So yesterday I get a call from Jamie at work during lunch - I panic. Jamie tells me somewhat timidly that Diego has suddenly taken to acting like a "stallion' around the herd mare and he has had to separate them for the time being. At this point I stop panicking and just roll my eyes. Not again... Then Jamie says something about Dream (the mare) returning to normal soon, I go "Is she in heat?" "I think so." Um duh, there's your problem right there, if she's in heat and egging him on, of course he's going to get all testoteroney and comply. Still though, I'm glad he separated them, Dream is much too small to be mounted by D and could be seriously injured. =( Poor girl.
Anyways Jamie continued to go on about how D 'wasn't the same horse, nothing phases him." etc. Yeah... another sigh. People don't believe me when I try to tell them D is not always as quiet and compliant as when he's content. They don't tend to believe me. He tunes out EVERYTHING around him and focuses entirely on one thing: what he wants. At times it's gotten very dangerous. =/ But I've made big strides in interpreting his body language and anticipating those outbursts and then try to redirect his attention before it gets bad...
Needless to say I was a bit nervous about heading to the barn after work, not sure what state I'd find him in. Jamie was afraid he was going to push the fence down. >_< I can't say I'm surprised but I am alittle because this is what, the 4th or 5th day he's been out with a "herd" in TEN years??? Sheesh. He sure does bond fast.
I got there and it was too hot for them to care: everyone was huddled by the pear trees in the shade. D did perk up when I came to the gate though and came to me of his own accord. (I was so thrilled) ^_^ As soon as I led him out of the pasture though the screaming for the mare started, so I worked hard to keep my tension down and calmly ask him to do small steps on the way to the barn: turn on forehand, back, lateral steps, anything to bring his attention back to me. Aside from alittle antsy-prance the walk was uneventful...just...loud.
Once he was tied in the barn though that was another story: screaming, pawing, head tossing, swinging his hind end from side to side wildly to try and "see" the mare. He nearly hopped up on his front end once. Luckily the Mustangs owner was there and we chatted for a few minutes out of kicking range and watched him. I remember Carolyn Resnick talks about ignoring alot of their acting out. In the old days I would have untied him, or gone over and put myself at risk by trying to calm him down. Instead I just kept an eye out for any critical issues and talked normally. It took about 10 minutes total of all that fussing but something finally clicked and he became more interested in what I was doing (rummaging through the tack locker 15 ft away) than the mare. So he settled down to stand quietly and watch me to see what I was going to pull out of the locker. It was cute. =p
I took him out to the ring and let him loose. He didn't have much of a desire to run or buck & get energy out like I was hoping, but he did trot around for a minute or two, back and forth past me as I ambled along in the sand. He even trotted up to me one time, upon holding my arms out slightly he stopped and didn't invade my space until I reached a hand out and he reached out with his nose before stepping forward. I was happy... considering personal space is one thing I'm REALLY trying to work on. In past years he'd have barrelled into my space and has just about run us over and crushed me against walls before. I used the lungeline a bit and we did some walk-trot transitions. He seems alittle stiff at the trot, most likely because of all his manic running earlier. His ligaments aren't even used to those massive hills yet... he's only been here 3 weeks. His transitions were great though, he responds really great to my energetic stepping: if I start running in place he starts trotting. =) YaY! So much better than having to use a whip. After that relaxing work we were both pretty happy. I had a small amount of grain in my pocket and he knew it, so when I let him loose again he followed me all over. I worked on the 'head/neck up" pose for a minute. He did a good one twice and was very pleased with himself, I think once he gets the hang of it that'll be something that suits his personality that he does alot. ;) We did some lateral work and him yielding the shoulder - it's still hard but it's amazing how quickly he decided: Oh? Food involved? SURE! *backs and goes sideways super quickly* Unfortunately we are having a problem with rudeness in taking the treats and I'm not sure hot to deal with that. He still invites himself into me just about in my FACE and I have trouble getting the grain out of my pocket and keeping him at distance at the same time. He tried to nip my fingers one time when I was getting the grain out and hand my other hand out 'blocking" his head. Despite the nips he did everything happily.
He'd calmed down so much I figured a short ride might be ok. Plus it's been atleast a week. I put the bareback pad on and climbed on. He was forward & happily swinging as we walked. I really wanted a chance to work on my seat and see if I can't unlock this stiffness I think I've created in myself. =/
The highlight of the whole ride was us jogging... I had to hold the pad in front to keep from jarring, but with my deeper breathing & softer seat he actually kept a moderately slow pace around the ring with no contact while I worked out my position (unheard of for mr Former Speed Demon). I think he liked my lighter seat.
The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. We did have some problems once I got him to the pasture. He seems to lose sight of the fact that I exit, again and focuses only on his buddies. He's already hit me in the back and torso twice VERY hard because of his head slinging. So we did some turns and backs before I took the halter off and I used the leadrope swung in a circle to keep him out of my face while I latched the gate. Hopefully in the next few days he'll calm back down and Dream will go out of heat. >.>
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Cordeo
Two days ago after reading more on the AND forums (art of natural dressage for those wondering - check it out!), I decided to re-try working with D in a cordeo. (again for those wondering, a cordeo is a loose rope around the base of the neck)
As much as D fights against restraint and 'shuts down' I figured the cordeo would give him a much stronger feeling of freedom when working with me. I'll refrain from telling the story of my very first cordeo experience with him this winter... >.< but needless to say this time I want to make sure he is responsive, I won't be on his back and I won't be bareback XP lol.
I didn't have a leadrope or anything sufficient, but after a moment of thinking I came up with the idea to take one side of our biothane reins and clip the snap to the buckle at the other end. It fits him nicely. He looked at me though like "What are you doing human?" Once out in the ring I expected him to atleast trot off or walk away from me in happy freedom when I took the halter off. No such thing. He just stood there staring blankly at me. I get that blank look alot nowdays. =/ I walked off to the first barrel, he started after me but it took him several minute to follow. Actually I had to walk back part way and take a swing towards the rail before he felt inclinded to follow. Although part of his just outstanding enthusiasim *sarcasim* could have been the 95 degree heat. >.>
So we walked around, I worked with him on backing, which he did well. I'm still frustrated that I'm having to use sometimes a fair amount of preassure in his chest to get him to back, while other times just using wide spread arms and a "shooing" motion with an upright assertive torso will easily do the trick. Several days ago we also worked on yielding his shoulder. They've always been stiff and stuck, atleast when I'm doing ground work with him. The first time I tried to get him to yield it the other day he nearly glared at me. But I reminded him that 1 second before he'd easily moved his body laterally away from me, and the shoulder should be too hard in itself... I asked again and he rather clumsily complied. It was a big step for us, I definately need to work on it so he learns to readjust his balance and give the shoulder easier. I really want to get a camera out there and tape him, personally I feel he's actually pretty balanced in some cases, yet other times his progress seems terribly slow. I dunno... I think seeing it on camera would help me see what I can't upclose.
