Huck and the Pool Noodles

Huck the quarter horse is making some slow but steady progress.  Because of his unknown history I'm being very thorough with him in doing all the groundwork I'd normally do with a horse who's never been ridden.  When we come across something that Huck declares he's never done before, I take a little more time to introduce that. 

Pool noodles have been one of those things for Huck.  While I don't care at all if Huck ever decides he's cool with pool noodles, I do need him to be calm about things dangling by his sides while he's standing and moving.  Riding does involve my legs on his sides, and my torso above him, so I need him to be reliably calm with that kind of stimulus.  Pool noodles are an easy way to get Huck acclimated to things dangling on his sides, and no harm done if he kicks them or they bounce around a bunch.

It's taken several training sessions to get Huck to a point where I can actually fasten the pool noodles to the saddle without him ducking, spinning, or bolting.  Now he does flinch, but he stands quietly and allows me to fiddle with the stirrup leathers to attach the styrofoam.

Happily, today Huck not only was ok with the noodles attached to him on both sides, but he also was comfortable lunging while wearing them.  Sometimes with a really intelligent horse like Huck, every new and different thing is difficult.  This is because smart horses don't generalize well.  They are intelligent enough to notice even small differences in things, so "Just because the pool noodle is safe on me while I'm standing, it may not be safe to have on me while I'm moving."

We're making good progress, though, and each time Huck trusts me enough to let me do something new and weird with him it's a step closer to him telling me he's ready for riding.