I took about a month vacation from riding and playing with Lucky. (Velvet and I competed in a Seasoned Rider Challenge.) Lucky and I have been coming along like a rumbling freight train since I started concentrating on winning the ground games. Amazing. Tony Vaught once told me that the quality of the ground game dictated what kind of ride you would get.
Getting Lucky to move on the ground is key to getting him to move when I’m riding him. Last time I rode Lucky is when he attracted Miss American to the place! Miss America took a little bit of my time too. Lucky is such a Casanova. Now that Miss America lives in Lucky’s pasture, he’s not nearly as loving. oh well…
The last couple of times that I rode Lucky, I rewarded him with horse treats when he gave me a good ride around the arena. We zipped around without argument. We rested and he got a treaFast forward to last night. I forgot the treat. I won the ground games. On the scale of 1=10 with the circle game, I came in about 6 out of 10…maybe 6 out of 10.
The last couple of times that I rode Lucky, I rewarded him with horse treats when he gave me a good ride around the arena. We zipped around without argument. We rested and he got a treat. Well Lucky Star really approved of getting a treat when he did good. He LOVED the treat.
I forgot the treats last night. I didn’t tell Lucky about forgetting the treat. Lucky and I zipped around the arena. We went for a nice long zip around at both a flat foot and fox trot. We screached to a halt and backed up two slow steps. I relaxed. Lucky Star raised his head up, looked around and tensed his entire body. He looked around the other way! His neck was high and muscles tense. He started backing. Lucky Star was asking for his treat! He asked with his head one direction. Lucky swung his head around the other way, looking at me as best he could with his neck all high and tense. WHERE IS MY TREAT? I SO DESERVE A TREAT! I want my treat so bad, my body has to move. When it’s your idea, Mom, I back in protest. But now, I need to move and for some reason, my body wants to back! Where is my TREAT!
I petted and petted Lucky and told him how good of a horse he is. When he wouldn’t stop backing, we had to go zipping around the arena again. Twice, Lucky Star thought about balking. It was just a brief thought and away we went! This time when we stopped, I got off. That’s almost as good as a horse treat!
It’s all in building a relationship, and winning the ground games with a complex horse like Lucky Star! And TREATS!