Eryn feels strongly that Bellis understood what to do as soon as she explained it - in English - to her. She says she heard it worked before with donkeys. If that's the case and donkeys are really that smart, why can't she poop directly into the wheelbarrow for me? That would be the best way to use her intelligence, IMO.
I took some photos of Eryn teaching Bellis to lunge, and the geldings watching, rapt. For the first time Mara was not the center of attention and got to be tied up. At first she complained but then she gave up. I tied her very short so she could not get her head down to graze. This time she did not try to break the hitching post. Whew. Then Bellis proves she can tie as well. It's the first time I've seen my donkey tied. Woo, go Bellis!
Bellis had to wait while we lunged Mara - and Mara bucked only 1.5 times this day. She did a lot of tail clamping at the canter, but eventually even gave that up. Eryn was happy. Then we wanted to take a little trail ride with me leading Bellis and Eryin riding Mara.
I assured her Mara was good at the scary chicken/sheep place, but she proved me very wrong. Mara wasn't scared at all, but she decided she didn't want to go for a trail ride and balked. We spent probably an hour and a half there, with Eryn drumming her heels on Mara asking for forward, and Mara refusing, sometime backing, at which Eryn circled her to say "No backing."
It was kind of horrible, but Eryn is very patient and wasn't gonna give in and get off or ask me to lead her from the ground. Mara bucked a little when Eryn escalated her leg cues with a whap of the lead rope.
Then Mara went through her list of tactics in order. Head tossing like crazy-- she thought, "This should work" but it didn't. Then she started complaining about the insects, even when there weren't any. She danced around and kicked threw her head around, trying to intimidate Eryn into giving up and getting off. It didn't work, and Eryn never let her put her head down, which she kept trying to do.
Then they'd make progress, a few meters down the hill, and Mara would balk again, try backing up, try head tossing, and try fidgeting at bugs, in that order, again. Then they'd just stand there for minutes at a time, and Eryn did not give up.
Finally they made it down that hill (past one house - it took forever). And then Eryn turned her around, they went back up, and tried it again. The whole scenario repeated itself. I let Bellis graze the entire time, Bellis had the best day ever.
Even if I walked Bellis down the hill, it didn't help Mara - she's not herd bound at all so another animal leading doesn't help her if she doesn't want to go.
I have never experienced an Arabian horse balking in my life. Arabians as a rule do not just stand there and refuse to move to escape work.
Eryn repeated this down the hill and back again several times. Her poor BF was getting really impatient back at the house I think. But we never even took that little trailride - we never even entered the woods.
Eryn is optimistic, I'm less so. I know I have to go out there and repeat this but I'm dreading it. I've never ridden her down there without my husband leading her. I've ridden her back up that hill, toward home, once, and it was OK. I'm curious whether it will be a problem, or simply...not.
But I have had Mara balk with me a handfull of times on the trail, "I CANNOT!" and now I know it's just laziness, not fear. She's lying to me to get me off her back. Now I know I can just stay on.
I wish I had good news from this weekend (besides Bellis lunging!) but unfortunately Saturday was worse. In a separate blog post I'll tell you how my first planned outing with the two endurance ladies went. Not so good. Why can't people just tell the truth when they say, "We'll go slow!"
If you made it this far here is Mara on the lunge with Eryn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TgO835EPcV0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PSywKJEzlUA
8 comments:
Yikes, Mara! She better accept that Eryn's going to win this battle, sooner rather than later too.
I will say that Bellis over ground poles is the cutest thing I've seen today though...
I've owned 4 Arabs, Lytha, and every one of them has balked at one time or another, but Speedy has been the worst of the balkers. When he was between 4 and 6, balking at downhills was his go-to method of resistance. He wanted to race down the hills and buck, which is obviously dangerous and out of the question. At the steep downhills, I would remind him to use his hind end and go down slowly. When I wouldn't let him put his head to the ground, he would balk and hump up. If I persisted in asking, he would buck and balk. it was frustrating and usually scary because it was always on the side of the road or next to something dangerous. How do they always know? I persisted however and he eventually learned that he had to go downhill quietly and steadily. You'll get there. :0)
Bellis looks like an old pro in those photos. The photo showing her onlookers" was so funny, she really did have an audience - that is a cute story about her. I think that Eryn's belief and confidence in Bellis and in Mara reflects your underlying feelings of what Mara, and even Bellis, is capable of. It is great to see you both working together and learning from one another. Seeing Bellis at the end of a lunge rope makes me smile.
Is Mara wearing the crupper when she goes down the hill? And will she have to wear a crupper in the future? Just curious.
Would it help if she went down the hill being ridden and ponied by another horse at the same time? Why do you think she hates going down the hill? Could it be painful in some way?
You nailed the description of her antics to avoid doing something she doesn't want to do, I'm glad that you have her number. Seems like she must be used to having her way. How would one reward her for going down that hill with no fuss? She is so pretty in the videos even with her tail clamped down.
Don't give up! You are doing a great job.
Wow! Bellis looks like a star student!
And the second video of Mara looked fine--you wouldn't know the crupper was a problem. Are either of you riding her with it? Or just sticking to the lunging for now?
Just remember, even two steps forward, one step back is progress. You'll get there.
It must be exhausting riding Mara. I totally understand the dread of having to push a horse past its latest resistance... and feeling relieved that it finally handled some problem place with a level head, only to take 10 giant steps back in its progress. You are in the thick of the unpleasant part, but it does get better. Unfortunately, we can't control how much time it takes until it gets better, but it does. I'm just trying to offer a little hope.
Pooping in the wheelbarrow... Bombay has started this habit of kicking the tires on the manure wagon before lifting his tail to poop in it. The other horses are learning that I prefer that they poop in the fork while I'm cleaning than to go to a location I already cleaned and mess it up again. But last night we took 10 giant steps back when I cleaned all the stalls, pulled the full wagon through the gate, locked it, and looked up to see that every stall had a fresh pile in it. I voiced my opinion on that one, accusing the horses of doing that purpose. Ha ha.
She will get it, one of these days,:) I can't watch the video's yet... I am trying to upload a jus over 5 min video of a walk on the beach...I think I am on day 3 of it uploading...so much loads ea day then I go to bed and the computer goes to sleep...blah....:/
Tara
Dom, I hope sooner: )
Karen, geez, I didn't knwo that. I have had Arabs get sticky in the arena cuz they don't want to do dressage, but never on the trail. And how odd that with Speedy it was always going downhill! I wonder what is up with that. She didn't resist on steeper hills, so it was clearly the fact that it was the beginning of the trail system and she didn't want to enter it. The only advantage we have here is that it is a big grassy mowed field, a very gradual slope, so it's a safe place to circle, etc. I dread having to go back there and do this myself.
Kay, we don't ride with the crupper yet at all - she's not ready for that yet. I would love it if I could say she'll definitely be wearing a crupper from now on, but I cannot because she might just never truly accept it. On the lunge it's much better as you can see, but riding on hills? Oh boy. To reward her for going down the hill we'll just turn around and go home, which is what she wants. But only after she gives up and goes down, a few times.
evensong, (see above) two steps forward, one step back, it keeps running through my head.
nm, you nailed it again. i'm "in the thick of unpleasant" right now with no end in sight. especially after what happened saturday.
tara, thought of you today when the army radio guy was talking military talk and i have no idea what it's about. i don't know these words! (sorry, i cannot even remember them.)
I got to watch the video's!!!:)....she certainly is scootin along! Like she is trying to outrun the crupper...
LOL at the army thing...some I would understand...some not so much....
Tara ....who is happy to have gotten the video uploaded....
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