After our lateral and stepping under/backing I clipped the lead to the cordeo and began alittle work. At first he was reluctant and seemed to either be thinking or confused as to why I was doing this, but he followed me around easily with the cordeo. I question whether it was really my signals, or just my body language he was acting off of. Anyways after about 15 minutes total the heat was too much for us, so we went back to the barn. I know I have a tendancy to get ahead but I was so excited to see how he would do I asked him to walk back with me on the cordeo. Aside from trying to eat grass once (because I stopped and he took that as "break time") he behaved himself extremely well, I was impressed. ^__^
I'm so excited he's being so responsive.
One other note... as of this week I've been taking him on leisure walks on the longe to the creek. He did really well the first time, but he's gotten in the habit of trying to run by me, in front of me, or around me in a circle when I'm going going fast enough. Especially downhill it's hard to keep my balance.
One good excercise I'm sure he hates me for...
Walking up the epic hill: I stop every few strides, and we resume from the standstill. Keeps him from cheating and using momentum to climb up the hill. >=)
As much as D fights against restraint and 'shuts down' I figured the cordeo would give him a much stronger feeling of freedom when working with me. I'll refrain from telling the story of my very first cordeo experience with him this winter... >.< but needless to say this time I want to make sure he is responsive, I won't be on his back and I won't be bareback XP lol.
I didn't have a leadrope or anything sufficient, but after a moment of thinking I came up with the idea to take one side of our biothane reins and clip the snap to the buckle at the other end. It fits him nicely. He looked at me though like "What are you doing human?" Once out in the ring I expected him to atleast trot off or walk away from me in happy freedom when I took the halter off. No such thing. He just stood there staring blankly at me. I get that blank look alot nowdays. =/ I walked off to the first barrel, he started after me but it took him several minute to follow. Actually I had to walk back part way and take a swing towards the rail before he felt inclinded to follow. Although part of his just outstanding enthusiasim *sarcasim* could have been the 95 degree heat. >.>
So we walked around, I worked with him on backing, which he did well. I'm still frustrated that I'm having to use sometimes a fair amount of preassure in his chest to get him to back, while other times just using wide spread arms and a "shooing" motion with an upright assertive torso will easily do the trick. Several days ago we also worked on yielding his shoulder. They've always been stiff and stuck, atleast when I'm doing ground work with him. The first time I tried to get him to yield it the other day he nearly glared at me. But I reminded him that 1 second before he'd easily moved his body laterally away from me, and the shoulder should be too hard in itself... I asked again and he rather clumsily complied. It was a big step for us, I definately need to work on it so he learns to readjust his balance and give the shoulder easier. I really want to get a camera out there and tape him, personally I feel he's actually pretty balanced in some cases, yet other times his progress seems terribly slow. I dunno... I think seeing it on camera would help me see what I can't upclose.
After our lateral and stepping under/backing I clipped the lead to the cordeo and began alittle work. At first he was reluctant and seemed to either be thinking or confused as to why I was doing this, but he followed me around easily with the cordeo. I question whether it was really my signals, or just my body language he was acting off of. Anyways after about 15 minutes total the heat was too much for us, so we went back to the barn. I know I have a tendancy to get ahead but I was so excited to see how he would do I asked him to walk back with me on the cordeo. Aside from trying to eat grass once (because I stopped and he took that as "break time") he behaved himself extremely well, I was impressed. ^__^
I'm so excited he's being so responsive.
One other note... as of this week I've been taking him on leisure walks on the longe to the creek. He did really well the first time, but he's gotten in the habit of trying to run by me, in front of me, or around me in a circle when I'm going going fast enough. Especially downhill it's hard to keep my balance.
One good excercise I'm sure he hates me for...
Walking up the epic hill: I stop every few strides, and we resume from the standstill. Keeps him from cheating and using momentum to climb up the hill. >=)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Freedom and Leaving the Grass!
Just an exciting note from our work the other day...
It's been opressively hot the past week. Anyone who knows me knows I love heat, but we're talking the kind where I've got sweat bubbles all over my skin and yet I still feel heat radiating off me like a furnace on high. No evaporation. I generally prefer to have water close by me (pool, ocean) when it's like this.
Anyways, partly due to the heat I haven't been riding him. The other hald is due to me realizing just how badly my saddle fits. I know I keep saying that but I keep seeing new signs. Most recently I've been able to actually pin point the exact location of the saddle panels on D's back simply by seeing the indentions it's left in the developing muscle! (and this is without him being saddled for 2 weeks)Iiick.
Anyways, so ground work it is. I love my new longe line ^__^ (lightweight, cotton round, small clip) and I take him out on it freaquently. It gives me extra length for sure. Anyways now that I've been able to actually close all the gates in the ring I let him loose in there. The other evening two great things happened in our short, and very molassas like session:
*He immediately decided, it was fine to walk around the arena with me despite being completely free. I started walking along the rail after ;etting him go and putting my equipment on the mounting block. He decided to follow suit and pretty soon he was plodding after me. We made it around to the otherside of the ring where the view drops off over the vast back pasture where the deer like to gather in the evenings. There was nothing there this time but he stopped and stood, watching, smelling. I kept walking and walked about 20 feet over to the fence and stood there looking out over the same area he was, breifly showing interest. He faltered for a second, staring at the pasture, then his eyes flicked to me and his weight started to fall in on his inside leg like he was thinking of following me. His attention stayed on the field but I started walking around the rest of the arena and within a few more seconds he started to follow again and a ploddy pace. Needless to say I was impressed and highly excited. He followed me around the barrels in the middle of the ring as well.
*He left grass to follow me. ^_^
He's VERY fixated on food. Since he's come here he's done nothing but eat, like it's his last meal. =/ I guess being off of pasture for almost 10 years does that to a horse, poor guy. The point is though, that the ring has grass growing up through the sand. D discovered this after some hesitation and instead of walking up to him and insisting he stop eating I watched. He eyed me, took a few bites, decided it was good and moved to the next patch or so of green stuff. I was frustrated, I've always hated it when the grazing takes up time I want to be spending with us actually communicating. I drummed my fingers on the barrel and bit and looked off elsewhere trying not to make eye contact, although I did mentally think "I really wish you'd stop eating right now, you can do that when I turn you back out in a few minutes." After watching him move from clump to clump I asked "Don't you want to come over here and do something?" He acknoledged me with an ear and eye and then looked up, directly at me, head at about his chest level. He bent down and took another snif of the grass, decided he was disinterested and plodded over to me. I stood there in shock, his very earnest, although not entirely enthusiastic expression was burned into my brain. O.o he just left grass to come see me! WOW We spent a minute communing at the barrel. I'm really hoping now he gets the idea that the barrels are objects for play, but he hasn't yet. He's close though... as we were standing there he took a sniff and put his lips over the rim of the barrel before loosing interest. I was alittle dissapointed. In the old days that would have immediately been followed by him either picking the barrel up by his teeth, chewing it to death or knocking it on the ground, pinning his ears and dancing off. I miss that side of him and that's my whole goal: to get it back. Right now I'm just trying to show him I won't freak out if he messes with stuff.
