Dublin has been making steady progress over the last couple weeks. I've been aiming for more time with him and, while it's still a challenge to find that time, he has been getting more attention, both riding and on the ground.
Trailering has been a focus. I've switched the work sessions to my trailer to give Laura's trailer a break from the wear and tear. Dublin really seems to like my trailer. It's a 2-horse slant with a full-width back door, so when the door is open it's very roomy and light inside. After a few false starts, he hopped in and stood quietly while the divider was closed. The first time we just let him stand there and fed him carrots. Next time we pulled the truck forward about 40 feet. That resulted in a lot of pawing but, thankfully, no kicking. The following day we repeated the drill and this time he seemed to be shifting around a lot trying to get his sea legs, but no pawing. Yesterday I was working alone, and he loaded perfectly, stood quietly while the divider was latched and I went around to tie him (I don't always tie horses in the trailer, but I don't want him panicking and trying to get under the divider), and then I pulled the truck forward again. This time there was total silence and he stood quietly. When I went back to untie him, he was looking quite proud of himself. He backed out of the trailer without incident, and we called it a wrap. So he seems to have calmed down (and I seem to have calmed down!) and the next step is a ride around the block in my trailer. Then we may try Laura's again, since it's a 3-horse and the one we generally take when we go riding.
He's also been getting in more rides and is continuing to improve his yielding to leg pressure. Getting to that power steering phase! My horsemanship coach, Julia, thinks he is ready to canter. Question is, am I? I've been working on getting him to change his speed at the walk and trot. He's really a baby in so many ways. I'm used to Cowboy, who is an old hand at all this, so working with Dublin is making me focus on basics and celebrate small victories.
He's getting bored, so yesterday after I saddled him up, we took a walk up the lane with Laura and Lady, taking the long way to her arena. In this area, he is far more advanced than Cowboy, who tends to freeze with fear every 20 feet or so. A neighborhood walk with Cowboy is always a long walk! But Dublin likes the change of scene and is much more curious than fearful. Very nice when the neighbor's dog starts barking from behind the solid fence!
We did a little arena work on our own, then met up with Laura and Lady again for a little ride around the pasture. This was his first time being ridden outside of the arena and I wasn't sure what to expect. He seems so steady and calm, but you just can never tell. But calm prevailed. The biggest challenge was convincing him that he did not need to be glued to Lady's side. This horse has a strong herd instinct. Lady, however, has a very big "bubble" and we're pretty sure that Dublin sidling up to her would be a bad, bad idea. Mostly for Dublin and any humans in the vicinity. The biggest issue with riding in the pasture, with very uneven ground, is that Dublin seems to think that I am in charge of navigating the terrain. He did some serious stumbling at a slow walk until he figured out that he needed to watch where he was going, as I was not going to shoulder that responsibility.
Dublin's journey is taking a bit longer than I expected, due to my time constraints. And he started off with nagging lameness issues that have thankfully disappeared. But he is getting there, and there are advantages to taking our time. He is gaining confidence that he lacked before, and trust in me. I'm developing trust in him as well. And I've had to develop a new skill set with Dublin. He is very opposite of Cowboy in many respects, and techniques that work well with Cowboy have either no effect or a negative effect on Dublin.
We're on this learning path together!
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