What was that? A stack of shavings? OR MAYBE IT WAS A HORSE EATING MOUNTAIN
You know those rides that start off really, really, really good? And you think to yourself "damn, I'm brilliant. I should get off now, but I just want to do this last thing..."
Never goes well. Because really, you SHOULD be getting off.
Which I did not.
Yesterday, the first 20 minutes were lovely. He was loose, and stretchy, and swinging through his back, and he gave me his focus for those 20 minutes.
Apparently, it was presumptuous of me to assume that I should have his concentration longer than that.
So we were leg yielding at the walk, him trying not to really focus, when all of a sudden, his head shoots up, he spins and books it the other way. (I HATE HATE HATE this. Ever since I broke my arm, that moment where you feel like you have NOTHING in your hand freaks me out so badly I want to hurl). Big Grey Idiot spooked at a mound of shavings...that's been there for, oh, I don't know, a month.
So then, after I stopped him, he was a major pain in the ass. Bracing against my hand, Not giving his hindquarters at all. Got tight through his back so we got a really bad lateral walk.
And then I get pully trying to fix things. And instead of just getting him soft again, I start grabbing with the reins.
Took us an additional 40 minutes to end on a decent note.
*bangs head*
So, taking a little break until Saturday. I think we are a bit sick of each other, as I've really been pressing hard to get him ready for the show, and have ridden 5 days in a row, which might be a record. He gets a massage tomorrow, I get a massage tomorrow, and hopefully Saturday we'll communicate things a bit better.
Never goes well. Because really, you SHOULD be getting off.
Which I did not.
Yesterday, the first 20 minutes were lovely. He was loose, and stretchy, and swinging through his back, and he gave me his focus for those 20 minutes.
Apparently, it was presumptuous of me to assume that I should have his concentration longer than that.
So we were leg yielding at the walk, him trying not to really focus, when all of a sudden, his head shoots up, he spins and books it the other way. (I HATE HATE HATE this. Ever since I broke my arm, that moment where you feel like you have NOTHING in your hand freaks me out so badly I want to hurl). Big Grey Idiot spooked at a mound of shavings...that's been there for, oh, I don't know, a month.
So then, after I stopped him, he was a major pain in the ass. Bracing against my hand, Not giving his hindquarters at all. Got tight through his back so we got a really bad lateral walk.
And then I get pully trying to fix things. And instead of just getting him soft again, I start grabbing with the reins.
Took us an additional 40 minutes to end on a decent note.
*bangs head*
So, taking a little break until Saturday. I think we are a bit sick of each other, as I've really been pressing hard to get him ready for the show, and have ridden 5 days in a row, which might be a record. He gets a massage tomorrow, I get a massage tomorrow, and hopefully Saturday we'll communicate things a bit better.