I did some groundwork with knucklehead tonight in the big polo arena. And even though he was feeling good and gave a few bucks and then cantered around on the lunge line, he was not disrespectful and would disengage his hind quarters as soon as I asked and change direction immediately when directed. I lunged him over a groundpole and it was obvious that his attention immediately was on the pole and he settled right to it. In fact, I could see he rather liked the pole and headed straight for it each time, once or twice even jumping it! My heart skipped when I noticed his interest. He seems to LIKE jumping! I need to set up a small raised pole and see what he does with that on the lunge.
And it's another step toward me wanting to ride, again. My trainer, T.S. is back from his campground and he's setting up his schedule. Getting closer to our next session.
And Rugby's collected a new nickname. He's now affectionately called "Tushie". Because I stopped by one uncomfortably warm, muggy night around 10:00pm to check his water buckets and he was laying down, with his enormous rear end facing the door of his stall. And if his butt looks huge when he's standing, it really spreads out when he lays down! When he stood up it was just horse butt as far as I could see. So "Tushie" it is!
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That's great that he was interested in the ground pole - my mare, who I purchased as a hunter when I was still showing - will actually go to great lengths on the lunge to avoid even having to walk over a ground pole - she Hates jumping - which is OK now as I don't show any more. But you're lucky if he's interested!
Having recently ended my relationship with a horse that was bucking with me, I think I know what you are feeling.
It's this fear mixed with determination. My horse had years of bucking his rider off and I made the mistake of challenging him less as my fear of what would set him off got greater.
What he needed, I think, was to have the snot run out of him. It was what would have kept that endurance loving arab happy.
So ride on, I look forward to hearing about your saddle time!
I posted a comment earlier, but now I've spent a long time this morning reading about your journey to Rugby.
I love what you had to say about NH, it's all I did with Canyon. At the end I wasn't a strong enough rider to deal with the translation in the saddle. I know you are.
THe question becomes how much you want to deal with the green issues. I'll never forget the day I realized my horse - 11 years old! - was not broke.
And breaking a horse is way over my head.
I'm glad I found you, especially since I'm starting my search for my next horse. I'm learning the the key quality I'm going to need to find the right horse is patience.
(Luckily all I want to do is trail ride!)
Glad your enthusiasm has returned. And glad to hear too that Rugby has such an interest in going over things. A good sign for a potential jumper.
I love lunging my Boys over fences. It's such fun to watch them jump.
Another thought....saddle fit? I have known a few horses that have bolted or bucked as a result of the saddle tree's digging into their shoulders. Might be something to reconsider. And, it can be erratic pressure too. One horse I knew suddenly bolted when he made sharp turn. The chiropractic vet decided the saddle tree had pinched him.
Another horse routinely bucked on landing after a fence. A change of saddle made a dramatic and instant change. Trouble is, a saddle may fit just fine when the horse is standing still, then he starts to move and the saddle cannot flex to match the moving shape of his body. Some horses don't care at all, but some care a whole lot.
I use a treeless Ansur on all my horses and they seem to love it. That way I don't have to worry about the fit.
Hang in there. Natural horsemanship & groundwork can really pay off. Seems like a lot of time spent out of the saddle, but when it translates to the saddle, the transition to riding is much smoother. Looking forward to reading more about your sessions with T.S.
I left you a blog award at my blog...come on by to pick it up when you get the chance.
Hey...email me at megwyoungATgmail.com...thanks sweetie!
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