It's been opressively hot the past week. Anyone who knows me knows I love heat, but we're talking the kind where I've got sweat bubbles all over my skin and yet I still feel heat radiating off me like a furnace on high. No evaporation. I generally prefer to have water close by me (pool, ocean) when it's like this.
Anyways, partly due to the heat I haven't been riding him. The other hald is due to me realizing just how badly my saddle fits. I know I keep saying that but I keep seeing new signs. Most recently I've been able to actually pin point the exact location of the saddle panels on D's back simply by seeing the indentions it's left in the developing muscle! (and this is without him being saddled for 2 weeks)Iiick.
Anyways, so ground work it is. I love my new longe line ^__^ (lightweight, cotton round, small clip) and I take him out on it freaquently. It gives me extra length for sure. Anyways now that I've been able to actually close all the gates in the ring I let him loose in there. The other evening two great things happened in our short, and very molassas like session:
*He immediately decided, it was fine to walk around the arena with me despite being completely free. I started walking along the rail after ;etting him go and putting my equipment on the mounting block. He decided to follow suit and pretty soon he was plodding after me. We made it around to the otherside of the ring where the view drops off over the vast back pasture where the deer like to gather in the evenings. There was nothing there this time but he stopped and stood, watching, smelling. I kept walking and walked about 20 feet over to the fence and stood there looking out over the same area he was, breifly showing interest. He faltered for a second, staring at the pasture, then his eyes flicked to me and his weight started to fall in on his inside leg like he was thinking of following me. His attention stayed on the field but I started walking around the rest of the arena and within a few more seconds he started to follow again and a ploddy pace. Needless to say I was impressed and highly excited. He followed me around the barrels in the middle of the ring as well.
*He left grass to follow me. ^_^
He's VERY fixated on food. Since he's come here he's done nothing but eat, like it's his last meal. =/ I guess being off of pasture for almost 10 years does that to a horse, poor guy. The point is though, that the ring has grass growing up through the sand. D discovered this after some hesitation and instead of walking up to him and insisting he stop eating I watched. He eyed me, took a few bites, decided it was good and moved to the next patch or so of green stuff. I was frustrated, I've always hated it when the grazing takes up time I want to be spending with us actually communicating. I drummed my fingers on the barrel and bit and looked off elsewhere trying not to make eye contact, although I did mentally think "I really wish you'd stop eating right now, you can do that when I turn you back out in a few minutes." After watching him move from clump to clump I asked "Don't you want to come over here and do something?" He acknoledged me with an ear and eye and then looked up, directly at me, head at about his chest level. He bent down and took another snif of the grass, decided he was disinterested and plodded over to me. I stood there in shock, his very earnest, although not entirely enthusiastic expression was burned into my brain. O.o he just left grass to come see me! WOW We spent a minute communing at the barrel. I'm really hoping now he gets the idea that the barrels are objects for play, but he hasn't yet. He's close though... as we were standing there he took a sniff and put his lips over the rim of the barrel before loosing interest. I was alittle dissapointed. In the old days that would have immediately been followed by him either picking the barrel up by his teeth, chewing it to death or knocking it on the ground, pinning his ears and dancing off. I miss that side of him and that's my whole goal: to get it back. Right now I'm just trying to show him I won't freak out if he messes with stuff.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Importance of Centeredness
I find myself wondering when this important lesson will finally sink in enough that I remember! Staying centered on D's back is apparently critical to his ability to move at any given moment with lightness and balance. This was evident yesterday...
We started out in the round pen with alittle lunging just to loosen his muscles. This consisted of a few minutes medium walk and then some brief trot. From there after it was walk-trot trot-walk transitions, as I've noticed I can keep an eye on how balanced he is and whether he's truly using his back end or not better. He was more energetic due to the light rain falling, a thunderstorm had swept over right before I arrived so he was more alert than normal. I found I was much more excited about his alert mood though than nervous. A good step for me, I see now that his moods and reactions can be channeled (hopefully into some really great self carriage =p ) in a positive way.
Riding was great, his walk was forward & active, except for his constant looky-ness at the two deer down in the back field. They interested him alot...
We got some very good leg yields off before anything else and I could feel him fairly loose under me. Surprising considering I'm still expecting him to be quite stiff from all the new hilly terrain he constantly navigates. Determined not to make this a long ride though, I quickly moved us into trot and canter.
Trot was not surprisingly off, as usual. It hasn't been truly good since December. I still don't know what the main contributing factor is but I know several possibilities: bad saddle fit, sore back, sore neck, sore hooves. Probably his back though... I don't say all this lazilly - I really am trying to make him comfortable. I try to limit riding in that saddle more than once a week. It's just that $900 for a new (or used) saddle is alot of money to save for a broke person. =(
The canter however was the magic of the evening...
At first he didn't want to, period. He was acting dead to my light aids. I'm trying to get away from the legs aids and gripping with my thights/legs. I finally changed direction to his good side (clockwise) and he enthusiastically leaped into a canter, much to my surprise. His front end came up as much as he's capable of right now but unfortunately braced itself there against me as he tried to take control and bolt off due to enthusiasim. We had a moment of deep seated 'words' on my part as I half halted back down to a bumpy trot then walk. We changed directions again now that he was anticipating the canter, back to his hard side. I'm determined to work this side more than the other in hopes of strengthening that weaker stifle again. I had lengthened my stirrups considerably and was working very hard on proper classical seat position, upright as a broomstick 24/7 with an elastic centered seat. While tempting to tip inwards or forwards into the canter transition I restrained myself and as soon as I did the canter came... just like that. Barely even a movement from me, just a thought. Again the canter got hoppy and bolty down the long side, but after a few more breaks and tries it became clear he could much more easily strike off into canter on his hard side if I was sitting up and centered on the saddle. He couldn't make it but halfway around the ring before he simply lost his balance though, we fell back into a nasty jarring trot everytime, his hindquarters swinging in terribly. (bad habit of his) The same went for his good side once we retried. Transitions were quick and clean so long as I was upright & balanced. One time I got left behind by the sudden transition but I think that's better than the alternative.
