Today I got to ride Mars at Lanolin Farm. Since Shannon had gotten all her horses in the small paddock, Mars decided to cooperate, let himself be caught at the first try and did not make too many faces over being groomed and tacked up. Just think, Shannon did not have to convince a running, bucking and kicking pony that it was time to be ridden. Sounds good, doesn't it?

But when I got up on Mars's back he WAS NOT HAPPY. Reluctant to move forward, extremely reluctant to walk in a straight line, taking exception to EVERY pile of horse poop, and, to top it off the sun was shining right into his eyes. Anybody know of effective, polarized equine sun-glasses? After some walking, with plenty of opportunities for me to practice the correct application of the aids, he agreed to trot. Something definitely was not completely right with Mars, he would trot some, try to stop, and when urged forward would give indications that he WANTED TO BUCK. Shannon then remembered that he had not warmed himself up. Then, since this was the first attempt at properly fitting the Dr. Cook's, she readjusted a strap of two, tucked the loose strap end into its keeper, and off we went again.

Mars calmed down a little at the walk, I actually got up to around six steps in a straight line. But when I asked for the trot again he took off reluctantly, then I felt his back raise up under me repeatedly. Then I realized, Mars was telling me that he NEEDED to buck, kick and generally act like a fool before being ridden. Mars's antics serve as a chiropractic session and get all those kinks out of his back. If Mars can't run around his back does not unkink, he hurts, and becomes a poster child for the bratty, misbehaving pony under saddle. It's not Mars's fault, we did not make sure that Mars could reset his back in the most effective way possible. So I resigned myself to a little more walking and quit five minutes early because it was so hot and miserable.

Back in the time of horsemanship we call Baroque dressage, people would train their horses to kick on command. De la Gueriniere insisted that a horse's hind legs could not become truly supple unless the rider makes the horse kick on command, as needed. Now, the kick is an extremely powerful movement when the horse really gets into it, and the horse's back moves to much, so suddenly, and so powerfully that it is extremely hard to ride. Just think, just by kicking the horse gives himself physical therapy, fully extending the hind joints, AND at the same time can send an unprepared rider up onto the horse's neck. But maybe de la Gueriniere had a point, that sometimes the horse has to do SOMETHING to reset its back and to release the tension in the hind-quarters. The Portugues school at Mafra is the only one I've run into that practices bucking on command (between pillars.) I HAVE noticed that the modern dressage schools, even ones that say they are descended from de la Gueriniere do not practice kicking on demand, except for those practicing Baropue dressage. Maybe they are ignoring a very effective remedy to resistances.

Mars is a very strict instructor. If I had ignored his warning signals I would have been very unhappy. The first warning signal of discomfort was that Mars DEMANDED absolute perfection in the aids, proper timing, proper placing, proper strength, and most importantly, ending the aid at the proper time. He really kept me on my toes. The second sign of discomfort was Mars's extreme reluctance to move forward. This used to be called nappiness, and this morning Mars was very nappy. The first warning sign for the need to buck was Mars carried his head lower than usual, then brought his nose in, so his neck formed a graceful arch downwards, with his nose pointing back towards his knees. The second warning sign of the need to buck was that Mars lifted his back under the saddle repeatedly, not much but still noticeable. I did not wait for the third of fourth signs of bucking, as Mars is a perfectionist I would probably have ended up on the ground.

When Mars put his head down in that peculiar pre-buck position I was able to bring his head back up by moving my hands forward and then raising my hands so that the rein was more perpendicular to his mouth, then doing short, repeated upward movements with my hands, while applying my leg to keep Mars moving. When he indicated with his back that he needed to buck I stopped trotting him, something was affecting Mars and he was just letting me know that he hurt. How many horses are considered horribly uncooperative and bad rides just because their humans do not listen to their horses when their horses say "Hey, dummy, I'm hurting, stop doing that!!!

How many horses end up being manipulated by chiropractors, shot up with pain drugs, X-rayed, poked, magnetized, repadded and resaddled just because their riders do not insist that the horse buck and kick out before being ridden? Did the ancient masters realize something that we have forgotten?

There is no shame if you do not make a hurting horse do exactly as you want. You can set back your training severely when you ignore your horse when he says he has a problem. Horse's can't talk to us in words, they use the way they move and hold themselves to communicate with us. All we have to do is listen to them, and then realize that some days nothing is going to work right and that the whole point of the lesson is not to end up on the ground.

Enjoy your ride.