Ozzie and the Cutting Trainer

I haven't posted much about Ozzie and his time that he has spent at the cutting trainer. Now, Ozzie by no means is a cutter. Not hardly. The poor boy is terrified of cows. He even lives with cows and still is scared to death of them. The poor boy. But, I have sent him to this trainer because he is good. And lets just face it, basics are basics. No matter what discipline you ride. I have gone three times up to the trainer,s house to watch him ride Ozzie and to ride him myself. The second visit was not so encouraging. Corey told me that Ozzie did great out in the field, where he rode him for the first four days. He just wanted to feel Ozzie out before getting into an arena. (Old Pictures of Mr. Cowboy riding Ozzie) But I knew he was a good horse in a pasture. It's when you ask him to do something, is where Ozzie tends to freak out. So, then Corey took Ozzie into the arena. Corey kept thinking, "There's nothing wrong with this horse!" Then they had a moment. Ozzie wanted to go back to the barn and Corey wanted him to go the other direction and Ozzie showed his true colors. Corey said Ozzie jumped straight up in the air, all four hooves, and started to buck. Does this sound familiar to anyone? But Corey is a bit better of a bronc rider than I am. He rode them in high school and college. So, Ozzie figured out he couldn't get the rider off, and then they worked for a few more hours. Corey then rode Ozzie for another week and I came to visit. He told me that he was having trouble getting Ozzie to slow down, relax, look for a release. Ozzie would just grab the bit and run through it like a race horse. Corey then asked me if I ever used draw reins on him. I told him I hadn't but that stupid trainer that I had sent him to before did. At least Corey was having the same trouble with Ozzie that I was. It made me feel a bit better, like I wasn't so dumb and out of shape from having three kids. Corey said he felt like Ozzie just wasn't getting any better, and he didn't want to waist our money. It made me a bit sad, because I am the one who sent Ozzie to that stupid trainer and now Ozzie hates to be collected up and resents being ridden in an arena. All my fault. But I got on Ozzie and rode him at a walk and trot and he was SO much better than when I had dropped him off. So, I reassured Corey that Ozzie was moving in the right direction. Well, yesterday I went to visit Ozzie again. When I got there Corey was saddling up a bay horse and it was freaking out about the saddle bad. I was getting Cowpokette out of the van and I walked over there and said, "What horse is that?" And Corey laughed and said, "Yours!" He said Ozzie has weird moments and freaks out when you are saddling him. Sometimes he is fine and other times he wigs out. Corey thinks he acts like he was beaten. Which I know he was not. It seems like the more broke this horse gets the more stupid he acts with simple things like saddling. Corey said he took Ozzie out in the field the other day and he was spooking at things. Not running and being dumb, but jump a little bit and snort and stare.

Well, to make a long story short. Corey got on Ozzie and would you believe he was walking, trotting, and loping under control, slow, and collected. Corey had a tough job trying to undo what Bubba did. But he did it. I actually loped Ozzie for the first time in a LONG time and didn't feel like he was going to take off into the wild blue yonder. Ozzie has one more week with Corey. I am so glad he is now under control. Corey said he had to ride Ozzie for 4 hours one evening because Ozzie refused to bend one direction. One good thing about Corey is he won't give up. He will win the small battles and the big battles. That is what Ozzie needed. I would ride for 30 minutes and get nervous and fed up and put Ozzie back in the barn. So, I am really excited to get him back home and start riding Ozzie and not being so nervous. Cavaletti poles here I come!!