This little thought came about the other night after Frankie gave me another round of #ss padding. You see I was riding him at the farm and working on little things like moving our hip over at the walk and trot, transitions and just stuff in general.
Frank got to gazing around and generally just tuning me out. I usually wear a small spur when I ride him because he is the original iron sides, I mean you could literally bang on him with no reaction whatsoever. Well, I had forgot my spurs and he was being really lazy and as I said distracted by the horses in the adjacent field. I asked him to lope off on the right lead and he missed it, we continued he missed it again then he just would not lope at all. I lost patience, oh I know bad mommy! and decided to encourage him with a rein end. MY MISTAKE! He did not appreciate it and was startled I think, he took off bucking and doing his signature half rear lunge thing for a few moments. Luckily, he does not last long in that behaviour and it was over quickly.
This got me to thinking about the last time he padded my backside and that was back at Tiffany's house when he was having a fit about Jane and I shoulder spurred him to get his attention. I don't think it is retaliatory , I seriously think it is just a being startled reaction for him. Kinda like the other day when the stick poked him in the woods and he went off bucking.
Moral of the story: Don't spank Frank!
2 comments:
Have you tried using a secondary cue - rather than upping the leg cue, say with a spur, using something else, like slapping your leg with a hand, or hitting your boot with a short crop - sounds like he's getting a bit dull - upping the cue itself usually doesn't do much except make the horse duller. Just an idea - may be wrong or right in your case.
I've got the opposite problem with my horses - I can barely use any leg cues at all, they're so forward!
Oh man..he definately needs to pay attention to you!My dressage whip I like cause I don't have to move a thing, but my wristslightly, and Wa sees it out of the corner of her eye and if she does not move wityh the sight of it...she has it memorized what comes next..I NEVER have to use it after using it once!
Yea...when you don't have the correction tool with you..don't they always know it!
Your new Header is really cute..and the white horse wall paper!
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