Had a stressful hack at the weekend. Normally Raf is fine in company, in fact he is even quite ploddy when we go out with our normal companions - OH on Jack and a friend on her big rather tricky warmblood. But at the weekend another friend came with us on her young mare. The mare was being silly and Raf also went into silly mode, prancing about, trying to bite Jack and pretending to spook at everything. He had his head tucked so far into his chest my reins were practically pointless and the redundant loop kept catching around the flap of the saddle. I tried to get away from the mare by going in front which worked, but Raf walks a lot slower than the two big horses and I felt I was holding the job up.
To make things worse the friend with the warmblood hadn't been out on him for a while as he's being treated for ulcers so she was worried about his behaviour - he tends to get very stressed at the slightest thing - plus she wanted to see if there was any improvement since he'd been having the treatment so really wanted a nice steady ride.
It was nice that everyone blamed the friend on the young mare and not me, but really it's not fair to blame her for not being able to control her horse when mine was being just as daft, except that she wouldn't take the hint and try to keep her distance (but then I've a horrible feeling I may have been guilty of that in the past when I first got Raf and he was young and full of it).
As it turned out the warmblood behaved superbly, despite all the commotion, so friend was very pleased indeed and fingers crossed it was the ulcers making him so sensitive and grumpy and the treatment is making him happier.
But I wish I'd been able to control Raf better. The next day me, OH and friend on young mare went out together but this time not so much on the roads so I had more room to manoevre and I kept Raf behind the others out of the way. Jack ignores the mare, so he carried on being lovely placid Jack and by the end of the ride Raf was behaving very well and managing to tear his concentration away from her. I'm dreading the next time we all go out though, if there is a next time - I don't think friend on warmblood will do it again.
To make things worse the friend with the warmblood hadn't been out on him for a while as he's being treated for ulcers so she was worried about his behaviour - he tends to get very stressed at the slightest thing - plus she wanted to see if there was any improvement since he'd been having the treatment so really wanted a nice steady ride.
It was nice that everyone blamed the friend on the young mare and not me, but really it's not fair to blame her for not being able to control her horse when mine was being just as daft, except that she wouldn't take the hint and try to keep her distance (but then I've a horrible feeling I may have been guilty of that in the past when I first got Raf and he was young and full of it).
As it turned out the warmblood behaved superbly, despite all the commotion, so friend was very pleased indeed and fingers crossed it was the ulcers making him so sensitive and grumpy and the treatment is making him happier.
But I wish I'd been able to control Raf better. The next day me, OH and friend on young mare went out together but this time not so much on the roads so I had more room to manoevre and I kept Raf behind the others out of the way. Jack ignores the mare, so he carried on being lovely placid Jack and by the end of the ride Raf was behaving very well and managing to tear his concentration away from her. I'm dreading the next time we all go out though, if there is a next time - I don't think friend on warmblood will do it again.
