Yesterday was another beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was almost 60 degrees, and the horses were happy to see Mom and I. At first, we concerned ourselves with checking our fence. Our "temporary fence" we put up when we first brought the horses home has lasted three years, which is an amazing feat. However, all good things must come to an end as they say, and that fence is approaching the end. It wont hold a decent electrical charge any longer, and though we are trying to maintain it and fix it, we are also looking into permanent fence with wooden posts and aluminum gates! When we begin this project, we will also be expanding the pasture a bit, hopefully to add another combined acre.
Anyways, after checking the fence, Mom and I went to bring in Woody and Charlotte, and although Woody walked away when I presented the halter, I was able to quickly have him face up and accept the halter and me putting it on. Charlotte did well also. Both horses were pretty darn filthy, so we spent the next 20 minutes grooming them. Woody did extremely well in ground tying, I threw the rope on the ground, and he didn't move an inch as I groomed him all over. In fact, I think he got a nice little nap in. I had to use my old saddle pad (the one without any back cushioning/support), but Woody stood still nicely as I saddled him, too. As I prepared to bridle him, Woody showed a fair amount of resistance. Looking back on the situation, I believe his attitude was not necessarily fear, but an attitude of "this is not comfortable for me, and I would rather not do this." He also, being Woody, is concerned around his ears with the bridle. Part of this is due to a bridle that is too small for his head. I will be searching for another headstall that fits him properly, in which he has a lot of room around his ears. I believe this will help the situation, and me continuing to take the time and takes and work through his struggles patiently will also allow him to make lasting progress, hopefully.
With both horses ready to go, we took them out the gate, and I started asking Woody to do certain things to get with me. I asked him to lead off pressure at the walk and trot, stop, and back up. He was snappy and engaged. I asked him to jump the barrels a couple times to get any bucks out of him he might have, and I also sent him to different objects to have him touch. He seemed to be feeling good and ready to go, so I attached him reins, tightened his girth, grabbed my helmet, and headed to the mounting block. On the way there, he began to get a bit fidgety, and he strayed away from me, my plan, and what we were doing at that moment. He began to worry about where Charlotte was, etc. I tried to subtly get him with me again, and I practiced leading him from zone 3 (girth area) simulating riding. He was not listening to me, and I think the way I presented it was wrong, because it went from bad to worse. However, having a moment of direct line-ness, I proceeded to the mounting block, hoping this behavior would magically disappear.
Immediately he let me know that was not going happen by having a snot attack as I tried to line him up to mount, and thankfully Mom saw this and said, "Are you sure he's ready to be ridden?" I went to get his halter, put it back on, and Mom on Charlotte and I leading Woody headed out. My main goal was to get him ready to ride. I wanted to fix whatever issue he was having so that he would be safe to ride. His attention was everywhere but on me, he was having random snot attacks, and he was concering himself waaay too much with the grass. I tried getting his attention back softly to no avail. Then I tried getting him with me by being big and demanding. That too, seemed to not work. I then tried to let him have a canter to get some bucks and play out that he had. He did fly around and canter and buck, and he would return to me pretty easily, but in the end, I really don't think it helped all too much.
In truth, I was getting frustrated that nothing worked and he seemed to be getting worse. Mom saw me becoming emotional and suggested I take him back. As I returned to the pasture he truly began to ONLY concern himself with the grass, and I got cranky with him and jerked on him when he started grazing. This, of course, didn't help, so I just brought him back in, untacked him, and had a good cry.
Mom returned on Charlotte, and asked if I wanted to take Teddy out for a walk. I thought that would be a good way to help me NOT dwell in my self pity, so I haltered him (after having to wait for him to accept it for a while), and headed out. We went walking down the driveway a bit, and Teddy and I were doing everything from zone 3 leading at the walk and trot to leading from in front of him at the walk, trot, and canter. We went to the hayfield (a first for Teddy), and we had fun running all around, cantering, circling, and watching the cars on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The whole time we were on our walk, Teddy was blowing, licking his lips, and yawning. My word, that horse would NOT stop yawning! Even as we were trotting, I'd look over and he'd be in the middle of a huge yawn. That is a really awesome sign for him, since he sometimes has trouble in new situations. He had a good time and got exercise, and it certainly helped me to put the episode with Woody behind me.
