Ocala visit, Part 1 -- Setting My Ego Aside

I saved this quote a few months ago after doing some hard thinking about the way we support one another both publicly and privately. There's been some conversation going on around the blogosphere about this very topic but I think it's important to highlight. I think we're all guilty of passing judgment behind the scenes, and the risk of putting ourselves out there on a blog is that our readers are going to have opinions (both good and bad) -- so we prepare for them every time we hit "Publish". Mostly though, I hope that the people who read my blog try to understand me and my journey and respect and support that even if it doesn't align with their goals.

So when I came back from Florida, I found myself a little tentative about sharing the details of my trip in fear of being scrutinized. Mainly because... Did I ride: YES -- Did I ride my horse: NO.

We came up with a plan before I flew down: to flat Monday, take him to a jumper show Tuesday and XC school Wednesday before I flew back. I drove straight from the airport Monday morning (4am wake up!) to go see Scout who did a bit of a double take when he saw me.

O HAI MOM!!!!

I had planned to flat him also Monday but after watching him go around with Nora, I decided that I'd perhaps hack him later on Monday or have a lesson Tuesday. She's JUST started to really unlock him on the flat and to be 100% truthful, I didn't want to hamper the progress they were making... she never pressured me in either direction, but it was clear that she was at a very crucial part of his training -- additionally, I think she wanted to show off what they've been working on:) And given the amount of time and money I am investing, I need things to go very, very well. She's finally got him really soft off the leg and allowing more pressure laterally. He's really working nicely over his back and coming through.

This step, this softness, this frame -- all of it. <3

His transitions are sharp and focused, his leads are confirmed and balanced and his frame is much different. He's really lifting at his wither and as a result, his neck looks amazing! I was most impressed by the difference in his walk which has this intense freedom in his shoulder and push from behind. She's getting control of those long legs and he's getting a little better at listening and waiting for instruction vs. I GOT DIS.


via GIPHY

The thing he's struggling most with right now is learning to use his hind end properly. He's finally got a good half halt installed but he still blows past it at times thinking he knows best, which usually ends in poles flying everywhere. Increasing his education on the flat and learning how to utilize his hind end is completely changing his jump style too. When he decides to wait and sit, he jumps like a freak. He's always been a good jumper but holy cow...


via GIPHY

When he gets it wrong, he just jumps bigger. To be fair, this exercise was REALLY hard for him -- but he never stopped trying. She's adding lots of tricky exercises like this to really get him to learn to wait and sit. There were lots of poles before and after single fences to get his brain and feet thinking too.

Finding that 5th leg:)

I was really pleased to see him locking on to fences and being so keen. He's really loving jumping right now, maybe even TOO much as he gets pretty bold and wants to do it his way.

But he's learning to halfhalt and rebalance and when he does, his jump is really spectacular! She does an incredible job of supporting him and also staying out of his way without letting him feel abandoned. It's that kind of fine tuning that makes me feel so good about having him under the tuteladge of someone so experienced and intuitive. She's been schooling him at 3'-3'6" to get him going confidently higher than what he'll compete at (for awhile).

He was completely hilarious after she finished up while we stood there chatting he kept inching closer and closer to me so he could be touching me at all times. He definitely knows his mama! I got to spend some time with him cleaning him up after his ride and stuffing him full of treats.

The kid is maturing = stands on crossties perfectly now

And while I felt a little conflicted about not being in the irons myself, it was fabulous to see what he's learned so far and where he still needs work. She admitted that it took 4-6 weeks just to unlock him on the flat, and I believe it! It's clear that she's taken a methodical approach to figuring him out while always providing a way for him to find the answer. He's extremely happy with her program and it shows.

