Scooby 5/5 SCOOBY IS A HORSE AGAIN!!!

He's a real horse! He can WALK, TROT and CANTER on a long, relaxed frame and not skygaze!

Ok, folks--after the last training session with Scooby, he had a bad day and had stepped backwards ALOT. Horses have bad days, they're allowed. And I am HAPPY to out-stubborn a horse all day. I really am. I have the patience of a saint when it comes to training, can do numerous repetitions of boring work (pressure, release, pressure, release, pressure, release). I can sit there and hold a snaffle bit rein for 10 minutes, waiting for the horse to figure out "rein pressure=give". Fact is, Scooby already had the training. But, he also has a hard mouth and was choosing to close his ears and IGNORE any requests from me to give. I am a HUGE proponent of working a horse in a snaffle, all the way up to the highest level of dressage. I'm all about working bitless (I'm doing it now with Peanut!) or just putting on a double bridle for the day of competition. But sometimes, when a horse just BLOCKS YOU OUT, and you KNOW you're being completely ignored BY CHOICE, not by lack of training, it's time to up the ante.

So, I temporarily moved him to a low ported kimberwick, using a single rein and curb chain. Yup, you read that right.

I got on him and was able to ride like I had reins made of thread :-) The angels SUNG, the birds chirped, and Scooby gave to the &%&$^%# bit.

Scooby went back to kindergarten. I didn't just get on and ride him in a new bit. I immediately started over with teaching him "head down" and "nose in". We started at the halt. After about 50 repetitions (and he LISTENED!) of gentle rein pressure, he was giving the moment the rein was picked up. We put some motion to it, and I got him walking and trotting with his nose completely on the ground, brushing in the sand. Brought him back up into frame and got all 3 gaits with his head down and relaxed at the poll, and moving and bending nicely. His gaits were amazing again. He is back to the "weirdness" going to the right (tossing himself WAY in the air in his trot with impulsion well beyond what you're asking for) and I was able to start showing him he didn't have to RACE around in the trot. We were able to go back to working on his original issues! Yeah! He even did some happy "jog" work for me, pretending to be a western pony :-)

He got a major workout, and I was so glad to see him doing so much better. His transitions were still rough at first, but he was able to relax at the poll and transition up without coming too far off the vertical and pretty quickly get himself together up front in the next gait without stressing out, skygazing, trying to grab the bit, or coming against it and panicking. By the end, he was transitioning nice and relaxed through all the gaits.

To test him, Hanna (Brianne's little sister, about 10 years old, I think?) hopped up on him to do walk/trot. He happily walked and trotted around with her, though he did get a little mischeveous and decided to canter off and leave the ring for a few strides. Hanna thought this was the highlight of her day and thought Scooby was amazingly fun to ride. She was able to get him to go right back into the ring, walk, trot, and stop willingly and quietly.

He needs more work now to confirm all of this again, but I can officially say Scooby is a real horse again!