That was the part 4 of a 4 part, multi-day exposure. This cowboy took dressage lessons with a really well known dressage trainer in my area, and was recommended by her well-known daughter who was helping me with this horse. He was also head trainer at a local Lusitano breeding farm. The cowboy took at least a week before this saddling (this was week 2?) and ended up having him 5 months full time, 7 months part time (I learned his approaches in this time). He taught this horse that unfamiliar things were a puzzle he could figure out rather than bolting, bucking or freaking out. Thank your for your nice comments! I think he if he was passed on he’d be dead to collect the insurance money. This particular horse needed time to figure things out major things in life. You couldn’t even groom a leg and then reach over and groom the opposite leg without him reacting. He had no idea how his body was put together even at 4. Still, he needs some time to figure things out because he over thinks thinks things. He over-thinks even a canter depart or a walk transition. He’s not “bad” by any stretch, never was, he just needed time and to be taught an alternate way to think about things. Now, I encourage his mental participation in the ride (his overthinking and hypervigilance of his surroundings forced me to take a different approach to his training) because he’s turned out to be a REALLY nice dressage horse who loves people. My trainer rode him today and although she was a bit reticent because of his antics he was beautifully on her aids, tried really hard for her, and she made him look beautiful. She loved riding him. His reactivity has turned into “electricity” you can harvest to create beautiful, forward gaits. Have I said I love this horse now?
PS, this guy didn’t know the woman who started him or her approach (hence the comments). Like I said, the woman who started him has lots of experience. I will say when I visited and rode him as a 3 year old, some horses were made to switch paddocks because of over-fence fighting and he was literally shaking like a leaf because “things were different”. We put the horses back before my ride. I should have noted that red flag before diving in but alas. He bucked her off, too. He was a difficult youngster who grew into a really nice moving, big personality, affectionate, super-smart and willing adult. He grooms me regularly and plays with my ears. bra-strap and helmet regularly…and gently. He’s the horse we let kids feed carrots to because he’s so gentle in taking them…