Stay tuned for the next part of our Ocala trip where the weather does not cooperate with us, I go on conditioning rides at the Davidson's and Scout goes XC schooling and blows me away! Thanks for riding along with us:)

Ocala Update

Sending my horse to Ocala is easily one of the toughest decisions I've ever made -- and I'd be lying if I wasn't questioning that decision constantly (see: chronic worrier). But I didn't decide to send him because he's naughty or because of my inability to ride him. I made the decision because it felt like the opportunity of a lifetime. I have ALWAYS wanted to go south for the winter and this year, I thought about figuring out a way to spend a week or two with Andrea and Scout. But ultimately the timing and financial aspects of doing a short trip would not have been worth it in the long run. So when this opportunity came along and I made the decision to go for it, after the initial excitement wore off I started second guessing myself. The support I have received by and large has really helped. Hearing from friends and bloggers that you're excited for us and has definitely helped me feel like I'm doing the right thing. But still, you doubt.

So when I packed the kid up for his trip, I tried REALLY hard not to be a nervous wreck. Would he make the trip okay? Develop ulcers? Lose weight? Hate Florida? Would he be happy? How would his progress go? ALL THE QUESTIONS.
And I waited with bated breath for every update...


Well, he traveled very well and settled in like a champ.

Not in Kansas Pennsylvania anymore

For the first couple of weeks, they spent a ton of time figuring each other out on the flat. He was really struggling with going forward and allowing leg pressure before he left (which I think was partially due to being stuck in the indoor up here), so she worked on getting him to respect and allow leg pressure and then sent him forward. From there, she's been able to start fixing other issues, like getting his haunches in line with the rest of his body and introducing real bend.

bendy bean

struttin'

In a way, it's encouraging to see that Scout doesn't just pull this stuff with me and that I've done a decent enough job getting him to this point. Obviously, she's MUCH more adept at correcting his little evasions and it's really educational watching the videos she's sent me because her timing is just SO GOOD. He still wants to get on his forehand and/or curl when he doesn't want to carry himself and she just quickly corrects and sends him on and I think he really appreciates that she doesn't nag or make a big deal.

When he gets tight in his throat latch, she corrects and sends him forward

Looking a bit better here

His transitions are looking REALLY sharp and she doesn't allow him to clown around on his forehand in the canter. The result is a really great looking uphill step with some real bounce.

Dang

His hind step <3

But if I had any doubts about sending him south, that was all squashed when after only a few weeks she told me the most amazing observation. You see, Scout has always has issues with too much pressure, and much like a lot of other horses he needs to know there's an out. When he feels like there isn't one, he panics (remember the rearing???) So, one day we were chatting and she described a feeling in him that he has a bit of a claustrophobic mind... my mind was completely blown. How did this person who has only know him for a few weeks have that much insight? Saying his mind is claustrophobic is the most perfect way to describe his way of thinking and how it relates to his training. So with that insight she's been showing him the out and patiently applying more and more pressure and rewarding when he finds his way.

She's been jumping him a little, but has been taking it very slowly. She expressed that while he has tons of scope, he gets a bit careless with his legs when he gets tired so she wants to get him really fit and a bit sharper on the flat before taking him XC (can I just say I LOVE her for this?)

The cutest

Enthusiastic much?

Weeeeee!

And it seems as though he's taking to southern living quite well. It's been so cold up here that I've hardly missed riding, except for the last few days when the temps were in the 60s. He's even taken to throwing little baby tantrums when he's been kept in due to storms.

What a child

The kid doesn't seem to be missing winter either. His new favorite thing is rolling in the sand.

His condition is looking super and we've changed up his feed program a little to gear it towards the sport horse life (I'll post about this later). When I sent him off I was most worried about him dropping weight on the trip and losing a bunch of condition. Nora tells me he's LOVING the hay and vacuuming up every last piece. For the first time in my horse's life, he looks FAT.

And dapply

He's giant.

So, I'm pleased with his progress so far. I am missing him intensely and I cannot wait to go visit (only 19 more days til I fly to see him but who's counting). My last update from her was that she's teaching him leg yields and haunches fore, and really learning how to bend through his body. She plans to take him XC schooling this week and I can't wait to hear how it goes! 

Stay tuned for more updates!

