Lazy Happy

Day Thirty Six: The wind died down today and it’s a pretty nice day out so I saddle Happy and take him to the round pen. Bit him up until he is done playing and wants to stop. I step up on him and he starts to walk off when I ask him to stand, he starts to get upset again so I take a deep breath and just sit there for a few minutes. I was happy that Happy decided to stay and relax with me. I start him off to the left walking him keeping him relaxed and then I start ask him to move off my leg. He is good and remembers the last lesson well. I stop and sit for a bit, letting him take a deep breath. He is still a little nervous to the right but works through it faster today for it is heating up and the wind isn’t blowing. Happy starts to get lazy and I have to kick him hard when asking him to take a step to the inside. Today I feel the need for spurs but I will wait and see if he is still grabbing his ass tomorrow. Hot horses go through this faze when they work through their fear and relax, they get dull and heavy. It is important to push them through this faze gently. It can be frustrating and you want to put your spurs on and hick them through it but it’s better to start kicking softly then harder until he starts to respect your leg and moves off again. It feels like your riding a Mac truck around but let him be lazy, when he learns to think and not just react is when it gets good. Keep asking him until he will step across himself without having to kick him hard. The challenge here is to get him through this lazy faze without making him nervous again so be happy with this new lazy horse, realizing he will not move off as before when nervousness was driving him. Remember less is more;0)