A MASSIVE step forward today!

diamonddogs

diamonddogs

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Apr 14, 2008
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Badiddlyboing, Odawidaho
I got on Kels all by myself with no help this afternoon.

I was so proud of her, because she can be a bit of a cow to mount - nothing nasty, just silly, waltzing about, turning her quarters away from me, walking backwards, you know the stuff.

So, I'm feeling frustrated today because none of my helpers were there, and Kels had been such a good girl - she came to call, and was beautifully behaved coming in, even though the herd were messing around, specially round the gate.

Then I got the urge to tack her up and see what happened. She was tied up outside her stable, so I put my tack box at the side of her and stood on it - she didn't move a muscle! (Safety conscious viewers look away now) I put my foot in the stirrup and still she stood there, so I got on, against all the rules - horse tied up, nobody about, wellies on (though I was wearing my hat). And she was as good as gold. So I broke another rule and fed her a treat from the saddle.

I sat on her for a few minutes, then decided to build on this, so I got off and took her out to the mounting block and bribed her to stand. She wasn't perfect, but a lot better than usual, when I have helpers about. I stopped on a good note when she stood still in the right place for a few seconds.

What a girl! :skip:
 
Yay!!! Go girl!!! Isnt it odd how sometimes NOT having the back up crew and foot soldiers seems to make it easier to take that big step forward? Well you've done the upwards so next step must surely be the 'onwards'?:wink:
 
Thanks guys! You're so right about not having footsoldiers. It got me thinking that horse behaviour is nearly always a self-fulfilling prophesy - we think we're preparing just in case they do something (like someone holding your horse while you get on in case they decide to do something unsettling) when we're actually subconsciously telling them to misbehave! So in this case, two (or sometimes more) of you expect them to move, so they do. And by expecting nothing at all, they behave impeccably!

Only thing is now, I must stop wishing I'd got on at the block, because I could have done - if I had, I was out in the open instead of in the yard, and I had very reduced control as she was still wearing her headcollar over her bridle so the reins weren't in the right place. But I'm going to work hard on her now to make her stand still till I'm ready to move off. Not only will this help my confidence no end, it's also about good behaviour and manners, and being safe as well. I hate to see horses walking off before the rider's comfortably seated.

Maybe that thread I'm going to write called "First Solo Hack" might actually happen one day!
 
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I can't believe I'm posting this twenty four hours later, but today I got on Kelly ON MY OWN, she wasn't tied up, so I was able to ride her ON MY OWN up and down the yard.

Out of the yard, up to the mounting block and after a couple of false starts...

...

...

I got on her ON MY OWN, out in the open, with nobody holding her head and she stood still till I asked her to go forward.

We had a short pootle, not too far because I hadn't put her boots on so we had to walk through mud and water and avoid the stony areas, then I took her back to her stable, fussed her like a mad eejit and turned her out.

What a fantastic day!
 
:biggrin::biggrin: See told you you'd soon be off pootling on your own...no end to the heights you can achieve now is it?:spin:
 
Awh DD thats ace, I'm so happy for you - I know how it feels and tend to find it goes better for me when no one else is around. I actually think its those people that cause the issue for me, I let them take charge or feel inferior, I don't know. But you're right about the self fulfilling prophecy, I'm finding lately that if I just go in thinking 'auch its just a bit of wind, he'll be fine' then he actually is fine. All in our perceptions - I love psychology.:tongue:
 
Well done you !!! Think you have now got over the first major block - once you have achieved that, bit further and bit further and you will have cracked it. You have def done the hardest bit. Large drink for you!!
 
Brilliant. Well done, sounds like you've made great progress in the space of TWO days:biggrin::biggrin:
 
Thanks everyone!

Didn't go to yard today as ridiculously busy doing home stuff but rode again yesterday, so still on target. This time there was a horse in a stable, and one tied up on the yard, so not entirely straightforward, specially as I had a pair of tightish jeans on instead of the leggings or jods I've been wearing all week, which made mounting her a lot harder.

I'm back at work next week, so it'll be a bit harder to keep the momentum going, but I'll do me best to at least get on every day if there's no time to ride properly!

(And I'll remember the ear shots too one of these days!)
 
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