I find it eternally interesting how young horses have training flashbacks and/or are constantly trying to come up with some new "game/trick" to foil their people. Rose, who has generally always been easy to bridle, has been a pill about it again lately. She had issues briefly last spring when she was losing her last incisor caps. At the time the sharp edges had caused canker sores in her lip, which understandably hurt when her bridle was removed. After giving her a few weeks off for them to fall off we were back to normal with the bridling.
Recently she's decided to play games again and start throwing her head up mid-bridle and unbridle. This time around it is all baby attitude, there is nothing causing her pain what-so-ever. However, once the bridle is dangling from the bit clenched in her teeth she freaks herself out a bit. Luckily she just stands there with her head in the air waiting for me to remove it (knock on wood, no broken reins yet). My guess is now that she's being good about using the people door again, this is her new baby "game". Normally this wouldn't really get my panties in a bunch, but it is increasingly hard to stretch my ever so pregnant body and extra two feet in order to capture her giraffe like head. Regardless, we've made progress and she's being less resistant about it during bridling and unbridling. It's just a matter of time before we are back to normal. Still, it's annoying.
Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•DS•
Follow my adventures as I bring a long an upper level dressage prospect, starting as a yearling.
Those training flashbacks can be SO frustrating!
ReplyDeleteYour last sentence captures it perfectly - "Still, it's annoying." Too true.
ReplyDeleteGood of you to recognize it's just (another) faze and will pass (again).
Ugh! I hate bridling issues. I'm planning to go bitless with Chrome so it shouldn't be a problem for him thank goodness. I'm glad you're working through it pretty easily. Hopefully it won't turn into as big of a deal as the door did lol.
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