Great news! Gabe passed the vet check with flying colors!  I am very excited to know for sure that he is healthy and structurally sound.  The vet believes his cross-cantering issue is a conditioning issue, which makes complete sense given his background.  I love the diagnoses that have a fix! :)

The cure: long trail rides, even if they are just at the walk.  So, I will pick back up with ponying him off my big grey gelding and enjoy the long jaunts.

Having taken a step back from my immense desire to partner on the back of this horse I am seeing a lot of room for improvement.  It is my understanding that he spent at least five of the last seven years of his life in either a 12x12 box stall or a round pen.  The round pen being the only form of turnout and movement for this beautiful guy.  His lack of conditioning and muscling was obvious upon arrival, the sharp angle to the hindquarters and dips behind the shoulder blades.  And over the last couple of months he has started to round out a bit (even in the belly)!  He is certainly an easy keeper.

What I am observing though is that it is taking him longer to muscle up and get his feet under him than I would have expected.  That makes perfect sense intellectually, but hard to accept in some ways.  If a person who has never played a sport in his life tried to get in shape at the age of 20, it will take them a lot longer than the person who played sports all through high school and then got out of shape in college.  I believe I am seeing the same thing here.

His weakness is manifesting itself most predominantly in the canter.  It seems to be where his lack of training and lack of conditioning meet.  He believes he is incapable of cantering on the left lead, even though I have seen him do it in the pasture.  His muscling seems to make it difficult for him to not cross-canter on the right lead.  He will take about 4 steps of true right-lead canter before switching behind.  At first I was letting him just canter as he wanted, assuming he would figure it out because it looks just as uncomfortable to him as it is to watch it.  But, after two months, he isn't figuring it out.  After consulting my favorite training literature and perusing the web I think I need to change tactics.  There are two concerns: (1) that there is something physically going on with him that makes it painful to canter correctly; and (2) that I could be "training in" the cross canter.

So, I have put in a call to the vet to get a physical assessment done.  I will hold off on the canter until I get the OK.  If I get the ok, then my plan is to start "training" the canter—something I have never had to do with the other horses I have worked with.  Sure, as a dressage rider I have always sought to instill more balance and cadence into my mounts canter, but to actually train the gait itself—that is a new one for me.  Thankfully he is  a willing partner in this endeavor!

He seem to enjoy the sessions, although if I get into a routine he is quick to let me know he is bored.  He shows that in a number of ways.  Either anticipating my requests as if to say "yeah, I got it."  Or nipping at the lead as if to say, "yeah, I got it!"  I work hard to change everything up, but sometimes he thinks he has it and it’s not quite there yet! J  He is a little like the know-it-all on the playground.  Just as insecure and just as hopeful to find someone that will show him how no matter what he is posturing out of pride.

Gabe has turned a real corner this past week.  He has really started to focus in his sessions and is demonstrating his sweetness to everyone who will stop by - something he was only willing to express in the quietest of moments before.  He becoming more and more comfortable with me approaching head-on and even let me slip the halter over his head facing him dead-on this morning.  Ah, the small things in life! But what it really means is that he is starting to trust.  A beautiful thing.  Seeing the expression on his face as his ears popped out from under the halter's headstall, a look of interest in what the session would bring, an absence of fear that I would do something he didn't like - that emotion, that moment, alone puts a big smile on my face.  He is truly a wonderful boy.

Gabe is doing wonderful!  He has been working out the stud hormones, which maybe because of his age is taking some time.  It is known that it can take as many as six months for him to "forget" what he once was.  He is clearly settling in though with each day and I am constantly introducing him to new horses, moving horses around him, and working him in the presence of horses to try and socialize him further.  We had a very funny moment when I got on my horse with Gabe in the arena.  I am working on ponying him so I can get him out on the trail and keep things interesting.  Gabe lost it, he had never seen a "horse-rider" combo!  It was quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.   His eyes grew real wide and it took a bit before he was willing to reach out and blow on my hand to prove to himself it was really me.  I could just see him thinking, "I hear her voice, but what is that THING!"  My horse was clearly laughing heartily as well.  Being the smart boy that he is though, it took that one blow on my hand, you could see him say "oh," and that was the end of it.

Unfortunately, because of his unpredictability with other horses we have had to remove him from his pasture mates after nearly a month of calm (not sure what set them off), but I have full faith that he will eventually be able to manage being turned out with the herd.  As for now, he is perfectly happy as a bachelor.  He roams the property by day and is content in his stall at night.  He comes when he is called for scratchings and his two best friends are a pair of minis that take turns keeping him company outside his stall door at night.

Gabe's training is also progressing.  He is more and more relaxed with his ground training with every day.  He is able to concentrate for longer periods and is starting to muscle up a bit.  He is learning to be respectful, but not afraid.  He is working on accepting ropes no matter where they are on his body and following cues.

Gabe has an incredible mind.  He learns concepts with one try and remembers them the next day and the next.  He wants to please and is constantly trying to figure things out.  His current limitations are no fault of his own.  He is very locked up in his body which can set him off exploding as he gets frustrated.  I am working on releasing that tension even while working.  He is starting to get his legs underneath him and his daily progress is noticeable.

I took him on a field trip last weekend to a local trainer, Kent Stough, who is a world-renowned cutting trainer.  I wanted to make sure I was moving in the right direction with Gabe as I do not pretend to be a professional trainer by any means!  I dare say Kent liked the horse quite a bit even though he works almost exclusively with quarter horses.  I was very proud of Gabe as he really made every effort to understand what was being asked.  The rain pounding on the roof of the indoor, the thunder, the cows outside, none of it fazed him.  He is truly a fabulous horse.

My prediction is that he will make a top-notch endurance horse.   I continue to back him to get him used to the idea, but have put aside the real riding training until I can unlock his body a bit more.  I will also continue to put the ground skills on him that any rider would appreciate, but that will make him a wonderful and safe trail horse.

I promise to post pictures soon!