June 17, 2011 - Who's running this show?

After Sunday's excitement I decided to start in the arena today, thinking I could ride him out and around the sand ring if all went well.  Rory was very good for the initial longeing.  He did keep looking out the back door and tried to go out once.  The view out the front door was also interesting, but he wasn't trying to make an exit at that end of the arena.  We did a little walk, trot, and even a little canter on the right rein.  I didn't ask him for the canter, but he did a very calm transition to an easy canter so I encouraged him to keep it for part of the circle.

Fussing with the bit

He's gotten very good about standing quietly for mounting so I have been doing less of the mounting exercises before getting to the ridden work.  Today I did a partial mount, leaning over his back and patting his other side before getting down again.  I got on and off from each side a few times as well.  Rory wanted to get moving and started walking as I picked up the reins the first time.  He halted reluctantly, and I hopped off and took him back to the mounting block.  That time he stood and waited for me to ask him to walk on.

Oops!  Rory made it outside and didn't want to come back in!

At first Rory had a hump in his back, and kept pulling on the reins twisting his head around, up, down and sideways.   Very early on he dropped his head down in a bucking attitude, but without lifting his hindquarters off the ground.  He halted reluctantly, and got stuck in one spot twice.  I ignored the snaking head as much as possible, focused on where we were going, and praised him as much as I could when he did cooperate.  Very suddenly after almost ten minutes, he walked out of a halt calmly, relaxed and quiet on the bit.  After checking that he really was relaxed through some changes of rein and another halt I asked him for a bit of trot. 

Back inside and Rory just wants to go back out.

Rory was willing to go forward and he had a lot of energy coming through his back making me think he was going to run off, but I trusted him and let him go forward as I concentrated on where we were headed.  He gave me a good trot, relaxing into it, but when we got near the back door he veered towards it and we halted just barely inside as I insisted he turn and stay inside the arena.  The next time he managed to take that last step and get outside.  I didn't let him get very far, turning him back right away, and we had a discussion about where we were going next.  Rory didn't want to go back inside, but I kept his nose pointed into the arena and kept asking him to walk forward.  It was a pretty minor disagreement.  Apart from a few wiggles, backing up and refusing to step forward Rory really didn't do anything.  Once we did get back inside Rory tried balking again, but I persisted and he walked on.

Starting the early turn to trot past the back door.

We trotted again and I tried to keep him trotting past the back door.  The first time we were too close and he walked when I insisted he stay inside and keep going.  The next time I turned him early to cross the arena and although he drifted towards the door he did keep trotting.  We trotted past once more, a little closer but still leaving lots of room for drifting and Rory kept going without much effort.  I praised him and took him down to the back door again at the walk.  Rory was all ready to march off outside, but halted when I insisted.  We stood for a moment, then I asked him to walk out through the door.  After walking a little figure eight I turned him back to the arena and he walked forward and put his first foot in without hesitation, then changed his mind and backed out.  Our discussion about going back inside was much shorter that time.  I quit there as I'd been riding a bit longer than fifteen minutes at that point.  I would have liked to have gone in and out of the arena until he wasn't hesitating, but Rory had listened to me and our time was up.

Drifting towards the door, but we're far enough
away that Rory can keep trotting as we go by.

I count today's ride as a success because Rory was pretty determined to get what he wanted, but discovered that I was more determined.  When I start a horse I try to avoid getting into an arguement for as long as possible so the horse gets into the habit of doing as I ask.  That doesn't mean I back off if the horse does refuse to do what I ask - that would teach the horse that he could refuse to do something, but I try to avoid asking for things that I think the horse might be unwilling to do.  The more times the horse agrees to do what he's asked, the less effort he will put into refusing when he finally decides not to cooperate.  I think most of Rory's attitude came because he found the arena boring, especially now that he's been outside a couple of times.