What an interesting session I had with Ace today!
I warmed him up away from the barrels. A bit of walk was fine but he did seem to be looking around for something to get annoyed with. I asked him to trot but he cantered, so I accepted that but it was stiff and sticky. I sent him on with my leg and he exploded into a buck, a half rear and a bit of jumping up and down on the spot. So - the blue barrels are nothing to do with this, it is simply a battle of wills over who is in charge! I didn't punish him, I just made him work. He did a fantastic session on a 25 m circle. Walk 1/4 circle trot 1/2 circle for a couple of circuits in each direction. Trot half, lengthen half, shorten half in each direction. Trot 1/2 canter 3/4 in each direction.
His work was absolutely brilliant. The transitions are getting sharper and sharper, more and more balanced. I have never succesfully got any horse to lengthen the trot on a circle, but he was brilliant. He seems to have no weak spots, he is equally capable of collection and lengthening and lateral work.
Then we went down to the barrels (all of a 5m shift in direction) and I simply ignored him when he was stupid. If he spun away, he was put to work on the tiny circle that he had created for himself when he spun, until he was ready to go back to the track. If he rushed past, he was brought back round again in the same pace until he stopped rushing. No punishment, a lot of praise every time he did it better, and finally he cantered past on his worse rein and I stopped two strides later and jumped off so that he could not possibly mistake being allowed to stop as his reward for being a sensible boy.
I didn't touch the draw reins once today, and the quality of work he is giving me now when he behaves is bringing me out in goosebumps.
C.
ps Radar was a good boy too :-)
Good tactics, indeed. The more he discovers that actually working properly is better than working extra because he is being a naughty boy, the better.
ReplyDeleteAlso good not to really punish him, except by making him work. That way, he does not associate the times when he might be actually a little scared with getting hit.
Ace certainly is giving you a lesson in horse psychology! *G*
The odd thing was that for a period it was necessary to punish him, because ignoring it was simply making him worse. Now I need to find the balance between the two approaches, and there will be no stopping us :-)
DeleteThis approach really makes sense to but the catch is that you have to be able to ride it - which clearly you are able to. I am imagining many more sessions just like this (well, maybe minus the airs above the ground at the start). I hope that eventually that your unwavering steadiness will give him confidence when he actually is afraid.
ReplyDeleteThtat's the objective, ML, "all" I have to do now is carry it through :-)
DeleteC