Deep Breaths...

It's mid-December and we have had a very mild winter (so far) but the days that are cold(ish), as in below 40 degrees, J has been really cranky.  He acts up in his stall, in the cross ties and under saddle.  He is very snarky towards other horses, his muscles are very tight, he is cold backed/saddle sore, he is hesitant to go forward until really warmed up, he is much less tolerant of correction and more spooky.  He has been prone to this in the past and a couple of years ago it was suggested that he was magnesium deficient and after being put on a supplement, he got much less cranky.  When we moved to White Springs, I was able to gradually take him off all his supplements (except the Adequan for maintenance), as he was getting great turnout, great feed and back on pasture.  He has been great all summer, but with this cold weather he has been a bit of a monster.  So I decided to put him back on a magnesium supplement, but this time decided to go with MagRestore, made by Performance Equine USA, which touts human-grade supplements.  So he is on the loading dose now, started on Sunday night and lasts for 10 days, and then he goes on the maintenance dose.  So we shall see if his attitude gets better with the new supplement.

So I have been working hard at keeping him in correct flexion and asking him to bend his back, which has been a trial of patience, for both J and myself.  We have some moments of correctness, but we have lots of moments of resistance, which is really trying for me.  I want him to be perfect NOW, but in the back of my mind, I know that is not possible.  He has to build up the muscles and learn what I am asking for, but it is hard to remember that when I am in the saddle.  And it doesn't help when he is obstinate and throws little temper tantrums because I'm actually making him work and use his back!  So I try to not "drill" the exercises and take a break once in awhile, by doing canter/trot lengthenings or simple transitions and praising him a lot.  It gives both of us a break- both mentally and physically, which definitely makes a difference. 

I feel like I am still giving him too many static aids and he gets dull to my aids and doesn't more forward with enough impulsion as he should and does do with Shelley.  I get mad at myself and mad at him, which I know is unfair.  But I try to take a deep breath and calm things down and then get back to it when we have both relaxed.  This is definitely a lesson in patience for me!