Introducing ground driving

I got permission to use the round pen today and loaded Mag down with gear.

Dom's recent post about introducing long lining shamed me into trying it, despite the fact my horse is absolutely terrible at lunging (he was great this Winter with near daily practice, but it fell apart again).

Last time I lunged Mag he ran off full tilt and almost dragged me. Several times. Also he bucked and kicked at his saddle. This horse kicks at trees that look at him wrong, so what would he do with a lunge line around his back end?

I planned and planned, but was pretty nervous. First, I lunged him normally, but with saddle, rump rug, riding crop, surcingle, and double lines hanging off his saddle (attached VERY safely, no way for him to hurt himself on any of that).

As usual, as soon as I asked for a canter he dropped his hind end, put his tail into a J, and started scrambling around like an idiot. I actually thought he'd fall down a couple times, but the footing was sticky wet today so he had great grip.

He bucked and flailed, as normal, but I laughed because, "Look Mag, you can't run away, there's no where to go!" That was so nice. I only had to worry about him kicking the fence and breaking it, so I tried to keep him off the rail.

He gets a lot of praise the moment he stops bucking. I know he hates the feel of all that stuff on him (the rump rug especially) but he has to learn it.

Then a freaking bumble bee attacked me.

It was like 2 inches long, black all over, and dive bombing me for some reason! I started flipping out and then Mag took off bucking again. I wasn't even aware of Mag at this point cuz that bee was after me. I know they're harmless, but it kept coming at my face, and it sounded like a motorboat.

TP, the owner, was watching the entire time from her chair on her front terrace.

Well, now she knows how scared of bugs I am.

She was kind of ordering me around from her chair, not sure why she feels like she has to control me. I would never tell someone what to do with their horse unless they specifically ask me, sheesh.

Then I switched to the difficult direction and suddenly Mag was fine. He offered to canter on his own, twice, and cantered without any bucking or leaping or kicking. The wind was whipping the rump rug up and down on his back. It was so windy out it was hard to walk.

Part 2 of my plan was to remove all that stuff and put the surcingle on, with the lines through the rings, and proceed with utmost caution. I'd already played all the worst-case scenarios mentally - he breaks his mouth open while fighting (cuz I was using a bit, not a cavesson), he gets the lines around his legs and ends up losing a leg or two....

So we went slow. Of course I began with the outside line over his back, so I could use it, but it wouldn't be quite so scary.

I planned on doing outside turns, inside turns, turning as much as possible, not just going in circles.

It worked! Mag's mind was blown, I think (you should have seen his face!), that I could steer him so well from "way over there." He was utterly concentrated on the experience. Good thing he knows vocal cues because I had my hands very full and couldn't use a whip or body language as I normally do. He was almost moving in slow motion, and sometimes doing leg yields in response to the lines.

Eventually the outside line slipped down to his hocks on a turn, and somehow he did not freak out. I kept it loose for the most part, but kept turning, stopping, and starting. I was so happy I wanted to give him a snack but had to concentrate on the lines because a mistake could have caused a different outcome. And I'm out of practice. You recall how I used to ground drive Mara all over town? Wow she was good at that. I've lost my feel, lately.

I asked TP what she thinks and she said he's performing as perfectly as possible.

I asked for a trot by increasing my energy and giving him one soft cluck. Waiting for the explosion.

He started jogging and was so relaxed I praised him and asked him to walk again almost immediately. Then we did that a few more times, just a few paces of jog before walking again, with the line on his hocks. Whew!

I know it will get more exciting/stressful for Mag with more speed, but I wanted to keep this first day positive (if possible!) and let him think about the sensations and feel proud of himself. TP and I went to his head and loved on him, telling him how great he is, and I was so happy, I couldn't believe he would be OK with that.

I stripped him and let him roll in her sand as a great reward. TP laughed that he dropped right next to her, he always just drops to the ground, he never meanders.

I wanted to show her a trick Kati taught me the other day - I stand at Mag's side and raise my arm and gesture with my index finger, and he backs up - without me moving. The point is eventually to be able to stand behind the horse and have him back toward you, even 10 meters behind the horse. It's a fancy trick. Kati said it's great for showing off in front of a crowd, or for unloading from a trailer.

Mag always anticipates and backs before I raise my arm, but today, in the round pen, I pushed the limit - I went behind his girth area and raised my arm, and he backed! TP was impressed, but she said I should use body language. I said, "Well, I was told I'm not allowed to, that I must only move my arm/finger." It's gonna be cool when I can do it from both sides, and then behind him! I'll have it by my next lesson for sure.

Then, not wanting to tack up a sandy horse, I asked if I could leave my tack and come get it with the car later, as I often do cuz her sand is sooooo nice to roll in.

She helped me take my several armloads full of tack to the little garage next to the round pen.

As soon as I disappeared into the garage, Mag got anxious and started looking for me. TP told him it's OK, and she went over to comfort him, and when I came out, he was gazing at me over her shoulder with a frantic look on his face.

I took the rest of my stuff and Mag did not like it at all when I vanished. The last time, I walked back to him and he gave me that low, commanding, breathy nicker he does when he wants me to open a gate. "Don't leave me!" I have to admit, it felt really good that he wanted me around, even though I'm the meanie who puts all that crap on him and asks him to behave.

I thanked TP (and will pay her at the end of the month) and walked Mag home a long loop, exploring and finding more mushrooms in the woods than I've ever seen in any woods. WOW that's a lot of different types! I couldn't help myself I went up and touched them with my foot, and Mag with his nose. Of course it's full of fungus here, it's one of the wettest places on the planet.

We're supposed to have 3 days without rain, no rain at all, if you can believe it, and our hay guy will come mow our field tomorrow. I hope he makes Silage, to get something out of this very late second cut, and doesn't just mow and leave it laying there, that can't be as good for the grass. I keep promising Mag he gets the entire pasture in the Winter, he's never experienced an entire Winter here, so he's never had 6 months of 5 acres. He's gonna tear it up and I'm gonna let him.

Blanket update: it fits! Better than the Horseware. But that "made with love" tail flap is ridiculously huge - twice the size of Horseware's flaps! It caught some poop so I might cut it in half. The blanket is roomy up front, and doesn't shift back, doesn't get pooped on, and the twin panels that take pressure off the withers seem to be a nice feature. Yes, my new blanket is muddy on both sides today, but it still looks good. What a novel idea, a blanket that fits *perfectly!*

Right now the blanket is in the house propped up over a radiator, so that when the temp starts to drop tonight, I can put a WARM new blanket on Mag's back. What better way to teach a horse to love its blanket, than to warm it first?