54Likes
I loaded Ben up and took him over to Clearview for a lesson with Cassie, and he was a star. He was very spooky and looky to start, so led him around some and lunged him until he settled, as much as he could with the icicles falling off the eaves at random times and exploding
Once he was calm we got an old lesson horse in the arena with him and I rode him. That simple statement doesn't begin to encompass just how awesome that half hour was, I mounted from the block, and he stood like a rock while I chatted for a while, then we walked on after the lesson pony, then overtook lesson pony. Last time I rode him was back in the fall and he was balky and resistant and I was so discouraged, but Cassie has me leaving his head pretty much alone and just working on forward, and it works, he is back to the horse he was.
Then we tried a few rounds of trot on each rein, it started a bit ropey, but then I started to relax and enjoy the HUGENESS of it, and it got so much better. On that happy note I was happy to stop for the day, rather do to little with him than to much.
Oh and did I mention that literally just as I was mounting, the door opened and cowboys started turning up, there is a rodeo practice there this afternoon, and there was a constant stream of guys with lots of gear, and horses coming in, we both managed to ignore the distractions and the unwanted audience and just get on with it, HURRAH to us.
Oh and if anyone from the planet Zog is reading.
Ben is a 10 year old Perch/tb x Saddlebred, he was only started last year, so truly is a big big baby. He had 60 days put on him last summer, but hasn't done a lot since then.
I'm older, fatter and scareder than I would like, I am getting thinner and braver, but sadly no younger, so Ben and I will be working on getting better together, in better shape, in better fitness, and a better pairing, my goal is to show him this year, where, and in what I don't know, but in conjunction with my trainer we will find something.