Mom and Charlotte also had a ball and Mom did excellently with Charlotte, keeping focused on her so Charlotte stayed engaged.
That session with him was not one I am proud of, mainly because I feel like I let Woody down as his supposed leader and comfort. I was not there to help him work through what he needed to work through, and I gave up on him and got emotional. Though I know it was wise of me to put him up before things got even MORE worse, I still felt like a failure. Looking back, the first thing I would have changed was my attitude. I didn't let go of the hope Mom and I would ride together, and by that being in the back of my mind, I wasn't truly only concerning myself with getting him with me and feeling ok with trusting me. He was concerning himself with keeping an eye on where Charlotte was, and he was ignoring me and focusing on the grass and other things instead.
Though it is not something I am proud of, I do realize that that time is important in my journey through horsemanship. It needed to happen. Not every day can be the best session ever or the best ride ever. There are going to be low points in my journey, but the best thing to do, I know, is to take what happened, learn from it, put it aside, and start over. Just move on and continue building that relationship, leadership, and partnership with him. I love him, and he knows how much I care about him. He knows I try my best for him, and spend an amazing amount of time studying him, his ways, how to communicate with him, and how to be the best for him I can. Because of all that, I know he'll forgive me, and he will be able to move right on with me.
~Eden
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3 comments:
Oh Eden, I empathize! My older horse, Smokey (RBI) still hides from me when I enter the field - after 7 years! The best thing for him has been my shifting attention to the Rockys (LBE/I)and taking the pressure off of him until he voluntarily comes to me.
What if you were to play with the other guys first (or exclusively)? Would Woody eventually come over and butt in to ask for your attention?
He seems to be skeptical about "what's in it for me" - typical LBI. (Is that how you chart him?)
Are you ever able to get him really curious about things? What if you were to put some syrup on his bit to give him something to look forward too? (Hey, Pat P. apparently does that at his barn!)
Just some thoughts. Hang in there, you are learning tons!!! And spring is almost here. :-)
Clare
Man, that is a rough day. I don't know anyone involved with horses who hasn't had one of those days (or two or three or four or . . .).
I know you feel bad for letting Woody down but don't dwell on it. As the saying goes, when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Sometimes the best thing we can do is put them away and wait for a better moment. Trust that the rapport, while dented just a little, is easily repaired when our leadership is better in order.
Something I've learned with Cricket is to notice *everything* and assert my leadership immediately. I'm learning to better recognize when she's in the mood for something and not just tolerating what's going on. Leading her out of the stall is the most important thing I do because it sets the tone. I've stopped letting her wander to the hay pile or check out the other feed pans - she is to exit her stall and stand while I re-fasten the gate. She's not to snatch grass while I grab her brush or leak forward while I do something else. It started as a bit of a battle but now she just walks by the hay or the feed cans without even looking at them.
I don't know if Woody is that kind of horse but sometimes the small things we notice end up being the most significant. Cricket asks a lot of "what would you do if I . . " type questions and when I 'splain it to her right, we have a much better session.
Hope things are better tomorrow!
~ Lisa
Lisa-
Yes, Woody IS that kind of horse!! Thanks for those excellent reminders and pieces of advice. You are right, I DO need to pay more attention to those little spots, notice them, and DO something about it. Because those spots mean the most to the horse, regardless their size.
I, too, have discovered the concept of holding my horses to a standard. What I mean is, that I expect him to stand still when I drop the lead rope on the ground, to walk off of the pressure on the lead rope when I lead and NOT pull back or hesitate, and to not run over me, be a cookie monster, etc. Those are specific behaviors that I have trained in him, and he knows how to do. If he fails to do so, I help him out as SOON as I see him struggling. Whether it be him looking away at something for a long period of time while ground tied, or him thinking about invading my space. That goes back to the "recognize it immediately and do something about it" concept.
He, and possibly Cricket too since their so alike, is a horse that NEEDS black and white. Gray areas are very difficult for him, because if I am wishy washy with him he will CONTINUALLY question my leadership, and if I mean what I say. Therefore, I have followed through on my promises and in return he has granted me his respect.
Sorry, thats a lot to write, but I appreciate those reminders and tips you gave me, and thanks for being there and supporting me!
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