sympathy for the devil

It's really easy to get wrapped up in all the wonderful things my new pony is doing, and how happy he makes me, to the point where everything can easily sound like kittens and rainbows and glittery unicorn poop.

My intention isn't to mislead... rather, I just prefer to dwell on the fun happy exciting stuff rather than the "Dear god what have I done?!" stuff. You know how it goes.

it was so freakin nice out i hustled up on some work to get to the barn early - to ride outside in DAYLIGHT

Charlie has been a very easy horse in many many ways. For that, I am grateful. Really, there's only one main aspect to him that seriously challenges my plans for the big guy. And it's that same quality we identified in our first weeks together:

Charlie is defensive and resistant to being driven forward.

we hacked around a couple new lanes too. charlie lives in the field to the right so it's not like, unknown territory. still nice to ride on tho! except for some weird trench right down the center of the lane filled with holes. lame.

I'm very fortunate in how Charlie became mine - his former trainer and partnership of owners from the track had him for many years, understand his history, and love him dearly. And they've been very communicative with me. As such, I'm privy to a surprisingly complete version of Charlie's history. Including the full story on how this resistance likely developed. And hint: it isn't saddle fit and it isn't ulcers.

A brief background: Charlie was born in April 2009 in Kentucky. His dam, Shahalo (by Halo) had produced top of the line kind of race horses, including some graded stakes winners, and Charlie sold at auction as a yearling for $100K.

the end of the lane has fun little cross rail fence stiles too! we just walked back and forth over this low part lol

He traveled extensively with his first trainers - racing once at Keeneland then shipping up to Chicago for the wintertime. Then back down to Louisiana Fair Grounds as a 3yo. His second, later trainer (let's call her CR. she has been incredibly candid in conversations!!) believes all this travel, these long hauls in shipping vans, tied up for hours, contributed to the paralysis of one of the cartilage flaps in Charlie's airway that would go undiscovered for some time.

While at Fair Grounds as a 3yo with his first trainers, Charlie raced twice - once for a $50K claiming price in a race where he was the favorite. He was in the lead coming to the home stretch, but suddenly backed off to lose by 30 lengths.

lotsa wanderin around the property!

In watching the tape, CR immediately recognized the problem: Charlie couldn't breathe.

This hypothesis was further supported after CR and a partnership of owners (who have also been wonderful to speak with!) claimed Charlie from Fair Grounds sight unseen, on the strength of his racing form and pedigree. The first time they got him up to the track to train, Charlie simply refused to go. Stuck his head straight up in the air and said "NO!"

interrupting my photo recap of our hack-about with breaking news: we've definitely seen that "NO!" face before!!

So they took him back to the barn, got him scoped, and ultimately performed a tie back surgery on him (during which time they also removed part of his larynx and did a trachea wash, as apparently he'd gotten a ton of junk down into his lungs from fighting to breathe for so long).

CR believes Charlie likely experienced collapsed lungs and/or bleeds while training and racing. To him, this would have felt like he was suffocating. And it had maybe been going on for a while. His first trainers weren't necessarily negligent - they had very expensive veterinary workups done at Purdue University and again in Kentucky, but with no findings. CR thinks they must not have scoped him.

After recovering from surgery, Charlie's new team took their time bringing him back slowly and helping him build confidence in his breathing again. And he went on to race successfully with them for four years.

the into the outdoor arena for the first time in AGES.... where charlie was decidedly less than thrilled to find himself. c'mon bro, surely this must be better than the narrow indoor??

So.... That's a long and slightly melodramatic peek into Charlie's early days as a race horse. Homeboy has... not always had it very easy. He is resistant for very real reasons.

His successful career with CR and crew suggests this resistance isn't insurmountable tho. Plus CR's philosophy of patience and slow, methodical confidence building aligns well with my own approach.

But it's a fairly entrenched behavior. Just plain getting after Charlie and beating on him isn't the answer, either. He's been there, done that, and is willing to go there again if he has to.

sad boy in his muscle shirt!!

The flip side, tho, is that Charlie is a very smart horse. He learns quickly through repetition. And he can learn the wrong things as easily as he learns the right things. Every time we hit that wall and I can't get us through it, he learns something. Maybe he's learning my number. Idk.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill tho. It feels like the kind of behavior that could easily turn into "can't get the horse into the start box" or "eliminated for disobedience in the dressage ring." But it could also just be growing pains. Only time will tell!

one result from my chat with trainer P last weekend. she's always full of cost-saving tips, esp surrounding supplements. but she swears by this particularl supplement - platinum performance. some call it 'expensive flax' but idk. i'm gonna give it a shot on the strength of P's recommendation. will likely have more to say later!

Mostly, I just need to be more disciplined in my riding. As Janet Foy says: one aid, one answer. When I put my leg on, Charlie may not suck back. Not even a little bit. No settling or letting him get even a little behind the bridle or stuck shuffling. If I allow him that space, he will escalate to full on refusing to move.

If he learns that sometimes leg matters and sometimes it doesn't.... I'm just setting myself up for a bigger fight down the road.

So. My pep talk to myself: Discipline, Emma. Consistency. Say what you mean, mean what you say... all that stuff. Do not shy away from correcting the small stuff. A well-timed, appropriately-volumed correction for a smaller indiscretion will likely be enough to prevent a full blown fight. But, no matter what, be prepared to see the conversation through to resolution: GO FORWARD.

i'm also introducing a third meal to charlie's diet - a post ride mash of beet pulp pellets. so far he's a fan!! now if he would just get fat plz!!

And, of course, in the meantime, I'm continuing to work through my "List Of Things I Want To Do For Charlie" to ensure he's physically set up for success too. We'll see how it goes!

Have you ever let a horse get your number and then had to deal with the repercussions? Or do you have little pep talks with yourself when you know something is going to be a fight but you have to deal with it anyway?

Or have you ever learned something about your horse's past that suddenly explains a perplexing behavior or persistent habit? I'm kinda hoping I'm not the only one haha!