March Pyro Update, Part 2: Enacting the Plan

 As a quick recap, here are the points of my plan for Pyro that I introduced in the last update post:

1. Mitigate Risk and Bring Peace of Mind to the Barn Family
2. Keep Pyro in Consistent Work... Without Burning Myself Out
3. Teach Pyro to Manage his Emotions in High Arousal Environments
4. Address Pyro's Resource Guarding
5. Increase Pyro's Tolerance for Discomfort and Teach him to Communicate it Safely
6. Continue Regular Check-Ins

A LOT has happened towards these goals in the second half of March. One of the biggest (and I believe most impactful) changes has been offering him free choice (slow fed) hay in his stall. Having 24/7 access to forage has made a profound change in his attitude. I've been receiving regular reports from the other boarders that Pyro is calm and polite at turnout/bring in, walking flat footed in and out of his stall when previously that transition had been marked by tension and occasionally rude behavior. I've also observed increased relaxation and decreased snark. There's a softness to his eye that I really appreciate. While this change was aimed at addressing the root cause of his resource guarding, it has the added benefit of bringing peace to the barn. Win-win. 

Excessive? Maybe, but he's NOT running out of hay on my watch.

With his history of ulcers, I knew SOMETHING needed to change in his management. In my mind, trickle fed forage in his stomach at all times would go much further in helping him than any gut health supplement. To work within the needs of the co-op, I supply the extra hay from my stock at the girls' barn on top of his usual daily ration. 

Ground driving + ground poles!

As for keeping him in consistent work, I think I've done a good job balancing that with my energy levels. I successfully met my goal of working him 6 days a week without ever feeling "the grind". 

I'm really loving the process of teaching him to long line.

From the blooper reel

Each time I work him, I'm being very careful to set him up for success. He gets a cup of Outlast before I start grooming (practicing backing away from the feeder, waiting patiently, and coming forward to eat when I allow it as another daily practice aimed at decreasing resource guarding). He also gets to munch hay as I groom/tack. The one day I didn't do this and instead groomed/tacked him in the crossties, he was clearly more agitated during our work.

Grooming and tacking are easy to do loose in his stall where he can munch hay... AND we're not in the way of others who might be in the aisle. 

Happily cozy in my homemade sweater and insulated riding skirt

Just look at that cute face!

Could we be, *GASP*, reaching out to the contact??

Happy in his work

On the ground, I've been enforcing clear boundaries and providing him with as much consistency in my handling as possible. I halter the same way every time, rewarding him for staying relaxed and facing forward (rather than swinging his head around to me). When leading, he is to walk several feet behind me (not even with my shoulder) without crossing my centerline, stopping at that distance when I stop. I can tell this is becoming habit for him, and I hope to translate those rules onto another co-op member before long. 

Pulling the "boss mare" on him

Pyro's whole bale net finally arrived, simplifying his hay set-up to one net that I fill with my hay and one net (closest to the door) for his ration of co-op provided hay. Positioned there, it's easy for co-op members to back him away from the door if need be, but I also have a spare hay net they can fill and chuck in his stall readily available.

On the topic of increasing Pyro's tolerance for discomfort and ability to safely communicate it, he OH SO KINDLY scraped his hock in turnout, coming in with it a bit hot and swollen. This provided a source of discomfort for us to work through as I palpated and checked him out. 

It wasn't horrible, but could we not?

While I had been planning on riding that day (because of course I was), I pivoted to taking my time just focusing on bridling. He had been exhibiting some resistance, clenching his mouth shut when offered the bit, but thankfully it didn't take many reps for him to start softly accepting it. 

I'm still sussing out the root cause of his resistance, but he relaxed into the bridling process pretty quickly. 

And he FINALLY figured out softly dropping the bit without clanking his own teeth!

Another good exercise for working through discomfort was cold hosing his hock. 

"Mother, I do not like the cold water."

He was quite displeased at first, tossing his head and glaring at me, but I encouraged standing still and relaxed, and he got it by the time I was done. 

*sigh*

Random photo from the day we hacked out in Scoot Boots because Pyro and Tessa were just too cute. 

As part of keeping things interesting, I've been making an effort to work him in locations other than his stall and the indoor arena. Now that spring weather has arrived, I'm utilizing the outdoor arena, driveway, perimeter of the hay field, and his pasture. 

Politely maintaining his distance

Accepting his Ulcergard with no issue

He was really good this day, allowing me to walk up to him to catch him without him approaching me, practice haltering/unhaltering, lead him while enforcing boundaries, etc., with the distraction of his herdmates.

He's doing so well with long lining that I decided to try having him pull something for the first time! Over the course of the session, I worked him up to dragging my "redneck sled" around the indoor arena. 

Ensuring he's okay with flapping traces

His first time pulling the homemade single tree.
(Don't come after me for the line of draught. It will be adjusted before he pulls anything with any real weight.)

He spooked once at the equipment corner, but if I sponged the inside rein when I noticed him getting distracted by it later, he refocused without issue. 

All hooked up to the "redneck sled"!
I used an open bridle for this because I want him to see and understand it.

He had no issues with pulling it behind him and remained relaxed, appearing content and understanding of my ask.

