Rebuilding the Battleship

So it's a week since we had our teeth fixed and another layer of the Onion that is Charlie has been peeled back. We haven't enjoyed our week as I didn't feel that we had the earth crunching breakthrough I had anticipated. 

The first time I rode him after the  EDT he was..... horrible and not very happy. The vet had said ride the next day WRONG not with Charlie so we took a step back and had a few sessions lunging with Vienna reins before riding .... This definitely helped him and the work improved but not as much as I had hoped for.

What has improved is his demeanour and on the lunge his trot looked better.

Lightbulb 1

Cue a lesson with Tori Rendle and discussing Charlie with her I have had yet another lightbulb moment.

I couldn't understand why when I first had Charlie he wasn't very well schooled as in NOT at ALL schooled but was not so fussy in his mouth and now his back is fixed he is really sensitive. 

Discussing this brings a lightbulb moment he was never good with the contact and now it becomes apparent that his teeth were causing him to hold his head and work with the bit in a fixed way add to that his KS and whichever happened first he was rideable but not school able as he had learnt to work with what he had protecting himself by locking everything including his lower jaw.

So now we return to Rebuilding the Battleship to turn this gorgeously proportioned tank into a sophisticated light smooth moving Poshcob.

Today we started by working on our contact asking Charlie to soften and carry his head in a nice low position by simply raising the inside hand and gently squeezing on the bit then giving my arms forward with leg applied.

This was going to take some time, apparently, nah he had it Sussed and it was what he was praying for. Unfortunately the Captain of the ship is struggling a little with her role in this and ensuring she raises and doesn't pull back. Charlie ,however, has this in hand and a quick snatch of his head or opening his mouth indicates the error of my ways.

So yet again tons of homework for me and a life of Riley with his mates in the field for Charlie.

Lightbulb 2

And now for the second lightbulb moment. Some of my anxiety and lack of confidence has been fuelled by listening to the WRONG people. In fact someone actually suggested that Charlie might have been unhappy and rearing because he was really, really nappy and just wanted to stay with his friends instead of hacking out!

Well I realise that is rubbish but when your confidence is weak you do listen....and PANIC!

So where is this second lightbulb moment coming from. Well Charlie has often shown a reluctance for a certain direction as he has anticipated going in another. At his best just a loaded shoulder at his worst vertical.

Because of this if I am out and he loads his shoulder I anticipate trouble.

Today after my lesson we had a pootle down the track and back. On the way back this took us past the schooling field now shut for hay making and ,although Charlie was heading back to his paddock and his stable,  he veered off to the left anticipating being taken into the field for some flat work. So not being naughty, not being nappy just misunderstanding the plan.