Partner Mindset

When I arrived at the barn on Tuesday, it was windy, cold, and rainy. It was the type of day that Gambler uses as an excuse to be afraid of everything. Keeping this in mind, I set up the arena as usual with ground poles, a jump, and the saddle. Gambler needs to face scary experiences with the saddle on his back, because that is when he is most likely to buck and rear and bolt. The more situations he learns to carry the saddle through, the safer it will be for me to ride him through those same scary situations. 

Before I brought Gambler into the arena or saddled him up, I had to walk out to the far pasture to catch him. Actually, he caught me. He trotted up to me with energy, and stopped a reasonable distance away without crowding my space. That is a good sign! I gave him a massage and picked all of those nasty ticks off of his chin and then haltered him.

As I tried to walk him back to the barn, however, he reared, tried to bolt, and nipped my hand - all unacceptable behavior. At first I jerked on the halter, bopped him in the nose, and spoke tersely to him in effort to make him behave. This, of course, didn't work. Then I thought about what I was doing and tried a different approach. Using the yo-yo game, I backed him across the pasture. Every time he spooked or wasn't paying attention to me or misbehaved in some other way, I asked him to back up faster. If he backed quickly, lowered his head, perked his ears toward me, or showed any signs of relaxation I released the pressure and let him rest. I backed him halfway back to the barn before he calmed down enough for me to lead him normally. 

I led him the rest of the way on a loose line. He licked and chewed and yawned, even when Kezi realized he was leaving and came thundering past us to the barn. 

When Gambler and I were in the arena, I saddled him up and then headed straight for the horse-eating-trees. We played one of his favorite games, half-circles at the trot or canter. It took him a while to get into it because he was still pretty right-brained - spooking and bucking. He doesn't mind the saddle until you add other stimuli. Wind is okay. The saddle is okay. But wind and the saddle? That's something else entirely!

Bringing Gambler in a little to switch direction.

I'm not sure if he is bucking here or just jumping into the canter - probably a little bit of both.

Asking Gambler to walk on.

Here he is settling down and thinking instead of reacting.

Grumpy face much?

Snuggles.

Once he was acting like a partner instead of a prey animal, we played the circling game over ground poles. 

Gambler and I had a break through with the sideways game! I've been trying to play it from to close to him apparently. When I stepped back and gave him some room, he started to understand.

I wasn't sure how clear these pictures would be, but you can definitely see the sideways here!

I promise I did it on the other side too, I just don't have pictures of it.

Yo-yo game!!

Backing. . . 

Backing . . .

Backing . . .

All the way out on the 22' line!

And bringing him back in.

More snuggles. 

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!