Same song, different verse

If Sunday's ride was about persistent encouragement, today's was about encouraging obedience. After watching Horton pick up the canter promptly numerous times on the lunge line Monday, I could see no reason I shouldn't get a prompt response under saddle. After all, our goal as riders is NOT to NAG a horse into obeying, but to use the lightest aids possible to get the desired response immediately. My training mantra came to mind: Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy.

Horton seemed eager to trot today, but wasn't pleasant about trotting. After encouraging forward, straight and connected for awhile (not too successfully), I asked for canter – and got balky instead. Not balky to the point of needing remedial lunging, but he got the next best thing. Every time I asked for something – canter, or even just forward and connected at the trot – and Horton acted balky, I immediately brought him around my inside leg in a volte, then back onto the 20m circle we went. We did a LOT of voltes....

Eventually Horton gave me a decent canter depart to the left, and held it until I asked for trot again. I praised him profusely, and followed that with a long, stretchy walk break. Working on the right rein started out much better, with fewer voltes before getting a "yes, Ma'am!" to my canter request – and he stayed in canter just fine! Again, lots of praise followed by another long walk break.

I decided to ask for some polite trot work in both directions before ending our day's schooling session. Horton clearly thought school should be over for the day, until some more voltes convinced him otherwise. Once convinced, we could adjourn. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings!

Steady baby steps

That's what I feel Horton and I are taking together, and I'm a happy woman! I sense a major shift in his attitude, and believe "remedial lunging" is behind us (the line is still in the arena, though, just in case).

Today I did lunge him in a surcingle and side reins, though. Yesterday when I rode, I asked for – and got! – canter both directions, but the right lead was a real struggle. It took lots and lots of urging for him to finally pick it up – and then he'd lose it within a stride or two. Well, that was the first time. He picked up the right lead canter four times, and each time he held it for a few strides longer, but it was clearly a challenge. So today I wanted to be able to watch for clues to a solution while he worked, hence the lunging.

There were no waving red flags, just a horse that is a little less balanced and strong when circling to the right. I was very encouraging and he honestly tried to comply with all my commands. In fact, he was such a good boy that when we were done lunging, I stripped off everything but the bridle, led him over to the arena fence (where he stayed close enough for the first time!), and slipped on him bareback. I finished cooling him out at the walk, asking him to reach down and flex his neck and poll from side to side.

So it has been a momentous week already – and it's not yet half over!

Dream

Last night I dreamed about riding Horton in a big, green, sloping field with perfect footing (it looked rather like Equinox Farm!). We cantered the uphill grades; my mount was round and willing... it was lovely.

Horton has been here over a month, and he hasn't cantered under saddle since I tried him out before bringing him home. He hasn't offered, and didn't respond the one time I asked for it verbally. Much of his time here has been spent trying out his balky attitude on me, so obviously there's no point in pushing for canter with a horse who isn't thinking "forward."

After my dream, I got up determined to ride Horton early. If I put off riding (like I did yesterday) it often doesn't happen – I get caught up in all that needs doing, it gets too hot, my mental reserves are spent dealing with my son, etc. So this morning I did chores in my breeches and then saddled up.

I told Horton it was time he got with the program; that I knew he could be a good boy. Then I proceeded to ride him accordingly – expecting him to be good and not accepting anything less! And yes, I did ask him to canter.  It was a non-starter to the right, but he did canter to the left a couple times. I tried getting the right lead by crossing the diagonal and encouraging a flying change (he was ridden by a hunter/jumper for awhile, after all), but that didn't work. Still, it was a good ride overall, and another stride forward in the attitude department!

Hot pink and prunes

This morning I rode Horton over much of the same ground his owner and I covered together last week. I was going to ride him out and about yesterday, but by the time I got to the barn it was dusk and Horton was decidedly NOT interested in going on a "trail" ride at suppertime! So I rode him in the arena. He ended up getting one remedial lunging session; I don't think it was so much an “I'm DONE” balk as it was an “I want to stop here near the other horses” balk. It earned him the same results, though. ;-)

Not all my riding clothes have pockets, so I picked up this little cell phone holder recently. The ability to summon help should Horton and I part company is important – even though I'm not planning on ever needing it.

When Sylvia and I went riding last Tuesday, we picked and ate some prunes along the way. At Sylvia's suggestion, I gave Horton some, too (sans pits; the nice thing about prunes is that they are freestone). Today when we got to the prune trees, Horton stopped and turned his head, ready for his hand-out! I obliged him, but he wanted more and searched on his own.

He seemed to like the leaves as well as he liked the fruit!

Clearly this boy is a quick study, so I'm counting on him becoming a good student sooner rather than later.

Inspiration!

This Swedish gal's riding ability had me cheering at the end!



Fortunately, Horton hasn't tested my "stick-to-itiveness." I rode him in the arena Friday without warm-up OR remedial lunging. He thought less about balking, too. Definite progress!