Today was certainly eventful.
My student and her mother and brother have been coming and helping out at the barn in the mornings before her lesson. So usually when I get there around 9:30 I find them mucking stalls, cleaning buckets, etc... It feels odd in a way not being the one doing that anymore. Though honestly I can't complain too much... or at least my wrists and shoulders can't! Hehe.... Still barn work is wonderful, even when it's sometimes unpleasant smelling or uncomfortable.
Today we were going to canter for the first time. My student has cantered before, but not on Wheels and not very much. We got the big red pony ready and brought him out to the ring. As she warmed him up I made an effort to make the old man some space for his circle. I brought out lunge equipment to help so she could really work on her seat and the feel of the gait.
After a good warm up full of two pointing and turns and extra speed regulation and balance exercises we got on the lunge line. This is where it got interesting...
After having her do some two point and posting with her hands on her hips we went to ask Wheels to canter. No dice. He seemed very nervous about the whip, which was a bit sad but he also wasn't really understanding what we wanted him to do. So we came back to a walk... and readied to try again. This time I snapped the whip once gently. He protested. Not too violently, just another hop and mad rushing... I had him on a small circle the first time (I try to keep the first couple strides on contact and then allow them to move out once they get the canter) so the second I tried to give him some more space for his old joints. Nope. Well... this wasn't working out. And of course we had an audience. My student's mother and brother had come out to watch along with the owner and a new gal who might start riding the horses, also a student at my college.
Hmmm... Well, we'd try one more time. The owner called over that she wasn't sure he'd done much canter on the lunge in a looong time. Okay... well if we gave him the outside rein to balance off of, maybe he'd feel more secure. So I had my girl hold the outside rein in a light contact while she held the saddle.
....Wheels said NO! This time he was much more adamant about it. It was as if he was trying hard to tell me that he could not do what I was asking. He hopped and did a tiny spin of his haunches, unseating my student who grabbed his neck and stuck like a champ to it. He'd raised his head and stood stalk still facing me. It wasn't like youngsters who don't know how to lunge... nor like an obstinate protest of a horse who knows better. He really looked worried about it. Obviously this was something we would work on alone.
I took my student off the lunge line. As I did Wheeler put his muzzle on my shoulder and rested it there as if to say "pleeease don't do that again.' I stroked his face and talked quietly to him. I know he's a good boy and he wouldn't make such a fuss if he didn't have a good reason, not like other younger and sillier horses (*cough* Sam *cough) After cuddling his big fuzzy red head I sent her out to walk the full arena and let him relax a little. Sometimes you have to pick your battles and we were only going to make Wheels more upset and possibly frighten my student to keep trying. In hindsight I probably should have lunged him instead of ridden him on thursday... but he lunged at a trot fine. I didn't think he would have had a problem at the canter (apart from maybe leaning in or out)
We did get to canter though! After this I had her try to pick it up. It was actually very interesting as a trainer. She ended up twice getting him into a fast rushing trot rather than a canter. Again, Wheels looked more confused than anything, so the third time I clapped at him and took two steps towards his haunches. He cantered. Wrong lead, but he got it. They went around a loop and then came back to the trot with lots of praise for both of them.
The second time I had to clap again. But this time it only took one clap and no other movement. The second Wheels heard it he picked up a canter. They went around again. We did a couple more loops before finishing. It wasn't pretty, often on the wrong lead, but it would do for now. My student needed to learn to sit the canter and roll with her lower back and seat... this was not going to be something she could learn as easily on her own going around the ring. But for now it would do. Each time she got more close to sitting and she certainly had the balance and skill, even when the old red pony was on the wrong lead through the corners. She's an awesome girl.
Well after that silliness I had Sam to ride. The other gal who had arrived also was going to give him a shot. She's a good rider, though Sam tried to trick her a bit with faking his frame at the canter... but he did that to me when I first rode him. He's not an easy horse... lots of pushing. But when you get him up in front of you he's a dream.
When I rode (which was first) he was a very good boy and we even got to put into practice some of our changes! We didn't get to work on the counter canter and all that... but when I asked him for a change he did the first one a bit sloppily (mostly my fault for not setting him up properly) but the second much better! On the second I made sure as we went across the outdoor jump field to set him up as if we were going to counter canter before asking, really taking hold of that bend. He still does a sort of sudden pause and hop in his changes... but as our canter gets stronger and he uses his butt more that should go away.
The owner is excited about having both of us ride him (the new gal from my school and I). She's done jumping 3'6"+ and showed heavily in the circuit whereas I'm the dressagey one with a dabble in the fences... so it should be a nice compliment for the Blue Pony. I also now am getting gas money for riding both ponies tuesdays and thursdays. So that'll be good and I can start getting the Wheels'N'Deals in shape, hehe.
The other gal and I hit if off well. She's also interested in Production design and is a Sequential Major... a year below me (ish). Sam seemed to like her. It's funny watching someone else ride him because I can see where I encounter the same problems... I know they'll do good together. It didn't help that I'd ridden first, got off and then she got on. Sam was like 'what? I'm not done?!' hehe
Looong post again. Unfortunately many will be. I like to tell all the details apparently, hehe...
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