In other observations I still notice I seem to have very little effectiveness in the canter with my position over all. I guess a big flaw on mine in the past 6 years has been learning to stay quiet in the canter by grip instead of balance. I balanced, but only because I was gripping. Now that grip is eliminated and I aim to let my leg dangle as they please while my abs do the work of keeping me supple and upright at the same time, my whole body wants to seize up and fails to cooaperate. X_X I'm dissapointed, I thought I was a better rider than that. I'm also having alot of trouble being soft in the hands/reins but still connecting the hands & elbows to my torso. Eventing taught me to let the elbows be elastic shock absorbers. Dressage later taught me to anchor them to my seat & waist for a more unified oneness in my body's signals to the horse. I took the time to work on my seat though and I dare say there was alittle improvement. Instead of concentrating on sticking to the saddle like glue, which I find impossible currently - I concentrated on minimal movement of Diego, not the saddle itself. Allowing my pelvis to rock very slightly back and forth and not stay so stiff seemed to aleviate the bouncing. I don't really know if this is good in the long run or not, but anything to alleviate the possible bouncing on D's back right now without gripping is a plus to me...
So two encouraging things out of what could have been an icky night (with the rain). The only thing I'm currently discouraged about is my more recent habit of freedom with D. I had gotten where I rarely tied him, as I liked being able to have the type relationship where he was actually willing to stand with me to be groomed, tacked etc without force. Unfortunately right now he is just not trustworthy enough =/ maybe my expectations are unrealistic, he's still in a new place. I just feel bad tying him up constantly. But let's face the facts... this is someone's property and were he to get a whim that he could he'd run right up into their garage or down the driveway to the road, and we really can't have that.
Grooming and tacking up in the ring had occured to me, although it requires me to lug alot of stuff down that hill... it would give him the freedom to roam though. The rings is wonderfully flat and a nice place with views.
We started out in the round pen with alittle lunging just to loosen his muscles. This consisted of a few minutes medium walk and then some brief trot. From there after it was walk-trot trot-walk transitions, as I've noticed I can keep an eye on how balanced he is and whether he's truly using his back end or not better. He was more energetic due to the light rain falling, a thunderstorm had swept over right before I arrived so he was more alert than normal. I found I was much more excited about his alert mood though than nervous. A good step for me, I see now that his moods and reactions can be channeled (hopefully into some really great self carriage =p ) in a positive way.
Riding was great, his walk was forward & active, except for his constant looky-ness at the two deer down in the back field. They interested him alot...
We got some very good leg yields off before anything else and I could feel him fairly loose under me. Surprising considering I'm still expecting him to be quite stiff from all the new hilly terrain he constantly navigates. Determined not to make this a long ride though, I quickly moved us into trot and canter.
Trot was not surprisingly off, as usual. It hasn't been truly good since December. I still don't know what the main contributing factor is but I know several possibilities: bad saddle fit, sore back, sore neck, sore hooves. Probably his back though... I don't say all this lazilly - I really am trying to make him comfortable. I try to limit riding in that saddle more than once a week. It's just that $900 for a new (or used) saddle is alot of money to save for a broke person. =(
The canter however was the magic of the evening...
At first he didn't want to, period. He was acting dead to my light aids. I'm trying to get away from the legs aids and gripping with my thights/legs. I finally changed direction to his good side (clockwise) and he enthusiastically leaped into a canter, much to my surprise. His front end came up as much as he's capable of right now but unfortunately braced itself there against me as he tried to take control and bolt off due to enthusiasim. We had a moment of deep seated 'words' on my part as I half halted back down to a bumpy trot then walk. We changed directions again now that he was anticipating the canter, back to his hard side. I'm determined to work this side more than the other in hopes of strengthening that weaker stifle again. I had lengthened my stirrups considerably and was working very hard on proper classical seat position, upright as a broomstick 24/7 with an elastic centered seat. While tempting to tip inwards or forwards into the canter transition I restrained myself and as soon as I did the canter came... just like that. Barely even a movement from me, just a thought. Again the canter got hoppy and bolty down the long side, but after a few more breaks and tries it became clear he could much more easily strike off into canter on his hard side if I was sitting up and centered on the saddle. He couldn't make it but halfway around the ring before he simply lost his balance though, we fell back into a nasty jarring trot everytime, his hindquarters swinging in terribly. (bad habit of his) The same went for his good side once we retried. Transitions were quick and clean so long as I was upright & balanced. One time I got left behind by the sudden transition but I think that's better than the alternative.
In other observations I still notice I seem to have very little effectiveness in the canter with my position over all. I guess a big flaw on mine in the past 6 years has been learning to stay quiet in the canter by grip instead of balance. I balanced, but only because I was gripping. Now that grip is eliminated and I aim to let my leg dangle as they please while my abs do the work of keeping me supple and upright at the same time, my whole body wants to seize up and fails to cooaperate. X_X I'm dissapointed, I thought I was a better rider than that. I'm also having alot of trouble being soft in the hands/reins but still connecting the hands & elbows to my torso. Eventing taught me to let the elbows be elastic shock absorbers. Dressage later taught me to anchor them to my seat & waist for a more unified oneness in my body's signals to the horse. I took the time to work on my seat though and I dare say there was alittle improvement. Instead of concentrating on sticking to the saddle like glue, which I find impossible currently - I concentrated on minimal movement of Diego, not the saddle itself. Allowing my pelvis to rock very slightly back and forth and not stay so stiff seemed to aleviate the bouncing. I don't really know if this is good in the long run or not, but anything to alleviate the possible bouncing on D's back right now without gripping is a plus to me...
So two encouraging things out of what could have been an icky night (with the rain). The only thing I'm currently discouraged about is my more recent habit of freedom with D. I had gotten where I rarely tied him, as I liked being able to have the type relationship where he was actually willing to stand with me to be groomed, tacked etc without force. Unfortunately right now he is just not trustworthy enough =/ maybe my expectations are unrealistic, he's still in a new place. I just feel bad tying him up constantly. But let's face the facts... this is someone's property and were he to get a whim that he could he'd run right up into their garage or down the driveway to the road, and we really can't have that.
Grooming and tacking up in the ring had occured to me, although it requires me to lug alot of stuff down that hill... it would give him the freedom to roam though. The rings is wonderfully flat and a nice place with views.
Our History - Recent (04' - today)
The past 4 years of my ‘horse life’ really fell apart for me, it’s only been in the past year that it’s started coming together again.
