Colonel

So today was a productive day, with a healthy mix of progress, frustration, education and exercise. The first horse I got out was Colonel. He was so good yesterday, and I was feeling pretty good so I figured I'd hop on him and see how he does. I was brushing him down and I was doing a fairly slow careful job because I had gotten lax about this in the past so I wanted to start off on the right foot. All of the sudden he starts shaking his head, violently. I figure that something is bothering him or he wants attention or something so I ignore it and finish up my grooming. I go to put the saddle on and he's still doing it, and he's doing it worse, so I decide to take a different approach. I smacked him on the shoulder every time he shook his head like that. It was having a small effect and I grabbed a crop so that I could swat him more effectively. I got the saddle on and he had calmed down but I couldn't find the bridle.

So we walked over to the other barn, he led quite well, and I tied him in that barn and he was fine, still no bridle. I just held him and poked my head into the tack room in the main barn, still nothing. So I go back to the hay barn and as soon as we set foot in it he starts shaking his head again. I put him in the cross ties and he's still shaking his head and it was hard to clip the cross ties on him. I smacked him in the shoulder again and he quieted down long enough for me to put the clips on him. Then she's shaking his head again, flipping it up in the air, swinging it from side to side the works. I thought, since he had been good in the other barn and the problem started up again the instant we came into this barn, maybe it's too dusty in there so I walked him out a few feet to put the bridle on him (it was in Robert's tack room the whole time, of course.)

No sooner had I got the bridle on him he was back to shaking his head but this time he was also spinning around, I think he was whacking his head into me on purpose, he pushed me with his shoulder, (I hate it when he does that) and I had to knee him in the barrel to keep him away from me. I thought maybe the noseband was too tight, it was already done up when I put it on him and I handn't checked, the way he was freaking out it seemed like something was hurting him so I tried to get the bridle off him. He wouldnt let me touch is face, and he flipped out when I touched the nose band. I finally managed to get him to hold still just long enough to undo it and then off he goes again, running in circles, I think he had started bucking by that point. I'm holding the reins because I dont have a halter on him. I've got it in my hand and I'm trying to get it on him and he throws his head away from me so suddenly and so forcefully that I lose my grip on the reins and off he goes. Nothing seems to be bothering him while he's munching on grass outside the barn and I walk up to get him and he starts to trot into the barn but he stops to look back and I grabbed him. He tried to pull me over to where he wanted to go but God knows I've spent enough time being pulled by Colonel to know what it takes to beat him. I bent my knees, rocked back on my heels and pulled on him and he stopped walking but again with the head shaking. I managed to get the halter on, dont remember how, I know he was shaking his head the whole time but I just got it around his nose and pulled until I could get the buckle closed over his poll. I started to lead him to the arena to get some help/diagnostics from Robert, he crashed his shoulder into me and I smacked him with the end of the lead rope and sent him flying around in circles. More bucking ensued and around and around he went. He actually led reasonably well up to the barn, some head tossing but not that bad. Robert asked me how he's doing and I was still breathing pretty hard from fighting with him and just so frustrated I felt like I could scream.

Robert took him, Jade left the arena because they were finished with their lesson. Jerry was getting Imp out to get his lesson. So Robert tells me, oh, you don't want the halter to be on like this and takes off the halter and starts to take of the bridle so he can put the halter back on. But he didn't keep the halter around Colonel's neck so when Colonel sees that he's free he starts to back away from Robert and make a run for the gate. Robert cut him off and I sprinted for the gate. Robert was clutching Colonels nose still and had pinned him against the fence and was getting the halter back on. Once it was back on Colonel was still tossing his head. Every time he tossed his head Robert jerked on the lead line and backed him up and glared at him a little bit. He said that there was no reason for him to be doing that, that Colonel smelled sweaty and that he didn't like the way his eyes were looking either. I asked if it could be the saddle bothering him. The girth was loose but we decided to test it anyway. We took it off and for a few seconds he was calm, but then violent head tossing again. Robert checked him all over for soreness and found none. We got a lunge line and Robert lunged him a little bit. He was mediocre and Robert told me to long line him for about 10 minutes and then put him back.

I got the long lines all set up. Colonel is perfectly calm in the cross ties at the main barn, bits well, stands for everything and I lead him out to the arena. When we stop in the arena he doesnt stop straight but instead whirls around in front of me. I straighten him out and get myself set up to drive. He is absolutely terrible on the long lines. He tosses his head and he pulls and pulls on me. One thing I like about the long lines is that when there's too much rein contact I know exactly who's fault it is and its not mine. He doesnt want to walk on a straight track away from the wall but I do my best. After a few minutes he wants to trot which is annoying. He also wants to stop and start a lot. We get a few decent runs around the arena without too much fuss so I put him back, frustrated and confused. (I am anyway; Colonel, who knows?.) Robert asks me how he was and I told him I was out of my dept with him. He said "you're better than you think" I replied "That could but but I think he's worse than you think." Robert thinks I was doing the same thing he would be doing but agreed to take him out while I watched. He'll decide what he thinks needs to be done, I'd decide if I think I can do it. The working theory is that he's just being a bastard and the way to punish him is to lunge him until he's tired when he starts acting up.

The question is, how do you set it up so that you can lunge him in response to him doing something stupid, and what stupid thing he does do you want to punish him for? You can take him out on a lunge line and he's pretty much fine. I think the trouble probably starts when you give him the impression he's going to be ridden. I think he has a problem with bits. He likes to lean on them and he's offended when they restrain him. I don't get it. Robert says there are no sores in his mouth so thats not the problem. At a minimum I think I'll need to put a saddle on him for this operation. What I'm leaning towards right now is putting a saddle on him, leading him out to the arena on a lunge line, bridle in hand. If he starts fussing for that part, great, send him out and lunge him for that. I wish there was a good way we could warm him up for this maybe I'll take him straight out to the arena, lunge him at a walk, then take him back and put a saddle on him. Then he'll be warmed up and I can send him off galloping/bucking without too much concern. I dont want him to pull something. Anyway, assuming he'll fuss once the saddle is on, when do I start with the lunging? When he starts tossing his head? Should I wait until it gets sufficiently violent? I want to make sure he knows what he did wrong besides just generally pissing me off. If he doesnt lead right, and starts prancing and/or tossing his head that would definitely be a good lunging moment. Ultimately I'll probably just go out there and when the moment feels right I'll send him out there and make him wish he hadn't messed with me but I'd like to have some thoughts beforehand about what I'm looking for.

Whether or not he fusses with the saddle I want to put the bridle on him and lead him around with that on. If/when he fusses over that: again, out on the circle, working hard until he really wishes he wasnt. Once there is no fuss with the bridle I want to get on him. I'll have the halter on under the bridle and if he gives me any fuss I'll hop off him and lunge him. He aught to be damn tired/docile by that point so I dont think it will be a problem but I dont want to do this on multiple days because he will be sore, I dont want to take him out sore and I'm curious how he will behave the following day. This will be a come-to-Jesus type operation. We'll have to walk him out a lot after all this. Under saddle wont do it either, he'll need to be hot walked but I think he'll probably be seeing the light at this point and should lead pretty well. And if he doesn't .... :)
The next day he'll need to be hot walked too. Just walking around no likely amount of soreness will excuse/explain misbehaving and I might send him out on another round of run-till-you-wish-you-weren't but I want to decisively deal with this, the leading, the head tossing, the generally pissyness, all of it. A serious attitude adjustment is what I hope this will accomplish.