Nobody rides Mag today

That wasn't what was supposed to happen!

I didn't think Mag still had it in him to be this awful on the lunge, but he exhibited every bad behavior he's got, and then some new ones.

He tried to drag me three times, but somehow I kept ahold of him (very good gloves). 

He tried to kick the stirrups off the saddle, which is an old trick I haven't seen in years. (He can't stand the feel of them touching him when he canters and bucks and bucking causes them to touch him so he has to kick at them, each of them.)

He spooked at all edges of the arena equally, without favoritism. It was extremely windy and there is a loud rustly hedge and it was too much for him today.

He spooked at his own shadow when the sun came out for a moment. I've heard of horses doing this but never experienced it personally. 

He kicked at my whip when it touched his leg. He requires a lot of energy to move on the lunge, which means sometimes I touch him with it.

He lost his mind when someone walked a dog down the sidewalk slowly, letting the dog meander. That person was moving suspiciously slow I suppose. He put on quite a show with his tail over his back but I was fuming mad at him.

There was some guy doing construction in the barn. He'd start hammering at random, which even upset Rudi when she arrived. And then he turned on an electric fence which was connected to our arena fence, so both horses fruck out about that popping sound in that corner of the arena.

A new Haflinger mare was in heat and TP's Arabian was acting like a stallion, dropped and screaming at her the entire time we were there, with small pauses to eat hay. I've never seen a gelding act like that before. That horse has always offered to clean Mag's clock whenever we come anywhere near him, so I never let Mag too close.

When Susanne showed up she was surprised to see me and told me I should have told her I'd be there. Oops, I'd forgotten to tell her I lost my medic class. She complained to me that she needs time to plan her lessons and can't improvise. I told her it's fine, I wouldn't be riding today anyway, based on Mag's ridiculous behavior. I confirmed with Ani first because that would cost her more money today.

Then things got weird.

Ani explained to Susanne that she wants to ride Mag, and that I'd agreed to lease him to her.

What huh? I've never used the words "lease" and "Mag" in the same sentence unless to say, "I'd never lease Mag."

Somehow she assumed that from our talk last week when I told her it would be fine if she rode Mag, helpful, even, but I'd want her to do it with Susanne's help.

Then Susanne launched into a 10 minute lecture about Mag. Things we already know about him but it's her job as our teacher to be sure we know.

"Mag is reiter-scheu. (Has fear of being ridden.) Mag cannot tolerate any rustly sounds around him. Mag will not allow you to ride him unless he trusts you. You should start with ground work and then pretend to mount, lying across his back, and then turn his head to both sides so he can see you. And when you do get on, make him go in circles so he can always see you on his back. And don't ride him irregularly. Mag needs you to ride him minimum three times weekly."

I sat there staring at the sand during all this while Ani nodded and agreed with everything she said.

Finally I said something. "Ani, if you want to ride him regularly, it would be OK in an arena, with Susanne's help at first. But I'm not willing to pay the 7Euro fee X3 every week. Maybe someday I'll find a riding ring closer to our house (wink wink) and then it will be free."

I wonder if she caught my meaning.

***

Her lesson was really bad. Susanne told me to bring Mag into the arena and do some ground work, at least, with him, which was nice. Perhaps she realizes how much I try to stay out of their way.

But first I took Mag out to get him a bucket of water cuz I know how thirsty he would be after all that fighting me on the lunge. He refused, so their water must smell weird.

Then I filmed Ani riding from over the gate, and didn't notice when Rudi's OWNER showed up and stood next to me! I think in the second video below you'll hear me say, "Oh! Hello!" in surprise.

Rudi's owner. The one who doesn't let Ani ride if it has rained and the mare's back is wet. She seemed shy so I introduced myself. She said Mag was beautiful. I said, "Thank you, I appreciate riding out with Rudi because she is a good influence on Mag unless she's in heat!" which I explained and she laughed. She offered to hold him for me and I told her I'm supposed to go in and work with him. She was polite and held open the gate for us.

So much yelling today! I admit yelling in German sounds way harsher than yelling in English, but I wish Susanne would try to be a little more sympathetic in her corrections. She got so frustrated with Ani today she actually slapped her thigh in disgust.

She kept shouting Inside Leg, INSIDE LEG INSIDE LEG INSIDE LEG INSIDE LEG getting louder and louder.

It was hard for Ani to hear much of the time due to the gelding's screams, which frustrated everyone.

Rudi seemed lame to me, what Susanne calls stiffness. It'a always to the right, and every lesson.

The lesson degenerated into a whole 'nother level of unpleasantness and at that moment Susanne caught me filming and said "Turn that camera off." OK then.

Because there was the problem with slowing the mare after the canter. The last two lessons the mare has resisted settling down into the walk after trot, a few circles of canter. It was really hard for Ani again, to get the mare to transition down and relax. Rudi's onwer said her previous owner was a cruel Western rider with spurs, always racing her around so she thinks she has to stay "up."  Susanne yelled and yelled WALK WALK WALK! As she did last month.

Susanne taught me a new phrase by yelling it repeatedly at this point. AUFSATZ RUNTER! which means heels down. I thought that was a good thing to be yelling at that moment, as Rudi kept trotting around and Ani could not get a down transition. In fact lately in the woods I've been teaching Mag about weight cues and purposefully weighting my stirrups a little when I want him to slow down inside the walk. Sort of bracing against his momentum in my feet. If that's silly please be sure to tell me.: )

Mag and I did some in-hand work, I'm a total newb at in-hand work and need professional help! But I wasn't riding, and I had paid the 7euros, so... He got all studdy with me and started talking inappropriately, as he always does during in-hand work. Later Suanne told me that some of those exercises (Piaff in-hand) bring out the stallion in a horse, because their bodies are posturing like studs. I'd heard that before but I really don't like Mag to talk to me like that. I flick him on the nose when he does. I'm fine, by now, with him immediately dropping during this work. But he shouldn't talk to me like I'm a mare. Have you ever had that happen during close in-hand work?

Later Rudi's owner asked if I did a lot of ground work training and I said, "Oh no I'm a total beginner and cannot afford to pay the 7euros every time I want to practice!" She seemed nice.

I let Mag graze all the way home up our street. The shoulder is lush and green and I'm not mad at him at all. Surprised by his rambunctious behavior, but, well, now I know.

Sorry the videos are awful in quality, like a 7 year old was filming. The wind was awful and Mag kept nuzzing me from behind and putting things in his mouth.  (Oh look I'm not the only one who gets the diagonal wrong....*shame*) At the end of the first film you can hear her ask me to stop filming, "Kannst du bitte aufhoeren zu filmen?" OK, shoulda asked first.






I think Ani is a lovely rider. I've never seen her yank on a horse's mouth, or kick with her heels. She has wonderful posture and doesn't impede the horse. So many good things to say, but the word "effective" is coming next for her. Gosh I sound so mean. I get pissed when I ride and am not above yanking Mag's head to my knee in anger. She has this vulcan style, which I envy.

In 2 hours we're going to pick her up in our car an take her to Wuppertal to see the new Lion King movie in English, 3D. She's learning English. I'll have to ask her how she feels about her lesson today.