Trouper Soured

This year I’m starting over with Troupers’ training … and if I’m honest, mine as well. I started last summer by working on ground work after the Ferrier said he looked in excellent shape for his age (he said I shouldn’t have any problems working him) and the vet gave him a clean bill of health. We did well with minor struggles/fights at the season’s end. In the beginning … well we won’t go there.

Thanks to my aversion to the cold and our nice snow storms we “rested” all winter. (Yes, I know it’s still winter here, wishful thinking!) Lack of training has however, given me plenty of time to read up on my mistakes. I say this because it’s 99.9% of the time rider error! Sorry just facts!

I’ve actually found a really good article that may just be our ticket. Cute title too. “Turn your Sour Horse Sweet” by Julie Wells. It was featured in September 1999 addition of Horse Illustrated.

Now I’ll be truthful here, Trouper is a stubborn horse and always has been. Unlike my baby Hershey who was green and listened to my ques Trouper fights at every turn. Well okay that’s a lie; he takes his bit no trouble. He’s gotten worse in his old age. He seems to be under the impression that just because he’s 24 he can be lazy and hang out eating all day. And like all men he doesn’t like being wrong. Mind you, men are not lazy. They go to great lengths to get their way. Trouper has proven this to me.

Where it all starts?

I get him saddled up and climb on … and he just stands there. Ears back (not pinned mind you. He’s listening to me and I’m sure laughing.) Very square western stance. Now my pa always said I was too soft on him and to kick him if he ignores me. Well that don’t work neither. All kicking does besides pissing him off it “deaden” him to my commands. So I stopped. I don’t own a crop because I never liked “wiping” my big brother (or anything for that matter, violence is bad! :3) so I’ve picked up using my reins as a whip. Not all that effective either. So I’m thinking of making an investment!

Obviously we need to start in the pasture. Right? That’s what ma said. I, however, was always convinced it was something else though. I got that idea because when riding bareback with only a lead line attached to the halter he listens (mostly). Go figure! That made me think it was the tack but nothing’s changed except him gaining a bit of weight which made his bit a little snug. I think now, that I sit better and more confidently bareback than I do in a saddle. The western hurts and the English is slippery.

Alright, so back to the article. 50 yards is not the distance when Trouper begins to act up, that depends on how he feels that day. Sometimes it’s in the paddock, sometimes the field, other times at the park. Sometimes I can even get him past the places he bulks … only to have him bulk somewhere else. For example last year he started fighting me in the paddock but when he realized he wasn’t winning he began to listen so we moved on heading towards the park only to have him spin and try to head home. Here I circled him around and kept him going in the direction of the park. After that he listened until we got to the other side of the park at which point he made a bronco proud. We had a nice little (I use this jokingly) rodeo. (Visual: running bucks, running, bucking, and heading home through it all) after that I took him home the long way (didn’t want him to think he won :p). Sadly the rodeo caused his front right pastern to swell. Though he wasn’t favoring it on our way home (thus I didn’t notice until I was untacking him) I hosed it down and watched for it to swell back up the next few days.

Now with that example the ‘what’s wrong’ I would guess to be “The Testy Horse”. In which case it says to do as ma said and that would be start with ground work and don’t let his hide get away with anything. So at least I’m on the right track. However, in a similar ride (we pretty much go through the park to get to the horse trail) he was trembling when we were going through the field. He tried to spin and head home but I got him turned back around. The tricky part was riding beside the road heading into the park. Here he just flat out ran. I tried soothing words, talking to him, petting his neck in long slow strokes, not squeezing his sides, everything. The Harley was our undoing! Once he blared passed us Trouper spun and bolted for home. No amount of pulling back or sawing his reins was stopping or slowing him. Here we both freaked because he was heading straight for a busy road. Without any que that I could discern (all I was doing at this point was short tugs back on the reins HARD and hanging onto his mane, I was regretting the English saddle for its lack of horn. I was also hoping that I could turn him towards home by cutting through the old homestead just before the road and miss the really big hole if I managed to turn him.)

He shot to his right, cutting through a gap in the tree line into the field. I however slid right over his left shoulder quickly kicking out of the stirrups and landing ungraciously in a thorn bush. Lucky me! (Here I’m glad I was riding English because that horn would have smarted.) I quickly get up to see Trouper standing waiting for me. The poor thing was trembling visibly now, cars still passing us (the trees were only 100 feet from the entrance road.) and within full site of home but he chose to wait on me. Of all his orneriness he still is a big sweetie. Using pressure points on his neck and nose to try and calm him some as well as talking and rubbing down his body I found his front right pastern swollen again so we walked home. (Literally, I walked beside him.) I had more damage! Lucky me! My right hand was bleeding and after giving him a rub down and cooling him off started to pick thorns out of myself.
So I figure he’s also got the case of “The Scaredy Cat” or “Rider-Induced Anxiety”. I can very much believe I’m going something wrong since I’ve never really had lessons officially. However, I’ve no way to test my skills on another horse since Trouper is an only child now that Hershey died. I may have to ask my neighbor (she has 7 horses that she does nothing with anymore thanks to her back surgery.) if I can ride one of her horses or ponies. Preferably Boomer because I’m no fan of her mares.