What Have we Been Doing?

So I realized that I haven’t made a post in like over two weeks so I’m going to talk about what I have been working on with Tango!

What I have been working on with him

•Keeping his head down

•Cantering in small circles to help with his balance

•having a slower trot and canter

•trotting over ground poles

•Working on ground manners

•Getting him to be easier to bridle

•standing still while I’m mounting him

•leg yielding

•desensitizing

•picking up his feet for grooming

•blanketing

•having fun

•Being less mouthy

•jumping

How has it been going?

Collecting/keeping his head down

He has actually been really good at collecting at the walk, he’s okay at doing it at the trot, and he completely forgets about collecting at the canter :joy: so we are working on that.

Cantering in small circles

neither Tango’s previous trainer or owner lunged him a lot and they didn’t canter him on the lunge at all so he had terrible balance, couldn’t do circles very well, and his canter was smooth but it was literally everywhere. When I asked them about it they were like “umm well we didn’t canter him on the lunge line because he was everywhere and we didn’t want him to fall over...” and I’m just like “That would have HELPED his balance,” :joy: and I was right. I have been cantering him on the lunge line almost everyday and I can see the improvement and my friend rode him the other day and she was like “woah! His canter is SO much better!” So yeah, the lunge line, circles, and ground poles have been helping so much with his balance! When you would first ask him to canter it felt like he was trying to run away from you, he’d kick his back legs out farther then necessary and it just felt like he was trying to get away from you. Now he actually feels like he is with you when you ask for a canter.

Having a slower trot and canter

his canter is still very fast and his trot is fast but it’s not horrible. He’s extremely smooth, just really fast. My trainers daughter said Tango is like a Cadillac because he is SO smooth. She said you could ride him all day and feel fine.

Trotting over ground poles

I have been trotting Tango over ground poles on the lunge line and I don’t know if he likes it or not. It’s helping with his balance, his top line, and getting him to pick up his feet.

Ground Manners

Tango’s ground manners are pretty iffy. He likes to get into your space and if your not careful he will step on your feet :joy: he just really likes walking fast. I have been working on getting him to stand still in the same position I put him in. Getting him to stop and back up on the lead rope, etc.

Bridling

Tango used to be really horrible to bridle. It would take me a good 10-15 minutes just to get the bit in his mouth. He would throw his head in the air and backup. Then my trainer showed me a trick and it has literally helped SO much! Now I can bridle him in a matter of seconds!!! His new bit finally came too so I’m excited to use it!!

Mounting

My first fall on Tango was ultimately because he didn’t stand still while I was mounting him which caused the mounting block to tip over, which caused him to spook and me to fall off lol. He is getting better at standing still but I still usually have someone hold him while I’m mounting him unless I’m riding by myself.

Leg yielding

Tango is great at moving off pressure of my right leg but not as great with the left leg. He leg yields beautifully though once he does actually do it.

desensitizing

I have been desensitizing Tango to as much as possible. I’ve been waving towels and hats around him, my brothers and their friends have been running around outside of his pasture, jumping on the trampoline in the barn, riding dirt bikes and atv’s etc. I was also walking him over bridges (just a board lying on the ground lol) and all sorts of different things. His spook is not bad, it’s just a jump or he spins around to look at whatever he was spooked by. He doesn’t run, kick, buck, spin around and around, or rear so I am really thankful for that.

Picking up his feet

the farrier was having a lot of trouble with Tango picking up his feet so we have been working on that everyday and it is so much better!

blanketing

Tango is kinda scared of his blanket. He just doesn’t like it when we are swinging it onto his back. Once we actually have it on him and are doing the straps he is fine though. He’s also fine when taking it off. It’s just with putting it on. I have been letting him sniff it and just rubbing it all over him.

Having fun

I have just been working on having fun with Tango and improving our bond. I have been teaching him tricks like smiling, I have been taking him on the lead rope to graze in the yard, my friend and I have been playing fun agility games with him, and I have been going on trail rides which he loves. He also is really liking the agility games!

being less mouthy

Tango is very mouthy which isn’t good. He bit me and he bit the farrier. It wasn’t out of aggression but he’s just mouthy and wants to play or is looking for treats. So I have been touching and playing with his muzzle to hopefully get him to be less mouthy because I don’t need him biting my brothers or parents or anyone for that matter :grimacing:

jumping

Tango’s previous trainer was an eventing trainer so she did some jumping with him but they were very small jumps and it wasn’t even a course. So I want to build some jumps and get some jumping blocks so I can start jumping him. I’m borrowing my trainers hunter jumping saddle until I find an English saddle that fits him. I also want to get some tendon and fetlock boots! I’m really excited to start jumping with him though!

Overall I think Tango has improved SO much within the past three weeks I have had him (three weeks from today actually!) and I am really proud of him and cannot wait to see how much we improve!!