Consistently Inconsistent

Last week at the ranch was great with TC, we started making major progress and everything felt like it was about to fall together. Unfortunately that's not how things go with horses and on Saturday when I got home from a horse show, I brought him over to the ranch and he was kind of an idiot. 

I rode him back to the trailer, then he got loose
because he got scared and popped the twine he
was tied to

A few reasons I can think of: 

1) It was dinner time and I literally took him away after his second bite of alfalfa, he was insulted by me giving him grass hay

2) I wanted to experiment with the bonnet so I didn't ride with it

3) The damn cows were doing weird shit (wandering, celebrating pride month, scraping their horns on the wire fence) right next to the arena

4) I didn't longe him for very long

5) I wasn't as on it with the clicker

Although I wasn't able to see the positive that day, I can focus on the positive today. 

He had so much fun walking down the road
after we rode

So all that made for a tough ride. He still was better than at home though!

I played a bit with shoulder-in and was pleased to see that the buttons were still there and sharp as ever. I mostly did it in the context of keeping his left hind leg under him while also keeping him stepping into the left rein while tracking left. 

The canter was a disaster, but that's fine. Even though it was tough, I decided to just put him on a circle and work on myself amidst him trying to run off with me or stare at the cows. My biggest issue is tracking left (obviously) where all I want to do is ride the left side of him and let the right side fall out. I worked to sit right, open my right hand to get it to stop low key sneaking over the neck, get my left hand forward and toward the neck, and put my right thigh on. 

The disaster of the canter DID get better and honestly we did have some nice moments toward the very end when he got tired of bolting toward the cows. 

Such a good wanderer

Even though it wasn't a good day, it was okay. This horse just at his core isn't consistent. Well, he can be consistent, but more often than not we get into these months of inconsistency (on his part, I ride him very regularly). It becomes frustrating sometimes because I know that I'm capable of getting him through the levels rather easily. He shows good promise for all kinds of things (various movements and the collection/extension required). He's built decently enough and I've worked hard to help him work around his conformation challenges. 

But there are days like this, where it seems like I'm just going around and around and around just surviving. Can't work on counter canter because I can't take him off the circle. Can't work on much lateral work because he's too tense. Can't work on sitting trot because his back isn't supple. Can't do any extended work because it'd make him nuts. Can't do any collection because he'd just drop his shoulder. 

On those days it's hard not to become frustrated. I'm over here like I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING JUST LET ME DO IT TC. And he's over there like THE COW-POCALYPSE IS COMING WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. Even though he was literally raised next to an entire herd of cows. 

He's consistent where it counts (safety-wise at least)

But that's just TC. And I'm okay with it because of how great he is aside from being sometimes really inconsistent. Over time he has gotten better and we're still coming out of this weird situation at his home barn. In the long run, I won't remember days like this ride, I'll remember cantering down centerline, whenever that happens.