Tantrums & protesting

this can only mean one thing...

You guys remember that lovely, sweet, kind, tolerant OTTB that let me climb on him bareback a few weeks ago?

Anyone?

No? Me, either.

Mr. Irish Goodbye got his shoes back on last Wednesday and Thursday I came out to see how he looked and put him back into proper work. We've been equicising and lunging (as much as his feet could handle), so he's not completely out of work, as it were. He was great about being tacked up (though inevitably, he always gives the lunging surcingle the hairy eyeball). 

Wait. A. Second.

Buddy, the vacation is over. He felt like being lunged in the small paddock adjacent to the barn was absolutely criminal. All his friends had their heads hanging out the windows and it just WASN'T FAIR.

Oh boo hoo, Riley you expensive pet!

I'm sure I've gone on a rant about lunging before, but whether I'm being redundant or not, I like it as a tool for young/uncoordinated/unbalanced horses. Furthermore, I really like the pessoa. It really helped Riley find his balance at the canter (without his jockey flailing about) and improved his straightness tenfold. I usually start by lunging in both directions, w-t-c with no engagement from the system. Once the buttons are reinstalled and he's obedient, I engage the pessoa. I like the setting that encourages long and low, but you can set it up a myriad of ways for various things. It's always set so his nose can be several inches in front of vertical when he's not fighting himself. In the 2 years that I've owned him, I've never really had to get after him with the lunge whip, nor have I ever lunged him DOWN from exuberance/naughtiness, etc. In the past, I would simplify the task until he got his brain back and make sure I didn't fry his little soul or he would get offended and just shut down and it was useless to push him through it.



Not anymore. He's not a baby (even if he's green as all get out), he understands what I am asking and he's physically in enough shape to do what I am asking.

It's really not that hard buddy. *This is easy for him.

He looked and felt great, but he fought with me so much. Again, 2 years ago, alone at the farm I might have called it a day, but we got into it. I laughed mostly, and I'm sure the farm owner thinks I'm bananas. But if she was listening in she would have heard me saying, "stop being a twit, I'm not asking you to do anything hard".

He turned in, bolted, tried to move closer and closer to the gate, stopped, pulled back dramatically (I didn't catch any of this on film because I was trying not to let go).

But it mostly looked like this:

Inversion, trantering, tail-swishing, head-snaking.

**Can we take a quick second to look at his tail though? I had combed it out before I lunged him, so while he might look like a deranged giraffe/llama at least that's something?

Once the showdown started and I could baerly get him to budge without turning in on me and throwing a tantrum, I insisted he moved FOWARD or bust. Even in that meant a tiny circle around me because that's all the lunge line he could handle before protesting again. Eventually, I let him all the way back out again, forward button firmly installed, but not after lots and lots of cantering and trotting...

Making it SO hard.

Until, finally, we ended on a good note:

Stretch it out.

Sigh. So that folks, is the story of how I lunged my horse's ego down. Looks like I'll be bribing Emily to put some rides on him once we're moved in. Sassy pants!

Unnecessary drama.

Other than the attitude, he was sound and happy and moving great. I cannot wait to get back on see how he feels!


We move in a few days and one thing is for sure... Riley is going to miss his mud bath/dust pit!

Catch you guys on the flipside!