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dancing_crowI feel like some intellectual's version of a country & western song: I've been rebuked, reprimanded, and reminded of stupidities all morning to the point that I am deeply defensive about everything and forgetting that I had a pretty good ride on the red horse even though she was in a sticky place to start with.
It is absurdly warm, all the extravagantly cold weather let go yesterday, and it was nearly 40 F last night and it is almost 60 now. The wind is blowing hard, the tractor was going up and down the driveway next to the outdoor ring taking the trash out, and the red horse was resistant and grumpy. Leg on meant buck, resist meant stop (and spook, and spin). It took some 10 minutes of walking and lateral work to get my leg onto her and get her bending and going forward. Then things got better, and I had some very nice serpentines at the trot, and then a series of really nice canter departs. We finished when she went down the long side next to the tractor easy and calm and hearing me, just flicking her ears at it. Of course she was drenched with sweat, so we walked and walked, I sponged her off a little, and we walked some more. I think she is grateful to get out of the mud, and onto relatively flat ground.
One rebuke was from the barn owner, who will not have clickers at her barn. I'm kind of mad about that, because it seemed to be helping Kaboose get past spooking at EVERYTHING and start thinking about looking at it and putting her nose on it. I am sure some of the spook will decrease when she's been there a little longer, but it would be nice to be able to take her around without the feeling that she is going to jump out of her skin. So do I keep on working with no click? or just when Gale can't see me, or skip the process and think about something else? Defensive.
I got a wheelbarrow of manure out of her (still muddy but now also frozen into lumps) pen, and went home. I am retreating into my book, and then I'll deal with kid errands this afternoon. I'm taking Alice up to see the younger horses, and letting her play ponies with them. It seems kind of silly but she does better with no pressure, and it this way the dark forces us out before we get too cold or bored.
It is absurdly warm, all the extravagantly cold weather let go yesterday, and it was nearly 40 F last night and it is almost 60 now. The wind is blowing hard, the tractor was going up and down the driveway next to the outdoor ring taking the trash out, and the red horse was resistant and grumpy. Leg on meant buck, resist meant stop (and spook, and spin). It took some 10 minutes of walking and lateral work to get my leg onto her and get her bending and going forward. Then things got better, and I had some very nice serpentines at the trot, and then a series of really nice canter departs. We finished when she went down the long side next to the tractor easy and calm and hearing me, just flicking her ears at it. Of course she was drenched with sweat, so we walked and walked, I sponged her off a little, and we walked some more. I think she is grateful to get out of the mud, and onto relatively flat ground.
One rebuke was from the barn owner, who will not have clickers at her barn. I'm kind of mad about that, because it seemed to be helping Kaboose get past spooking at EVERYTHING and start thinking about looking at it and putting her nose on it. I am sure some of the spook will decrease when she's been there a little longer, but it would be nice to be able to take her around without the feeling that she is going to jump out of her skin. So do I keep on working with no click? or just when Gale can't see me, or skip the process and think about something else? Defensive.
I got a wheelbarrow of manure out of her (still muddy but now also frozen into lumps) pen, and went home. I am retreating into my book, and then I'll deal with kid errands this afternoon. I'm taking Alice up to see the younger horses, and letting her play ponies with them. It seems kind of silly but she does better with no pressure, and it this way the dark forces us out before we get too cold or bored.
