.... you can watch some more of yesterday's GoPro footage!
I've been asked a few times about how 'looky' O can get on the trail. The truth is, she still looks at things, but mostly with interest, and she does spook once in awhile, but it is rare and it isn't ever anything huge (except for sometimes). For the most part, you can take her anywhere, hop right on, and off you go with the same horse you showed up with. She wasn't like this when I got her - I couldn't ride her out in the big field without her totally melting down. Not any more!
So what's the secret? Honestly? Go ride the pants off of them, everywhere that you can. Throw everything and the kitchen sink at them, and just act like it's normal everyday stuff. If you see something and anticipate that it will be scary, it will become scary to them. They know exactly what you're thinking and feeling. If you see a scary trash can and tense up, they automatically go, "why is she scared? Is she scared of that? I should be scared of that too! It must be scary!" If you act like EVERYTHING is No Big Deal, it quickly becomes No Big Deal. Even if they come across something scary that really does scare them - the emus scare the pants off of her when they get near the fence and start flapping around like crazy - just act like it's no biggie and push onward. If you give them your bravery, they'll become brave too.
Agree with throw everything at them, just wish it was easier for me to do! Need to get my creature off the property more :)
ReplyDeleteLove this, and great song!
ReplyDelete:D Love the video. Once we are ice free, the little dud is hitting the road too.
ReplyDeleteLittle DUDE. Whoops.
ReplyDeleteLove this post!! I soooo wish I had a trailer to get Henry out more!! But he's actually quite awesome at shows- thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post. I have to say, for those that don't have access to any hacking, look around your area for paper chases or hunter paces, you'll get great exposure to JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. At the last one we had to canter through a field of belted Galloways and cross three hock deep mud pits! ps. I am really excited you have a go-pro!
ReplyDeleteperfect explanation! So many people at my barn won't ride if it's windy, or some other circumstance, but I expect my horse to behave and deal with the circumstances and just push through it. Of course I'm not dumb about it, today there was a horse eating newly-cut log that I chose to slow to a trot to go around instead of cantering past, it got a look but we moved on. You've done a great job with O.
ReplyDeleteAnd fun video! I think I might make people dizzy with a go-pro, as we have so many undulating, rocky trails and I'm always ducking for tree limbs, etc. A nice smooth canter was perfect.
Great commentary in the video!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, if you continue to feed the spookiness it's you the creates the monster horse. If you act like it's nothing, so will they (eventually). :)
I completely agree! Plus, the more you take them out and they come back uneaten and unmaimed, the trust between the two of you gets even bigger. They're much more likely to put their trust in you in questionable situations!
ReplyDeleteIt's okay to jump off, too, if the situation gets too crazy. Just stay calm during the whole thing. Hop off and calmly lead them forward. EVERYBODY LIVES!
So happy to hear that she has been able to overcome her hypersensitive lookiness on the trail. It really gives me hope for Q. I'm going to push to get her out more this year to see if it helps.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. Your blog and the way you handled O back in the beginning was a huge inspiration to me finally starting to get Lily out on the trails more back over the summer. It really does work! Thank you for sharing your adventures with us.
ReplyDeleteAnd I LOVED this video! And LOVE the choice of music it is set to! Whose song is it? What is the name of the song? I want to look it up for my riding playlist. :)
It's called "Chocolate" by the 1975... it went around the indie-alt circles a year or two ago, then I forgot about it, then it recently got picked up by all the top 40 stations and now it is playing again! I had forgotten all about it!
DeleteFor me and Dixie (which was the blind leading the blind and frightened) it was all about learning to control my physical fear responses. When I could finally keep breathing, not stare at the scary shit, and sit relaxed, she finally started to realize the scary shit wouldn't eat her.
ReplyDelete(I cheated, too, with clicker-training her to touch the really scary stuff like trash bins. I hadn't done it in years, but last month we were out on our usual trail and one of the signs had fallen over. Dixie thought about having a meltdown, I said "touch it," and she instantly relaxed, touched it, got her treat, and walked on past. It was kinda cool.)
Husbands need to be trained in that manner too ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I need to bite the bullet and just go for it!
ReplyDelete