Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Riding in the arena

I went out to the barn today.  It was around 12:45 or so and it was misting rain.  Biscuit walked up to the barn beside the car like a good boy.  I started grooming him.  He wasn't really dirty though.  He still has his number on his butt and I brushed and brushed it and rubbed it with a wipee trying to get it off.  He was shedding like crazy and blonde hair was flying all over the place.  He seemed to like his face being brushed and his ears!  He was leaning into the brush!  I cleaned his hooves and brushed his mane and tail.  He looked pretty darn spiffy.

Vincent jumped up the wall and scared the snot out of Biscuit.  I heard all of his hooves click hard on the cement when he startled.  I told him to chill out.  I got out his saddle and put his heart monitor on and saddled him up.  He kept moving around after I put the saddle on - going back and forth.  I tried to pull his front legs and he was kinda crouching down like he was going to fold up.  He did that last week at the endurance ride Lee Ann B said.  She thought he was going to lay down.  Gaa!  I asked Lee Ann P to look at him and asked for his leg and he just put out his leg and stretched.  Hahahahaha like he knew Lee Ann would have no sympathy for his balony!

He was acting a little jumpy so I decided to longe him first.  He did fine going to the left...did exactly as I asked.  When I asked him to go to the right he suddenly became a total DUNCE.  He didn't seem to know what I was asking.  He just kept spinning around  and not walking on as asked.  Ugh...I kept at it and Lee Ann finally came and helped me.  She made him go round and round like he was doing with me until he decided that was too hard.  She had to keep at him too.  She said he was just being difficult today.  LOL  Just a little.  I finally took over and got him to walk and trot but he did some of the going round and round in place too.  I couldn't move fast enough to get behind him.  We are going to have to work on our longeing skills more often.

I mounted up and we went round and round at a walk.  He was not wanting to stop when asked.  I really had to pull back.  Got him to trot finally...that was a chore to get him to trot and he was a little strong but I was able to slow him down.  Then he would stop trotting and nothing I did would get him to trot until we went the other way.  Don't know what his deal was today.  I did work on leg yielding across the arena and he did very well on that. 

I took him out of the little arena and down the ranch road to the end of their paddock and back.  He was moving slow but doing what I asked.  I then rode through the little arena and side passed to open the gate to the big arena.  He did ok not great but did move off my leg so I could open the gate.

We went out into the arena and round and round several times.  He wanted to go out at the gate but I just kept going.  I couldn't get him to trot when asked.  OMG what is up with that?  I was kicking and clucking to him like in the little arena, with no avail!  Finally I popped him with the rein popper and he finally trotted.  He would stop coming up the the front of the arena and want to go out.  I kept him down at the end and got him to trot and we made a huge circle down there over and over.  We trotted for about 20 minutes and he would try to stop and I would get after him to go.  He was still hard to stop but by the end of the lesson he was stopping when asked.  Gaaa!!!!  I can tell I haven't rode him much.  I got off in the middle of the arena and walked him to the wash rack.  I took his tack off and rebrushed him.  He was damp with sweat on his forequarters.  I took him back down to his paddock and he rolled in the mud.  Thanks Biscuit - you are a pig.

I am planning to ride tomorrow too, weather permitting.  We have plans to go to Ebenezer this weekend but if it is raining we will cancel.  Bummer!

No comments: