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[RC] Spot's spots - agilbxr


Well, I finally got out to the barn yesterday to start working Spot, the Appy that I am going to be riding for awhile for my friend.  I can tell she's been sick lately and hasn't worked with him...he's a handful.

Just getting him out of his stall, he tried to go over me, and we had to have a discussion about that, which involved a swinging lead rope and a lot of yelling.  He then chose to stay put until I said he could leave.  Then he tried to walk on top of me, wouldn't pick his head up from the grass without a supreme tugging effort on my part, and yelled when he got more that 50 feet away from the herd mates.  Oh, and he tried to lunge through the cross ties (even though I KNOW he's been cross tied plenty of times)  Sigh....  I think it's a good thing he has a boo boo on his back so I can't ride.  I am thinking some ground work is in order here.  I have got ten spoiled with Alpine, his ground manners are wonderful.

I started out lunging him, and after a reminder or two about moving when I say move, not grazing, he was VERY good.  He listens pretty well to voice commands and doesn't pull on the line, but he does seem to have a problem holding a canter for more than one circle.  That is easy to fix though....   I did climb on him bareback (my tushy doesn't hit his boo boo), and spent 15 minutes walking small circles until I had his attention, then five minutes with his attention on me instead of everything else.  That's where I quit...    I'd ride him more bareback, but he's very round and barrel like, and prone to spooking right now.  I don't care to slide right off....and I would!  Maybe I need some stick-tite applied to my britches.  I think maybe I'll start line driving him too...that can't hurt and would hopefully help with his lack of attention span.  I'm kind of afraid to work on his fit ness until I find his brain.  Somehow the thought of a fit Appy/Arab cross with a missing brain is kind of scary to me...

Juli and Spot (described as "wow, if he didn't have spots, he'd look like a lipizzan" by our resident dressage queen)
and Alpine (on vacation...whee!)