Aligning ourselves with all the difficult horses in blogland, we had our worst ride ever at the arena across the street.
I'm usually pleased with how agreeable Mara is in that arena, well, I guess not always.
I lunged her a bit and she was simply on fire - racing around, floating as if she were free lunging, and not caring about slowing down at all. A good day to work on various sized canter circles! She never broke a sweat and I never heard her breathing - weird cuz she pants on hills in the woods, but cantering circles doesn't take any effort at all I guess.
When she was doing some nice relaxed jog, I finally got on. My first time riding alone since my fall.
I thought I'd start with some small serpentines but she was almost unable to do them, she was so distracted. It was windy and cool, it felt wonderful to me. I tried working on lateral steps and both ears were up, neck stiff, I couldn't get her to give me an ear, even though she was complying.
This other lady showed up and walked around and scared a year off Mara's life when she suddenly walked around a corner. I had about half of Mara's attention and jumped off and lunged her some more. She sprang happily into a relaxed canter on her own and kept it up, she just wanted to run I think.
As evidence to how stressed Mara was today, she pooped as I lunged her. She never does that. She only poops and pees in public when stressed, such as when we approach a field of cows or sheep or hydraengas.
I dreaded taking her into the woods but felt I really should. On the way there a tree had bombed a thousand plums down onto the street and she feasted, carefully spitting out the pits. My animals are pros at plums now - our tree drops them every day into their paddock. There are plum pits all over the place.
I spent some time letting Mara graze on trail, and I sat on a bench until some other trail users passed. On Sundays I often do this to expose Mara to bikes and strollers, just sit there until a few people pass.
She had this look in her eyes - she was not at peace. I didn't know what to say to her.
Finally at the switchback trail, my favorite, I got on and rode her up. For the first time she was very tense on this trail. From time to time I'd stop her and count to 20 slowly, letting her ponder her situation. She was very good about that. Halfway up the hill I grabbed a handful of mane and realized her neck was as hard as a rock.
I had been doing my breathing exercise but began bending her left right left right and asking for some leg yields. That unlocked her and she finally sighed. At the top I asked for a trot and enjoyed a slow collected jog. I finally had a relaxed, attentive horse, so I praised her and jumped off, and praised her some more with as much sincerity as possible.
At plum depot she ate a few more - lucky horse. Going through our neighborhood is going through patches of fallen pears, apples, and plums.
I was astonished to see our outing today was 2.5 hours! I had a calm horse for about 2 minutes of that: )
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9 comments:
Maybe she was having a difficult heat?
But that two minutes was how you finished! Good for you both!
KB, maybe - today she kept flirting with the horses across the street who were leaning their necks over the arena wire - trying to touch her. She flirted and talked with each of them, it was adorable. I can't complain when she talks, if it's only talking, and no striking or kicking. Also, I was grooming her today and started rubbing her butt and she slowly leaned it toward me, enjoying it. Heat, if so displayed, is no problem for me, I appreciate her subtlety.
ES, thanks for that. I'm grinning at your comment. Woo for the 2 minutes!
I guess we have to allow our horses to have "those days" when we have them ourselves. But to get two minutes of good behavior and finish is excellent.
I love when they spit out the plum pit, so very clever. Major will do it with apricots and peaches too. Though I still cringe when he eats an entire lemon, yuck!
The reason you didn't hear her breathing at the canter on the lunge was because she wasn't breathing normally in time with the canter - one breath per stride - she was partially holding her breath due to tension - many horses do this and until you work through it the tension will still be there and carry forward into all the work. You may want to do some exercises with her to help her release tension - part of this may involve keeping her on the lunge at the canter until she's exerted herself enough that she has to break through into one breath per stride. Then the other direction until you get it again - it should be quicker this time. And then repeat briefly in both directions to confirm. You may discover you have a different, much calmer horse - not because she's tired but because she's let go of the tension she was carrying in her body.
Sounds like her brain is still young.
She knows what you want, and can kinda comply, but change a variable and it's So. Much. Harder.
Also: you don't always get to know what the variable is.
Horses are fun.
Now I've some back-reading to do! Glad you're riding!
you are reading her well, and handling her well!
- The Equestrian Vagabond
Irish, he eats lemons! Oh yes, they grow on trees where you live!
Kate, come to think of it I've never heard Mara breathe at a canter, unless she's having a bucking fit. Hm. I'm gonna try lunging her on a hillside again to see if I can hear breathing.
Aarene, so what was the variable? What, you don't know either? : )
Connie, I'd love to do a distance derby someday, but I'm sure you guys don't count it when the person is on the ground walking most of the time, *sigh*
Merri, really? I was wondering about that on this very day. Am I reading her correctly? I have the feeling I am. Like, the times I feel she needs to stand still and think, it seems to help her. It's a balance of "Going forward is so scary, but standing still is so sucky, I think I prefer to go forward." I hope: )
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