are coal minors when tied up and it annoys the life out of me 🤣

Commented on Prestarting Luna

03 Jan 09:12

Oh boy she looks like a cracker and a different kettle of fish to Ike, hope she’s still with you in April, is she as well developed physically as she looks on video? 

Richard Boatwright unfortunately the heavy rain has now turned to ice so frozen round pen has stopped play and no doubt when I return to work it will thaw 🤣🤣

snow warning now issues for the next few days…..roll on spring 

Reply

Happy New year to you all, hope it’s a good one for everyone 

31 Dec 09:11

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Day 2 and what a grim day it is, high winds and driving rain, managed to get my old girl (Moony) out and practice the code, took a while as she associates the round pen with lunging from her former life before me as an English horse but we got there with some nice softening and yielding and attention, a bit of work on the snaffle and line has exposed a real resistance to one eye so we worked on that, more work to do before serious rain stopped play.

My better half managed to get day 1 in with her big dope of a Friesian (Sarge) which went well but also exposed some holes to plug .

Didn’t managed to get my young mare out (Seeta) but did some work in the stable with her feet and taking a bit which had good success in slow steps

Gave my young gelding (Stan) a groom and then retired home for NYE 

Hope you all have a great New Year’s Eve 

Attached is a picture of Sarge trying his hand at flagging 

Posted

31 Dec 04:29

Well I started my 2 youngsters on the ES20 Colt starting yesterday, such a contrast between the Vanner cross and Friesian cross, the former is just a plodder and so compliant in everything asked, making him move faster than a walk is a trial in itself but he listens and moved on to bridle and snaffle and worked him well, missed so many cues it was laughable.

Now on to the mare, the opinionated acrobatic, leg kicking, turning on a sixpence speed merchant, so much fun to work around the round pen, naturally turns in but the attention span of a knat, everything is 100 miles an hour with her, a bit of work on the head collar/lead before it got dark.

let’s see what we all digested over night….. I may get my old mare out today to start plugging her gaps also! 

more revision watching videos overnight, thanks Richard Boatwright

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27 Dec 13:05

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Great video, I have a 50ft panel pen on Sand and I’ve put a barge board on at the bottom to keep the sand in but seriously considering boarding the whole thing soon for the reason you can see in the picture, they get easily distracted! 

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Haha take your pick, they are all as unruly and disobedient as the others, but with the ES20 program hopefully the 2 youngsters may turn out half decent! 

Reply

Posted

23 Dec 16:12

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy new year, I hope 2025 will be full of enjoyment with your horses, really looking forward to riding with Richard Boatwright next year again and learning from him both in the USA and UK. 

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Posted

20 Dec 12:35

Richard Boatwright 

Quick question Richard, I should have videoed this and may get a chance tomorrow, when I working my yearling filly in the round pen and teaching the code of her facing up and releasing pressure, I am getting the face and release the pressure but she insists on coming up to me when I’m turned away (as join up would be) she is still a bit handy with her hind legs so I want her out of my space, should I be stopping her during her walk up with a open hand or flag (this works) or doing something else, if I let her come all the way up she will stand on my shoulder for a while then move away, I currently am then sending her away to work more. 

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