OMG, do not even get me started.......

Well I didn’t play with my horses, but I got to give a confidence boost by helping my friend. The lesson was great, and I think it was a pivotal moment for them. Her colt was not started in the manner in which I feel was best for him OR her. A thousand thresholds had been blown through right from the get go, and it was no wonder he was ensconced in bucking explosions. There were quite a few things that were contributing to the scenario, as I figured was the case. And while some things in his original start may have been OK for someone else, it was not ok for her. She is new to this, he is just a baby, and the whole thing blew up. Literally. So here is the list of oooops’s I diagnosed.


1. He was not prepared at all, much less properly for being started, to begin with.

2. He was never taught how to canter without the saddle, yet expected to do it with it.

3. His LBI horsenality was taken advantage of causing thresholds to go unnoticed repeatedly.

4. Not honoring his thresholds and taking the time it takes cause him to become RBI.

5. Because RBI horsenality was misdiagnosed, the proper strategy of NOT pushing him…….pushed him into RBE.

6. Thinking that being an RBE was “NORMAL”, instead of using proper strategies for that horsenality….ie: don’t let em go there and focus them if they do……wasn’t part of the plan EVER.

7. Now that he “went there” the wrong strategy of letting him continue caused him to just scare himself even more to the point of a bucking fit.

8. The whole fit was diagnosed as normal, and riding him “anyway” was encouraged.

9. My friend needs to do some serious exercises to get her “seat” and should have been doing them while prepping him to ride.

10. Sometimes, the right strategy was used at the wrong time.



All in all, I thought it was a great lesson. We were able to identify his very first threshold of the saddling process, and thus NOT move forward until HE accepted the process. We then proceeded in a lather/rinse/repeat fashion with each step of the saddling process, as we noticed each step WAS a threshold. Once we got him in the arena, we kept him focused on patterns that he already knew and was confident with while not wearing a saddle, and continued again with each step looking for thresholds. Also, because he is not his usual LBI while saddled, in fact and RBI, we used the strategies for that horsenality. Soft gentle phases, lots of patience, and never making him feel pushed……AT ALL. His confidence was priority #1, at each and every moment, for each and every step. No buck. He got hump backed at time or two and we shut him down, and restarted even softer. You could really see the difference in him, and watch his confidence grow, his stride get less choppy, his rhythm start to be steady, his head lowered and he rounded his back the good way. You could see the tension in his body melt away. Then, for diagnoses purposes, we attempted the canter……and he started to buck on stride two, and was shut down at stride 3. He was shocked. “What?, you DON’T want me to buck? It’s not OK?” So we reassured him we were not going to push him, and for now, she is not to canter him with a saddle on, until he can canter without one. Prior and PROPER preparation! From there, we mounted up. Again…..another threshold. On/off On/off until he accepted her. Again, still and RBI, we used the NEVER push/be gentle with me strategy and it paid off HUGE! I could not believe I was looking at the same horse that tried to kill her with his bucking and rearing just two days prior. One step at a time, don’t push, don’t let him “go there” and shut him down instantly if he does. No matter what anyone else (trainers) might be able to do with him, if she does not have the skills, a complete different strategy must be used. One that not only is good for HIM but for HER too. Green on Green makes black & blue….but I think if we stick to this new plan, they both have what it takes to make it together. She doesn’t have the money to send him to a trainer for 30dys, so all I can do is help her make it right again. And impress upon her, to take the time it takes, and it will take less time. Pay attention for the slightest un-confidence and stay there until he is confident. Don’t let him go there, but if he does….treat him like an RBE and focus him immediately! Just goes to show.....thresholds and horsenalities are NOT imaginary things....and if honored and looked after properly, will pay huge dividends in the end!


Well done my friends….practice, practice, practice!

Savvy On

Michelle