But when he's not charming the ladies he's actually settling down to work. Sunday dawned gorgeous and we'd decided to take it easy on the boy and just have a bit of gentle exercise. He greeted us happily, having just awakened from a nap next to his buddy. Erin rode him up from his pasture bareback with just his halter and lead rope, and she mistakenly thought that was how the day was going to go -- nice and leisurely. But surprisingly, as soon as he was tacked up his VIP attitude kicked in! Why walk like a gentleman in the arena when you can crow hop, leap around sideways, rear, snort, spin, lurch and otherwise act like a maniac?!
It took Erin awhile to get him to listen and move forward as opposed to jittering around everywhere. He was merely feeling good, having digested that high-quality hay and oats, and was game to push through a different agenda! Countless circles in the outdoor arena finally yielded a forward-moving and sometimes-collected horse, but he was still very much feeling naughty. After we got a few things established Erin decided to see if she could channel his boundless energy into something new.
Since the previous day's ride had gone so well for both of us, Erin knew he understood what was being asked. He's settling into getting on the bit, moving forward, working out these circle things, and generally showing great progress. Here's proof that Tucker's got the makings of an eventer as evidenced by his willingness on the flat:
But since today wasn't shaping up to be one of cooperation and ease, Erin wondered if he'd be game for an experiment: jumps! The outdoor arena was full of jumps so she decided to trot him toward a little "X". His ears flicked forward and over he went! So we tried another, and another and another, each time he seemed to be more and more willing to settle into the work. He clipped a rail now and then, and when he wasn't sure what to do with his legs he hesitated, but overall Tucker seemed quite interested in the notion of doing something other than circles. Shanna worked as ground crew and created two little jumps in a line. The first X was nice and distracting so that he could trot out of it and nicely jump the little straight bar 4 strides later.
We did this for about 15 minutes, making sure he was good and tired before Phase Two. Shanna handled him beautifully at all 3 gaits in the outdoor arena, and as a reward we decided to cool him out along the wooded trail. She rode him and Erin walked behind with Tori the Akita, who'd just been introduced to his first barn (and subsequently his first equine) today. He was un-phased, as usual. Once we were off the property and starting down the trail Tucker quit singing out to his ladies and seemed thrilled to have a taste of the outdoors. His first love, after all, is trail riding -- he's superb in this domain, which makes us think that combining jumps with his love of the woods will make him quite a game eventer.
After his ride (that turned out to be quite a lengthy workout due to his resistance to settling down) he got the yummy bath and requisite treats he's become accustomed to. And for a special indulgence post-strenuous workout, Shanna rubbed him down with Bigel Oil Gel!
Tucker's shenanigans are quite harmless as he really seems to both trust and respect his Aunties. And while he can be naughty it's clear he's not being deliberately nasty. Frisky, handsome, quite full of himself! And we're loving every minute spent with this awesome horse....
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