If there's one thing Tonka and I don't do, it's lope. I thought it was my fault we were having trouble until I asked him for a lope on the lunge line today. Not good. He was uncoordinated, didn't want to do it and was very stressed about it. So I took him to the round pen. It took a while but he finally got a good lope going without crossfiring. Then I got on and we did it under saddle. That also took a while but we did get it done. Not a full lap around the round pen, but hey, he did it and I was proud of him and we were both hot so I put him away. I'm hoping to work on it again tonight.
He's not totally sound in the front end, I suspect because he toes in, so I wonder if it's even right to ask him to do this kind of stuff. Hard work on hard ground in a circle... But I really want to graduate out of the walk-trot class for Mustang Days. I hope I'm not doing the wrong thing. I feel like he needs to know how to lope under saddle comfortably, even if we don't do it often. I think I'll keep at it and get him going in straight lines as soon as I can. He also needs a trim. Hopefully he'll lose his head-bob after I get those hooves touched up.
In addition to the front end issues, could he have some sort of muscular or joint hind end pain (or back)? That can make it hard for a horse to lope.
ReplyDeleteLoved your pictures of Zaz - he is coming along!
My filly, Cia, couldn't lope without falling when I first got her. My farrier has done some work to balance her out and now she lopes fine--but if she goes a long time in between trims, it gets bad again.
ReplyDeleteHe might also just need more practice loping if he doesn't travel at that gait in the pasture even.
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