I have been taking some lessons from an older gentleman trainer on working cows. I take Semper and Miss Lily, first I ride Semper then I ride Miss Lily. Semper is coming along but Miss Lily is really getting it! I am pleased with her progress in only 2 lessons. She just gets it. That brings me to a dilemma. The more cow stuff I do with Semper the heavier and more pushy he is getting. I can't figure out whether he likes the cow work or if he is just completely annoyed by it. Do I just concentrate on reining with him and use Miss Lily to do the working cow horse stuff with? Do I continue to work cows with him and just "raise my expectations" as TL is always drilling into my head? Is it enough that at the ripe old age of 11 he is where he is and that should be good enough? Or should I expect him to continue learning new stuff constantly? When do you say "this is enough for this horse"?
I have a colt that I call Peanut. Peanut is 3 and at least a solid 15 hands. He is a big bodied colt and has a huge motor. Peanut got his name because when he was a little fellow he always had his penis dangling. Always. I even thought he might have something wrong with him and he couldn't control it because he always had it hanging low. I took to calling him "penis wrinkle". I know that sounds disgusting and inappropriate but it just kind of stuck. One day while I was at the ranch several of my great nieces and nephews where there and they asked what his name was. I started to say "penis wrinkle" and got about half into "peeeee" and I realized just how bad that would have sounded coming out of a 5 year holds mouth and I quickly changed, mid stream and said "peeeeeanut". Fast thinking on my part.
I sent Peanut to a trainer (not TL) for 90 days a year ago and it was a disaster. I took him home put him out to pasture and hoped he would forget his first encounter in becoming a saddle horse. I rode him once while he was with the trainer but the poor thing hadn't a clue. I was super disappointed and annoyed. This spring I brought him home with the intentions of riding him several times a week. Good intentions but no follow through. A few weeks ago I got on him and had my husband lead me around just to feel him out to see what he was thinking or if he was thinking. He was really quiet and willing so hubby let him go and I walked around the pasture for about 20 minutes. He was fine but just didn't have a clue as to what I wanted from him. I got home from work on Tuesday and for some reason decided that today was the day that I was going to take him for a ride. I saddled him, lead him up the street to the field where my good friend Ruth and I have been riding once a week. She has a really nice TWH that is a great trail horse and very quiet. I lunged Peanut, got his mind around working and got on. He was great! He walked out really nice, his guide is non existence but he is easily corrected and responds quickly. His feet do get stuck to the ground and he doesn't want to go forward but with some coaxing - ok alot of coaxing - he starts moving again. He didn't spook at anything which I was hoping (and dreading at the same time) that he might. I wanted to see if he was a "spook and buck" or a "spook and run" or a "spook and stall" kind of horse. He is saving that lesson for me for another day. Having Ruth and Briscoe there made both Peanut and I relaxed. I think he may be my Tuesday night horse!
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