Progress

"DIS HOW U CHOO FOODZ? YA??"

Happy anniversary to Colt, the gigantic red goofball! I've been riding him for about a year and we've definitely made some progress. A year ago, he was a surly jerk with poor manners. He refused to tie, went flailing backwards at the sight of a saddle, swung his huge rump around, locked his jaw and trucked around the arena, and flatly refused to stand still for the farrier. Today, he is easy to catch, tie, groom, and tack. He stands quietly for my saint of a farrier without the aid of sedatives. While he still tries to pull my arms out of their sockets, he sometimes carries himself very nicely. I am definitely no miracle worker or fabulous trainer. I think he's mainly benefited from regular human interaction (other than feeding), lots of treats, and judicious use of a dressage whip. I'm proud of him!

I hacked him for about half an hour today. He was as nice as could be in the barn; I'm continually impressed with his ability to hang out by himself. A year ago, he was totally bonkers if another horse wasn't right next to him. We spent our half hour walking around the arena, doing circles and serpentines, and halt-walk/walk-halt transitions. Colt tried to pretend he was scared of these black barrels that have been in the arena since the beginning of time, but I assured him they hadn't turned into horse-eating monsters in the last week.

Our downward transitions need lots of work, but I'm happy with the direction they're going. I think a better fitting bit will help. This loose-ring, while wide enough, hangs sort of low in his mouth because of how big the rings are. The enormous bridle needs a couple of holes punched in it; we'll see how he is once the bit is a little higher in his mouth. 

After some good bending work, I called it a day and proceeded to take pictures of the noble steed.

The browband is just ridiculous.

Pretty cute, for a big lug.

Least flattering pic ever.