I let a beginning rider have a beginning rider lesson on Lucky Star. We went through the required seven games and some required rules before mounting. That went well. Our rider mounted. I did neglect to give the rider the mandatory mounting rule, but it went well. Now the signal to walk forward was given and Lucky’s response was ears back in protest. We tried the turning on the hindquarters and then walking forward. That is when Lucky decided to move and place his front feet in front of the barrel and his back feet in back of the barrel. He did not jump, he just sidled his feet to both sides of the barrel. Can you imagine being a beginning rider and your horse straddles a barrel? No, I can’t either.
I took over Lucky Star. I put a halter on his neck and led him around. We did some slow circles at a very slow walk while our rider was learning about reins, where his shoulders and belly button go. I turned Lucky lose and he managed to move somewhat. About this time, Cisco volunteered to come into the arena. Cisco became the lead horse and Lucky was supposed to follow. Whoops. Lucky doesn’t like being the following horse. So we had a duo horse team walking around the arena. The big achievement was that Lucky moved as his rider was getting used to being on a such a horse. I had given our rider a crop with the instructions to tap Lucky’s forequarter three times when he fails to move. Lucky laughed and ignored taps that were more like the strength of a fly. I coached on the art of tapping Lucky until the tapping actually irritated him enough to have him move.
Cisco ended his voluteer duty and Lucky Star went off on his own. He tried to rub his beginning rider against the corral panel. I pulled him off the fence and he and his beginning rider wandered around just a bit more, working on the tapping technique and steering.
I called the lesson to an end. I got on Lucky Star and demonstrated how Lucky can move. I demonstrated the tapping. Lucky and I did a flat foot walk around the small arena with some dropping out of gait. We ended the session. Whew! Next is what will happen when I ride Cisco while our beginning rider is on Lucky. I think Lucky will do this well outside the arena.