Gia - session 34 - Backing Gia day 2 - my turn!

We had a repeat day on Friday.  We repeated all the same stuff that Gia did on Wednesday with Asleigh, but this time it was my turn up in the saddle.  And I do mean UP!  Gia is, by far, the tallest horse I have ever backed.  But also the easiest!  Oftentimes, if things go well on the first day, there is more drama on the second day on a horse's back.  With Gia this was not the case at all!

Amanda and Danielle assisted this time.  Amanda brought Gia in, groomed her, tacked her up and warmed her up.  She did some free lunging and round pen work, some lunging on the line with the boat bumpers, and some long lining.  Amanda mentioned that Gia was only a brat once or twice during the lunging, and mostly because Amanda was asking her to work, and Gia didn't feel like it.  She's quite lazy ☺.

Once Amanda had Gia hot and tired and sweaty, Danielle and I joined them with a pan of grain.  We repeated all the same steps as before, with Ashleigh.  Amanda kept hold of the leadline attached to Gia's bridle, just in case she decided to take off bucking.  Danielle held the feed pan, and kept Gia interested and distracted, while I got on.  I will typically spend more time on the mounting block, putting pressure in the stirrups and on the saddle, and making sure that the horse is comfortable with me above them.  However, Gia didn't seem to care, and she was also moving forward too quickly, so I basically just hopped on.  I sat lightly in the saddle and put both feet in the stirrups.  She could have cared less!  Then I basically just sat there while Amanda led her around and Danielle kept her happy with grain. 

Once we were comfortable that Gia was comfortable, I started to take the reins - literally.  I started guiding Gia left and right in small circles.  She was very responsive and obedient.  Then I added a halt and walk command.  I was even able to add some squeezing with my legs to cue her to go.  None of this fazed her.  When we all felt good with that, I had Amanda take off the leadline, and I moved Gia out to the edge of the round pen where I started to ask her to trot.  I started off very conservative with my leg aids, but by the end of the session, I was having to kick her pretty hard, and Amanda was assisting with the lunge whip in the middle.  Every time we had a successful trot set, we would stop and Danielle would reward Gia with a quick bite.  By the end, we were able to get a couple of laps around the round pen while maintaining the trot almost the entire way. 

To end the session, Amanda put the leadline back on, and Danielle held the feed pan for Gia to dig in while I dismounted.  Sometimes dismounting can be the most scary part of the process for the horse, so I took it nice and slow, and dismounted with as little disturbance to Gia as necessary.  She barely noticed I was there.

Definitely another successful ride on this giant horse!  Sometimes the third day can be a bit more dramatic, so I'm not holding my breath just yet ...