Different Butts

One of the fun/terrible things about TC is that I've pretty much been his sole rider for his entire life. It's not that he hasn't been ridden by other people. He's been ridden by quite a few, but in terms of time-in-the-saddle, mine is the butt that has been on his back, for better or for worse.

Dude is that my pony, maybe my butt isn't so bad. Look at his
though! That pelvis tuck! Impulsion: check

He saw Kate in a place where humans don't
go normally and he was like WUT

I want to change this in the future. I'd really love to be able to have him coming up through the levels while also being able to step in as a horse I can give a lesson on here and there. I'd love to share him with my friends in the way that I never could with Rico (since I was too paranoid about his soundness, I'm paranoid about TC too, but it's just not sustainable). I'd love to be able to have a trainer do a training ride on him.

So far I've been okay putting people on him in the round pen. But I'm still really careful in the arena. TC can go from being totally quiet and downright lazy to galloping away with you. And Tracey had a good point about the kind of rider TC needs when I talked to her about him this summer. He needs someone who is really tactful, since he's a sensitive guy (mostly emotionally at this point) but because of the remnants of behavioral issues, he needs someone a bit ballsy. Someone who is just going to bring him back to work when he randomly takes off, someone who will recognize when he gets balky and not pull him up into a rear, and someone who can... er... sit some shit if he goes after the pigeons.

Enter: Kate. The ballsiest tactful rider I know, or the most tactful ballsy rider that I know. This is the rider that TC needs. So I somehow convinced Kate that she should come ride my horse here and there. It's really good for everyone involved, even Kate seems to like riding him. It's great for me to see someone else on TC. My end goal is to be able to sell him, and it's not good training if no one else can ride him. So it's great for TC to have a different butt on him. But not a butt that is going to be scared of him or a butt that is going to do weird shit to him. Kate and I have very similar training backgrounds and she has to listen to me talk about my horse ALL THE TIME so she can probably ride him in her sleep just based on my rambling.

Such a good pony

So beefy, possibly too beefy

Monday morning we met at the barn and it was COLD and WINDY. Like cold wind. It was really miserable. Both of us and TC hated it. TC was probably the one who hated it least though. I threw him on the long lines again because I didn't realize it, but my near miss on Saturday made me a bit of a wuss. I mostly wanted to get him through that ten minutes of being super quiet and relaxed before he explodes. And explode he did, except it was my fault because I didn't attach my long lines to each other and he bucked and kicked the outside one out of my hand, then it chased him. Soooo okay not his fault.

I brought him back to the cross ties and really contemplated telling Kate that we should seriously just put him away and leave. But Tuesday morning I had to go into work early and I really didn't want to get on him Wednesday after a day off. So I was like "I'm getting on him to trot and then we'll put him away, sorry I'm the worst most annoying nervous friend" except maybe I left out the last bit. I was thinking it though.

We got into the covered and for the first bit of walk, TC was a bit tight. But we settled into some really good work! I mostly just exercised him, nothing too exciting. I did take note that his canter transitions on the long lines are now better than the ones undersaddle. Sigh. Okay, thanks TC, I'll work on that. But that was really the only "bad" thing he did- get hollow in the trot-canter transition. I felt so silly being so nervous about him when he ended up being totally good. I need more faith in my horse.

I'm so bundled up, it was super cold that day

Kate on TC!

After I played with him, I asked Kate to ride him! It's been super fun having her ride him over the last year and a bit. She felt him pretty soon after rehab when he was still pretty green. And since then they've both been getting much better. Kate is putting in the miles/lessons/rides on Mox and all her other horses and TC has been trained by me in all my mediocrity (lol no but really he's coming along so well even despite no lessons for nearly four months now).

This time it was like magic, they got along so well! Literally Kate rode him just the same as I did with a reminder from me to not let his chest get forward against his knee action and to keep working his neck longer and lower. They did so incredibly well. TC felt really safe and comfortable thanks to Kate's confidence and secure seat, and I'm sure Kate appreciated that the horse has come along a bit further now and is so much better in the bridle.

The fact that someone who he doesn't know very well can just get on, pick up the reins, and put their leg on, and he's just right there? I mean, I don't think he'd do it for just anyone, but the fact that he's doing it for SOMEONE is amazing to me. I was so excited that Kate got on and rode him so well. I think it both speaks to his training, sure, but also her riding, since he isn't totally easy in the bridle yet and is certainly a big mover when you unlock him. My goal is to get him so good that anyone can ride him like that.

It will be a while before I feel comfortable putting everyone and their mother on my horse, but for now I'm grateful for ballsy tactful friends like Kate who are willing to introduce TC to more butts.