ground poles 4 lyfe!

Ok so I'm delaying the Plantation post again, still bc of Charlie. Sorry y'all! But you're just gonna have to cope. The thing is, I'm taking a disproportionate number of photos of the horse considering what we're actually working on. And if I don't post them quickly, they'll surely overrun my poor cell phone haha.

turns out cross ties in the big wide open aisle are more comfortable for him than cross ties in the wash stall. noted.

We are obviously still very much in the "getting to know you" phase. Ya know, considering Charlie came home four days ago. I want very much to give him a structured routine, but it's a bit tricky bc his turnout situation is changing every day.

coat needs work. thank goodness this guy enjoys grooming and spa sessions!

It's all going in a good direction - he graduated quickly to all-day turnout, and then to over night turnout. No pasture mates yet (he's still technically in the quarantine period) but that will be soon too. It still means that each of his days has unfolded slightly differently.

i <3 that dopey expression

He's also getting exposed to different levels of activity in the barn - from days with no lessons (Monday) to days just jam packed with lesson students everywhere (Tuesday). Generally I'm of the mindset that exposure is good for him. Yes I want him to have routine - but yes I also want him to be able to adapt within that routine.

already king of mirror selfies

It's just making it slightly tricky to get a good baseline on him. He is generally a quiet horse, but he is still kinda maybe expecting to go run a race. And it's interesting to see what triggers that race type response. Like the wash stall - in my experience, wash stalls have proven to be safe and effective places to start cross tying green or antsy horses.

Maybe bc it's a more closed off, well defined space? Idk. Whatever the case, that rule doesn't hold for Charlie. Maybe bc he's just too big for the space and it feels cramped? He's definitely less settled in there tho, esp compared to the aisle cross ties where he could probably stand quietly for hours on end.

surveying his accomplishments!

For now I've been trying to keep the riding experiences fairly consistent too. Given the state of his feet (still in race plates up front, barefoot behind until tomorrow) and general training level, the simple act of going through the motions somehow feels more important right now than what we actually do under saddle.

So after getting dressed, we go hand walk a few laps around the indoor (including walking in hand through ground poles, which Charlie stumbled through once but has navigated easily and without much consideration since) and then I hop on and off we go!

wait - that's all? i'm used to, uh, ya know, moar.

I move into the trot work pretty quickly, with the idea being that I want to get Charlie accustomed to contact and it's easier to do that with him moving forward. It's tricky bc he starts out a bit braced (this has been exacerbated by residual body and hoof soreness) but then eases into it, and then becomes quite heavy. Back and forth from tense bracing to heavy in my hands.

looking forward to when he has friends

It's actually a good feeling tho. It feels like he's thinking. Like he's paying attention to me. I spend a lot of time reminding myself to stretch down with my legs and heels (the better to not get pulled out of the saddle when he gets heavy and then trips, Emma!) and he always notices when I rebalance myself.

oooooooh soccer field!

Charlie actually is quite responsive to the legs. Not hot hot like Shen, but definitely not dead. A nice happy medium for my style of leg aids. He also steers surprisingly well. There's stickiness by the gate and an occasional half-hearted nap if I wasn't planning ahead. And the appearance of a horse in the arena is cause for distraction (tho as a point of pride - most of my rides have been during turnout and he's been a star).

hand walking in the outdoor, smelling the roses flowers

The brakes are a titch dull, but they most definitely are in there. Mostly I just need to remember to give the 'whoa' aids as clearly as possible with my whole body, not just bracing my seat up out of the saddle and pulling, bc duh that doesn't work on anything lol.

freshly banged tail ain't bad!

Actually - maybe my favorite thing about riding this horse right now is that he gives me a very strong feeling like I need to be correct. I need to be stretching down in my legs and up with my upper body, sitting straight and evenly on the horse, with my hands and arms and elbows and whatnot all in the appropriate places behaving themselves.

sweet face!

I need to be balanced to help him balance. I need to lift my shoulders to help him lift his. It's actually not at all the feeling I expected from such a green horse - we always hear about green horses wreaking havoc on a rider's position (and that has DEFINITELY been my experience with horses like Bali and Krimpet) but for whatever reason this guy is somehow already going such that my position has a very clear impact on him. Giant tho he may be. I like it!

choppy but good 'nuff bridle path

Another thing about him that I'm happy to report: he's neither incredibly wiggly nor stiff as a 2x4. There is a certain degree of one-sidedness, sure, but honestly not much more than you would expect in most horses. Mostly tho he feels like a very clean slate that is already prepped to take my aids as best as I can give them.

a hat for Charlie!

Our rides follow a similar pattern each time, with our most recent (last night) being definitely the best. He physically felt the best and most sound (least sore) since coming home. And we weren't particularly pressed for time. Lots of trotting - mostly staying large around the arena working on straightness.

We circle a little bit and change directions, and I aim for creating a rhythm that is unchanged by whether we are going toward or away from the gate. And something that really stuck out last night: I need to look for good pleasant moments of softness for when we take our walk breaks, rather than when things get tense or choppy and I become eager to change the subject. Just gotta keep going, keep riding him and showing him where I want to be, then reward with a release and walk break.

more circles in the indoor

Oh, and usually we walk the set of three ground poles that are apparently permanent residents of the indoor, and introduced trotting the single pole two days ago. Last night tho? We trotted the three like legit professionals. Good boy Charlie!

I legitimately can't wait to get him over to OF for a lesson with trainer P. Still some work to be done before then tho. Like maybe riding outside once or twice. Or. Uh. Maybe cantering? And, um, practicing with the trailer.

No big deal tho. It's all ahead of us!