Wednesdays with Tex: In the Saddle

Tex has come so far in the past year.  I'm really pleased, really proud of Tex, and really confident that he and I can be strong partners. 


I've learned a lot about Tex; about what makes him tick; what motivates him; and what worries him.  Tex has been very open and honest with me -- and I've tried to provide the same to him.

Tex, at his core, is a pleaser.  He wants to get things right.  I mean, he really, really, REALLY wants to get things right.  It would be fair to say he's obsessive about that.  Sometimes, his worry gets in the way and this is particularly true under saddle.  In a trail situation, Tex is very relaxed and enjoys himself.  The only trail experience he has had was with the people who "flipped" him -- who had him for a few months before selling him to us.  Their focus was on creating/finishing horses to be good trail companions for their western pleasure buyers.  They were gentle with the horses, and worked with them in a positive way.  I am sure that all of Tex's experiences with trail riding were positive.  Certainly, all of Brett's experiences with him on the trail were positive.

The dynamic is completely different in an arena setting.  Before being purchased by the family who trained him for trail, Tex was a competitive team roping horse.  When he is under saddle in the arena, he is instantly worried.  Tex doesn't deal well with pressure, and it is clear to me that the pressure of his previous job did some damage to his psyche.  When I ride him in the arena, we just walk around on a loose rein and do simple stuff.  I make it easy for him to get it right.  We are taking very small, incremental steps.  I primarily focus on getting him to relax and when he does, he gets copious amounts of praise.  He flicks his ears, sighs, and drops his head. 

I'm not in a hurry to do anything more than walk around on a relaxed rein.  I'm not big on trail rides (I get bored, and tired, and sore -- an hour or so is great; beyond that I'm done) so, while I'm sure we will do some of that, it isn't going to ever be our primary focus.  We can wander all over the property, under trees, and across streams.  We both like that.  And we can do easy, successful work in the arena. 

In terms of riding goals with Tex, my secret dream is to ride him bareback.  He has a nice broad back and I love the connection I feel with a horse when I'm riding bareback.  It's how I learned to ride, and how I rode most of the time until I was an adult; its a happy place for me.  I used to ride Jackson bareback -- I even rode Auke that way, at times.  Lucy... probably not.  She's narrow and wouldn't be comfortable -- and she is soooooo sensitive and reactive.   I don't think either of us would be very relaxed and, to me, bareback is all about relaxation.