Alex and I had a rough work today... I made the mistake of thinking I could just up and lunge him in the indoor arena (which admittedly is pretty scary and narrow compared to the outdoor). Originally I had thought Tuesday's antics might be in reaction to having too tight a girth, but today the girth was absolutely not too tight. Today's "baby moment" was equally as bad as Tuesday except that I let myself get frustrated and then I got mad at myself for being frustrated. Makes total sense right?
Once I had time to process, I realized how stupid I had been to totally change up the routine for the 3rd time in three days and especially to think he would just be fine in the scary indoor having only been in it once since his arrival. Then I got mad at myself again for being stupid...
Today I learned something valuable...Alex responds to fear with bucking, hopping and kicking... sudden change in routine elicits fear. The routine is important.
"The horse will tell you what he can handle, and quite a bit about yourself ... if you'll listen." -- Buck Brannaman
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