This weekend he was fantastic. I rode him in the dark on Saturday and he was a champ. He got a little spooky when the idiot brigade (aka teenage boys) were honking their car horns. I rode him Sunday with some horses that he had never seen before. They were schooling at the farm. He was good. Only one real freakout moment where he almost bolted into the trainer's horse. She was very nice about it and I was very ashamed. But overall it was a good weekend for riding.
This morning that was not the case. He likes to brace through his left shoulder and contract his right side. Usually if I make sure he starts out correctly it carries over through the ride and he just needs a reminder here and there to give that shoulder. Nope it was popped out like a chicken wing. If I tried to move him off of it, he would swing his haunches and try to spin on his front. Needless to say any leg pressure on that side resulted in bulging of the shoulder and attempts to run into the pressure. I can handle these physical shenanigans, but on top of them I am dealing with a lot of mental games.
I don't know what was done to him in the past. The lady I got him from doesn't know his early history, but I think he had someone ride him when he was super young before she got him. If I accidentally push him too hard he turns off mentally and just wants to go. Thank god he doesn't try to buck because he is athletic enough he could easily dump me. I am really struggling with the mental roadblocks. I am hoping time and consistency will work them out. Until then I need to remember not to pick big fights. Little ones are ok because we can work out of them. If the correction is doesn't happen quickly I need to move on and then come back to it. I think if I can remember to do this in the moment we will make more progress than if I force the issue.
Oh baby horse problems....
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