the case for Bali

Let's talk a little more about Bali. Who is he and why do I care? Well... I guess that second question is superficially pretty easy to answer - I care because he's freaking adorable and I love horses. So the opportunity to ride something else is obviously awesome.

bali and equally adorable pasture mate dolly doin their thang

But there's a little more to the story. Bali is quite young - 4 or 5 years old, I believe - and off the track. With health and behavioral issues and very little training as a riding horse. That's not your typical description of the ideal lesson pony, right?

mayyyyyybe the cutest ever. look at that forelock!! and ear fuzz!!!! (and ignore my janky mismatched bridle)

But he's here and we really want to make it work. Because if he flunks out of our lesson program, his future becomes really uncertain... quite bleak, actually.

so tired... but so itchy!!

I think it will work tho. As of this writing I've put 4 rides on him (more details coming later!) and he's really impressing me. He's smart and sensitive, easy to steer, naturally lazy, and essentially a nearly-blank slate. Not entirely blank because he's figured out how to say "No" ... but he actually doesn't put up a huge fight about it. So long as his "No" doesn't scare the rider, it's pretty easy to work through.

he's really starting to relax and stretch out

He fell out of favor with some of the advanced lesson students because he was being such a butthead and stopped being fun. But those same kids have been watching me ride him lately and are getting excited about him again. They will undoubtedly be asking for another shot soon. That's good news. They are brave kids and good students. They can do it.

'oh hai!!!' - bali

And I hope to continue riding him to ensure that he stays on track. It's imperative that he understands saying "Yes" is the easier option - that saying "No" ultimately means more work because he will still have to do the thing, but will have wasted all that extra energy trying not to do the thing. Really, I'm hoping to appeal to his lazy side here.

'are you talkin bout me?!?' - bali

Because if his resistance continues to escalate with lesson kids... well, like I said, his future becomes a big question mark. Life on the track was not kind to Bali - he's got osselets (aka traumatic arthritis) on both front fetlocks and his feet aren't much to look at either.

dirty blurry muzzle... but ugh those fetlocks!

Plus, dude has a seriously messed up mouth. Like, the worst parrot mouth the vet has ever seen - the vet was actually surprised Bali wasn't PTS at birth.

what does the parrot say?

He seems to do well enough tho, and we've been able to put weight on him (he eats like 10+ pounds of grain a day, I believe, and it has to be soaked). So the mouth isn't a huge inhibiting factor for him.

mmmmm sloppy soaked grain

And he *is* sound. Pretty tight through his back, sure, but generally he goes well enough and will only improve with work. So none of these factors in and of themselves are necessarily deal breakers. But put them all together in a horse that also demonstrates bad behavior on the ground and under saddle... and... yea nobody is busting down the door trying to buy him.

mashy muzzle can't stop the cute

So I don't really want to think about what happens to him if he ultimately can't do the lesson horse job. Fortunately I think he can do the job - and do it well. He's not spooky, travels off property like nbd, and was very mature at his first event this summer. He just needs a little more consistency. So far, so good on that front, and hopefully he'll be back to doing lessons in short order!