A Bit of an Update

Figuring out a new horse is always a challenge, especially with one that's had some training but isn't finished.  When they really "get" something, you always wonder, was it me, or did he already know that?  Well, Larry's starting to "get" some things.  Walk-trot transitions are improving.  Trot to halt transitions are fantastic.   (Maybe a little too fantastic, as he really knows how to slam on the brakes to get to his favorite gait: halt.)  Bending, turning, and going into the corners is getting better.  So is a more consistent headset and less bracing on the bit.  Halt to walk is still a work in progress; he gets "sticky feet" and doesn't want to move forward again.  Backing is ok, but could be better.  We're still doing walk-trot work, though we've recently started doing courses of single trot poles.  I'm using it as a tool for steering, pace control, and proprioceptive awareness (a really fancy way of saying, does the horse know where his own feet are?).  Once he's shown me that he's truly proficient at that, we'll move the poles closer together and try varying intervals.  We're also doing a lot of lunging work.  He'll canter some on the lunge line and I'm trying to teach him that cantering is good, because thus far he really doesn't want to do it under saddle (though he will trot so fast that the world looks blurry).  I ask him to canter with a kiss, verbal command, then the lunge whip and as soon as he gives me a few strides, he gets to halt and gets patting and praise.  I'm not sure he's made the association yet between cantering and reward, but he does seem to like a lot of repetition before things become habit for him.

I've gotten some feedback from Larry along the way.  He has a tendency to sometimes flip his head up and hop his front feet while being worked.  I spent a lot of time trying different bits with him, thinking it might be mouth discomfort.  He was seen by the dentist in November and given a clean bill of health, so logic says that it shouldn't be dental issues.  However, he has a refined nose and a low palate if you stick your fingers in and poke around. That means, for Larry, a fat jointed snaffle is a more painful bit than a thin, multi-link bit.  That also explains why he's happier in my thin curved sweet iron snaffle than in my rubber D ring or hollow mouth loose ring.  The fat bits fill his mouth uncomfortably, and the single jointed ones V up and pop him in the roof of the mouth when engaged.  Yep, it flies in the face of everything we're taught about bitting.  I have an extensive collection of mild plain snaffles.  And they're all pretty much worthless for Larry use.  He didn't seem partial to my French mouth, but I borrowed a three piece loose ring snaffle and he hasn't done as much head flipping in it.  It hasn't been total smooth sailing since I figured out some bits we could both live with (the 3 piece and the sweet iron; I also have a dog bone shanked western curb to try when I'm ready to put him in a curb for western); he still does his head flip sometimes even when I have no contact with his mouth.  I think it might be his way of flipping me the bird when he's unhappy, as he does it more often when he's agitated - mostly when he thinks he should be done with the ride or I've asked him to do something that he doesn't really get yet.  It's annoying as a rider, and makes me not want to ride him bareback until he's over it (owww, withers), but I guess at least I have a clear way of knowing when something is too much.

Yes, my riding and training methods are slow and boring.  I'm know for a fact that he could be jumping 2'6" courses right now and we could probably be showing.  But I'm a boring methodical sort of person.  I like to make sure that the horse has a completely finished and sound foundation before I move up to the next difficulty level.  I guess I'd be a natural for dressage competition.