Note Ground Driving

Note and I have been working on ground driving this week.  He is a very intelligent horse and he loved his job racing.  This has created a situation where he thinks that wearing a saddle and bridle and having contact with a bit in his mouth means he's going to run, and if I don't allow him to go at top speed he gets very tense and has done some impressive bucking under saddle.  I'm not concerned about it since this is a common problem I work with, but it means I need to back up some in my training to teach him that this type of riding is different than running on a track and there's no need to get upset if I don't allow flat out running.

To help him learn that this new job is different, I'm restarting him completely, just as if he had no riding training at all.  Since being here at Bit of Honey he has learned voice commands for walk/trot/canter/whoa/reverse/back.  He knows how to lunge in both directions and how to go over obstacles like the bridge, tires, and small jumps while I'm leading or lunging him.  The next step is teaching him how to ground drive. 

The first day I set up the ground driving equipment on him he was a little goosey about the two sets of long lines.  Basically I start them ground driving just like they were lunging.  They are on a 20m circle, the left line is attached to the left side of the bit via the ring on the surcingle, and the right line is attached to the right side of the bit, via the ring on the right side of the surcincle, and it goes behind his haunches.  Note the athlete objected to the rope under his tail when he first felt it, which resulted in big kicking with both hind feet.  That's why I start horses this way, so if he kicks out I'm well out of range in the center of the circle as he is on the perimeter.

The first day that's basically all we did was let him get used to the long lines.  Here is some video I took with the GoPro if you're interested in how it looks from my perspective.  (It's too many things for me to hold the phone too when you consider I have both ropes and a whip.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lowk1PWEKk8

The second day ground driving Note was much quieter.  He understood what I wanted and didn't feel like he needed to go so fast or be explosive.  I want him quiet, thoughtful, and listening to me.  It doesn't make for dramatic photos, but the horse learns so much better when he's not excited or stressed.  Jasi was here and took some photos but they ended up pretty boring, which is exactly what I want when a horse is learning!

He walked and trotted both directions on the lunge line circle with the long lines attached, then I proceeded to guide him around the round pen and obstacles turning both left and right, stopping and walking, and halting and backing.  This smart horse stayed quiet and thoughtful the entire time and figured out everything I wanted him to do based on the voice commands he already knew. 

I love this last photo of him.  He's relaxed, there is soft contact with the reins and bit, and I like his posture.  I'm already having a good time with One For Nothing, Note is going to be such a fun project.