Teeth?

Middle daughter has been riding Gunner everyday now and things have been getting gradually worse.  The first few times middle daughter rode him it was in a halter and lead rope inside the round pen.  It was going very well but he figured out that he could get away with more because she wasn't very strong.  So we decided to put the bridle on.  We used a snaffle because I wasn't sure what he was ridden in so that was a safe place to start.  The first time the bit was in his mouth he was rolling it around with his tongue and shaking his head.  That behavior started to decrease with each ride but then on this past Sunday night he began to bend his head around and touch her toe every time she asked him to go forward, he would constantly pull the reins down, and play with the bit in his mouth again.  Middle daughter was frustrated to tears.  I thought maybe it was something she was/wasn't doing so I hopped on.  Side note: Don't ride in a saddle that's too small for you...it's not comfortable at all!  I'm not a miracle worker by any means but I wanted to see if he would do the same thing with me...he tried and I was able to get him to move out straight but he continued to try to either do tight circles or just bend his head around.  Anyways, while moving around at a walk he continued to try to pull the reins out of my hands (I was riding on a loose rein, by the way) and still played with the bit basically the entire time.

While I was riding, hubby called his brother to find out what Gunner's deal was with bits.  Brother in law said he used a tom thumb when he would ride him.  I'm not convinced that is what the problem is. 

I rode Gunner for a short time with barely any progress.  Middle daughter got back on and the ride wasn't any better for her.  We called it quits because no progress was being made.

I have a hackmore that I might try on him but my hunch is his teeth need to be done.  Hubby forgot to ask his brother about Gunner's teeth but it definitely won't hurt to have them checked.  Zoe and Melody are due for their teeth to be done so I think I will have Gunner's done at the same time.  I'm thinking we'll use the hackmore until I can get them all in.

If not his teeth and the hackmore doesn't seem to do the trick, we'll be back to the drawing board...


Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.'

-David Frost