Tying:
It's an issue. I've contacted a few local trainers for an evaluation type thing, have to see how that pans out. She got away from me by wrenching my arm out of the socket when I was looking for a lunge line in the tack room and went galloping all the way back to her buddies. Frustrating.
Riding:
Has been getting better. She's stronger and more fluid in her trot work now, it used to be so unbalanced and she'd just... wiggle! There was no straight line anywhere, and the tempo/pace was all over the place. She's still got some buddy issues, and it shows when we head in the direction of the pastures. Every time we go down that side facing her pasture mates, she wants to pick up the next gait. It helps when I'm looking for a transition, but really annoying when I'm not. She's also really started to get the one leg means move over, two means go forward thing. I can gently pat her left side, and she'll move right, and vice versa. It usually takes a few efforts, and she does a really funny over-reaction when she doesn't want to pay attention. I'll nudge her side and without any warning, all of a sudden she blows this huuuuge kick with which ever hind foot is closest to the cue. I'm working with getting her attention first, then cueing, which seems to help most of the time.
De-sensitizing:
We had some fun with balloons. I got a few for my b-day and immediately thought "ooh what fun to make the ponies play with them!" I know, I enjoy this too much.
Before:
You want me to get near those things?!?
"But won't it eat me?"
"Oh, I guess not... Well aren't I silly :D"
And then we went and had a bath. She's really not this glossy, it's just I'm too lazy to wait until she's dry to take pictures. I think she's gained weight, not enough, but some. I think that little bit of grass has been helping, don't you? :D
Ouch, I hope that tying problem fixes itself because by the sounds of it she knows now with anything, if she hauls back she gets loose. :S
ReplyDeleteHaha this reminds me. Once I was out riding Indigo bareback. I seen these things in the field so I rode over. It was two silver helium balloons. We were a foot from them, the wind picked up, Indigo launched a foot to the side and I fell off...Landing right on both my feet?
I assessed how on earth I landed on my feet and how to harness this falling off power in the future before gathering the two balloons tied by a string, rubbed her with them then draped them over her withers and rode home. She could have cared less. Goofball.
Green grass seems to be the BEST for helping horses gain weight, shed their coat and look fantastic. I'm so glad it's spring!! Your mare is adorable, by the way! :-)
ReplyDeleteOncoming grass in spring should help with the weight, that's for sure.
ReplyDelete