Where in Killian is Forced to Get Off the Couch

As I sit here very impatiently waiting for one of my vehicles to sell, I am trying to keep focused on the ponies at hand and what needs to be done here.  It is hard some times. I find myself wanting to watch the video of Melody over and over again.

 Since I was a little under the weather, my routine of riding Trax everyday kind of fell by the way side.  I have decided that since he is pretty much at a good place mentally, I can back off of him just a little and start cycling the other two into the routine. 

Today was Killian's turn.   I always have to laugh at this horse.  There is something about his expression that just cracks me up.  I gave him a nice brushing, sprayed him with some spray, and saddled him up.  The saddle I use on him has a nylon latigo.  I hate it.  I must remember to get a new one. I'd almost rather dig out one of my old crappy leather ones, than keep using this one. 

Killian in his fat guy- lay on the couch and drink alfalfa beer attitude- made it quite clear that he had no intentions of actually working.   Through out the entire ride he threw as much crap at me as he could in an attempt to make me want to get off...with out actually resorting to bucking.  He is not a bad horse, he is just lazy as all hell. My fault, I let him get that way.  

It started with walking away while I was mounting.  So I pushed him sideways about 30 feet from each side.  I got on again, and he stood perfectly still.  Good Boy. 

He immediately tried to trot away with me after I asked him to walk. I backed him up, I turned his shoulder one way and then the other.  Then I asked him to walk, and we walked.  

Then I asked for the trot.  He trotted off just fine, head high-bone jarring- can't even post it-worst trot ever!  I asked him to collect, he fought it.  I suggested he collect, he said "just for a step". I insisted he collect, and finally he did. I did not make him hold it too long but would ask and release, ask and release.  Finally he smoothed out and we just trotted around the arena.  

He saw the goats.  "ER MY GAWWWD!"  

"Killian, you have seen goats a thousand times."

"Oh so you aren't going to get off if I act scared?"

"No I'm not."

"Okay I guess I'm not scared then."

We kept trotting.

I asked him to stop, he kept going. I made him stop and back up.   Then we trotted off some more.  I asked him to stop again. This time he stopped just like he knows he should.

Then I asked him to lope.  When I got Killian, I was totally dumb about leads, and lead changes, and such "fanciness" that horses should be able to do.  He rarely got loped anyway, as he was TC's horse and TC does not lope much.  So when I ever I loped him in an arena it never occurred to me that the reason he was so rough was because he was in the wrong lead.

Well now I know, and now I ask for the correct lead.  I even help him by starting our circles so that he almost has no choice but to choose the right one...right?

Wrong.

I can honestly say that if I didn't know better, he purposely chooses the incorrect lead so that he is so rough to ride, eventually we will just give up and put him away.  I cue for the lead departure, I turn him so he knows which way we are headed, and let him start the lope when he is in position.  He still goes for the wrong one.

Now here is the one revelation I had today that I think is odd.  If Trax pulled some of the crap that Killian did today, I'd be so pissed. But with Killian I just laugh my butt off.  I wonder why that is?

So eventually we did get some correct leads...sort of.

So we trotted some more, practiced stopping and just tooled around the arena.

Since I like to mix things up a bit with my boys, we went back to a little bit of loping.  This time he thought that perhaps he should just go ahead and make a mad dash for the gate.  I turned him once, and then he tried it again.

I laughed at him and said, "Sure lets go ahead and go to the gate."

When we got there he found himself being forced to side pass, back up, roll back, side pass again, roll back again, back up again, and then we did loping small  figure eights and guess who suddenly forgot that he "didn't know how" to do a lead change or departure.  In fact I'd be willing to bet that if we had kept it up he'd have been doing flying lead changes with out even missing a beat.  (next time for sure)

I laughed again and then we went to opposite end of the arena to rest.  That is now his new favorite spot.

He was puffing pretty hard by then so I went ahead and just let him do his Eyore walk around until he was breathing normal.

Then I saw a pretty rock laying in the dirt and all forward progress stopped because I had to get off and pick it up.   I suspect it was actually in my pocket earlier and fell out because it looked familiar.

Anyway, we called it a day, and he got a nice hose down.  He doesn't usually love baths but today he was more than happy to stand there.

I love the look of utter exhaustion and trauma in his eye here!

He was sweating all down his neck, you can almost see it here. 

"You aren't going to make a habit of this are you?"

"Oh boy, I need a nap!"

All in all it was a great ride, and yes Killian, I will be making a habit of it.