Tailbone surgery kept me from riding for good 6-9 months in 04/05. A big blow considering I feel more natural on Diego’s back than I do on my own legs, his legs have become mine over the years and although we fought a lot, I took for granted just how one minded we had become in locomotion. The time after I began to ride again was an agonizing few years of only being able to ride once a week. His barn was an hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and with the new responsibilities of a job it was too much. About 2 years ago I allowed a woman to ride him in dressage lessons, mostly walk trot, with my trainer. While everyone else was very for this, I wasn’t, although I agreed to it. I trusted my trainer to pick a confident, gentle rider for him, since she was the one who had finally broken my shell and challenged ME to be more patient and gentle with him over the years. It’s just that we had become so one…. The idea of another woman getting in the middle of it was a constant irritant. Would you give your 12 year partner easily to another person? All my life, I was the kid who had a way with one horse or another, and usually once I’d built a bond with said horse other people then took advantage of it or took the horse away completely thinking it was “fixed”, instead of stopping to observe the relationship and mimic it on their own. =( While I knew I was still his life partner, days at work sitting at a desk while D was being ridden by someone else weighed heavily on me. Diego’s response to my aids grew more dull and I could tell he was confused at times. My usual routine wasn’t the same as what he was used to twice a week, and yet I was signaling the same way I had for years. I had serious emotional problems with this muddled confusion and grew depressed. I have no doubt the extra work was good for him but I often frequently wondered what was going on inside him, confusion? Abandonment? Fear of changing ownership? Happiness? I’ll never know, I never saw the woman ride him and saw the look on his face.
Unfortunately our barn was hit with an enormous flood because of pipes breaking in a close by water treatment plant less than a year ago. My friend’s horse was killed along with another newer one. Diego survived uninjured, along with the rest of the barn and were found the next morning in chest deep water. They were quickly relocated to a rescue barn and kept in stall for 2 weeks. Upon moving them back home after flood clean up there was still no fencing so the horses were kept in most of the time as the few small paddocks roped off had to be rotated between nearly 10 horses. Diego became crabby and depressed as well as his weight started dropping. I wanted him closer to me, and this seemed like the right time, so after 10 years I moved him from his old home. We moved to a very small barn located close to home and I spent the winter getting reacquainted with him....
I didn’t feel like he didn’t know me, but I wanted to reestablish the old bond and make it stronger than ever. When most people are bundled up inside hoping for spring to ride, I was out in the cold riding through rain, slush and ice on him (the latter being interesting, he nearly went down with me after a bucking fit landed him on a patch of ice).
I started studying the popular Natural Horsemanship as soon as I arrived. The new barn owner was a big fan and promoted it and I liked the kinder way of handling the horses instead of simply hitting them, like I’d been taught years ago. Diego showed progress with his pushiness on the ground after dealing with the owner on a regular basis (feeding/turnout). In my studies and in talking with the man though, I noticed I was being encouraged strongly to stop some of Diego’s more rare behavior like grooming me (which had taken him years to do as he used to not trust interacting with humans during grooming, he’s been hit in the head a lot for his habit of being mouthy). And also his habit of kicking out when being lunged. Both things are met with strong opposition in the NH world and seen as immediate disrespect to the human. I had noticed that lack of respect for me in general seemed to be one of Diego’s problems. Something didn’t feel right though… I worked so hard to build a trusting relationship between us and still punish the kicking outbursts. Sometimes it didn’t seem worth it – like when I’d let him loose in the ring to run off some steam and he’d end up bucking and kicking halfway to the otherside. Other times direct kicks at me (usually after a directional or driving aid) seemed very appropriate for punishment. My method of growling at him and chasing him mercilessly around for a good 3 minutes afterwards though never seemed to really fix the situation though. It only made him snort and prance or run around obediently until I got tired. I swear sometimes he acted like it was a game. O.o I started to see that really he wasn’t making the connection between kicking out and my “punishment”, but I didn’t feel making physical contact with him over the issue was a good idea either, even though inside I really wanted to lash out at him like he had me.
But on our more successful issues, and journey I discovered a lot of things:
*Rhythmic preassure was a better way to get a response from him, constant preassure is something he seems to despise enough to ignore or constantly fight and he will either A) win or B) make me tired and miserable in the process.
*I had too much of a “schedule” mind, Surprise surprise…just like my mother. I always had these expectations of our “ride time” that needed to be met for my happiness and I always had a routine, rarely did anything different.
*I rode in a way that was most convenient for me.
*The way I was riding and doing things was not only making Diego bored, but had lost his interest in our time together period.
*I was way too focused on my agenda and not flexible enough to go with the moment. I’m learning now how to play: get on, get off, get on again…staying in the saddle gets stale - switch our program up. Run on the ground alittle… ride alittle. One of the very first things I started several years ago was cooling him out off his back – us just walking side by side. I believe it makes things more comfortable for him. =)
Many experiences have influenced my goals and current path/philosophy, they include things like trainers Thomas Ritter, Brent Branderup, Klaus H. etc, seeing performances like the Spanish Riding School & Cavalia… but my philosophy side was tickled & convicted when I read about a very controversial trainer Alexander Nevzorav. His words that the horse should be free to exist without the dominant imposing will of humans struck at the heart of who I am and my Christian beliefs. I had to reexamine all my years with horses and my motives, were they me-based or loving-selfless-giving-based like Jesus asks of me? For I truly believe Jesus intends his followers to treat animals with the kindness and respect we want as well, for they are all God’s creation and respecting & caring for them is as if we were doing it to Him. I have seen many Christians use the line of “God gave 'dominion' over the animals to Adam” as an excuse for unfair treatment to animals for their own happiness and enjoyment. Under the teachings that Jesus brought to us though I can no longer accept that reason as valid in my own life though. Nevzorav bluntly calls people out for our own selfish motives and behavior towards horses… causing pain to control them, wishing to reduce their fire for our convenience, riding for our own pleasure only and thus blinding ourselves to any possible discomfort the horse experiences. His goal to bring out the fire in his own horses fascinated me and also made me wary, I was beginning to realize I lack the intuition at the moment to safely handle that much power. This realization brought to light just how magnificent and powerful horses are. The majesty of such a fierce animal was brought back to life in my mind again, something I hadn’t experienced since childhood. Where along the lines had I become desensitized into thinking they were just beasts we should control? I also watched his videos in confusion seeing his horses run, buck, rear, strike and kick at will. In any NH training this would be considered severe disrespect and yet Nevzorav called it playing. I realize now the complexities of when a horse is playing Vs. when they are truly a danger to me is something I don’t have a grasp on yet. I have a long road ahead of me, the realization was humbling and depressing.
Since this realization I have spent the past 6 months struggling and floundering in a muddy pond (that's what it feels like) of uncertainty.
I have studied as much as I can about a horses natural enviroment and made changes in Diego's best interests. Honestly some have been more of an adjustment for me than him! Like moving him to pasture only...
I've also changed alot of how I interact with him: I tie him less, I let him follow me where ever. I let him loose in large spaces more often for our work. I ride shorter amounts of time and often bareback (due to an ill fitting saddle). But sometimes I still feel lost standing on the ground staring at him. I have dozens of horse friends and trainers around me willing to "help" guide me at the drop of a hat. But I'm not as trusting as I once was, and I see ego pop out of every dark corner, no matter how small... I know the path I want to take with my horses from now on, and I have found so many horse people all over the world who feel the same, yet finding someone I trust to guide me has not happened. Yet. Maybe it will when the time is right, or maybe this is something I'm supposed to do on my own... watch an observe until I know who Diego truly is.