Riding Fit (The Brain) Part 1 of 2

In the spirit of full disclosure I'm going to dive in deep with this post. Part 1 of 2, I'm going to talk a little about how I've gotten my brain fit to be the best partner for my horse and our goals together.


THE BRAIN:

For as long as I can remember I've dealt with mental illness. Long before I knew how to define it, I was staying up until 4am painting or sweating through my clothes in public for no discernible reason or spending entirely too much time alone because I couldn't bear to be around other people. I had my first true panic attack at 22 (or at least the first that I knew how to define) and as a result, I stayed in bed for days because I felt physically and mentally broken. Since then, I've been able to define my personal issues as insomnia, anxiety and depression (caused by anxiety).

And now, at the age of 40 (don't get me started) -- I've spent the last 20 years addressing the root of many of my issues and working on ways to improve my day to day quality of life. I'm going to share a few things that have helped me to become the best version of myself while managing my mental illnesses.

Insomnia 

 

Insomnia is something I dealt with starting at a very young age. I always knew I had a restless brain, and I would stay up for hours reading or drawing and going to sleep at 4 or 5 in the morning and then getting up for school at 7. I didn't realize that it wasn't normal until my parents discovered me awake in the wee hours when I was a teenager. They took me to a therapist to try to teach me methods for getting to sleep, but none of it worked. At it's worst, the only thing that was effective was taking Ambien (which was a lifesaver when I really needed it) -- and now at it's most manageable, my remedies are far more simplified. Good sleep hygiene, physical exercise of some sort daily (even if it's just getting some fresh air), no caffeine after noon, and a whiskey before bed doesn't hurt either. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy I also learned a technique to "put my worries to bed" also, which involves making a list of things that are keeping me up and if any of them are actionable I can stay up and complete them and otherwise I put the rest to bed. My insomnia has always been at its worst when my depression and anxiety are heightened so it's important for me to factor in all of the ways the play together to actually get some sleep.  I'm happy to say that I haven't depended on sleep aids in years, and I hold my solid relationship as a big factor in why I've been able to keep my insomnia at bay.

Anxiety

If I had to guess, I would say that most people that interact with my think I have my proverbial shit together. They would probably describe me as "even-keeled", "confident" and "self-assured". HAHAHAHA. I think one of the things that drew me to OTTBs in the first place was that many of them are "anxious-worriers" and it's a personality trait I can really relate too. You know what's a surefire way to stop thinking about your anxiety? Get on a hot OTTB straight off the track and try to teach it something new. One of the most amazing things horses have given me is singular focus. The anxious brain is everywhere and nowhere all at once and horses have taught me how to compartmentalize my worries and anxieties. That said, I've spent many, many years with a very good therapist who has given me tools to navigate my way through this messy thing we call life. Btw, if you like reading and you also like worrying, read The Worry Cure -- it changed my life. There was a time that my anxiety was so crippling that I couldn't get dressed in the morning... as in, I'd call work and tell them I was going to be late and that I didn't know when I'd be in and then I'd sit at the end of my bed paralyzed for another hour. Those days seem like eons ago, but I struggle every. damn. day. with anxiety. How I handle it now is much different in that I am much more self-aware, and I have useful tools to depend on when it gets bad. On a daily basis, I find that sticking to little rituals really helps. For instance, when I wake up in the morning (typically the hardest time of day for my anxious brain) I have to ease into the day. I wake up and need at least 30+ minutes to lay in bed and deal with taking on the day. My incredible SO brings me coffee in bed every morning to help facilitate the process, and it works... I let my brain fire up, anxieties and all and I make a plan for the day. But the truth is, the way that I handle my crippling anxiety is to put forth a facade of confidence and ease, I am THAT person to the outside world, because the other person inside cannot deal at all. And in some ways, that charade has worked in my favor (it's gotten me jobs, apartments, relationships, friends) and has allowed me to be careful of who I share the rest with.

