boy o boy beejay was challenged tonight.
i loaded him onto the float (again with a big squirt of rescue Remedy - should have made it two) and he was fine. closed up the back... again, fine.
got in my car, drove around the roundabout and reversed back into the parking spot. a total of about 100m? whilst i was trying to reverse (anyone with experience reversing trailers/caravans/boats/horsefloats & can do it capably - i commend you... i'm TRYING to get there too!) he sang out nice and loud for his buddies.
managed to park, got out. he had slipped his head behind the barrier (probably once he realised he was moving!) and was in such a hurry to straighten up when he saw me, he bopped his face HARD on the metal piping. silly monkey! checked his face & he managed to remove quite a bit of fur, but nothing deep.
get the back down (fuck me, the tail gate is warping in the weather & i can't get one side totally hooked up by myself anymore - fucker), and let him off slowly. my biggest concern is him panicking whilst the back is down & the bum chains are up - the chain in my trailer is SOLID and if he doesn't respect the pressure from it & continues to go backwards... well, i don't know WHAT.
walked around for a while, let him process it, then tried again. he was a bit more hesitant to load up, but i put up some big energy and he went right on. he doesn't exactly TROT on, but he may stop halfway to have a think - if i push him past the 'think' point, he's okay.
the energy in him had changed & his anxiety had increased. he didn't visit beejyland, but he was not happy, nonetheless.
he decided he wanted to back out & no pressure from me was going to stop him, so he came out. i twirled the rope at his ass to get him to move forward and the bugger struck out at me! i made BIG energy at him and sent him back, then forwards and he practically trotted onto the float. this time he was more patient & i put the back up again & left him for a few moments before bringing it down & calling it a day for the float training.
i let him loose for a few minutes whilst i got changed. he was funny - something gave him a scare and he hooned off down the raceway. then something down there obviously concerned him because a few seconds later he was hooning BACK down the raceway.
silly pony.
i rode him after that. in the year we've been 'float training' i haven't really x'd the floating with anything else. but i figure he's going to have to deal with things happening BESIDES the floating. clearly he was not impressed by this idea and was in quite a grump. he moved away slightly when i brought the saddle out - hrm. after last week with no response from the saddle, i wonder what that's about. i KNOW the saddle fits and i KNOW he's not saddlesore. i'm thinking he was unimpressed with the idea of more work... perhaps humanising him a bit much, but still, that's what it felt like. i guess his dealing with the float *is* a bit of emotional work for him.
anyways. i was a mean mama and saddled him up and jumped on. we had a few discussions about HALT, before i rode him quite assertively and asked him to move off.
we warmed up around the arena at walk - LOTS of fucking outside rein/inside leg/halfhalts all over the place.
then a bit of trot & some canter and WEEEE HOOOO i knew for sure i've got a thoroughbred! boy, he had the wind up his pants today. again, i was a mean mummy and pushed him into a brisk canter all over the joint - past the OMFGSCARYLALA end of the arena (and today he decided it was scary). he was flying changing all over the place (fuck me, i just have to think it!) and i'm such a useless rider - whenever he'd change leg he'd totally lose balance and throw his head up and i'd brace against him, then he'd think about having a lala or would ZOOOM so i'd push his ass forward until he softened.
practiced some downward transitions (using some of the advice on
equestrian today, haha) and cooled down at a walk, on a very long rein. we also did some leg yielding, shoulder ins & turns on forehand... that was GOOD. both he and i were sweating at the end.
admittedly, i'd have prefered NOT to be cantering so much, but i felt very assertive and bossy & like it was just what we both needed.