The Return of Spanish Stamp

Max has taken up a variation on a theme, Sammie's old Spanish Stamp routine. Perhaps I shall think of it as a tribute.

Max and I have been working on alternate lifting of his fronts in hand for a long time now. I have experimented with the way I ask and have received various offers as a consequence. If I stand at his side and point or tap with the dressage stick, I get a limp wristed kind of lift and hover; if I stand in front and point Max will only offer foot up along with back up as; lately though, with my hand tickling at his elbow, it's been a lift more majestic and haughty, like a diva demanding brie and white wine, right here, right now!

What we've not quite been able to work out in all this is forward motion at the same time. Until today!

The weather remains unpredictable and pretty foul, so the indoor school was our venue. I was was tapping his leg with the dressage stick to little effect, so tried touching his elbow with my hand and up came that leg.

Stick was discarded and I got Max walking forward by my side, my hand resting on his elbow and saying "Spanish" with a little tickle. What I was after was the link up of forward motion plus raising leg - I didn't expect him to connect the two today, but in very little time he did.

Comedy pony! It is not Spanish Walk, it is definitely Spanish Stamp! He can't do alternate legs, just one side at a time and he has to get his head right down to look at his feet (that's how I knew when he was working up to a stamp) and sometimes he has to stop after he's done it because it's all just too much.

I made a fuss of him but was laughing so much - what a picture of determination! He started getting really enthusiastic about the whole thing so we had to dial it down a notch with a bit of leg yield

"No! Not Sideways! STOMP!"

We did one last walk up and down the school, stomping on one rein then the other (and this really is early days, the length of the school gets one or two stamps, it takes him that long to figure out his balance and work up to it) then I put away the treat bag and walked away so he could have a roll and there we left it.

Imagine when I eventually transfer this to saddle! I can just picture the surprised faces as we ride out down the lane:

Max: STAMP

Me: laughter

Max: STAMP

Me: more laughter

Max: STOMPITY STAMP

and so on...