Manageable Shenanigans

Tuesday morning I had to squeeze my ride in between my own lessons and BRH trainer's lessons. It all worked out, although by the time I started teaching, it was real hot. Sorry students!

He wanted to chew on the gate when we got in?
Ugh I'm having trouble finding this bit, need to get
one that's wider than this but want to keep him in it.

TC is getting so quiet around the ranch and just handling him in general. This was something he was definitely okay about at the last barn (most of our issues happened in the arena), but he never really settled. He seems super settled now. I knew this barn was where we needed to be! I want him good in all places, but it's nice when home base is very comfortable. I want to stay at this barn FOREVER.

There was a guy fixing one of the cross ties when I brought TC out, so I put him next to the commotion and made him suffer a bit. He was pressed up against the side staring at the reparations at first. But he eventually rested a foot and ignored it.

In the round pen, TC was a bit obnoxious. He kept shaking his head, which is fine, but often a sign that he wants to play. And boy did he. When we got out onto the larger circle, he spun away from me and double barrel kicked right at me, then took off galloping. I forgot about everything (sorry BRH trainer and the fact the horse was injured) but teaching that asshole that kicking at my face is not okay. We spun in a circle to stop and I immediately smacked his right hind over. He refused to do turns on the forehand in that direction and tried kicking at me again. But I won pretty easily and eventually he was SUPER submissive on the line. Nose down, trotting forward, very soft and sensitive to my aids.

TC loves pats, I love his ears- like "did I do a good thing?"

BRH trainer got on and TC was immediately a bit of an ass about going left again. It's mostly that he wants to look at the horses in the pasture every time he passes them, which then gets him off balance and he can't regain his balance. BRH trainer initially let him look, but then cracked down on him and expected TC to stay with him the whole time. On the one hand, we want him to be quiet enough where when he is on a loose rein and looks at something, he doesn't act up. On the other hand, he needs to just do his work and stop looking around. So Tuesday was about buckling down and working.

After his mild beating on the longe line and then a few smacks on the outside shoulder when he went to look undersaddle, TC was on it and ready to work. BRH trainer said that what he liked about TC was that he didn't seem to take things personally or hold grudges. You could smack him for something and he doesn't overreact or get mad or try to resist all too much. I think this is because he's always had people be fair to him. Even when he annoys me (or kicks at me, ugh), he can always earn pets for being a good boy and I never took anything too far. Same with the trainers who broke him, and same with BRH trainer. It's nice to have started real early with him, even if I am sitting here wishing he'd turn six already.

The canter was great, we're pushing him to do more laps- maybe 3-4 at a time now and in more sets each way. He wanted to break a couple of times and BRH trainer corrected that, which resulted in a kick out and a swap to the cross canter. That is an old problem that was happening a lot last year. He gets tired and he swaps out. Last year it turned into bucking, but this year he's quite a bit more compliant and just picked up the correct lead and tried harder.

When he lifts up through his back I just want to run after him like
a groupie. 

BRH trainer only cantered to the right, so I hopped on to do the left side. I got on his case about the straightness that way first, and it was much better. I'm really excited to get into the big arena to start doing some work on straightness, you know, in a straight line. I can already feel myself wanting to get holding too much, just like in my dressage lesson on my friend's horse, I'm a split second behind where I should be. I worked on that, but the bigger arena and ability to ride my own horse in lessons is going to be very helpful.

We picked up the canter and did about two laps. Man, I don't have any fear on this horse anymore. It wasn't even all that much fear, but it's exhausting to feel like you have to ride in a state of constant vigilance. Now I can get on and just ride my horse (I mean we're still in the round pen and I still like to longe him first- work in progress). So when he shook his head and threatened to buck, I just kicked him forward and made him canter longer.

The canter felt great, but I find myself thinking that it's going to be like his old canter and preparing for that. Not such a good thing. When I finally corrected those issues, he came right on the bit and felt super balanced.

This cat has been way too cute recently

Even though he was bad on the line, I'm really pleased with how Tuesday's ride went. There are going to be days where he's not perfect, and that's fine. I felt though, that even though he wasn't great, he learned some good lessons. And so did I, like maybe I'll double check that the turn on the forehand happens before sending him out on the line and expecting him not to kick at me.

I had to run up to teach, but I hosed TC off and fed him first. Hosing him off and putting sun screen spray on him every day has kept him pretty black! The only brown bits are right behind his ears. I do hose his face off (poor pony, for a horse who loves water, he hates having his face hosed down), but can't get behind his ears because he pins them and looks pathetic. Oh well. At least we're not in horse-of-a-different-color land yet.