Surcingle - Day 2

Well, this surcingle business would be great if my pony would lunge!  He is the absolute worst on the lunge line.  The fault is mine, of course.  Whose else would it be?  See, the thing is, I've created a completely desensitized monster.  Huh?!!

Speedy G was a bit spooky when he first joined my family.  It wasn't that bad, but different, small things would startle him.  He was only three after all, so it was to be expected.  Since I'm a Clinton Anderson fan, of Downunder Horsemanship fame, I decided to teach Speedy G some of the desensitizing exercises.  [This of course gives me a new blog topic - I'll film Speedy G doing some of his desensitized stuff.]  Unfortunately, this means that Speedy doesn't even flick an ear when I thwack that stick and string combo (AKA whip) to ask for more speed.  He KNOWS, in no uncertain terms, that the lash WILL NOT hurt if I snap it near his heels or butt.  You can practically hear him whistling the Andy Griffith theme song as he shuffles along on the lunge line.

It is also a bit difficult to film a toe-dragging, go-as-slow-as-I-wanna pony as I try to hold the lunge line and camera in one hand and the whip in the other.  So as you watch, you'll understand why the line keeps crossing into your view.  You'll also understand my constant clucking.

I finally gave up trying to video and school at the same time, and I eventually shortened the side reins several holes.  He's definitely still heavy on the forehand and he still looks a teeny bit sore from last week's pulled shoe.  I am hoping that after a few weeks of working with the surcingle, he'll get sharper on the lunge commands, such as they are, and that he'll start to lighten up a bit on the front end.