Square One

I've been excited and nervous all week for my first ever riding lesson on Whisper. For a year riding her I've gone on feel, I needed an expert to give me some strong skill to move us forward. Daunting, but exciting.

Early Sunday morning I went to get Whisper from the pasture. About 20 horses were around her and she let me halter her without any trouble. Then, a horse decided it was time for the herd to move to the far corner of the pasture, fast. Not a spook, just a silly morning gallop all together. I saw it building so I had a good hold of Whisper, though I couldn't have prepared for what she pulled. For the first time ever, she reared and struck at me. She caught my hand with her left front hoof, luckily it hit me on the way up into the rear so I could react and get out of any impact coming back down towards me.

Well that sucked.

She was fighting me, running circles around me. I gave her some more length of my leadline so she could basically longe herself and she went to rear/strike a second time. Being closer to her head was safer. I could get her to stand still a moment, trembling and rigid, then she was back circling and trying to break away.

I didn't know what to do and I didn't have anything but the leadrope with me. I hoped she'd just eventually settle and give me something to work with. Then a newer gelding came back up over the hill, straightline for us at a canter, and I got scared. The herd had followed him out and I could picture the herd in a moment following him for Whisper. My hand stung and I didn't know yet what the damage to it was. I set her loose.

It was a horrible training move. She wasn't actively opposing me when I unclipped her, but she sure as hell wasn't respecting or even aware of me either.

She tore off after the herd. I walked down there, caught her up with out issue, and walked her back up to the barn. Then, Katie and I spent the next half hour getting Whisper out of my space and re-training ground manners in the barn, the ring, the pasture, and finally at a trot.

I'm glad all of the worst happened while Katie was there to see it. I'm glad that she gave me some tools to work to further Whisper. I'm pissed that the horse put me in a position to choose self-preservation over training and I hope that turning her loose earlier didn't lose too much ground. I'm back to never handling her unless I have full intention of making her hold position 100% of the time, being aware of her body in relation to mine even for simple acts like leading in each night, and holding a dressage whip as an arm extension to enforce my space when she refuses to give it.

That's what it's going to be though. That's what "lifetime project horse" means and that's what she is. Hopefully sooner than later it'll get to be second nature where it isn't so physically and mentally exhausting. We did have 3 really short really good rides during the week leading up to now... another reminder that you can't train the horse to what you plan for the day, you have to train the horse where the horse stands on the day.

Quote for today : A stubborn horse walks behind you, an impatient horse walks in front of you, but a noble companion walks beside you.