Well... here's to watching.
Tailbone surgery kept me from riding for good 6-9 months in 04/05. A big blow considering I feel more natural on Diego’s back than I do on my own legs, his legs have become mine over the years and although we fought a lot, I took for granted just how one minded we had become in locomotion. The time after I began to ride again was an agonizing few years of only being able to ride once a week. His barn was an hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and with the new responsibilities of a job it was too much. About 2 years ago I allowed a woman to ride him in dressage lessons, mostly walk trot, with my trainer. While everyone else was very for this, I wasn’t, although I agreed to it. I trusted my trainer to pick a confident, gentle rider for him, since she was the one who had finally broken my shell and challenged ME to be more patient and gentle with him over the years. It’s just that we had become so one…. The idea of another woman getting in the middle of it was a constant irritant. Would you give your 12 year partner easily to another person? All my life, I was the kid who had a way with one horse or another, and usually once I’d built a bond with said horse other people then took advantage of it or took the horse away completely thinking it was “fixed”, instead of stopping to observe the relationship and mimic it on their own. =( While I knew I was still his life partner, days at work sitting at a desk while D was being ridden by someone else weighed heavily on me. Diego’s response to my aids grew more dull and I could tell he was confused at times. My usual routine wasn’t the same as what he was used to twice a week, and yet I was signaling the same way I had for years. I had serious emotional problems with this muddled confusion and grew depressed. I have no doubt the extra work was good for him but I often frequently wondered what was going on inside him, confusion? Abandonment? Fear of changing ownership? Happiness? I’ll never know, I never saw the woman ride him and saw the look on his face.
Unfortunately our barn was hit with an enormous flood because of pipes breaking in a close by water treatment plant less than a year ago. My friend’s horse was killed along with another newer one. Diego survived uninjured, along with the rest of the barn and were found the next morning in chest deep water. They were quickly relocated to a rescue barn and kept in stall for 2 weeks. Upon moving them back home after flood clean up there was still no fencing so the horses were kept in most of the time as the few small paddocks roped off had to be rotated between nearly 10 horses. Diego became crabby and depressed as well as his weight started dropping. I wanted him closer to me, and this seemed like the right time, so after 10 years I moved him from his old home. We moved to a very small barn located close to home and I spent the winter getting reacquainted with him....
I didn’t feel like he didn’t know me, but I wanted to reestablish the old bond and make it stronger than ever. When most people are bundled up inside hoping for spring to ride, I was out in the cold riding through rain, slush and ice on him (the latter being interesting, he nearly went down with me after a bucking fit landed him on a patch of ice).
I started studying the popular Natural Horsemanship as soon as I arrived. The new barn owner was a big fan and promoted it and I liked the kinder way of handling the horses instead of simply hitting them, like I’d been taught years ago. Diego showed progress with his pushiness on the ground after dealing with the owner on a regular basis (feeding/turnout). In my studies and in talking with the man though, I noticed I was being encouraged strongly to stop some of Diego’s more rare behavior like grooming me (which had taken him years to do as he used to not trust interacting with humans during grooming, he’s been hit in the head a lot for his habit of being mouthy). And also his habit of kicking out when being lunged. Both things are met with strong opposition in the NH world and seen as immediate disrespect to the human. I had noticed that lack of respect for me in general seemed to be one of Diego’s problems. Something didn’t feel right though… I worked so hard to build a trusting relationship between us and still punish the kicking outbursts. Sometimes it didn’t seem worth it – like when I’d let him loose in the ring to run off some steam and he’d end up bucking and kicking halfway to the otherside. Other times direct kicks at me (usually after a directional or driving aid) seemed very appropriate for punishment. My method of growling at him and chasing him mercilessly around for a good 3 minutes afterwards though never seemed to really fix the situation though. It only made him snort and prance or run around obediently until I got tired. I swear sometimes he acted like it was a game. O.o I started to see that really he wasn’t making the connection between kicking out and my “punishment”, but I didn’t feel making physical contact with him over the issue was a good idea either, even though inside I really wanted to lash out at him like he had me.
But on our more successful issues, and journey I discovered a lot of things:
*Rhythmic preassure was a better way to get a response from him, constant preassure is something he seems to despise enough to ignore or constantly fight and he will either A) win or B) make me tired and miserable in the process.
*I had too much of a “schedule” mind, Surprise surprise…just like my mother. I always had these expectations of our “ride time” that needed to be met for my happiness and I always had a routine, rarely did anything different.
*I rode in a way that was most convenient for me.
*The way I was riding and doing things was not only making Diego bored, but had lost his interest in our time together period.
*I was way too focused on my agenda and not flexible enough to go with the moment. I’m learning now how to play: get on, get off, get on again…staying in the saddle gets stale - switch our program up. Run on the ground alittle… ride alittle. One of the very first things I started several years ago was cooling him out off his back – us just walking side by side. I believe it makes things more comfortable for him. =)
Many experiences have influenced my goals and current path/philosophy, they include things like trainers Thomas Ritter, Brent Branderup, Klaus H. etc, seeing performances like the Spanish Riding School & Cavalia… but my philosophy side was tickled & convicted when I read about a very controversial trainer Alexander Nevzorav. His words that the horse should be free to exist without the dominant imposing will of humans struck at the heart of who I am and my Christian beliefs. I had to reexamine all my years with horses and my motives, were they me-based or loving-selfless-giving-based like Jesus asks of me? For I truly believe Jesus intends his followers to treat animals with the kindness and respect we want as well, for they are all God’s creation and respecting & caring for them is as if we were doing it to Him. I have seen many Christians use the line of “God gave 'dominion' over the animals to Adam” as an excuse for unfair treatment to animals for their own happiness and enjoyment. Under the teachings that Jesus brought to us though I can no longer accept that reason as valid in my own life though. Nevzorav bluntly calls people out for our own selfish motives and behavior towards horses… causing pain to control them, wishing to reduce their fire for our convenience, riding for our own pleasure only and thus blinding ourselves to any possible discomfort the horse experiences. His goal to bring out the fire in his own horses fascinated me and also made me wary, I was beginning to realize I lack the intuition at the moment to safely handle that much power. This realization brought to light just how magnificent and powerful horses are. The majesty of such a fierce animal was brought back to life in my mind again, something I hadn’t experienced since childhood. Where along the lines had I become desensitized into thinking they were just beasts we should control? I also watched his videos in confusion seeing his horses run, buck, rear, strike and kick at will. In any NH training this would be considered severe disrespect and yet Nevzorav called it playing. I realize now the complexities of when a horse is playing Vs. when they are truly a danger to me is something I don’t have a grasp on yet. I have a long road ahead of me, the realization was humbling and depressing.
