Honest Horse

I've started jumping Trouble. I started jumping him because I think he needs cross training, not just dressage, in order to strengthen his muscles. I need to find some other stuff to do with him, like trail riding or hill work.

So it turns out that Trouble is the most honest horse I've ever jumped. You just need to point him at a fence and he goes. He'll go over anything.

I'd like to show him in Dressage in recognized shows next year and Combined Training (CT) in schooling shows and see if we can get any awards next year. I talked to Jen about it and she is willing to take Trouble and I to her hunter shows so we can get some confidence in the jumping ring.

We had a lesson today and he is getting better. He isn't completely tracking up but his hind foot is at least reaching his front footprint now. He has probably added about six inches to his stride.

Overall, it has been a very good week.

Sylvia Zerbini Grand Liberty Tour

Luann and I watched Sylvia Zerbini give a symposium on working in liberty with horses. It was a two hour event, with the first hour being a liberty performance. During the second hour Sylvia demonstrated how she begins working with horses in liberty.

For me it was eye opening. One of the things that really struck me is that she says that horses remember images. She paints an image of her being a safe place for her horses. When they are being naughty, she chases them away from her. Only when they are good, they are allowed to come to her.

She scratches them on the back as a reward.

Sylvia strongly believes that working horses in liberty helps form a strong bond of trust that carries forward in other work. It makes sense to me.

I think this would be a good thing for me to practice with Trouble. I worked a little in liberty with Trouble today. When I went to catch him, he walked away from me. So I chased him and chased him. Eventually he came to me but then he ran away again. So I chased him some more until he settled. He wouldn't come to me but he went into the corner by the gate and waited for me.

When I took him out of the pasture he was a lot calmer than normal and he was happier. He walked beside me and with energy. It carried over into the ride.

I'll have to keep a log on this and see if there is long term improvement.

Profile of Trouble

I'd like to take profile pictures of Trouble from time-to-time to evaluate our progress in developing muscle. I've been working with him since July.

Trouble's neck and hindquarters are definitely more muscled. That's cool!

Working on Relaxation and Rhythm

It's been a while since I posted. We stepped down Trouble's training program, focusing on rhythm and relaxation. His steps got quicker and quicker. We thought that the issues was his feet were becoming sore from getting too short. But after Trouble got shoes, his stride didn't improve.

So I've spent the last two weeks just working on stretchy walk, trot, and canter. I don't think it's helping much. One trainer that hadn't seen Trouble in a while saw a big improvement, which is heartening. But I'm not feeling him tracking up. I haven't felt any improvement in the last two weeks.

Tricia will be back Monday. It will be interesting to see what she thinks.