Call it a graduation "party"!

Yesterday was a banner day – my first ride on Cohort since he started showing his alter ego (Mr. Balky Butt) that he didn't need "remedial lunging"! He was still thinking about balking, but resolved the issue in his own mind every time and even moved out and relaxed a bit periodically. I was very proud of him, and told him so.

Perfect timing, then, that Cohort's owner and I had planned a casual "trail" ride out and about on our hill this morning. As expected, Horton was much happier out of the arena, and we had a lovely walkabout and visit, me on Horton and Sylvia on Breezy, Brian's pony.

Now that he's seen Pare e´, I have a feeling Horton and I are not gonna stay down on the farm as much. Over the years I've done a lot of my schooling in the nearby fields and cherry orchards, and now that we've been out with an escort, I'm comfortable doing that with Cohort on my own. The varied terrain is great for conditioning and I think it will be better for his brain.

Still turning . . .

Today Cohort didn't get any warm-up lunging; I just got on. I'd set up three little ground poles to walk over (gotta work on spacing) which were a non-issue but helped mix things up a bit, then I asked for a trot. He really didn't want to; he wanted to balk – oh, how he wanted to balk! As a result, the trot was sticky and ugly, as was his attitude. He never really slammed on the brakes, but the stickiness increased enough to be all but, so off came the rider and on went the lunge line and around (andaroundandaroundandaround) went Mr. Balky Butt.

When I got back on, Cohort's attitude was still less than cheery, but to his credit he kept moving. We trotted circles and long lines and shoulder-fore and leg yield; big figure eights and small half-eights to change direction. I kept him trotting longer than usual just to see if he would say "enough" or keep going, and he kept going. After cooling him out at the walk I asked for the trot again, just to test him. Two full figure eights – again, not totally willing, but not terrible – and back to the walk on a long rein to finish cooling out. Yay!

There's a glimmer at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it's a train. :-) Before long, I am hopeful that we will be able to start working on rhythm. Yes, that's the beginning of the training scale. Sometimes you have to dig yourself out of a pit to get to ground level!

The wheels are turning

After a busy day, I finally got to work Cohort in the gathering dusk this evening. I was curious to see how he would act after yesterday's lesson, and I didn't have long to find out. After some walking and trotting with hints of hesitation, he sulled up. I had everything at the ready, and within seconds he was galloping around at the end of the lunge line. I kept him going several rounds past when he was ready to slow down, and then brought him back to the mounting block. We walked and then picked up the trot. Cohort wasn't going in a nice frame, and frequently considering misbehaving again (especially going to the right), but when I responded with a stern guttural correction, he thought better of it and kept moving. We trotted and walked and trotted again, including some lateral work. All the while he was clearly thinking; thinking about balking and then thinking better of it. I didn't ride long; the only place he worked up a sweat that I could see was under the girth. But if brain cells can sweat, I'm sure Horton's mental gears were well lubed!

Sir Scarface Sweatyrump

I'm back from a quick trip to Texas to escort my son home after a visit with my folks. Cohort had a week off, so I was curious to see how he would behave today.

Oh, first I should explain the scar. Horton cut his face playing with his neighbor through the paddock fence at his last boarding place. Rick had stitched him up at the time, and removed the stitches in due time after Horton moved here. I thought his owner might like to see how he has healed up to now.

Back to Sir Sweatyrump. After a bit of lunging him in side reins, I mounted. Horton seemed eager to go, so after very little walking I asked for the trot. Almost immediately he balked – with ATTITUDE. I pulled his head around to my knee to avoid a quick ejection and then jumped to the ground to implement my strategy.

You see, I have been giving some thought to Horton's bad habit and the most effective response to it. I believe I was on the right track with what I did last time, but since horses live very much in the moment, a quicker reaction would be better. So I had at the ready a second lunge line with a snap end that I could attach more quickly if necessary.

I leapt off, snapped the lunge line to the nearest bit ring, and immediately commanded him into a gallop. After what I deemed sufficient exertion, I calmly brought him back, removed the lunge line, and remounted. Walked a bit, asked for the trot – and got a nasty balk again.

I responded as above, only sending him the other direction to keep things equal. Rinse and repeat . . . four times. By this time, Cohort had sweat and lather from ears to tail – not that I felt sorry for him. I mounted again and proceeded to walk him. And you know what? He gave me a more honest connection to the bit and better "ear attitude" than during any ride I've had on him to date! He thought about quitting a few times as evidenced by a slight, momentary hesitation in forward motion, and actually balked twice when tracking right – but responded quickly to a verbal correction while I pulled his head toward my knee so we were able to keep walking without another lunging session.

It was a very encouraging session, and I look forward to seeing how he responds tomorrow!

Beautiful Mr. Balky-Butt

Horton...

hears a Who. 

Yes, you do.

So, after a good first week without confrontations, Cohort's balky-butt (his owner's term) side showed today. After a pleasant-enough start to our ride, he started quitting at the trot, and then progressed to quitting at the walk, then quitting and acting ugly – laying his ears back and arching his neck a little and swishing his tail. If I didn't know his history I would have gotten in his business for copping such an attitude – and probably ended up in the sand. Instead I turned him in small circles and got him walking again. When it was clear he wasn't going to work out of it, I congratulated him on winning the work lottery, got off, and lunged him in a small enough circle that I could "reach out and touch someone" if he tried to quit on me again. He ended up a whole lot sweatier than he would have from simple under-saddle work; time will tell if he figures that being good is easier and being naughty is harder.

Friday the farrier was out to give him a pedicure and put front shoes on him. To his owner's knowledge, he'd never worn iron before, but he behaved very well. And now Cohort doesn't forge as much as he did when he was barefoot and overgrown!