Learning the lungeline

This week is shaping up to be gorgeous, today it made it into the 60s! Warm enough that I could open up some windows at the house and spend some real quality time at the barn... I've been waiting for this so I could actually DO SOMETHING with Seamus to start building muscle and fitness and not just throwing food down his gullet LOL

My daughter and I took off for the barn after she got home from school, brought ponies in for some hay, and then I sent Sasha off to ride Belle the Babysitter while I groomed on Seamus a bit before I brought him out to work on lunging.

Now that I have a carrot stick with a string, I could work on desensitizing him to it so that is what we started with today. It went really well, just about 5 foot of side-stepping when I hit the string on the ground the first few times then Seamus stopped and didn't act scared of it again. Switched sides and he only flinched once. So then I started lightly laying it on him which didn't bother him one bit no matter where it went. Okay, stage one complete, ready to start moving on the line!

Now lunging could have gone one of two ways since Seamus is feeling better... I am so glad to report that it went the better of the two :) If you've been following this blog, you know I intro'd Seamus to a rope halter and trainers lead early on in the hopes that it would make it easier to really get into teaching him later. I don't know if it really worked that way, or if he really is this laid back *shrugs* No matter, really, but with a OTTB (esp one who raced a lot) you just don't know if you're going to get a well trained horse or something that is all go, all fast, and only to the left LOL

Anyways, Seamus walked to the left just fine again and we worked on going to the right until he was much better than the first time we attempted it. Then after a few minutes warm-up, I asked him for a trot going left by asking him to move forward with my body and backing it up with some light flicks of the stick to his hindquarters to give him the message. The first gentle flicks gave Seamus a bit of a start which was to be expected, but I pulled him up and asked him again and he got the idea. The trotting came in fits and starts so I got him around a couple of times and pulled him up for some pets and praise :) Then we turned it around and tried it to the right with not as good results. After a few times that I rearranged my position to ask him to go forward, he finally started to get it instead of trying to face me. Again, we did a couple of circuits of the fit and start trotting. After a breather, we went left again and he trotted out much nicer for several rounds, then did the same for the right hand turns. By jove, I think he's got it!!! Ok, so he's not a pro just yet, but this is one OTTB who learns quick! I didn't ask Seamus for too much work due to his lack of fitness right now, but as long as we have good weather and decent footing, we can start to build that up.

I think exercise is what he is lacking in really coming back from his ordeal. Food can only do so much... enough food will get you the weight, but not the muscle and fitness. Unfortunately, weather and footing is an issue at my barn as we don't have an indoor arena, or frankly any arena at all! The area I use to work in doubles as a turnout so it gets chewed up, luckily it dried up before it really warmed up enough for me to be ready to work so it is really pretty decent to train on, despite what it looks like.

Lunging photos courtesy of Sasha while hanging out on Belle:

And some standing side shots for his current condition:

His back is getting more filled in, that was my big worry but a nice load of alfalfa hay from a local farmer seems to be helping fill in the holes ;) And another note, since the weather is kinda nice this week, I am using the opportunity to get him staying outside at night again. The girls are going in their dry lot at night while it's nice so Seamus can have a paddock to himself so he can eat without their "help." Those mares are absolutely rotten about food since they are pretty restricted most of the year (both IR cases) so they hoover up their share in record time and chase poor Seamus off. Not a prob when he comes in at night to his all-you-can-eat hay buffet, but not okay if he stays outside at night. He needs to learn to be a horse and I need a break from doing stalls!

Alright, I'm off to putter around before bed. Hoping for a nice day tomorrow so we can get some more exercise in for Seamus :)