We went back and forth for a long time. I tried in his stall, using the walls to prevent him from running backwards. I tried in the pasture, doing ground exercises, asking him to back, asking him to go forward, then trying to touch his neck. I tried applying pressure lightly until he became still, then releasing the pressure. None worked.
I called his (race)track trainer for advice and she confirmed that he had been that way when they first got him and the best thing to do was to take the bridle apart and remove it a strip at a time. She also recommended having his teeth checked.
I was pretty broken hearted. I tend to be over-emotional when it comes to the horses anyway (anyone who spends that much time with horses probably feels the same) and the thought that he and I had lost some trust between us was too much to bear.
Worse, his poll scars were raw and obviously painful by the time I got the bridle off.
The next 4 feedings this week, I slowly worked with Bandon (Teddy Grahams are his most favorite thing) asking him to let me apply needed ointments and sunscreen to his scars. Friday, they looked healthy and I tested him by bridling again. He happily accepted it and proceeded to jump his heart out for me totally barefoot under saddle.
With that behind us, we looked ahead to Saturday and a very small local show. I've hauled Bandon out 3 times since I've had him. Once to Cindy's farm for a training ride, once to Rivermont when I thought he would show for me and things went badly, and the last to Whitfield just for exposure.
Knowing Bandon wore me out on my own, we planned ahead to have a sitter for my kids so Chris could go with me and give a me a hand.
I was totally prepared for Bandon to get to the show site and have a meltdown or otherwise stress to a point that we would need to make it positive and leave. I was totally prepared for, if he did well, still needing to get off after a short warm-up and not making it to the ring. I was totally prepared for him to get in the ring and only be able to handle a trot circle before we scratched.
I was not prepared for Bandon not getting on the trailer. After breaking a trailer tie and deciding there was no way in Hell he was getting in that gray box, I had a major breakdown. 30 minutes later, I was able to find a formula that was working to encourage him to be in line with loading and holding his ground. Another 10 and he was on and happily munching with no interest in getting back off.
He's always loaded nicely for me, a few times balking a little before going on, I have no clue what was going on in his mind today. That, coupled with the bridle issue earlier in the week left me wondering if I was getting warnings that this was a bad idea... or if it was just something I needed to try harder at.
Horse on the trailer, I figured we'd get to the site in time to work with him a bit and then head for home since we ended up pulling out of the driveway a little before the show was due to start. Luckily, this particular show ended up starting 2 hours after it was scheduled to start and we arrived with loads of time.
Bandon and I have worked a lot of skills at home, one skill he'd been doing well with was trailer tying. Within 5 minutes the halter was broken into 3 pieces and the leadrope was also broken, those skills obviously didn't translate to offsite...yet.
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So, Chris held him with the spare rope around his neck and I went for the bridle. I'd hoped to have more time to acclimate him first, lack of a halter sort of pressed the issue faster. He handled it like a pro, no problems at all.
Issue one, scratched off. He was bridled.
Next big hurdle was the warm-up ring. I decided to hand-walk him into the ring, not wanting to mess up any pony riders in our training, and took some jeering from spectators that my horse was naked and I was supposed to be on him. Still it was good exposure, especially since he quickly discovered a scary corner of the ring.
Who works loading train freight cars on a Saturday? The guy operating the crane to the south of the arena today.
Issue two, scratched off. He had been in the arena and we didn't flip out.
Then came the saddle, with Chris's help, we got that done with Chris's boot toes being the only casualty.
Oh my gosh. My horse is tacked-up. I started considering putting on my show coat thinking that he was looking pretty darn good to not get on today and try. I asked Chris to snap a picture in case this was as far as we got today.
Issue three, done. He was tacked up and I was dressed.
When our class was called my heart leapt into my throat. "Just get on the horse, just get on the horse..."
Issue four, over. I was on the horse and he hadn't run away.
At the gate, he fretted and broke into a trot before we cleared the chute into the arena. I don't remember much except steering him over the jumps and feeling a little behind his motion. It was over.
We did it.
Bandon and I jumped jumps that were not mine, jumps he'd never seen before, with crazy noise all around us, in a strange setting. And I was still on! Woo-hoo!!! Collecting our second place ribbon and breathing before the next round, he spotted a pony that freaked him out. He jumped side to side and snorted, dancing all under me, feeling like a feather in my hands, then we were up again.
This time he was visibly done, he shook his head hard on the scary side of the arena both times, making it clear that this was not where he wanted to be right now, and we muddled through the course while I tensed through the head tosses waiting for him to buck. He never did and my lack of leg as I worried took rails down on the last jump. We were done and I couldn't have been prouder for my boy taking care of me and being brave when I asked him for it.
I beamed scratching his neck after I hopped off of him still walking (Chris had our ribbons which apparently freaked him out and the pony he didn't like was near so standing was out of the question) not believing that this huge moment for him was now totally behind us.
I grinned at Chris asking if he was as proud of Bandon as I was and Chris answered a sobering, "I'll be proud once he's back on the trailer".
Oh yeah, one more issue.
Untacked Bandon didn't hesitate long before loading up and to me that was confirmation that what we had done earlier in the morning to load him had helped his training and not set it back. Thank goodness Cindy was there to lend a halter for us to go home in.
Cloud 9.
I am so so so proud of my brave boy. My year is over for showing or hauling for show training and it couldn't have ended better. The vocal red tailed hawks who took their time circling above us as we prepped at the show site leads me to believe that my Mother saw it too.
"Three choices in life; Give Up, Give In, Or Give It All You've Got"
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