Radio Silence

I disappeared again. As this blog continues through the years (assuming that I will continue blogging) you will find that I often disappear around this time. May is my favorite month because of the bustle that accompanies it. So many wonderful things happen in May - all at once. The result is that I am sleep-deprived, overworked, overwhelmed, and frazzled; but content.

I can't possibly catch up on every session that I didn't post about, so I guess it's a good thing that Gambler and I haven't done much. I haven't ridden him since the day he bucked me off. Before anyone jumps to conclusions, it is a mere coincidence that I have been too busy to ride him since that day. My hope is that Gambler realizes that and doesn't make a habit of bucking so that I don't ride him for a month.

The truth is I have been incredibly pressed for time. Too busy for blogging and some days too busy for the barn. *gasp* When I did make it out to the barn, I was too tired and unmotivated to do any serious work toward riding. That being said, Gambler and I have spent quality time with each other in the pasture. I've played some games with him and given him lots of scratches. We are actually much closer than we have been. Where we have idled in training, we have grown in our relationship. These days Gambler comes to greet me in the pasture and watches wistfully as I drive away.

And here is the photo dump:

On May 12th, I only had a few minutes to work with Gambler. It was a windy, spooky day, and the trees were making him nervous, but he didn't bolt. 

On the fourteenth I was able to play with the white barrels for the first time. I purchased some barrels for Gambler to jump because he jumps sloppily and I didn't want him to gash himself on the metal barrels. 

At this point the barrels had been sitting in the pasture for a day, so Gambler was  wary, but not afraid of them.

The goal is to have Gambler travel between the barrels and then jump over them (squeeze game), but he just wants to paw them (friendly game). 

Then he started cantering around because of the horse-eating-trees. At least he was "scared" enough to move through the barrels. 

On the 15th, we gave the barrels another go.

First we tackled the trees so Gambler could remember that he isn't afraid of them.

"But they're scary!"

Sometimes he moves so beautifully.

Itchy ears

Back to the barrels.

And he thinks he should paw them.

That's more like it!

And we have a jump!

I thought he might have tripped over the tarp a little, so I moved it.

Back to pawing. 

Now that high school is finally behind me, I can focus once more on starting Gambler under saddle. That is, until college or other future plans drag me away again. 

I don't have any pictures from today, but I spent most of the session just relaxing with him in the arena. I scratched his scratches, and played a tiny bit at liberty. Then I played around with mounting prep. He was really good, a far cry from the grumpiness he gave me in January, but I made sure to really look for relaxation. I think part of the reason he doesn't fully trust me on his back is because I haven't respected his feedback. I sat on him bareback for a while and then called it a day. 

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).

Ninja (Sixteenth Ride)

Gambler and I had another exciting first today!

Playing the porcupine game to disengage his hindquarters.

Playing the circling game over a low cross-rail.

Longeing over jump standards is a pain, but Gambler loves to jump so I'll survive. :P Hopefully I'll be riding over them some day soon.

Since Gambler was jumping calmly instead of being a crazy critter like last time, I upped the height. 

Then I put the saddle on Gambler for the first time in a week or so. I tried a different saddle pad, which I think fits the saddle and Gambler's back better.

We played the circling game under the trees.

Then we played one of Gambler's favorite games, where I ask him to make half-circles, switching direction half way through each circle. Usually he jumps into a canter with each change of direction, but today he was worn out. Earlier Marguerite had ridden Kezi and Gambler spent at least half an hour running around the pasture.

That's more like it!

Because Gambler was so calm and worn out from his earlier exercise, I decided to ride him. Throughout our session he didn't buck with the saddle at all. I lowered the jump to a cross-rail again and sent him over it with the saddle. When even a jump didn't cause Gambler to buck, I mounted up. I still had Mom holding the longe line, and I had gaming reins attached to the halter. 

At first we just walked around the circle and changing directions and halting now and then. Gambler is definitely starting to relax and listen to the riders cues. Once I felt him relax I asked for the trot. For a few steps (about a quarter of a circle) he trotted without and issue. Then he bucked a little. I pushed him forward. Then he bucked a lot. I don't remember much, and what I do remember is in slo-mo (because that's how the mind works when adrenaline is rushing through your system), but I tried to pull him into a one-rein stop. I lost my hold on the reins and fell backward out of the saddle onto his butt and then landed on my feet behind him. 

After giving myself a once-over to make sure that nothing hurt in a dangerous way, I took the longe line from Mom and told Gambler to canter for several circles, changing directions often. I don't want him to learn that bucking means less work. Then I mounted up again. I didn't trot, because the bucking is an issue that only comes up at the trot and I need to form a game plan. I don't think rushing into battle without a plan is a good idea. But I'll have a post about that soon. 

I talked to Mom afterwards and she said that Gambler bucked and I came forward on the saddle, then he reared and spun, going one direction while I went the other. It sounds pretty much like all the bucking fits I've seen him have on the ground. My only injuries are a small bruise on my thigh from the saddle and a blood blister/rope burn on one of my fingers. 

Mom and I have been worried that something like this would happen and it would destroy Gambler's and my confidence. I would argue that it has just strengthened it. Like the first spook under saddle, the first fall is bound to happen, especially with a green horse. Now that it's over with, I feel that I will be able to ride more confidently in the future. 

And can we just take a moment to dwell on the fact that I landed on my feet!