on Skate's progress, or lack thereof. He has been a bit of a brat lately. I have a bad feeling it is saddle-fit related, so I am trying to get a fitting done. Then again, I'm probably giving him too much benefit of the doubt - he's probably just feeling his oats. His back does not palpate sore at all, nor does he care when you bring out the saddle, shift weight, etc.
I had gotten so annoyed at his giving me the middle finger when I asked him to change gears that I have gone to the lunge line. I am not a terribly patient person (is dressage the right sport for me?) and when my horse repeatedly ignores or acts out at my requests, I can't help but get frustrated. Rather than do something stupid and just setting back our under saddle work, I have decided to work on Skate's brattiness on the lunge. Turns out he thinks he should pick the gait/speed/etc there, too : )
"Walk, you say? Nope...I think trot is in order."
"Trot? No, no, you mean canter!!"
"How about a trot now?....Huh? Walk? I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"
So, we're working on listening. Again, I get frustrated. I have to keep taking deep breaths so I don't snap and undo training. I did once the other day: he continued to walk after I had asked him clearly to trot - so I popped the whip towards him and ended up with a nutty pony zooming around snorting for 5 minutes. Great.
Anyway, I think I need a lesson soon to get back on track. Life has been one giant jumble of stuff lately and I haven't had time to focus on anything. I'm just going through a general frustration with my riding. I really wish I had more people to ride with a bounce info off of...
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7 comments:
What about long-lining him instead of lunging? Then you could have more feel and you could do more stuff than just go in a circle.....
I think the lunge work is a good idea. You can also work on his response time at a walk on the rides as opposed to adding the energy of trotting and cantering. I'd never have thought 10 years ago that I could have a fulfilling ride at the walk, but surprisingly you can.
A lesson is also never a bad idea, a ground person to help you figure out how to head off the bad behavior is a big help.
Ive been there. Ive ridden several horses like that and, I too, get frustrated.
Is he being worked consistantly? I know you said you were busy. Ive found that the number one reason for a green horse being naughty is inconsistant work. Maybe you can get a friend to lunge him if you arent able to get to the barn
Lunging and long-lining are skills that are so valuable with horses...good for you for using them to work on Skate's issues. I wish I was better at both lunging and long-lining...
I think this situation would frustrate a lot of people! I think the ground work is a good idea, and a valuable tool. I hope things improve soon!!!
Oh Skate!!! On the bright side, it seems like he's going to teach you a lot. :) Yes, deep breaths are good!!!! There must be something about chestnuts that just try our patience...we understand!!
Good girl for lunging! I love long-lining too, though I need to brush up on my skills before trying it with Pepsi!
And yes, ironically enough I've found that dressage is JUST the sport for people without patience. (Like me!) There's nothing like trying to get a horse to FREAKING WALK AT X to teach you patience!!
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