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| A very intelligent face |
Or at least, the other horse did. I was pony club kicking and could barely get my (remember, former runaway) racehorse to jog. Any time I stopped kicking, he quit. He felt a little funny, too. Not off, exactly, but tight in his body, maybe? Something wasn't right.
I took my leg off.
He stopped and looked at me.
We both looked at Lindsey.
Per her advice, we take off his adorable boots. Whatever physical weirdness he had going on disappeared. Homeboy just didn't like his boots. Goofhead.
We do a little better going around the arena now, but I'm still struggling while we get some coaching. Then I have a brilliant idea. We cruise to a stop by Lindsey's horse. I get off and hand her the reins.
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| Giraffe pony! |
I hate to say it, but it's pretty obviously a rider problem here.
She got on and he gave her a lovely big trot both directions. She didn't even have to kick very much. Or at all.
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| So nice |
Once he was established in a nice, forward rhythm, she rolled him up into a canter. I guess I've never watched myself do a canter transition on him, but hers looked a lot smoother than mine. That makes sense, given that she had him actually forward and not just camped out behind my leg. Ooops.
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| Loopy reins and balanced |
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| Such a good boy |
It was super fun to watch him go. I picked up some ideas to work on and he got a good, solid ride and a lesson plan going forward. Even though I've been riding since I was a kid and have spent lots of time on OTTBs, having my own with minimal supervision is challenging. It is awesome to have this kind of eyes on the ground and experience in the saddle, so I can hand off the reins and say "What are you feeling?"
I think you're right that his body might be sore too. Losing those racing muscles and developing "riding" ones is a tough transition. He's got such a lovely work ethic though and you have to love that! Do you follow: http://dixierumble.wordpress.com/ ? She has lots of really great info and experience retraining OTTBs some that have been let down and other right off the track. I find her blog a terrific resource!
ReplyDeleteAre you not going to be using the same trainer that you had with Cuna?
ReplyDeleteI'm stepping back from the high pressure show thing until such a time as Courage feels up to it. In the mean time, we're lucky to have cheaper quality help available.
DeleteAh ok, I was not aware the other barn was like that. Glad you were able to find something to fit your needs!
DeleteWell it's good that you have someone who can help you out. It will take time to understand eachother too
ReplyDeleteAlso, he has such a cute face~!
DeleteWhat IS it with slow OTTBs? I swear you'd never know that Echo was a racehorse - "forward" is not in his vocab. Courage is adorable!
ReplyDeleteHe also may just be overall body sore. A lot of people recommend turning OTTBs for 30-60 days to let their bodies adjust and heal while they make the transition into sport horse life. He is so stinking cute!
ReplyDeleteMy biggest issue the first month or 2 with Hemie was my reluctance to really tell him to do something. I think I was afraid of activating racehorse mode and mentally I didn't give his former training enough credit! I thought he didn't know as much as he did. That's where eyes on the ground really help - they know more than we think!
ReplyDeleteLove his adorable face! I agree that it is so helpful to watch a knowledgeable person ride them. They do definitely get body sore through the rebuilding process, it seems to take anywhere from 4-12 months to restructure their muscling, but they keep on trying! Encore can be slow at first too, but not once he canters!
ReplyDeleteSo handsome and the wide bridle looks incredibly lovely on him.
ReplyDeleteCute boy! Glad you have a great person to help ya!
ReplyDeleteBody soreness, as the others note, may well be an issue. Also, consider treating him for ulcers. My boy used to refuse to go forward when his tummy bothered him.
ReplyDeleteThere are generic versions of omeprazole out there for horses that cost a lot less than Gastrogard/Ulcergard. It might be worth treating him since he was on the track.
What kind of bridle is that? And awesome that you'll have good help with courage!
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that the first picture you posted of him is SO freaking adorable. I love his face!
ReplyDeleteCute cute cute...I'd make sure too that he's getting lots of breaks in your rides to walk and process. Especially when he does something correctly. Sometimes we ride ride ride the greenies like our more schooled horses who can go and go and go for 30 minutes of straight work, moving from one subject to the next to the next and that's a lot for these newbies to handle. 20 minutes of sport horse flat is way different than 20 minutes of racehorse flat work. He looks great!!!! Totes in love!
ReplyDeleteAdorable face! Good luck on your journey together, he seems like he'll be a great partner :)
ReplyDeleteI love watching trainer's ride my horse. I just learn so much! It sounds like Courage is going to be a lot of fun. Also, for some reason every time I see his name I read it as Cougar even though I know it's not correct. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, he had me at first glance with that irresistibly smoochable face!
ReplyDeleteI agree that he is probably dealing with some post-race body soreness, ulcers, etc., which will take time to work through. Do you read the Dixie Rumble blog? Jessica takes so many OTTBs through this process and has tons of great tips.
I know I'm late to the party, but I agree with the other comments, probably just the change in work. Sometimes the transition can take a while. Glad you're enjoying yourself!
ReplyDeleteYou should think about letting him down. You got him right off the track and he needs time to just be a horse. Theres a huge difference in them once they've had a little time to understand their lives have changed and they are not race horses anymore.
ReplyDeleteIts exciting with a new horse and i get wanting to jump right in but OTTBs are not like other horses, they have experiences that others don't. They dont think like other horse (which is why i love them so much) Time to adjust to his new life is the best thing you can give him before you give him a new job.
My old OTTB was like that too. It just took a bit if retraining to get it right. He seems like such a nice horse and he has the handsomest face ever!!
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