Daily life

Front leg hobbles

Hind leg hobbles

Last night Graham and I went to see a band and returned home at the wee hours of the morning.  So being a bit tired this morning, I decided to take it easy and play with Poptart on the ground (while I read).  I think it has been almost a year since I first introduced hobbles and thought it was high-time for another refresher. Poptart grazed peacefully with Rogan while wearing the hobbles for 5 minutes on the front legs, and then 5 minutes on the rear legs. No problem, it was just like we had practiced yesterday rather than last year! (Rogan got to wear the hobbles then too!)

Learning that the world does not end if a saddle slips.

I also have the goal of helping Poptart become comfortable, and to not panic, if the saddle should ever slip to the side or under his belly.  In his first saddling sessions, at the rescue, this did happen and it has left a definite fear memory for Poptart.  We are going slow, but when he saw me coming with the pad in the backyard he obviously knew we were going to play with this again, as we did the other day, and he adroitly stepped to the other side of Rogan several times.  This is very unusual for Poptart who generally loves attention. It was very specific to the exact situation of me carrying the bareback pad by itself in the backyard while grazing, as he is perfectly content to be saddled with the bareback pad prior to riding and also when I approached him several times earlier for the hobbling practice. Very interesting!  We proceeded and I saddled him with the bareback pad sideways (with a very loose girth) and then let him graze. I then switched it to the other side  while he continued to graze.  I then repeated that and asked him to laterally disengage both directions.  I then placed it on him normally, so he didn't end the session worrying about it sideways, let him graze and then brought both horses in.  I will continue to practice this slowly so he gradually becomes very confident with each stage until he no longer fears the pad migrating to unusual locations. On a side note Poptart does not do well with overcoming fear with the total immersion or flooding approach to phobias.  We maintain a much better bond and he stays calm and confident with a gradual approach to confidence building.

On the riding front (all bareback with the pad at home) Poptart has significantly improved with our arena exercises. He readily understands the shoulder-in and counter shoulder-in on the circle at the walk and trot, and is now readily offering a more relaxed head/neck position during those exercises.  We still have a little brace when starting the trot but he is softening pretty quickly.  He also will walk/trot around the arena with his head and neck lowered and extended and I am starting to feel his back lift more and more.  The canter has improved in the last few sessions and we are now getting a full lap prior to having abrupt stops or protests hops over continued cantering. The upward transitions are more willing and the downward are immediate (at least in the arena, LOL!)

I am playing with approach and retreat with riding him around the house/neighborhood and am ensuring that if he becomes tense or worried I immediately ask his head to lower and start small circles of shoulder-in or counter shoulder-in.  I am trying to only go to his threshold with this and not too far beyond it, as I think too much stimulation and fear is counterproductive. I learned, belatedly, from my neighbors that a young bear may have moved-in to the woods of our neighborhood trail behind the houses.  That would explain why Poptart became so worried on several occasions in the woods we ride through routinely, he must have smelled the nearby bear. 

We went back out on first conditioning ride for a while using our Freeform saddle and skito pad. We took it easy and had to address 'worried horse' a few times but overall it went really well. When we finished the 11 mile ride Poptart did have a minor rub from the girth (same as from Old Dominion). I am going to have to keep working on saddle fit :(  I would like to ride in the 25 mile limited distance endurance ride at Fort Valley at the end of October. 

The most recent frustration is seeming unpredictability.  I am not sure how to resolve this... For example, we have a teeter-totter bridge that Poptart has been ridden and led over every session for the past 6 weeks.  This past week he stepped on it, the bridge teeted down (as always!) and he jumped 4 foot sideways like he had never seen this happen before.  He gave every indication of being genuinely afraid so I calmly approached and retreated as if it were a new obstacle.  I am not sure why he would develop a new fear and I can't help thinking that maybe he is playing games with me and is not truly afraid (maybe bored? or worked up from something else?)...but either way we keep persisting!  Now time for an afternoon ride :)