Birdbrain

We worked on our glamour skills
today.
After last week's success with Leo, my plan was to ride every day this week.  I was really excited to find out if my last ride was just really good luck or an actual breakthrough.  Unfortunately, Gigi the saddlebred had other plans for me.  I was moving her so that I could clean her stall (I clean stalls 3x a week at my barn), and she ever-so-politely decided to step on my foot with her stupid giant weighted saddlebred shoes (Gigi is the only saddlebred at the barn that actually does saddleseat).  I've been stepped on about a million times, and it hurts for like 5 minutes, tops, and then goes away.  Unfortunately, this time it didn't - it actually got worse, and now my poor pinky toe is swollen and discolored and significantly more painful than expected to walk on.  I'm pretty sure it's broken, but having had broken toes in the past I'm saving myself a medical bill by buddy taping (okay, buddy vet wrapping), icing, elevating, etc., and hoping for the best.  SO. Because of the pain and also the fact that wearing my boots is not really an option currently, yesterday and today turned into MOAR LUNGING.  (Fingers crossed tomorrow is better, because we're supposed to have a jumping lesson).

I didn't get a picture, but he started really stretching down and
accepting the bit after the first 10 or so minutes. 
We lunged outside because if the lesson does happen tomorrow, chances are that it will be outside, and we haven't been out there in a while because of the rain and then the aftermath of the rain (aka mass amounts of mud).  Leo was a brilliant, perfect, lovely gentleman when we lunged up top by the gate. No rearing, no ducking, no going sideways whatsoever. We started out behind the run-in shed so that he wouldn't be distracted by the lesson that was going on in the outdoor, then moved to the side of it to see if he would stay focused (to my delight, he did).  After about 20 minutes of this, I decided to relocate to his other problem area - the far end of the outdoor - where he sometimes gets stuck (he'll sidepass down there and then refuse to leave the corner, spinning and crabwalking to stay).  

Lime green looks so good on him. 
The relocation was a little hard on his poor saddlebred brain.  Suddenly the only safe places were the center of the arena where a lesson was taking place and (I'm assuming) back up by the gate.  The grassy area at the end of the arena was Not Okay.  Enter running sideways, backing up, turning in to face me, bucking, stopping, refusing to trot...literally every single thing my ridiculous excuse for a trained-to-lunge horse could think of came out.  He would drag his feet at the walk and stop after a few steps, then dramatically spook at the crack of the whip (he never spooks at the whip), and take off cantering for about three steps before dropping back to a walk.  It was ridiculous.  But we worked through it, trotting teeny tiny circles in both directions without any sideways motion, then walking in slightly larger circles in both directions. 

So, successful start, disastrous middle, compromising end?  I'm just glad that I worked him out there before the hypothetical jumping lesson; hopefully tomorrow he somewhat remembers how to be a horse.  And even though it was frustrating, it has definitely been worse.  Fingers crossed that I feel up to riding tomorrow!

And look at how cute he was after all that!


Comments

  1. EventingSaddlebredStyleAugust 9, 2016 at 9:52 PM

    Fingers crossed for your toes! They are so small but such a pain when they hurt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kaityAugust 10, 2016 at 8:56 PM

      Thanks! I was able to ride today, and it went really well!!

      Delete
  2. TrainwreckInTealAugust 10, 2016 at 5:08 AM

    He does look good in lime green! Hopefully your lesson goes well :)

    ReplyDelete

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