Now, as a reward for reading that nonsense: here is a Gambler update.
The feet: Today Gambler was better with both his front feet. He did kick out at me with his right hind, however, which is NOT OKAY. He used to do that kind of thing all the time, but I haven't had to deal with it in months. The farrier is coming tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. He is a very good farrier that has dealt with much worse than Gambler has offered up so far. I might get to be there after all, depending on when the college tour ends.
Riding: Gambler experienced a minor setback today. I jumped over him sideways as I have been for the last few days and he skittered sideways as he has for the last few days. This time he knocked into the mounting block a little. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it scared him, so I didn't push him as far as I was planning today.
The plan for tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on my schedule, is for me to go through the usual mounting prep and then properly mount him and have mom lead him around a little bit. Get off, repeat on the other side. He has been really good, but I've been laying over him sideways so it's very hard to stay on when he skitters. I don't have a problem with the skittishness right now, because he's not reacting negatively, but I need to be in a position where I can ride it out. The last thing I need is to teach him that I'll get off if he steps sideways.
Liberty: I'll be honest, still haven't done much here. Partly because the footing is bad, partly because I've been focused on getting to the riding stage. I have spent a lot of time leading Gambler from both sides without pulling on the rope to go, stop, turn, and back up; all of which is the first step to playing at liberty.
When I took off my hat to put on my helmet, I had nowhere to put it. Gambler was curious, and I like to view every situation as an opportunity to "desensitize," so I put it on his head. He didn't really care. If anything, he wanted to look at it (translation: eat it).
 |
| "Mom I look stupid." |
 |
| I love this picture, because the hat is falling off of his ear, but he is in perfect focus. |
I've been doing a lot of at liberty work lately, and it feels more like "playing"...which makes me feel like I haven't accomplished "training". It is very rewarding though, and my hope is that it translates to a better partnership in saddle. At the very least, they're easier to "catch" and they interact with me more over the fence.
ReplyDeleteI had the same footing issue, but we had sand delivered last Friday and we're in the process of spreading and evening it out....goodbye mud.
Keep up the good work!
I'm lucky to be working with a very sandy pasture that doesn't usually get too muddy. Or maybe I'm unlucky since Gambler has colicked in sand twice.
ReplyDelete"Playing" is a mentality I borrowed from Pat Parelli. It is his belief that horses know when we approach them as a drudging task or a playful pastime and using the word "play" instead of "work" puts a trainer in a more positive, confident mood. I don't know if I 100% agreed with him, but there is a definite grain of truth to what he is saying.