Show reveals respect hole

OK, so I have lots of catching up to do since I got a really nasty cold three weeks ago. Amazing how far behind you can get when you sleep most of a week to recover. Anyway, despite my cold, I rode in the last dressage show at Sienna Stables.

Walker took advantage of my lack of energy. STOPPED in the middle of my first 20 meter circle to poop. No amount of urging would get him to budge until he was done. Needless to say, we did not score well at all. As hard as this is to believe, in all the time we practiced our pattern, he had not done this, so I had not had an opportunity to work through it before. With my flagged energy, I just did not respond well.

Needless to say, we had work to do! Walker gave me the opportunity the very next evening to work on this when in the middle of playing under saddle he stopped again. This time, I asked him forward got nothing. Then I tapped him on the behind, no movement, tapped him harder, nothing. Finally, I smacked him hard and he jumped forward with double back kick. I think I really surprised him with the energy I put into the last smack! Since then, just a slight tap on zone four is all he has needed, if that, to remind him he can poop and move at the same time. In fact, Walker has proven he can poop daintily and move at the same time. Last Sunday, he left five very precisley spaced piles of poop, having timed his poops between trotting strides. :)

The following Friday, Cody, Walker and I had a very good lesson. Cody said she was impressed that Walker had become so much more obedient and willing to get round under saddle. I think she was surprised we had made so much progress in such a short period of time. I believe that Walker has upped his respect for me, as I was willing to go to phase 4 when needed under saddle, something I was hesitant to do before when Walker was so unconfident and emotional under saddle. But when I corrected him about stopping to poop, he was not emotional at all, just surprised. And when he has kicked out since then, I have corrected him with an appropriate swat, which has again upped his respect level for me. Walker and I learned how to get better rythmn under saddle both at the trot and at the canter. Now, we need to work on maintaining contact when transitioning gaits. And we need to practice the training level 2 test for out next show. Stay tuned . . .