My personal life got in the way again of riding and time has passed.
I also haven’t reported on the great rides Sue and I’ve had in the Monday nite lessons…She knows the other horses now and is very relaxed.
So, I’ve taken off work and riding during the day all this week (except, I got interupted again by my personal life).
Anyway. There are three horses being rode in the arena. One of them is standing still. The other one is zipping around.
I decide today is the new day of the carrot stick. We’ve done our friendly game on the ground. I’ve thrown the carrot stick up in the air over Sue and kept at it until she stopped flinching. OK, once I didn’t catch it and it clattered on the saddle…but she was used to it by then.
Back to riding. I’ve picked up my carrot stick from the ground several times. The first time she shuddered. I put it down and picked it back up…No reaction.
I tap on the fence with the carrot stick…no reaction from the brave Sue.
I’m riding with the carrot stick having a fine time. Sue is fairly relaxed.
But the other horse is doing something and we do our half-bolt. I can think when she does a half-bolt. She’s not stopping and I decide that it’s the carrot stick that is now causing her to stay right-brained.
NOTE: For years I’ve heard Jenny tell stories of people who pick up things that scare their horse. The horse spooks or leaps around and the person’s grip on the scary thing gets tighter and tighter. It’s a chain reaction and it goes Western. Jenny sez, let go of the scary thing -DROP IT! I’ve vowed over the years that when this happens to me, that I will be able to drop the scary thing.
back to the story…
My brain hears Jenny tell the story, “just drop the scary thing.”
I drop the carrot stick.
Unfortunately, I didn’t hold the carrot stick out to the side. I am holding it so it rests on my shoulder.
I raise my hand somewhat and let go of the carrot stick.
I dropped the carrot stick on Sue’s rear end!!!! It bounced off her rear end behind her.
Now what is the worst POSSIBLE THING that I could have done with a horse that is afraid to have anything touch her rear end (especially when she is in semi-bolt right brain) and is afraid of objects moving behind her.
Yep…exactly what I did…the worst possible thing.
I got Sue stopped in about 10 more steps. If this had happened a couple of months ago, they would probably still be picking up pieces of me in the rafters, the sand, the walls etc….