A Little Progress

Well, with DST no longer in effect, I have to race the sunset to try to ride after work, and I usually lose.  My last two rides (over the weekend, and last night) were both good.  I think Larry (or Lar Bear, his new nickname because he's so fuzzy) and I are starting to mesh.  He's starting to respond better to leg and seat cues, and his steering is getting better.  I don't know that we're ready for "prime time" yet, but we're improving.  He still wants to trot strung out with his head up (a natural response to the countless miles he's jogged in harness in an overcheck).  I know that's what he's accustomed to, though it still drives me nuts because he moves so much nicer and is so much softer when he gives at the poll.  Most of the time he will walk with his head and neck relaxed, so I don't fiddle with him for that - it's a great starting point for a green horse.  We have been gradually improving at giving to the bit at the trot, though it's still not reliably in response to my cues.  He feels so much nicer when he does.  Nonetheless, I'm pleased with his progress as he is starting to put some pieces together.  He is also getting a little less lazy, though he still tests me.  In time, I think perseverance will pay off and he'll get more responsive as the cues become more natural to him.  Because he has a riding history (albeit sporadic), I'm not sure what is new stuff that I've taught him and what is him remembering old stuff and/or deciding that testing me wasn't paying off.

I made 2 changes that seemed to help him recently: a sweet iron loose ring snaffle which has just a little more bite than the full cheek but encourages him to mouth the bit, and lunging with a surcingle and loosely adjusted side reins.  He seemed to figure out pretty quickly that flexing at the poll would remove the pressure from the side reins.  I don't like to use "appliances" as a crutch, but they can be useful in getting a new concept across that would be much more difficult to instill otherwise.  I can get him to trallop on the lunge line (a trotty-kind of gallop but of course it is far too early in our riding work to work on under saddle.  I'm confident that there's a nice canter in there somewhere - I can feel the first stride of it when he does the "Standardbred Shuffle" and hops to pick up the trot, and I'm sure he'll learn that it's easier to canter than trot super fast once his self carriage improves)  I am guilty of not trusting him with the road traffic by our riding area, (a fairly busy road is on the other side of the fence and a small grass easement) even though he's been an absolute gem about it.  We finished our rides in the dark, and he hasn't been rattled by the cars or headlights, though I am still careful to let him see them as they approach.  Just part of my cautious nature...  I'm hoping to "beat the sunset" a few more times this week and get some more riding time in and I still need to exchange the outdoor light we bought for another one so we can have "arena lights" for easier winter time riding.