Since this realization I have spent the past 6 months struggling and floundering in a muddy pond (that's what it feels like) of uncertainty.
I have studied as much as I can about a horses natural enviroment and made changes in Diego's best interests. Honestly some have been more of an adjustment for me than him! Like moving him to pasture only...
I've also changed alot of how I interact with him: I tie him less, I let him follow me where ever. I let him loose in large spaces more often for our work. I ride shorter amounts of time and often bareback (due to an ill fitting saddle). But sometimes I still feel lost standing on the ground staring at him. I have dozens of horse friends and trainers around me willing to "help" guide me at the drop of a hat. But I'm not as trusting as I once was, and I see ego pop out of every dark corner, no matter how small... I know the path I want to take with my horses from now on, and I have found so many horse people all over the world who feel the same, yet finding someone I trust to guide me has not happened. Yet. Maybe it will when the time is right, or maybe this is something I'm supposed to do on my own... watch an observe until I know who Diego truly is.
Well... here's to watching.
The Problem Horse
In today’s convenient horse world, where horses are pets & riding is mainly a sport people do on the side, Diego was the monster ‘problem horse” most people would have sold. We nearly did… he came home from his first dressage show and nearly had a for sale sign slapped on his rear. After becoming unruly, rearing and screaming constantly in his stall, causing a warm up nightmare by bolting in circles on the lunge line, kicking at anything & anyone, biting Mom on the chest and just generally being Mr. Discontent the entire 2 days (I couldn’t even ride my classes on him, I was 11 and Mom was concerned about my safety) Mom was feeling hopeless. But once home with him behaving like his normal self again, I guess she wanted to prove to the rest of the barn that we hadn’t made a terrible mistake in buying him. He continued to have his moments though, from kicking in the stall to nearly rearing on the lead line at moment of passion, to nipping and pushing you out of the way whenever he felt like it. Not to mention riding him was like riding a very lightweight freight trail, rough and fast and it never slowed down, only got bumpier when you tried to hold him back. I remember one lady at the barn told my Mom, “He’s too much horse, get something more suitable for you and your daughter.” I have to smile at that nowdays when I watch him in the pasture or eyeing me when he’s tied in the barn. He was the perfect horse God picked out for us, maybe not to be a calm mount for my mother to ride, but years later I’m learning life changing lessons because of him.
More experienced horse people started taking note of him once we changed barns. His fire and determination, as well as good looks lured them into thinking he’d serve as an excellent sport horse, had he the right training. Problem was no matter how hard we tried, through conventional methods, we couldn’t get the desired results with his speed problems, jumping or ground manners. He was still firey, pushy, speedy and green. I spent years fighting with him to “harness” his ‘power” and train him in the conventional way to be an eventer. While he liked eventing, he hated travel & being separated from other horses, and he hated restraints & being told ‘no’ when it he felt excited (which was usually manifested in bolts of speed). While I took pride in his fire I also spent years frustrated over and fighting what makes him him, as well as makes him a horse in the most natural, primal sense.
Behind the Name
Nowdays I just call him my Red Dragon and laugh.
He has this posture he likes to do when he’s feeling very powerful and intimidating: he arches his neck and his Mohawk splays like spines, his eyes either roll back showing lots of white – or they fixate on you and his shoulders come up, he’s very adept at using his front limbs for striking. That posture finally solidified his nickname. I have been a huge fan of science fiction for most of my life, fantasy combined with our reality and science to produce something that goes beyond what we experience here... where we can grow and change and experience things outside of what we know. I think it's an instinct in many humans, knowing we want more than this world has to offer (yes yes a Switchfoot line ;p ). Dragons have been the epitome of fantasy creatures for a long time, and seeing "How to Tame Your Dragon" recently put it in the forefront of my mind. It made me realize I already have the closest thing to a real life Dragon I could find. He may have fur instead of scales, but he's a heck or a formidable beast, and he may not be able to fly very far but when he does it's exhilerating. =)
Our History (96-04')
Detailing our history together is important, so I figured I’d dig into the memories and start here.
I was 11 when we got Diego, and was currently still riding my school master pony and second mother, Checkers. Diego was really for my Mom, but knowing me I couldn’t stay away. I remember the day we met him, I was expecting a chunky app, along the lines of the other horses our farrier was selling. What I saw up against the side of his stall was a skinny red colored horse reminiscent of my childhood fantasies, marking wise. White stockings, blaze, with an added burgundy dorsal stripe. I was surprised by and skeptical of this skinny critter though, being used to gorgeous Throughbreds and filled out ponies. Test riding him was fun, but his constant speed was a pain in the rear in the ring. Getting him out in the pasture to run though was paradise. He was extremely powerful, almost to a scary extent, but it fed my need for speed nicely. During the first year that we had him I really didn’t handle him a lot or ride too much, I was honestly very slightly afraid of him, though I would never admit it. His resistance to slowing down cues, even forceful ones and his bad ground manners were too much of a nuisance. We were taught to handle him roughly when he misbehaved, more so than normal. Checkers rarely needed any strong reprimand so it was foriegn at first, but we did it unfortunately, thinking it was the only way to set boundaries and gain 'respect".
