Dressage Lesson #16

So yesterday was my last chance to get some useable shots of Beau to print for a gift. I'm pretty sure I could have done better, with 3 tries even, but it's too late now so I'll have to work with what I've got. I shot a few more of Beau as I was going down the hill to fetch Axel. Luckily I stood there long enough that the herd got curious about dinner and ran up the hill.

I groomed Axel and discovered he's still tender on the left side of his back. Nothing major, and it could just be ticklish but concerning anyways. I think my english saddle isn't fitting him quite right. Luckily I have a dressage saddle on the way! I hope that fits better. I tacked him up and when Tricia arrived we went to work in the round pen since Steph wasn't around. We've been doing a little bit of desensitization with the rope around his legs - he passes that with flying colors. And we've been working on bending from the ground - not quite as good at this yet. And finally wrapping the rope around his body trying to get him to learn to move away to release the pressure - he sort of gets this. I think I'll have to start doing a lot more ground work with him before I ride.

Because then it was time to get on and ride and he was just not having any of it. 3 steps and stop, just like on Sunday. I'd kick and kick and he'd just stand there like a lump. Tricia got on to see if she could feel that maybe he was sore or something. And she kicked and kicked and he just stood there without flinching. She got him moving and decided to try without the saddle. Around a few more times bareback but she couldn't really feel any particular unsoundness. He was just plain slow and unwilling. She did manage to convince him to get around the pen a few times at the walk and he really looked good. He was stepping underneath himself really well. He was pretty unhappy about being asked to trot, but Axel's a lover not a fighter, so his protests were very wimpy.

We decided to try Tricia's saddle to see if that maybe fit him better. It looked a tiny bit better but it didn't really affect his willingness to move at all. I was back on riding and his walk wasn't quite as painfully slow as before but it wasn't great by any means. I asked for the trot a few times and he'd complain, pin his ears back, then trot a few steps with his ears forward. Rinse and repeat. We weren't really getting too far with him and it was threatening rain so we stopped. He's not much for backing up under saddle, doesn't really know the queue or something. So we tried that once with me asking from his back and Tricia asking from on the ground. He backed up a few steps and the lesson was over.

I feel like we're just not finding the thing he likes to do. Especially after I thought riding down the road on Sunday would be a nice change of pace and that failed miserably. Tricia might bring Ollie out. He's 5 and full of it. Maybe Axel will be willing to follow him around a bit. It'll be interesting to say the least, I think Ollie probably has a bit more stamina in him than Axel does. And I think this winter I'll stick with bareback riding and see if his attitude improves at all. Or maybe we can try the western saddle as well.