Stephen Gowling

Bishop Auckland, United Kingdom

Englishman trying to ride western!
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13 posts
158 comments

Commented on My mare wants to go straight into a t...

22 Apr 12:25

Richard Boatwright

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Commented on Could use a little help. I have a fiv...

21 Apr 15:59

Richard Boatwright

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Replied on Had a Great few days with the horses ...

21 Apr 07:19

And lastly I took Moony out to work the code and see how she responded, as a traditional English trained mare she associates the round pen and flag with lunging (previous life) so just just goes in circles until she gets tired! 

well it took a while and several dozen laps before I got an eye and ear, immediate release for her and same on other rein, but writhing minutes I had her giving me full eye and head and turning in, just shows you can teach an old dog new tricks, more mouth action than me at an all you can eat BBQ!

It may be bank holiday mo day but time to do my VAT return and accounts

Enjoy your day all 

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Commented on Had a Great few days with the horses ...

21 Apr 07:15

Due to the inclement weather today we opted for the kids to have a slumber day and stay in and save them tearing up the pasture so I had fresh horses to work…..

Using my brain for once I opted to work on speed control for Sarge and really drill it home, great results & had him working from voice commands only in trot whilst obeying the code, wish I had videoed as the rear end action was quite spectacular to start with but great results, getting somewhere I think in moving forward!

Stan out next and he was full of himself but continued ground driving and it was fantastic from the goof ball, nice trot action and soft head coming in whilst moving forward, again wish I had the video on as I was over the moon with him

Opted to use the roller today as opposed to the saddle which worked just as well, I’m going to harness him soon to be able to work the harrow in the round pen and also maybe put him on the cart, no hurry to ride him away as he is still growing but at least all the basics in play

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Posted

20 Apr 11:43

Had a Great few days with the horses since I returned from SC.

I’ve taken Sarge the Friesian back to basics with speed control and moving forward on command and it’s paying dividends as things are getting softer and less pressure to get desired results, a little ground driving which went really well but until I’m happy with this momentum I’m keeping that in the locker.

Stan the youngster is flying along, started the ground driving and he really is taking to it well, moved out of the rubber bit into a French link snaffle and he’s becoming really soft, slight hesitation and resistance in one eye and we are patiently working through it and each day I’m seeing an improvement. 

Due to the imminent arrival of a foal into the herd I’ve let Seeta the young mare go to pastures new, she really was a disruptive force in the herd, all the horses are much more relaxed.

even managed a few rides on the old girls, ditched the mecate for Richard Boatwright’s flat rein set up and wow they are so good to ride with, thank you for the extended length on them Richard, very thoughtful and definitely needed. 

If you don’t have a set, get some is all I can say! 

I did get them for the wife’s horse but she is not getting them now 🤣🤣

Well maybe a set for Christmas 

Hope your all making good progress 
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Commented on I want to wish all of you a very happ...

20 Apr 07:34

Beat me to it! 

Hope you all enjoy the time with your families and horses, Happy Easter 🐣 

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Commented on Richard Boatwright at what time do yo...

18 Apr 16:19

I’m also interested to know what to look for in a bit when moving from a snaffle, anything beyond a snaffle I have zero knowledge about 

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Replied on Aubrey Isaacson I feel like such a lo...

17 Apr 06:13

Lovely looking mare, good luck with the ground driving, took me a while with Richard’s expert advice to grasp it and get my hands sorted but once Gus and I worked it out and he melted and went soft it all made sense, we will see how my pig headed Vanners do with it! 

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Commented on Aubrey Isaacson I feel like such a lo...

16 Apr 11:31

Happy Belated Birthday Aubrey Isaacson I will take the blame for this Richard Boatwright as it was my last day with you and we were ground driving, I suspect after I left you were that relieved the daft limey had left everything else went out the window! 

Hope you had a great day Aubrey 

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Posted

14 Apr 07:33

Howdy all, on the back of my recent visit to ride and learn from Richard he helped me work on ground driving in detail and we worked through the process to help me get a handle on effective ground driving, I thank Richard Boatwright for this, I know it is basic stuff but essential for making the horse a success.

It got me thinking what do you want to see in terms of videos and subjects in the library that is not already covered? (It probably is but you’re not found it yet as the library is extensive!) 

Suggestions might help Richard for future reference, I know how busy he is but I also know he is passionate about the program and helping as many people as he can and records new content on a daily basis. 

Fire away with suggestions 

Also mention which series has helped you the most and is your go to currently for help and inspiration/instruction.

For me the Nachees colt starting and also Stardust softening the older horse collection has helped me massively 
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