Evaluation

When I wrote about the bucking incident yesterday, I purposefully didn't go into the whys and wherefores. I wanted to take time to think it through, run over the events in my head a few hundred times, research possible solutions, receive advice, and form a game plan. Now that I have done those things, I am ready to evaluate what happened, why it happened, and how I can keep it from happening again.

What happened?

Gambler wasn't using his "left brain" (yes I am aware that left-brain, right-brain is a myth, everyone uses both sides - I am just using the terms to represent a horse's mentality) and acting as a partner. Instead, he was acting defensively, like a prey animal who needs to survive. 

Why did it happen?

I've done a good job of getting Gambler to use the left side of his brain and act as a partner on the ground before I mount up. Once I get into the saddle, however, I stop playing the games and start riding. Gambler has been sending me "yellow lights" at the halt and at the walk. He has been bracy, not responsive. Instead of recognizing that Gambler was uncomfortable and getting off and playing or staying on and playing the games I pushed him into a trot. Having already sent me signals to slow down, Gambler sent a clear "red light." 

Things that went wrong:

The longe line - I've had Mom circling Gambler on the longe line because I believed it was more safe. From the events of last night, I'd say it's not much safer. The only thing it stops Gambler from doing is bolting, and I've never had him bolt under saddle (knock on wood). When I tried to pull Gambler into a one-rein stop (more on that later) I couldn't because the longe line was pulling his head in the opposite direction. This caused the situation to be even more dangerous. 

I fell off - Thankfully I landed on my feet and wasn't hurt at all, but falling off is still a really bad thing. Gambler now knows that he can buck a rider off to get out of work. Falling off once isn't horrible, falling off twice is bad, and if I fall off three times we're going to be in a lot of trouble. If he forms a habit of bucking people off, I will have created a problem horse. 

Things that went right:

One-rein stop - My first instinct while Gambler was bucking was to pull him into a one-rein stop. This is really good because I have never actually been in a situation where I had to stop a horse in that manner, or I have never thought to do it. I've been telling myself that's what I need to do, but I had no idea if I would remember in the moment. 

Landing on my feet - The fact that I landed on my feet means that while I didn't stay on the horse, I did keep my balance. That is encouraging because it means I am more likely to stay on in the future, especially since I am more confident. 

Confidence - As I briefly mentioned in the last post, Mom and I have been worried that if I was bucked off it would destroy my confidence and/or Gambler's confidence and our trust in each other. But after I was bucked off, neither of us were phased by it. I had adrenaline pumping through my system, and when I mounted again I was more wary, but neither Gambler nor I were visibly shaken or worked up. In fact, I think now that the thing we've been dreading has occurred, we can move forward with more boldness. 

How can I keep this from happening again?

First, I am going to continue playing with Gambler on the ground while he is wearing the saddle to build his confidence and encourage him to work with me as a partner. 

Second, I am going to play around with the mounting process so that he sees it as another part of the games. I am going to make sure that he gives me a green light at every phase of the mounting process. 

Third, I think I'm going to ditch the longe line. That doesn't mean I'm not still going to have my mom watching me carefully - you bet I am! But the longe line won't stop me from getting bucked off (as we've seen), and without it I can do things like disengage Gambler's hindquarters, taking away his power to buck. 

Forth, I'm going to play with Gambler while riding at the walk, specifically the friendly game and the porcupine/driving game with his hindquarters and forequarters. This will build his confidence at the walk and give me more control in the case of another bucking fit. 

Finally, when Gambler gives me all green lights at the walk and I can easily pull him to a one-rein stop and yeild his hindquarters, we will start trotting again. If he bucks again, I will pull him to a stop with one rein, move his hindquarters, and put him to work at the walk. Then we'll trot again. 

So that is the evaluation. Of course, with a green horse (or any horse), the plan is always under construction. This is just a skeleton, a game plan to alter as the occasion calls, because good leaders always have a plan and are always flexible (more Parelli lingo).

Joke's on Me

So in my last post I talked about how Gambler is a young horse who needs consistent work in order to remember anything I teach him. That's an exaggeration, but you get the point. Well, apparently he's reading my blog and he thought it would be fun to prove me wrong. I was surprised, but I'm certainly not complaining!

It was 25 degrees at the barn yesterday, warmer than it's been for weeks. The wind, however, was blowing at about 13 mph. As I walked toward the barn, I said to myself (yes I talk to myself - a sign of genius or insanity or both), "The horses are gonna be spookified monsters today." Then Kezi whinnied at me from the gate, almost like she was replying to me. She whinnied again when I got to the fence. Apparently she was very glad to see the food-bringer.

