Catch Up: Uno

For some reason, my phone is not syncing with google pictures so our posts will be light on media.

Magic Trainer and I decided on using the winter to focus on the root Uno's problem picking up leads - straightness.  We have lots many days to rain, but also the confusion that is Uno's brain.

Red pony is cute, but confusing.

The crux of the matter is this - whenever Uno turns he tries to push his shoulders out instead of bending through his body.  He also gets really anxious and tense when you try to manipulate his body for him.  Our original plan was to start playing with a little shoulder fore and just being very disciplined with body placement.  The idea was that he would eventually settle in and understand that being straight and balanced is a MUCH more pleasant way to work than scrambling.

This is an old picture but it shows his go-to inverted scramble.

However, it seems that when Uno is in that tight place mentally NOTHING SINKS IN. He doesn't work out of it.  He doesn't settle in.  He doesn't take a breath.  He just jackhammers along thinking he is about to fall over and freaking out.

We spent about an hour on a simple 3 loop serpentine.

Next plan was to take the pressure off for a few weeks and let him decompress - cue 15 days of rain.  He successfully had a bit of a break.

I do not mind the little trot and slightly downhill balance here - he is starting to strech his neck OUT.

This is what we are aiming for right now - straight with a reaching neck and relaxed back.

When I picked him back up we only had 2 rules no up-side down necks and backs and we had to be RELAXED/ calm.  To achieve this I started giving treats while riding.  Step 1: walk around the arena in front of the leg without zooming.  Once we got that I would halt without letting him fall forward. Once we had a good halt he got a treat off both shoulders, like a mounted carrot stretch.  This gave him a happy place, but also encouraged him to stretch.  This has started working.  It is giving us a good reset button that keeps me patient and him from melting down.

 Then I started playing around to see what passive things I could do to help keep the shoulders where they should be.  My current solution is to ride very tall in my body with my hands forward and soft, but very close together. It required a LOT of leg.  I also turn 95% off of seat and leg, keeping my hands forward and narrow.  This is the opposite of the ride Dutch likes when he gets tense, which is 1/2 seat and wide hands, so I do not get it 100% of the time.

God bless our dressage trainer - whose has an open trailer in policy.  This was so much easier ina big and level ring.

When I am able to align all these elements - the walk-halt-treat warm up, and the right ride it is slowly getting better.  He is getting longer in the neck without falling down.

We have also started lunging in side reins and his lack of balance when straight is almost laughable if it wasn't so sad.  Hopefully, as he starts to understand how to move his body correctly, he will start to build more carrying muscles and the work will get easier.  The size (and lack of flatness) of ur arena make it even harder, but I feel like we are making progress.

Can you call it a conditioning walk if each step squishes and causes water to bubble up around his feet?

Uno's current winter schedule is 1 day w-t-c lunging, 1 arena ride the next day, 1 day trails, some weeks he has a 4th work of either w-t lunging or jumping through small grids.