As Bucky started to shed out his winter coat, I realized we actually has a real horse under that cute little rescue-pony. He really filled out and started looking very stock / Quarter-Horse like. He also grew about 2" and gained 75# since his arrival. We continued our groundwork and started lunging and introduced (scary scary!): the Western saddle.
I spent a few weeks just saddling and un-saddling him until he stopped snorting. Then I put him on the lunge line, and he lived up to his name, bucking and carrying on. So we went back to saddling, walking a few steps and un-saddling, keeping it positive. One of the most important things I learned (and am still learning!) from Heidi is to reward good behavior with release of pressure. Even the *smallest* try. For example: in getting Bucky to walk over a tarp, I would apply gentle pressure on his halter to ask him to walk forward, as soon as he *thinks* about walking forward and lifts a foot in the right direction - instant release of halter pressure. He hasn't walked on to the tarp, but he was doing the right thing. It is amazing how quickly Bucky picked up on things when taught this way. And in no time, without any fuss he was walking over the tarp.
Bucky on the lunge with the scary western saddle. He really had to think about this - look at his ears!
I should mention that we checked Bucky's back and saddle-fit to make sure it was not causing him pain. It just took him quite a while to get over this big, noisy, creaking contraption on his back. So his progress continued and eventually I got on his back - this time in a Western saddle! The second time on him, he had a very minor bucking fit, then I decided to get off after he quit bucking and he decided to help me off - ouch! I would have been fine had the saddle horn not caught the inside of my thigh on the way off.
So with all our progress I asked Heidi, "Do you think people would laugh at me if I took him a clinic?". She laughed and said no, so plans were made for Bucky'sbig adventure!
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