Depression

My depression is caused my my anxiety so it functions a little differently that the traditional variety. For me, it manifests in very physical ways (which is awful)... sometimes it's feeling like my head is in a vice, but mostly it's constant pain throughout my body and unexplained fatigue. Back in early 2016 it was reaching new heights and I had to make massive changes to tamp it down. I was miserable at my job (after 11 years I was just over it), having to be downtown every day was making my anxiety terrible and I was chronically in pain. And while other things were going really well, I was barely functioning in other aspects. I remember distinctly being in a lesson and only being able to go half way around the ring before being winded and fatigued. It wasn't until Emily more or less demanded that I got to the doctor that I realized something was really wrong with me. I was 100% sure I had Lyme disease, or worse. I had blood work done, and everything came back normal. After a myriad of tests, we circled back to depression and how it was physically effecting me. I needed to make some BIG changes in my life. So, with the support of the most amazing partner ever, I scaled back my position at work to one day a week in the office, I threw myself into a working student position and almost right away started feeling better. Was is the stress of being in the city? The boredom of the same job for years? The change of scenery or the 12 hours of physical exercise I was doing every day? Whatever it was, it was working and I've stayed the course ever since. No, I'm not a working student any more, but I still oversee projects at my long time job, I've got my freelance photo business, and I nanny for a couple of UL riders. My days are varied and I often have time to be extremely flexible with my schedule allowing me more time for the things that keep me mentally stable. Some weeks are incredibly busy with no time "off" and some are scant with work and full of play and I'm SO happy to have that kind of mental freedom. It has done wonders for my mental health and I'm easily the happiest I've ever been. It is not a lifestyle for everyone, but love the hustle of having lots of balls in the air and having more control over my day-to-day life.

Mentally, I am doing everything I can to be in the best place for my horse. I think it's easy to rely on horses as the place to sort of place all our baggage and to use it as a safe haven (and that's not wrong), but I think it's also important to address what is going on inside our brains and be introspective about what we are bringing to the table too. At times horses have been the only thing that's kept me going and for that I am truly grateful. I owe it to my horse to be the best partner I can be... stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk about physical fitness!

2018 vs. 2019

The beginning of 2018 brought so much uncertainty for Scout and what our future might be together. And after the scare of him getting cast and the subsequent cellulitis that formed as a result, I owed it to him to pump the brakes and take a long hard look about what I wanted from him. What I ultimately decided was to take things slow... maybe even painfully slow to outsiders. He was after all, a very big, very immature youngster who needed time to heal and fill out physically.

Fall 2017 -- Fall 2018

So that's exactly what we did... and we had some mixed results. In addition, I reached out to trusted professionals to help develop my athletic youngster and help shape him into a suitable mount for me. I dealt with WAY too many truck problems and FINALLY got my rig back on the road. My lessons stopped due to said truck problems which was beyond disappointing but I stuck to my regime of working with Scout both on the ground and under saddle and he really began to blossom. Ultimately, these setbacks led to me not wanting to blog at all -- but if you follow me on any other social media platforms, you know what we've been up to!

He's been LOVING life at the new barn, and absolutely thriving. In fact, he's perhaps feeling a bit TOO good. I think he's finally in his big boy body and he's really ready for the next step in his education.

The best he's ever looked in winter

I was so thankful to have the indoor to retreat to this fall/winter when we got nothing but rain for months and months because he really needed a job to do. He was definitely starting to tell me he was getting bored, even with the indoor riding routine.

ANOTHER growth spurt this fall

Longing for days like this again

I tried to mix things up for Scout a little by having a friend come ride him here and there (which he was very opinionated about) -- and then he got a few weeks off after my 40th birthday -- which coincided with the holidays. After Christmas my BO asked if I would be interested in coming to Wellington to nanny for a week or two (like I was gonna say no) and so I started to make a plan for what Scout would do while I was away.

But what if I want EXTENDED vacation?

There would be a resident trainer at my barn while I was out of town but I thought since my rig was back up and running I'd like to reach out an event trainer, specifically someone close to the Davidsons (since I work for them in summer/fall). So after a little research I decided to send Scout to Nora Battig-Leamer for 10 days! I have a few friends who have either ridden with her or had her work with their thoroughbreds and I really like her riding style!

