First Bitting
The next time I caught him I had the sense to shut the gate before the other two could follow us out.
I lead him with no difficulties this time to the front. We zigzagged up the lane crossing the river flowing down the center again and again. He plodded right through. Up front I curried him until it occurred to me that now was the perfect time to put a bridle on. So I shut the gate and left him there while I went to get it. When I got back he was pacing the fence, upset as always to be left alone. He came to meet me half way despite his upset.
I slipped the bridle on without incident, he had no clue what was coming and is great with his head. After that not so good. He didn’t have a fit but he was not happy and spent the rest of the time I worked with him trying to get that thing out of his mouth! I make a practice of not messing with bits the first time on, let them deal with figuring out how to hold it and put up with it before making it more of a nuisance.
I picked up his feet, asked him to yield a little, then decided we would try lunging again. Maybe not the best idea. Not that he was bad, exactly. The whole thing was a little upsetting. He wanted to go to the other horses, he doesn’t believe there is any reason not to walk over me when I am in his way and mostly he didn’t understand yet what I was asking.
We had worked on it a little the day before, in direct sight of the other two. They were standing at the gate watching. This time he couldn’t see them but knew that if he got to the gate he would be able to. So he wanted to the gate. Every circle he made on the far side of me from the gate he would drop his shoulder and try to push through me. All this at a walk, which doesn’t mean slow he is a Morgan, but it is icy and muddy and very slick here so nothing is with any speed. Fortunately he doesn’t have an ounce of mean in him just lack of understanding of personal space. Many times he could have smashed me or kicked my head off as I slipped around, but he doesn’t want to.
I found a good quitting place and worked more on moving his shoulder away. We zigzagged back through the lane and its river to do some work next to the other horses if that’s where he wants to be so bad. There are few things I want to do right now, or am able to do with this slick miserable weather, that can’t be done right in the middle of them, he can learn that they aren’t a safe place.
well, sounds like he is a challenge. The dish in his profile is very evident in these pics. Don\’t get stepped on!
Young horse s are so ugly you and mom would have such fun if you were closer
Maybe it\’s teenage horses that are ugly. I think that applies to teenage everything though. And yes mom and would have so much fun, you all need to move closer.