Big Choices...

E.'s lesson yesterday ended in coach A. riding the horse again. He was not behaving and was attempting to buck E. off. He is also is not improving with his head movement when asked to stop and continually pulls his rider forward. And these problems are not rider specific - he tries to do the same things to the trainer! (The educator in me insists that I add something positive about poor Curly at this point! He looks beautiful and also has become much better at offering his feet when we clean them. He's also a sweetie when we're on the ground. Okay, my conscience feels better!)

As we drove home I had a serious talk with E. about the suitability of Curly. She agrees that his training needs may be far beyond her abilities - even given lots of time to work with him. I told her that I am concerned about her safety while riding him. We will be trying our rubber bit regime (as soon as it arrives - next week?) to soften his mouth and improve his response to E.'s cues. If this does not work or improve his behavior substantially, I have told E. that we will have to seriously consider getting a different horse for her. This made her sad, of course, but she understands my concerns.

Another option, of course, is to have a trainer work with him the month we are in Europe. But I'm not sure I want to spend another $400 on a horse that may still prove to be unsuitable.