Gia - session 90 - Lunging!
I took Suzin's advice very seriously today. I started out lunging Gia in the round pen with a neck stretcher attached to her bridle and saddle. A neck stretcher is a long, elastic cord that goes over the horse's poll, down through the bit on either side, and attaches to the girth of the saddle. It's purpose is to help the horse learn to soften and stretch their neck, and to loosen up and relax. It is adjustable, but I kept it as long as possible for Gia today.
Gia really struggled with letting go and softening today. I started out verbally praising her whenever she got it right, but she kept taking that to mean that she should quit, so I eventually stopped praising her and just relaxed my cues when she got it right. She was very tight for a while, and although she did release some, it didn't last for more than a step or two at first. By the end, she was able to keep the stretch for up to 11 steps in each direction. Which, by the way, whenever I see that something is hard for a horse, and I see that it would be hard for me to really notice any improvement (which I want to be able to reward by relaxing my cues), then I will count, usually the number of steps. Counting the steps helps me to really notice whether or not my horse is improving.
Another thing that I was dealing with during this session was a bit of animosity from Gia. I've noticed it before, and I believe I mentioned it in a blog before. Sometimes, when Gia is feeling pressured by someone in the center of a circle (usually while lunging), she pins her ears and acts like she is going to come at the person. I noticed her doing this towards Suzin on Friday whenever Suzin was standing inside the circle we were riding. Anytime she behaved this way today in the round pen, I put a little more pressure on her, usually just by closing the distance between us, but sometimes by adding more activity with the whip. As soon as her attitude changed, I would IMMEDIATELY stop the pressure and back off. It will probably be a while before she ceases the behavior altogether, but hopefully, this method will work.
I had all intentions of riding Gia today, but I really want her to be a bit more solid with the lunging before I get back on (heeding Suzin's advice). The maximum amount of time that it is ok to lunge a horse is typically 30 minutes. After that, too much stress is put on their legs, and it's not a good idea. We didn't get as far as I would have liked in that time, but I was able to get up to 11 steps of consecutive stretch in each direction. Hopefully, this was a solid enough start!
Gia really struggled with letting go and softening today. I started out verbally praising her whenever she got it right, but she kept taking that to mean that she should quit, so I eventually stopped praising her and just relaxed my cues when she got it right. She was very tight for a while, and although she did release some, it didn't last for more than a step or two at first. By the end, she was able to keep the stretch for up to 11 steps in each direction. Which, by the way, whenever I see that something is hard for a horse, and I see that it would be hard for me to really notice any improvement (which I want to be able to reward by relaxing my cues), then I will count, usually the number of steps. Counting the steps helps me to really notice whether or not my horse is improving.
Another thing that I was dealing with during this session was a bit of animosity from Gia. I've noticed it before, and I believe I mentioned it in a blog before. Sometimes, when Gia is feeling pressured by someone in the center of a circle (usually while lunging), she pins her ears and acts like she is going to come at the person. I noticed her doing this towards Suzin on Friday whenever Suzin was standing inside the circle we were riding. Anytime she behaved this way today in the round pen, I put a little more pressure on her, usually just by closing the distance between us, but sometimes by adding more activity with the whip. As soon as her attitude changed, I would IMMEDIATELY stop the pressure and back off. It will probably be a while before she ceases the behavior altogether, but hopefully, this method will work.
I had all intentions of riding Gia today, but I really want her to be a bit more solid with the lunging before I get back on (heeding Suzin's advice). The maximum amount of time that it is ok to lunge a horse is typically 30 minutes. After that, too much stress is put on their legs, and it's not a good idea. We didn't get as far as I would have liked in that time, but I was able to get up to 11 steps of consecutive stretch in each direction. Hopefully, this was a solid enough start!
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