LBE: Zero brace while riding with contact. Vareto 30/07/2013, part 1

I might not tell you something new, but riding with contact is a big, big issue for Vareto.
The Game of Contact helped him a lot!!! to overcome his RB issues when it came to contact. 
There is still an issue when it comes to contact with the bit but it is completely different to what we had. 

I am so happy we passed his response of  being afraid when it comes to contact and getting RBE by using his feet a lot.
He still uses his feet -he is an extrovert- but his reaction is different which I realized the last 3 sessions.
We did not do a lot of contact riding the last month. I have to admit that it was more a kind of agreement like: "you want to ride with contact? Me neither." But expecting that riding with contact will be better without practice, would be insane ;-)

So we started again and the moment I write this post, we had 3 sessions in a row. I needed also time to lick and chew and to understand what is happening during the last 3 sessions:

• Vareto is taking the reins when it comes to stage 2 within the GoC in walk and trot with a lot of energy: "give me the reins, I want to stretch"
• When I take the reins in walk his answer is mainly: I can go up (Piaffe), crooked, but not forward and not straight.
• He is sometimes grunting when I asked him to move his FQ
• He is tense and bracy, especially in Z1, Z3 and Z5. Talking to Z2 and Z4 is smooth
• Isolating to move FQ (direct rein), HQ (indirect rein) helps him in the moment he wants to go up.
• Asking to soften his ribcage helps him enormous and he is most of the time stretching and blowing without getting in a hurry
• Relaxing rein has the same effect as softening his ribcage
• Soft feel in halt is hard for him. Sticky with the HQ, very active in Z1
• The more provocative the session is, the more "naughty" he is afterwards: nibbeling. Snatching for my hand. In other words, he is extremely LBE after a contact session. 
• He loves an extreme massage in Z1, especially around the mouth and inside the mouth (gums).

Isn't that interesting? Those are all answers of LBE, RBI and RBE and sometimes the reactions are different in different zones. He is switching horsenalities within seconds and mainly between LBE and RBI. Knowing that I totally understand why we have a hard time to find a solution for him. Which strategy to use? I feel the LBE coming out the most and this is what I will address: ZERO BRACE.

The goal is there, the strategies are getting clearer and clearer with every session. I feel that he needs lots!!!! of repetitions, that's why our focus will be on contact riding every day for a short sessions, combined with relaxing trail rides before and after the sessions. 

It is HIM to deal with this huge!!! learned behaviour of contact riding in the past and it is on ME not to avoid extreme reactions to contact from him by not riding with contact.

That is my summary from the feedback he gave. It is a very exciting project of "zero brace in Z1 with contact" and the journey just begun. I will keep you posted.