As it turns out, she thinks Scout is quite special (his step and jump being quite impressive) and after some logistical conversations, we decided he should go to Ocala with her until the end of March to continue his education! He's going to have an amazing opportunity to go and do and see ALL THE THINGS and come back a more mature, more well-educated horse! It seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and for him and I am so excited to see how he progresses. I have a few trips planned to go see him while he's there and of course, I plan to take lessons on my some of my BO's horses while he's away so I don't lose my sea legs!

Who is this grown-up creature?

So, I'm over here trying to adjust to not having my horse around -- which is SUPER weird... and I thought I'd jump back into blogging (I have a ton of fun things on deck to talk about). 2019 is off to a MUCH better start than 2018! Here's to keeping all them positive vibes running through the blogosphere.

Progress report (a catch all post about feet + weather)

Here's the thing... I think no matter what part of the country you live in right now, the weather has been complete and utter bullshit for everyone. Around me (Area II) events have been cancelled left and right due to rain and riders are having to tempt fate by riding in temps in the 100s just to get an event under their belt. We've gotten something like 300% more rain than we should have for this time of year and while it could be worse (rock hard ground), it makes getting any sort of riding momentum near impossible.

Because it's either raining for days or it's like this:

Just, NO.

I've been pushing through and riding him even on the hottest days, but all the rain has messed up his turnout schedule and as a result not only is his skin getting funky, but his legs have all been taking turns blowing up. This doesn't alarm me like it used to and I usually just follow the protocol of working him to reduce the puffiness and then throw standing wraps on if he's going to be in for prolonged periods of time. Scout is typically the kind of dude that no matter how much time he's had off or how little turnout he's been getting he's pretty much the same, chill horse. However, he surprised me a little this week after a few days of little to no turnout by being a bit of a twit on the ground so we had a little refresher session on appropriate behaviors.

I got in trubs.

You see, his legs were fat and I hadn't planned on riding that day so I took him to the indoor to hand walk (because you guessed it, it was pouring, again) -- his next door neighbor was in there too (she's an adorable grey pony who just went to the pony finals!) so we did out best to stay out of their way by walking and trotting over poles together. When she left, Scout lost his ever loving mind and tried to bolt back to the barn after her and I was like HELL NO. So I grabbed a lunge line and the whip -- to which he took GREAT offense, as though he's beaten every day by one. Which led to ground work 101 for Scout. And you better believe he changed his tune (ahem, pic above). In the end, I wound up getting some very nice work out of him, even if I was ill-prepared and honestly, I think he needed to blow off a little energy anyway so we'll call it a win.

Even with big fat legs he can move

I am the wildest stallion:)

Anyway, all of this behavior at least let me see how he was moving and feeling after his first visit with the new farrier. He has been growing hoof at an alarming rate, and I was terrified he was going to lose a shoe before he could get seen and I was absolutely thrilled when the BO told me that the farrier said Scout has beautiful feet. I was like, "oh man, wait til I show you where we started."

I tend not to get on the bandwagon of "all OTTBs have bad feet" because that's simply not true, but what I can say with certainty is that any sort of major lifestyle change in a horse's career/life will impact their hoof quality dramatically. We didn't start with under run heels or excessively long toes, but we did start with scary looking event lines.

You can see that the new growth wants to come in at the proper angle but the rest of the hoof is just doing it's own thing, and looking quite scary. Watching these lines grow out was pretty horrifying, and I knew at some point we'd be nailing right into that crack and I thought for sure the rest of his hoof was just going to break off.

best farrier ever

That's some beautiful farrier work right there people. My previous farrier would painstakingly shape each shoe like this and while it was exhausting to hold horses for him, he knew how to create balance like no other. Also, just looking at the hoof on the left above makes me shudder. Remarkably his feet did not fall off -- because that's not how that works (hahahahaha). You can also appreciate a nice, strong hoof wall making it's way to replace the old, shelly remnants.