This past Sunday, I took the opportunity to trailer across town and take a dressage lesson with a new eventing coach who comes to that barn on a monthly basis. I'll call her Coach JM.

First trailer ride of the year!

I did my best to set Pyro up for success, making sure he got Outlast, hay, and Ulcergard prior to trailering. 

He rode well, never making a fuss in the trailer, but he definitely unloaded in a rush and was "up" when we arrived.

tense limo-boy

This was a much more "high arousal" environment than I anticipated... I figured he'd look around a bit what with the new location and unfamiliar horses, but he has always settled easily in the past when traveling to the Hoosier Horse Park (a similar distance away) for schooling shows where we show off the trailer. I thought this outing would be similar. HOWEVER:

• The wind was HOWLING.
• The resident terrier was digging in the sand. 
• Motorcycles were whizzing by on the road right next to the ring.
• There were GOATS (a critter Pyro's never seen before). 
• Pyro hadn't been off property in many moons.

said resident terrier

And the spook he earned

All of that added together was worth WAY MORE RABBITS than Pyro's brain could handle, and he gave me one heck of a ride. 

Pyro's inner monologue: AHHHHHHHHHH

His reaction to hearing the motorcycles behind him.

There were ninja kicks

There was bucking

The core and leg strength training I've been doing must be paying off because he didn't put me in the dirt. Coach JM was excellent, guiding me through getting Pyro's focus back on me and encouraging him to relax. (And she did note that his expression didn't look like he was in pain.)

When his brain came back online, he put in some lovely work.

She helped me transfer a lot of the core and joint stability training I've been doing with a physical therapist into the saddle, which was majorly helpful. It was a great feeling to be physically capable of doing what a coach was asking me to do. Once we started getting some relaxation from Pyro, she had me do the "snowman exercise", where I asked him to trot a 15m circle in true bend, then change direction (but not bend) and trot a 20m circle in counter bend. 

Small, true bend circle

Large, counter bend circle

Another big point she made was to do a better job setting him up for transitions. I have a tendency to spring them on him, rather than letting him know what's coming. It was immediately evident the difference it made to him.

There were some really lovely moments!

When we moved to canter work, we had to work through tension (and threats to buck) once again, and Coach JM encouraged me to stay one step ahead of him, mentally. I've never been great at cultivating a horse that's always attentively waiting for my next request, and it showed. The first couple strides of canter would be okay, but then he would go in autopilot and stop being rideable.

He made me work hard to get his jaw to unlock.

To encourage him to load his hind end in the canter, she had us halt, turn on the haunches, then canter immediately. To prevent him building towards shenaniganry, I cued a transition to trot after only 3 strides, then sent him right into the snowman exercise. It was messy, but he was mentally connected to me, and I'll call that a major win under those circumstances. 

Of course, it's inevitable that you'll forget to pack something, especially the first time trailering for the season. This trip it was electrolyte paste, which we ended up needing. He had worked so hard, what with the extra anxiety and acrobatics, that he had sweated a lot and started displaying thumps as soon as I dismounted. I hand walked him cool, let him eat some hay, then got him home for some electrolyte paste ASAP, which quickly resolved the issue. He has dealt with thumps before, and he gets electrolytes in his feed daily, but I underestimated how much extra support he would need for this outing. Lesson learned, and I'll provide extra electrolytes prior to trailering in the future. 

He didn't look distressed as he walked out and got some hay in his stomach before heading home, but he was very clearly "hiccupping". 

While this field trip had very good moments, it ended okay, and I'm very much looking forward to learning more from Coach JM in future lessons, it was clear to me that Pyro needs more frequent, lower pressure field trips. This high arousal environment was a little TOO much, and the time constraint of a scheduled lesson added to the pressure. I've already planned our next "no pressure" field trip for this Friday, so hopefully I can encourage his self regulation without blowing right past his threshold. I hope that by setting up these circumstances that are a little more exciting than at home, but not TOO exciting, I can build both his resilience and my skill in helping him come back "down". 

Recovery walk at home the following day, while I drug noisy chains in the gravel alongside him. He gave zero Fs.

Our next ride at home, he completely redeemed himself. We shared a relaxed bareback ride, and he was the enjoyable boy I know he can be. 

That's my good spotty critter

Unplanned, but the sun flare was perfection

Happy in his work

Zero shenanigans

We'll get there buddy, together

Today is the day marked on my calendar to ask myself, "Am I enjoying Pyro?" 

I'll be the first to say Pyro is a complicated horse. Uncovering the layers of my "onion boy" is testing my horsemanship at levels I've never experienced. I never anticipated our path would look like this when I bred Missy in 2018. Along our journey together, as I discover what he needs from me to be happy and healthy and willing to work with me, there have been many ups and downs, and I'm sure there are more of both in our future. 

Complicated, "tricky" horses aren't for everyone. I'm sure there are other people who would've sent him down the road by now, and that's okay. However, I personally find it really rewarding to figure out what he needs, evolving as a horsewoman and deepening my relationship with him along the way. I'm truly enjoying our "conversations" as we work together, and I keep catching glimpses of the confident, trustworthy partner who's a pleasure to be around that I know he can be. 

It's almost time for his monthly trim and saddle fit check. With this consistent work, I fully anticipate further saddle changes.