Arthur: This Round Pen is Optional

On the coat tails of the Nigel good/bad training session, I have started reworking Arthur now that I feel like I need to address some issues that I discovered when I rode him outside the round pen last time (yes, we've had too much rain :/)

To get him out of this HUS/EQ training, I've been working on his disengaging from the ground to get him off that front leg so we don't end up rotating in a neat circle until the end of time.  He's been doing decent with it, but you can tell he's a bit heartbroken to be "wrong."  Its working though and so I decided the other issue I needed to work on: forward.  I don't normally have this issue so a horse that wants to go slow and steady seems awesome until he's got issues like Arthur.  When he gets stuck, I have no sideways motion and no forward.  I'm working on the sideways release but I decided to tackle the forward now that we've gotten some decent footing.

Step one was on line in the pasture.  I realized quickly I hadn't been upping the pressure either which was my bad.  He'd grown complacent so we worked on forward NOW and other such concepts until he was really getting it.

On this day though, I took it to the round pen to test things out.  I didn't want to ask for much and had a short session planned really as I didn't have much to suspect was going to go on based on what the week had been like. 

Naturally this means something dramatic will happen, right?

All I really asked him was what I ask Nigel, turn when and where I ask you.  Arthur has been playing this game FOREVER but I decided to add a test:  Turn which direction I want.  Normally he turns in, waits for the signal and then we turn in the opposite direction.  He's come to expect this so I decided to focus on his wait (since he was started to fudge that a little).  Well, a few times of asking him to NOT change direction but to pause, then go on fried his brain I guess.  True to form though, he didn't show anything initially but did as I asked with a few small corrections.  When "it" happened though, I guess it was too much thinking and he tried to bull past me and I went to cut him off.  Rather than running me over (thanks dude!) he... flung his body sideways into the fence, flattening it, flattening himself, somersaulting and then getting up.

Overreaction much?

So yeah, I caught him, we did more work and ended on a good note but I kinda hate where I am with my projects right now.  Time to do some research and get some perspective.  I've come such a long way but maybe my plans aren't where they should be.  *more sigh

I'm tired and sweaty

Bent metal... 1350lbs might be past the limit on these