Bareback is better!

Of course, if you live in the area, you know exactly how beautiful it was yesterday.  I didn't get to the barn until after dark, but it was still a nice night out which begged for an outdoor ride.

Bentley was a little difficult to get out of the field, the muddier it gets, the harder this becomes.  He hates walking through mud and just plants his feet and says "find me a better route!"  Of course, in the dark this is impossible for me and I ended up calf deep in mud and pee-poo water.  Perhaps next time I will just mount from off the roundbale and ride him to the gate haha.

Our ride started out really well.  We were walking and trotting nicely, I trotted him over some ground poles and a small crossrail which he was very happy to jump.  He was being super good so like usual, I let him pick where he wanted to go.  He took us over a mini course of all the groundpoles and the crossrail, just picked his own course and wanted to do it ahah. What a funny boy.  Then after the course was complete, he trotted straight to the exit.  Ahh, he wants to go home (is what I assumed)  but I was curious, and let him keep trotting.  We trotted down the laneway towards where he used to be turned out.  Perhaps that's home?  Nope, he trots right on by and out to the cornfields, he wanted to go for a hack.  What a cutie!  I let him go a little ways, but the coyotes sounded really close and active while we were in the ring, and I didn't want to take my chances.

The moon was out (maybe that's why the coyotes were howling?) and the fields were beautifully lit, with a touch of mist, very cool looking night!  I wish I could have continued along the trail, but it wasn't worth the risk.  Boy was he ever happy to go for a night ride and I actually felt very relaxed and comfortable with it too, perhaps next year I will be able to trust him enough to do the moonlit ride at Summer Solstice.

Back to the ring, and to do some canter work.  He hasn't been picking up his right lead recently.  We tried starting with it.  Nope, no luck with that.  Switched directions, praised him for picking up the left lead.  Switched again, still no right lead.  He was starting to get antsy pants and twisty again, as he usually gets in the ring after we have cantered.  Tried getting it a few more times, but he was just getting more worked up.  I think half of it is hes upset because hes confused (the other half I will explain later)  So while we were on the wrong lead, I tried something we hadn't done before, I took him around a circle (on the wrong lead still) over one of the ground poles with standards on the sides, while we crossed the poles, I gave him an extra kick with the outside leg and a good bend in and he got an auto change!  Wonderful!  I let him canter around a few more times to let him know he did a good job.  I think what might have made the difference was

1. It gave him a point of reference, knowing he had to do something different at the pole.
2. It gave me some security to make the inside bend as I had something to aim for and the standards to help keep him on the circle in that point.  Its a mental thing for me I think!
3. He may have taken a half jump over it as he was a little excited, which could have contributed to it also.

We cantered the crossrail a few times, and down the line of ground poles.  Of course, he started getting very excited and wanted to tear through the line at mach speed.  Lots of circling ensued and we went back to the trot and had a lot of half-halting to keep the trot.

Problem arose too that after he cantered, along the side of the ring close to the barn, he again stuck his head to the outside and locked his neck, making ugly trot and being difficult.  Few theories

1. He has canter brain, and nothing can happen until he gets his fix.  Once you pop, you cant stop?
2. Perhaps saddle slip at the canter is putting him off balance, I don't notice it being off balance, but its possible
3. I am expecting it, and doing the wrong thing with my shoulders and seat out of nervousness
4. I am crooked and being lazy about fixing it, using my stirrups as a crutch.

So after some frustrating figure 8s, I took off the saddle and mounted bareback.

As if by magic, all our trot problems were solved.  At first, he didn't want to trot with me bareback, it was one of those "hey up there, I feel you bouncing a lot, should I slow down until you are ok?" kind of things.  But a bit of convincing was all it took and we were trotting around the ring nicely.  No nasty outside bend or trying to run into fence posts.  Even had a good few laps of canter on the left lead (didn't try for the right lead, it wasn't our point there), and back to the trot and he was wonderful.  Took him over the crossrail bareback, and he didn't try at all, knocked over the jump.  Again, I think he was trying to protect me.  Sweet, but since it was the only crossrail in the ring, I wish he had just jumped it! I wasn't about to dismount and remount bareback.  Jumped a little over it's fallen remains to try and get the point across that I was ok up there and he needn't worry.

Still trotted around after that, and no problems.

Our issue must be mental or saddle.  We also don't have problems picking up our lead in the indoor (which is much smaller) or out on trail and in the plateau (which has no enclosures to psych us out).  I will try it with my other saddle and see if I can narrow down the problem