The Charlie Responsibility

We hate Snow

What have we done since my last post. Hmmh let me see now. Friday was horrendous the day of the massive snowfall.
I am a weed when it comes to driving in the snow even with a 4 x 4 I learnt how to do it last year but have the memory of an inebriated Goldfish. I drove to the yard with a little bit of terror and a bit of a tear. Last time I drove in souch horrid conditions it was on a grocery run to my late parents I remember it well as top of their list of requirements was pickled onions. Charlies is carrots.
I turned the equivalent of Tigger on speed out in the paddock and as I left all those who had turned theirs out half an hour before were bringing theirs back in not me or our field mates.
He cmae back in at lunchtime and we lunged and rode. Nothing of note he was the normal happy chappy although I will say he looks better and better.

Saturday he was much calmer going out and in the afternoon I worked him in the split pessoa for half an hour and Sunday he had a day off. Ok I lied I had a day off he had a bit of a pamper session.

Blue Mondays

Monday we hit the buffers a little and I think this will be the pattern in weeks to come that I will always get at least one non productive day. The particular exercise that causes us grief is on the left rein asking for a bit of leg yield. Theoretically on the ground I ask for a little flexion to the inside, lift the bit a little and then ask his shoulder to step over.
Charlies reaction is to do a mini rear I havent decided if this is beacuse I am doing it wrong or he finds it difficult  or old pain memory.

My ridden work wasnt great either lots of head tossing. So to this I say Pah!

Leaderless on Tuesday

Well this blooming weather is really getting me down and now the Goddess of Charlieness who we shall call Tori cancelled our lesson. :( The school was booked for horrid early so we went in and worked properly.
I spent quite some time warming him up in walk first and decided to de-stress the bit ring issues of Monday by just walking round the arena holding the lunge line and the rein up close to the bit to show him he isnt going to die.

 I then impressed myself by doing polework and the boy was ace. I kept extending the poles to get him lengthening and he took it all in his 'Stride'.:)

We finished off mounted and I was very impressed by our ridden work. We had some lovely work in walk and trot and it was only when I started to play with lateral work we got the head tossing so I backed of a little and made sure I dismounted when we had done some good work.

The issue of throwing his head up into trot transitions has almost 100% disappeared.

The Responsibility

There is such a great responsibility owning a Charlie. He is a wondeful trusting soul and he proved this again today as we pootled down the track to his field. I stopped at the barn to pick up some hay to top up what was in the field and I just left him ground tethered.

Basically that means drop the lead rope say 'wait wait' and go ito the barn to get the hay and Charlie.... thats exactly what he does he just stands and waits. I am not kidding myself I know that if he was surrounded by luscious grass or another horse came past the desire to wait will be low on his agenda but at the moment I am the carrot providing centre of his universe. That is a heavy burden to carry I musnt let him down.