Interesting result

[ezduzit]

I was riding with another horse today…schooling individually but in the same arena. When the other horse left, my horse got a bit pissy. Nothing overt but obviously thinking he’d like to go back to the barn too. I gave him a firm half halt and a double thump to “straighten up, here now”.

He did and after that the lopes were so soft and cadenced; they’d never been that comfortable or felt that slow before. And when he downward transitioned, I didn’t pitch forward.

So I’m thinking that while I got his attention back on me, he also shifted his balance to the back end.

Of course, I want all the lopes to be like that now. So, is there a way to get the same effect with more finesse than thumping his sides?

Thoughts? Comments?

[Bluey]

Make his work interesting, engaging, keep him moving and guessing and waiting for your next direction, then give him a break and let him chill.

Works well for intense arena work and establishes good work ethic in many so-so minded colts that may rather be doing other.

Think like a trainer when you ride, have a purpose to the ride.
A trainer only has so much time for each colt, so it has to make that time count.
As a horse owner with time on your side, you can goof around without a care and some times that is fine, but much of the time you do need to be working.
Make it about some minutes of real work, then goofing off some, since you have the time, then a bit more work, a few times in every ride.
Horses then learn work MEANS work, not wanting to ignore you because another horse is doing this or that or leaving.
Nope, when you both are working, he is on your time and the rest of the world doesn’t exist, for those minutes you are working.

Once that is established as “this is the way the world works, folks”, most any other problems disappear on their own.

For the equivalent of riding loose, “long and low”, relaxing for more than a few minutes, I like to go on outside rides for that, not use the arena to just mosey around or leg up at the trot or gain wind loping circles.
Much nicer to do that on the trails.

Now, not watching you ride, you may already be doing that, I would not know from here, just one more idea, since you asked.

[ezduzit]

Good points. And pretty spot on as to the way I ride. I’ve been working on ME so much that I haven’t noticed HIM, aside from the biggies: let me steer and correct lead. Now I’m at a turning point where ME doesn’t take as much work and I AM noticing him.

Thanks!