After a couple very hectic weeks (what else is new?) I got to spend the afternoon with both my garden and with Dublin. Life is good!
Dublin is just like a flower that keeps unfolding and revealing itself. Cowboy is more like an open book, so trying to keep a step ahead of whatever new side of Dublin that shows up is keeping me on my toes. Actually, it's not so much that new stuff shows up, it's more like I get some insights about the old stuff.
His attitude has improved steadily but he still has his cranky moments. I have finally narrowed it down to sensitivity around his neck and midsection. When he first arrived, his normal mode of moving was what Parelli refers to as "bad banana"--ewe neck, hollowed back. In other words, the "banana" is laying on its belly with both ends up. This tends to cause over-developed muscles in the bottom part of the neck, and Dublin has some rock-hard bulging muscles in that area. Also one shoulder muscle that is the same way. So that would explain the neck sensitivity, and I also suspect he has ulcers, which would explain the sensitivity around the mid-section. He's been getting neck and shoulder massages and acupressure, which he loves (All the horses around here seem to be "acu-junkies"). My veterinarian recommended some diet changes which have been implemented--too early to tell, but he definitely loves the changes and is putting on weight. All part of the journey, and it's making me realize what an easy horse Cowboy is!
He's becoming an increasingly cool riding horse. The biggest problem is getting me to curb my impatience with slow progress, especially since it's my fault for not working with him more! We haven't gotten that canter yet, although today I really thought we were going to for a few minutes.
I did take him out of the arena through the pasture for a faux "trail ride" over rough and rolling terrain and around trees. He did very well, although he still seems to think it's my job to watch where he puts his feet. The most exciting part, though, is that when we left the arena to go out into the pasture, I opened and closed the gate from his back. That's one of those moves that requires you to do some pretty precise guiding of your horse, backwards, forwards and sideways. I won't say it was pretty, and it certainly wasn't fast, but we got 'er done. Then we repeated the process in reverse going back in. That was actually more difficult, probably because Dublin enjoyed the pasture ride and wasn't all that anxious to go back in the arena. He tried to convince me that he had forgotten how to go sideways toward the gate. Getting him to do the move itself wasn't as difficult as convincing him that he should do that instead of throwing a temper tantrum (Don't WANNA go back in the arena!).
So a good day with my horse. We missed the Ellen Eckstein clinic at Santa Rosa Equestrian Center today but I hope to make the next one. I rode Cowboy in one of her clinics a while ago and she's gifted instructor who studied with Tom Dorrance. Her methods and philosophy mesh well with the Parelli program I'm already using. I'd like to get Dublin more comfortable traveling in the trailer before taking him to a clinic.
Hoping to have some more photos soon to post. I took a photography class recently so I could actually learn to use my digital camera and at some point will get my timing right so I'm out with the camera taking pics of horses when the light is good and the horses are clean. Of course, that moment may never come.
Here's to more good days with horses!
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