In between this farrier and my current situation, we've been at two barns, one with a highly regarded farrier and one with someone who was a bit greener. Sadly, Scout could not keep shoes on with the farrier with the big reputation -- he is a very nice guy, and quick at his work but he refused to hot fit or shape shoes and Scout lost several in the short stint that we were with him. The other farrier LOVED Scout and got his feet back into shape (thank god they grow fast), which leads us to present day.

post trim (and farrier's fix)

Those are some nice looking thoroughbred feet! Nice angles, beautiful walls, good breakover and heel balance! And as a result, I think he's moving the most confidently he has since I bought him. When you are giant and have spider legs having wonky feet makes you very clumsy! I'm also happy to report that he has not needed hinds since last fall either!

A good boy

Now if only I could get him to gain weight at the same rate he grows hoof!!!!

How are you guys handling the weather in your part of the country? Are you struggling with nonstop rain or oppressive heat and humidity? What do you guys do with your horses to stay sane when you can't ride?

I'm SO behind on posts, but just real quick:

Hi guys,

I'm here, I'm alive. Scout is doing well! To say things have been busy would be a massive understatement! Scout moved to new (hopefully permanent) farm. We bought a house. And I've been swamped with freelance photo work. I'm not complaining about all of that because it's all great news, but I've hardly had time to take a deep breath!

But I wanted to share with you Scout's remarkable progress over the last 9 months. Keep in mind he's been in very light work (or on periods of stall rest) for the last few months).

I think we've finally figured out a feeding program and work schedule that he can thrive on. The results:

Scout as a just turned 4 year old at the end on last May

You can see that all the right parts are there for a nice event type horse, but he's all sharp angles and legs. Zero topline and underweight from crashing post-track. Add a dull coat and he's not much to look at (no wonder no one bought him).

Looking like a real event horse just turning 5

Here with Megan K up, you can start to see the outline of a nice event horse. His coat is shiny, his body is filling out and his topline is much improved. He's still growing (much to my chagrin) but I think he'll truly come into his own in his 6th year. To me, it's a remarkable transformation and it gives me a lot of hope for the future.

Plenty of updates to come (including a recap of Megan's ride on Scout) but for now, just bear with me while I get through our move!!!!

Remedial training

South Jersey looking pretty

Meanwhile in Scoutland, we've been working on some real basics. Scout has always been really straight forward about everything, and it's easy for me to forget that he's 4 and just six months into retraining. So when he does something naughty or out of character it tends to catch me off guard, and I'm like, "what is your problem dude?"

Oh, right... you're a still a youngster. Momma chill.

Currently we have two remedial areas of focus: Behaving at the mounting block and standing on cross ties. He's always been very good about the mounting block until very recently. I think a bit of stress and the level of work we're doing has soured him a little, and I also think he's testing the boundaries as well. Previously, he's always said YES to everything, and I'm not sure he thought that he could say no, or maybe, or not right now. So I'll cut him some slack that he's maybe expanding his emotional vocabulary with me. However, standing still at the mounting block is non-negotiable. And I had enough grief with Riley regarding mounting issues that I do not need to go down that path again. These little antics quickly snowball and not only do I need him to stand at a designated mounting block, but realistically, I need to him to stand quietly near any object I chose to mount from (even the ground). The behavior manifests itself in a few ways. He'll either swing his hind end away just as I'm about to get on, or take a step or two backward when I put my foot in the stirrup. Neither are okay and both are dangerous. So I took him back to basic ground work to help reinstall the proper behavior.

oh shit.

