Teenagers Man...

Moar this plz!!

So my job involves engaging and wrangling barely compliant 16 and 17 year olds, so you would think I do better with the bratty teen stage when it rears its head in my horses.  Sadly no, I do not.

When Dutch went through this stage I was in college and had him in a training program with both a hunter/ jumper trainer and a dressage trainer.  They put two professional rides on him a week and I took alternating weekly lessons.  So I was really only left with maybe 2 days of unsupervised rides to get depressed or impatient.

Uno's situation is different.  I ride largely alone, in a dirt arena behind our barn.  His work load and our expectations are less.  At this age Dutch was focused on refining laterals and smoothing out increasingly complex coursework.  I just want Uno to canter 20 meter circles on both leads.

He wants to know why we can't just do this.

Since our disaster of a show in January we have been searching for my fun little pony in the ball of pissyness I currently get to sit on.  We have done the full vet thing, the teeth thing, the saddle thing ( more on that soon), and the chiropractic thing.  Super Majical Dressage Trainer - DR - has been there every step of the way.  Other than chiro, we have not found anything majorly wrong.  there has been no great Ah Ha!! moment that pointing to pain being the source of our pissyness.  We are still exploring saddle options, but that is looking less and less like the total fix we were hoping for.

Our first saddled ride since he was adjusted was a total shit show.  All of our "pain symptoms" were better.  We got both leads, the bucking decreased as the ride went on, and he allowed me to bend him around my leg.  That said he only wanted to do things at 1000 mph with his head on the floor or in my lap.   He was one of the least enjoyable rides we have had EVER.

I just want this - happy steady pony trotting.

DR does not think this is a skill issue on my part, she says that I ride him through these issues about as well as anyone could.  My lessons with her almost always end on a good note.  That makes me feel good as a rider, but it doesn't help when our rides at home suck.  I am plagued with doubt - Is he really this sensitive to his saddle?  Have I fucked up my sweet happy pony-face irreparably?  Should I just pt another year into fox hunting then sell him as a steady 1st - 2nd field horse? Do I spend a bazillion dollars on a new saddle that may not even improve anything?

What do internet? What do?