Thursday, March 21, 2019

Spring Fever; Nerves of Steel?




You think she is calm now ya?....



Ahh... so spring has decided to take a peak around the corner, and boy have the horses ever caught a glimpse!

While I am still getting to know Belle, I feel like I am starting to figure her out. She really isn't spooky per say though she is a bit nervy, mainly stemming from lack of confidence. Totally normal for a baby and something I did go through with Solo. Yet he worked hard to shove his nervous nature into the deepest and darkest of places. When it did rear it's ugly head, it came unexpected and explosive.

Belle atleast, you know from the get-go where her head is at and she is pretty transparent.

Me - sitting on baby horse, perched, ready to book it!

Working with baby horses can be tough. Especially for me, with my Type A personality. I educate beyond educate myself, observing many different strategies and taking away what I like and combining it with my own ways of doing things. I need to understand the why it works/doesn't, how the horses mind perceives it etc, I won't go on because anyone who knows me, knows this.

Essentially what I am saying is that I plan every ride/training session/experience with my horses.


Me - 'Structure is key. Have to maintain structure. Must follow steps. Do NOT divert..... '

Belle - 'Baby hauses don't follow steps, we hyper, we play, we crazay! WEEEE.... Wait... Did you hear that!? I think you did..... What is it? Do we flee?'


Yeap, I have learned to accept this from the babes, plans fly out the window and you work with the horse you have for the day and improve it.


Monday this was us. It was warmer... a bit windy and all the horses felt spring in their steps.

I had planned on more work with the surcingle, after checking flag response along with noises and a few minutes of 'moving the feet' exercise, which to me feels like a mix of slightly lunging and slightly long reining. Lots of direction changes while I walk along at a 45* angle from the haunches, far enough that she has her own space to be confident and close enough that I can reach in and influence with my whip as an extension of my hand.

Belle, meanwhile, was merely trying to contain the willies.

HOLY BALLS.... do you see that!

We sucessfully reined them in while in the cross ties and grooming.

Moving on, I had some gear placed in the middle of the arena, easy to grab when I need it, Belle thought this was terrifying, despite seeing it ... like everyday and wearing it without issue.

I let her gawk, laughed and snapped some blurry pics. Moved on to moving the feet.

Belle hollered and side eyed everything but obliged to my request to keep moving forward and swapping directions every 10 seconds or so. Keeping the mind busy.




I really didn't think we would get anything accomplished until I just said to myself  'okay miss, I am not asking anything more than usual, baby horses are treated the same as big horses... just in short doses'

So, after getting her mind back onto me, I placed the saddle pad, let it fall a few times, behind her back legs and at her sides, prep for future, then placed the surcingle on.
My plan here is to use the pressure from the girth.
I am recently all about pressure in every form, all over her body. When she relaxes, so does the pressure.



We have used the surcingle, maybe 5-6 times now for a few minutes, even advanced to getting it on in the cross ties without batting an eye. Today, she couldn't quite handle the pressure of her own nerves along with pressure on the body. 

(One fun fact I have learned is that mares tend to be overly sensitive to pressure at the heart girth - just a note for those working with fillies)

Belle, backed up slowly, I let her. Held the billets with pressure, released when she calmly halted and I led her back to where I wanted her.

Oh it's okay now...

On we continued for a few minutes.
She even attempted to nip at me once, though I doubt she will ever try it again, THIS mare also bites back! Hey, they have to try it to learn right...


Eventually she held herself together, I pressured/released the billets a few times before calling it a day with lots of pats and scritches.

Ugh... 


As I walked her back to her paddock, I laughed and thought, I really got nothing done but that was ... I think .... more fun....

Did I get anything accomplished? *ho hum- :(*

Yeah I did! I created pressure enough to push her boundaries a bit and say , nuh-uh listen here miss, she eventually gave in. Success! She has to learn what is and isn't acceptable. She is a baby, testing, and I came out the leader.


Success with baby horses are small battles won, the rewards are so instant and minute that sometimes you don't realize you accomplished anything. These baby horses teach us to appreciate even the smallest efforts!


-K

Im FREEEE




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