Truth be told, I've done very little ground work with him because of his good behavior, so strapping on the rope halter and putting him through some basic horsemanship stuff was a bit eye-opening for the baby. I moved on to the mounting block where I utilized a technique I learned from a well known Amish Cowboy who is a literal genius/magician with difficult horses. The basic concept is that if the horse choses not to stand squarely next to the block (visualize a rectangular box where you want the horse to be) then he has to keep moving. The concept sounds fairly simple and it is, but Scout used every evasive tactic in the book before finally figuring out where I wanted him. You can use this method from all sorts of objects, eventually the horse will start to get himself into position as you climb onto something (this would be considered pretty advanced, but I've seen it in practice). You can up the ante of the task by asking the horse to come to the block from any angle or direction, but still asking them to move their body into the correct placement/direction. It's essentially learning to control the hind end of the horse from the ground and it feels like magic when the horse gets it. Once Scout understood where I wanted him, I spent time rewarding him by scratching and patting him all over to further desensitize the idea of the mounting block. Rinse and repeat, make him move on, get back into the box and reward with physical and verbal reinforcement.

And, because I was doing all of my groundwork and training with my helmet on, I thought maybe I'd hop on. After all, he wasn't tacked up (I wanted to remove the idea that he was going to be ridden from the picture). So I leaned over him a few times, got brave and swung on.

Real talk? I'm going to need a good bareback pad.

A bit confused about how to steer in this thing, but at least the brakes worked

The ring was pretty flooded, so we just plodded around, practicing transitions and changes of direction all while "schooling some water".

What I learned about this exercise with Scout is that I need to pepper in some training sessions like this into our routine. It's good for our relationship and it's good for his baby brain. I think sometimes at this point in their training then tend to anticipate what's coming next and developing some anxiety about it, so it's great to mix things up a little and keep their brains working.

Our other area of remedial training focus is regarding the cross ties. We all know that OTTBs are extremely reliable for single tying, but not all take to cross ties right away. I've definitely found that cross ties in a small space definitely make the transition a little easier, and at our last barn they were in a very large space that seemed to encourage a lot of moving around on the ties. Additionally, Scout has a little bit of a quirky behavior when he's being tacked up. I don't know if he was cinched up too tight in the past or what the deal is, but when you first fasten the girth he gets a bit clumsy and sort of sways around a little. On a single tie, it's fine because he can sort of swing around like a pendulum, but in the cross ties he meets resistance and that's alarming for him. But the thing is he respects pressure when tied, that's not the issue. Once, at the old barn he started swaying around in the cross ties, he hit the end of them and started leaning back, further and further until they snapped and he fell backward and slid on his hocks. He gave himself a good scare and even though we tried several times after that, we deemed him "not reliable" on cross ties.

Who me? I'm perfect.

Truthfully, it doesn't matter to me if he cross ties as long as he can tie in some way. But selfishly, I'd like him to learn to cross tie because there are plenty of times that I need him to. Most recently, it's when we're going for a lesson at local farm and I have to tack him up in the aisle. Or, if I have to leave him unattended for a moment to use the bathroom. Or he pulls a shoe and I can't meet the farrier so he has to stand on cross ties like a big boy and not embarrass me.

And I know that some might say, stick him on the ties and let him figure it out, but that hasn't worked for us. I'm now in a barn with concrete aisles and I'm not willing to risk another slip and fall situation while he figures things out. So for now, I put him on the cross ties after every work, and it's going swimmingly. He'll stand for untacking, brushing, and whatever else I want to do. He gets rewarded for being a good boy and I think he's making the connection that cross ties are okay.

GOOD BOY.

Most recently, before a training ride at another farm, he not only stood while I fetched the trainer's tack, but he let me tack him up on the ties with no swaying, no dancing and just hung out until it was time for his ride.

Stop taking my picture, I'm being good

So while this all may feel pretty remedial in terms of his education, I think it's important for me to take time to look at the bigger picture and see where there might be some holes in his training and target them when time allows. I think there's nothing more frustrating than letting a poor/bad behavior get away from you only to be in a situation where you really need to count on your horse behaving.

And it's paying off for us. His behavior at the mounting block is improving daily, he's reliable on cross ties in new scenarios and most recently, he stood for the farrier on cross ties with no supervision!

What sort of training holes have you guys discovered on your journeys and how do you handle fixing them?