So here's an update on Stryker since his last lesson with his kicking and bucking. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and have him checked out by an Equine Therapist before insisting that he behave in case he was in any pain. Turns out his hips were about an inch out of line, if I remember correctly his right hip was an inch behind his left. He also had an issue with his stifle that I still don't completely understand, I'll have to get a better grasp on that during my next session. What the Equine Therapist basically did was run her hands over him so she could feel where he needed to be worked on and then put wires on certain spots and sent electricity into his muscles causing them to spasm and contract and so forth. The whole point being that it essentially sets the reset button and we can begin building the muscles in the correct alignment (I think!) this was my first time working with an Equine Therapist.
She also checked him for gastric ulcers and guess what? We think he has some. It didn't surprise me whatsoever, he has been so stressed and everything here is completely different from what he's used too so I've put him on medication and he's on the road to recovery.
I gave him a few days off from work to settle a bit more into his new routine and to let the medicine kick in. I got him out to work on Saturday, I started him out on the lunge line and he was a perfect gentleman, went forward from my aids and stretched over his back. I got on and walked him which was fine, then I started with some turn on the forehand to see if he would be uncomfortable with pressure from my leg, no problems there. I asked him to trot and head up, ears back and a buck. At first I stopped him, but the second time I was prepared and grabbed onto my bucking strap and smacked him one with the whip and off he goes into the rein and forward. After that he tried it once when I asked for each canter lead for the first time. I did the same thing and he responded the same, forward and into the reins. By the end he was giving me beautiful, smooth transitions and staying forward.
I gave both boys Sunday off and then on Monday I got to go on a surprise field trip to see some equine acupuncture, so the boys and I had 2 days off.
Today I got Stryker out and he gave me the same attitude until I changed his mind, and we ended with some good transition work. I think he has been testing me, like he did when I first bought him and I just need to ride through it and not make a big deal of it, just handle it and get back to the point.
Galaxy has been working so well. He never ceases to amaze me with his willingness to work and his consistent improvement all the time. He is such a great horse. I have really been loving the way I have been told to warm him up, forward rising trot until he is stretching and tracking up. I keep the reins relatively long and am always asking for stretch on circles, and serpentines and in transitions. He gets so loose and free in his body. After his warm up I have been dropping my stirrups and working a lot in the sitting trot doing lateral work. A new exercise I've learned (and love) is to go down the long side at the trot in a leg yield head to the wall and work on improving the impulsion by interrupting the leg yield with a forward canter circle. The canter circle makes the horse pick up his shoulders and revives the impulsion in the trot. After the canter circle I make a smooth transition back to the trot and back into the leg yield. I do the same thing with all of my trot work, once he starts to feel flat and heavy I canter him for a moment and then come back down to the trot and continue what I was doing. This has helped both his trot and canter a lot and I'm really loving it. I can tell this will really help his strength in the trot which he desperately needs.
I think that's all I have to report for now, things are going super, and I have a good feel for everything in the barn. I know the grain chart pretty well and finally have grasped the turnout schedule. This is the beginning of week 5, so I am 5 weeks from being halfway to the end of May. It's already bittersweet thinking about leaving!!! The time is flying by and the training I'm getting is so priceless, I am very grateful for this opportunity and proud that I decided to take it!
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