When we first got him he was headshy. Bridling was not a problem, but raising your hands around him was. The reason being this: in all the time I’ve known him, he’s always been lippy. He expresses a lot through exploring things with his mouth… in today’s sport horse world where horses are supposed to be well behaved puppets, this is looked down on or viewed with fear. Diego had been hit in the face very aggressively by his previous owner to try and curb his lippy habit. (A current note: D will try to bite on occasion when he is angry with me, but gets a very quick hard reprimand followed by immediate normal behavior like he giving his cheek or ear a good rub. His lippiness has never escalated due to lack of "discipline" and in fact I’ve found it’s decreased over the years of not hitting him in the head over it) Looking back I see how badly D’s trust in humans was damaged by all the harsh treatment he received. I’m rather ashamed to say as a teen I learned to channel my anger and frustration over D not meeting my expectations, into various forms of harsh punishment. Whether it be harsh kicks and rein pulls on his back for simply spooking or all out war on the ground if he tried to push over me. This behavior in me was never really addressed by anyone until I met my respected dressage trainer in 99'. After we began seriously training for the summer 2000 show season she began to give me gentle instruction on not getting so frustrated with Diego over his limitations. She was the first to explain that he was trying to accomplish what I asked and was unable to do so. I guess the thought that my horse was fallible and sometimes unable to do things had never occurred to me. I slowly started to see his huge efforts and nearly spastic will to please for fear of any impending punishment. No wonder he was so manic half the time, all this discipline had only served to confuse and frustrate him more. After I calmed down, he calmed down considerably while under saddle. We also started our journey into deep dressage territory and through that I saw him blossom into a new horse – a strong horse. Muscles that had never before been strengthened gave him new balance. The horse who rushed everywhere eventually turned into that beautiful rocking horse. I frequently cantered around the barn yard instead of walking or trotting because his canter had become so balanced that I could ask him to do it as slowly as a brisk walk. And it was much more fun to sit. =) I was amazed at the change strength brought to his under saddle demeanor. I’m sure he was too. Unfortunately with me riding less and less in the coming years we lost a lot of the strength, but mentally I know he remembers how, because I see him try again and again to be as balanced as he was. This was also around the time in our relationship that he truly began to trust again. He started displaying more affectionate behavior with myself and Mom, this floored us since we’d never seen any from him. He got where he would groom me in the crossties, he LOVED to unzip and unbutton jackets in the winter. He also loved to pull me around by my shirt…he tore a nice hole in one that way! He also gave Mom his first hug (over he shoulder when she hugged him). It nearly brought us to tears seeing how many years it had taken for him to become outgoing around humans. It also clued me in to the incredible sensitivity inside him, and the effects our harsh human egos have on these animals... we carry a heavy burden of responsibility, and in a society that is so lazy and shuns personal responsibility, woe to the horse that gets stuck with an irresponsible human. =(
More experienced horse people started taking note of him once we changed barns. His fire and determination, as well as good looks lured them into thinking he’d serve as an excellent sport horse, had he the right training. Problem was no matter how hard we tried, through conventional methods, we couldn’t get the desired results with his speed problems, jumping or ground manners. He was still firey, pushy, speedy and green. I spent years fighting with him to “harness” his ‘power” and train him in the conventional way to be an eventer. While he liked eventing, he hated travel & being separated from other horses, and he hated restraints & being told ‘no’ when it he felt excited (which was usually manifested in bolts of speed). While I took pride in his fire I also spent years frustrated over and fighting what makes him him, as well as makes him a horse in the most natural, primal sense.
Behind the Name
Nowdays I just call him my Red Dragon and laugh.
He has this posture he likes to do when he’s feeling very powerful and intimidating: he arches his neck and his Mohawk splays like spines, his eyes either roll back showing lots of white – or they fixate on you and his shoulders come up, he’s very adept at using his front limbs for striking. That posture finally solidified his nickname. I have been a huge fan of science fiction for most of my life, fantasy combined with our reality and science to produce something that goes beyond what we experience here... where we can grow and change and experience things outside of what we know. I think it's an instinct in many humans, knowing we want more than this world has to offer (yes yes a Switchfoot line ;p ). Dragons have been the epitome of fantasy creatures for a long time, and seeing "How to Tame Your Dragon" recently put it in the forefront of my mind. It made me realize I already have the closest thing to a real life Dragon I could find. He may have fur instead of scales, but he's a heck or a formidable beast, and he may not be able to fly very far but when he does it's exhilerating. =)
Our History (96-04')
Detailing our history together is important, so I figured I’d dig into the memories and start here.
I was 11 when we got Diego, and was currently still riding my school master pony and second mother, Checkers. Diego was really for my Mom, but knowing me I couldn’t stay away. I remember the day we met him, I was expecting a chunky app, along the lines of the other horses our farrier was selling. What I saw up against the side of his stall was a skinny red colored horse reminiscent of my childhood fantasies, marking wise. White stockings, blaze, with an added burgundy dorsal stripe. I was surprised by and skeptical of this skinny critter though, being used to gorgeous Throughbreds and filled out ponies. Test riding him was fun, but his constant speed was a pain in the rear in the ring. Getting him out in the pasture to run though was paradise. He was extremely powerful, almost to a scary extent, but it fed my need for speed nicely. During the first year that we had him I really didn’t handle him a lot or ride too much, I was honestly very slightly afraid of him, though I would never admit it. His resistance to slowing down cues, even forceful ones and his bad ground manners were too much of a nuisance. We were taught to handle him roughly when he misbehaved, more so than normal. Checkers rarely needed any strong reprimand so it was foriegn at first, but we did it unfortunately, thinking it was the only way to set boundaries and gain 'respect".
When we first got him he was headshy. Bridling was not a problem, but raising your hands around him was. The reason being this: in all the time I’ve known him, he’s always been lippy. He expresses a lot through exploring things with his mouth… in today’s sport horse world where horses are supposed to be well behaved puppets, this is looked down on or viewed with fear. Diego had been hit in the face very aggressively by his previous owner to try and curb his lippy habit. (A current note: D will try to bite on occasion when he is angry with me, but gets a very quick hard reprimand followed by immediate normal behavior like he giving his cheek or ear a good rub. His lippiness has never escalated due to lack of "discipline" and in fact I’ve found it’s decreased over the years of not hitting him in the head over it) Looking back I see how badly D’s trust in humans was damaged by all the harsh treatment he received. I’m rather ashamed to say as a teen I learned to channel my anger and frustration over D not meeting my expectations, into various forms of harsh punishment. Whether it be harsh kicks and rein pulls on his back for simply spooking or all out war on the ground if he tried to push over me. This behavior in me was never really addressed by anyone until I met my respected dressage trainer in 99'. After we began seriously training for the summer 2000 show season she began to give me gentle instruction on not getting so frustrated with Diego over his limitations. She was the first to explain that he was trying to accomplish what I asked and was unable to do so. I guess the thought that my horse was fallible and sometimes unable to do things had never occurred to me. I slowly started to see his huge efforts and nearly spastic will to please for fear of any impending punishment. No wonder he was so manic half the time, all this discipline had only served to confuse and frustrate him more. After I calmed down, he calmed down considerably while under saddle. We also started our journey into deep dressage territory and through that I saw him blossom into a new horse – a strong horse. Muscles that had never before been strengthened gave him new balance. The horse who rushed everywhere eventually turned into that beautiful rocking horse. I frequently cantered around the barn yard instead of walking or trotting because his canter had become so balanced that I could ask him to do it as slowly as a brisk walk. And it was much more fun to sit. =) I was amazed at the change strength brought to his under saddle demeanor. I’m sure he was too. Unfortunately with me riding less and less in the coming years we lost a lot of the strength, but mentally I know he remembers how, because I see him try again and again to be as balanced as he was. This was also around the time in our relationship that he truly began to trust again. He started displaying more affectionate behavior with myself and Mom, this floored us since we’d never seen any from him. He got where he would groom me in the crossties, he LOVED to unzip and unbutton jackets in the winter. He also loved to pull me around by my shirt…he tore a nice hole in one that way! He also gave Mom his first hug (over he shoulder when she hugged him). It nearly brought us to tears seeing how many years it had taken for him to become outgoing around humans. It also clued me in to the incredible sensitivity inside him, and the effects our harsh human egos have on these animals... we carry a heavy burden of responsibility, and in a society that is so lazy and shuns personal responsibility, woe to the horse that gets stuck with an irresponsible human. =(
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