When I went to the arena to visit, ride and play with Fancy yesterday, we heard a strange noise from outside. I thought it might be a weird dog howling. We became scared of that end of the arena.
It wasn’t howling; it was her horse pasture mate! Her pasture mate went crazy today when Fancy and I were in arena. The pasture mate screamed a true horse scream-whinny, upsetting Fancy.
When I moved the jump holders and a pole into the arena, I let Fancy loose, and she ran down to the end of the arena and to look out of the window on the end door. She was trying to see her pasture mate. I didn’t understand what was happening. Fancy was anxious. I needed to partner up with her and get her mind on me. I asked her to circle me at liberty in the scary end. She took off! Fancy’s tail kinked out and she tried to do half circles around the entire arena. No, I blocked the change of direction at least 4 time until she settled down and trotted one way around the arena. I gave her the signal to stop and come to which she willing did. We rested. Her attention did not stay with me. She kept looking at the window, trying to see her pasture mate. Therefore, I asked for a circle the other direction and got the same kinked tail, half circle attempts, direction arguing when finally she relaxed and completed a full circle around me. Again, she was glad to come to me and rest.
We spent time sidepassing up and down the arena till she truly looked like a horse I wanted to ride. As we were getting on the bridle, we heard the stomping. What the heck?
Her pasture mate was pounding, bang bang bang. I thought she was pawing. This was not pawing. Fancy’s pasture mate hopped her front legs into the metal water tank and was bouncing up and down, making the stomping noise.
Fancy became very anxious. I misread it as fear. Nope, it’s herd bound behavior. We did a lot of running, backing, side-passing on ground till I thought she was connected to me. Nope. We did more..and more until she was a horse I wanted to ride. I rode and we played with a jumping obstacle. Fancy jumped over a pole doing a figure 8 in the safe part of the arena.
Fancy did great and we had fun. I got off at scary end of arena and took off her bridle. She followed me as I picked up a pole to put away. At safe end of the arena, I turned around and Fancy was on the ground. Fancy wants to roll with my saddle. Scream! Got her up uncinched the saddle and immediately, she took off. I managed to rip the saddle and pad off as she left. Thankfully, saddle pad did not get ground into dirt.
The owner of the pasture mate came and got the filly out of the pasture. After a few chores, I put Fancy in her lot. She screamed and ran. Etc…etc. The pasture mate was fine when tied in the aisle to get saddled. Her owner remarked on her wet front legs. I told the owner that her horse leaps her front legs into the water tank and splashes.
Remarkably, the pasture mate was “ruined” by the same trainer as both Fancy and Lucky and then went on to an even more brutal trainer. She is three! She has issues! Erin is turning her mind around, bit by bit.