We brought the horses in and dished out the grain, same as usual. Gambler was surprisingly calm. Instead of ignoring his hay and pacing the stall, he stood and munched away. Once he was done with his grain, I brought him out into the cross-ties. For the first time in the last few weeks, he acted as if he really had seen cross-ties before. Imagine that!

I brushed him and then addressed the picking up of the feet. I took it pretty slow, like I did when I first started focusing on his feet. First I just asked him to lift the foot calmly. It took some time, but in the end I picked out all four feet without any hopping, kicking, mini-rearing, or attempted biting. I didn't even have to ask Mom to hold him.

Then I put on the bareback pad. I haven't even brought the pad into the barn in weeks, so I expected the usual "I have never seen that object in my entire life" response. I was happily surprised when he allowed me to tighten the girth without a single complaint. Is this the same baby horse I wrote about yesterday?

On top of it all, I brought out the bridle again, to check the fit. He let me put it on first try without any problem. I felt horrible because I forgot to warm up the bit. I specifically prepared a hand warmer for that very purpose, but forgot anyway. I don't think he'll hold it against me.

He played with the bit a little, but not much. The bridle fits perfectly, except for the browband, which is definitely too tight. I guess he has the forehead of a quarter horse. The noseband was attached to the wrong part of the headstall, so I couldn't tighten all the straps. You'll notice in the pictures it looks a little awkward. The best part is, he was totally relaxed and accepting of the bridle, even though I haven't put it on him since . . . October? November? I don't even remember.

I guess my baby is growing up!

He's standing a little awkwardly, because he's so focused on the thing on his head. I have his halter - still attached to one cross-tie - around his neck, but he really wasn't tied. Thankfully, he didn't realize it. He just stood there thinking about what was on his head. 

When he saw me take out the phone he stopped messing with the bit, looked at me, and perked up his ears. I swear he poses for the camera. 

It's All a Matter of Time

I have to apologize for the lack of photo or video content. The camera is out of batteries, and last time we were in town I totally forgot. One of these days I'll have some good pictures. Until then, I'll do my best to entertain you with my words.

It's November. There will probably be snow on the ground by the end of the month. It is supposed to be a mild winter, so I hope that there isn't much snow or ice, but in the end no one knows what is going to happen. Needless to say, I'm a little nervous. I made my goal of putting the "first ride" (first sit is more like it) on Gambler before snowfall, but can I put a sound foundation of saddle training on him before the weather stops us in our tracks?

I knew that time was going to be an issue. Starting a green horse can take anything from a few months to a couple years depending on the horse. And that is in an ideal situation. I only get to see Gambler four times a week on average. Now that the sun goes down at five, I only have an hour or so of daylight on week days. I was ranting about it to my mom yesterday. She reminded me that it's not about how fast you train a horse, it's about how well you train him. I agree wholeheartedly. The thing that frustrates me is I think Gambler is ready. I think I could have put the first ride on him several weeks ago, but I'm holding him back. I just haven't found the time.

Nevertheless, I don't regret keeping Gambler so far from home. The barn he is at right now is the very best place he could be. He is kept in a large pasture that he shares with only one other horse, so he always has food. He is brought inside two times a day for grain, so any injuries are caught within twenty-four hours. I know that he is safe and in good hands, and I know that he is happy. I wouldn't dream of keeping him anywhere else.

Ramblings

I've always wanted - a phrase I find myself repeating often as of late - to write in a blog. Naturally, when I got Gambler, one of my first thoughts was to write about him. I put it off for months, because I wasn't sure what I thought of making our story public. It's one thing to buy a green horse and train him yourself; it's another thing entirely to train him in front of the world. Not that I'm saying the world is watching, but anyone with an internet can watch if he wishes to.

When I finally started this blog, I started it for me. I wasn't thinking about the page views or the people who would read it. I just wanted a journal dedicated to Gambler, so that I could look back and see how far we've come. Then people started reading and commenting and asking me questions and I realized that I could help people out in some small way. Maybe, someone in a similar situation will see this blog, and be able to avoid the mistakes I made along the way. 

Now I'm enjoying this blog so much. It is still here to fulfill the original purpose, but I can't lie: I smile extra big when I see that there are 117 views in one day. I love writing, I love horses, and I love that this little blog is bringing joy to some people out there. 

So I guess that's all I have to say. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. God bless you and your horses!