I went home a bit early last week, so I had a ride on Wednesday (trail ride with Michelle!) and also Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Wow!
Friday I was supposed to meet Michelle and Amanda for another trail ride when I finished work, but I got sidetracked (looked at a house with a coworker) so I was a bit late. Since Bold had been racing on a certain part of the field, I decided to take him out in the field alone. We trotted a bit at first, he's really good most of the time by himself. He wasn't such a fan of walking up and down the "mean hill", especially after he figured out it was because he was naughty. At one point we were backing down or going sideways down the hill... Oh Bold. We finished up on a good note, and I saw his owners when we got back to the barn, so he got to show off. They seemed really happy with how he looked, and I think he's a million times better. So proud of all our hard work paying off!
Saturday I got out to the barn and snagged Melissa and her Morgan Max for a trail ride! We wandered all over the place while it was misting, and Bold seems to like having Max around. He tries to bury his face in Max's butt when he's being a chicken, so they must like each other :) We got back from the trail ride and I took Bold into the indoor for a few minutes. He must be enjoying the trail rides, because he was definitely feeling good. Very willing, but also very forward. Super fun.
Sunday I went out after Easter Brunch and went on a trail ride with Cappie and Sky. Bold definitely thought he should be racing when he got head to head with them, so he got to watch while they did all the fun cross country jumps. He was feeling pretty sorry for himself. We took turns cantering a loop while the other two stood still- a really good exercise to work on riding towards and away from a group. Bold liked to rush back, and my face definitely connected with his neck a few times when I had to explain that is NOT OKAY. He also tried to run after them up a hill. He's like a little kid- he misbehaves, I get his attention (sometimes by yelling, I admit) then explain that's not OK, and he throws a tantrum. Then he gets sulky. Honestly Horse, you're supposed to have MANNERS after everything you've done this far! We also worked on the flat seperately in a group. He was grouchy, but not horrid by any means. He's not bad about leaving the group, he just really wants to get back to them when we turn around.
Overall, my adventures working on manners outside are... a work in progress. There are definitely issues, but nothing dangerous. I could do anything with him, it's just drawing lines to make sure he's listening to me instead of having all sorts of fun on his own. Cantering in a group will take a bit- he COULD, but I'd rather get him trotting nicely with others. I like Bold because he's a challenge, but I know how to deal with everything he throws at me, and what he's doing is just RUDE not scary. We'll see how the next few rides go... hopefully we got through some stuff with the daily trail riding. I have more work to do for the riding outdoors part of the schooling show than for the dressage part!
No comments:
Post a Comment