Saddled Phebes up for a very short ride in the muddy paddock up front. She pitched her a fit right at the start, flipping her head to try and avoid a one rein stop (which is a little more difficult with the hack than the Dr. Cook's was). I don't know why she is so hard to ride in that location, but it has caused me more grief than I can spare. I was riding her up there when I got the concussion last February. I worked with her a little while but it was obvious that trotting in a straight line was out of the question. This is a very big part of why I can't ride without holding on. Holding on ensures me at least a fighting chance when she acts like this, and not having a grip somewhere it is almost certain she will do a zero to 500 mph rollback, or spook sideways and THERE I GO AGAIN *sigh*. It is pretty sad when you go to the rheumatologist and the first thing they ask is "have you fall off the horse in the past three months."
KEY POINTS
1. I AM OVER WINTER, and I don't even want to deal with spring, just skip the whole thing and give me early summer so I can ride the snot out of this horse and have a hope for The Spook Run.
2. If I manage to get this long eared buck toothed son of a jack rabbit horse to the Chicken Chase, I'm riding MY OWN RIDE. Even if that means dead last. (Well...dead wouldn't be good, how about LAST PLACE). I won't enter if I have to fight a horse in a pack. I want my own little speed pocket, and if that takes six hours, then O-KEE Dokey. We take six hours then. We move forward, at the trot, canter if she acts like she has grey matter between her ears.
3. Phebes needs a lot of work. The respect issues are creeping back in with every lay off due to weather. I'm a person that hangs with it...but it is starting to wear a little thin with me. I'd like to have a horse that isn't trying to hammer me. I really would. I want it to be Phebes, but I'm just not sure WHAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE to get that partnership, to feel that I can trust her and just relax into the saddle and go. I'm tired of feeling like passenger clawing onto the saddle just to stay on because of her behavioral issues. The only way she seems to respect me is if I'm leaning toward MEAN. I'm not a mean person!!! I don't want to be mean, and I don't want to have to re-enforce my leadership everytime I saddle up.
4. I think I'm mad ...and I think Cybill Syndrome looks pretty good compared to my present state of mind with this horse. Maybe I should give her a bath, clip her up, and list on Horse of your Dreams....*sound of hysterical laughter*.
5. I could ride my back up horse, that would be Puddin who is 22 years old and essentially blind and swaybacked. Yep, sounds like a plan.
Do you ever longe or free-longe Phebes before you get on?
ReplyDeleteI don't anymore, but when I was just starting Arabee, or if I could tell she was going to be fresh, I always longed her before I got on. Not too long, just enough that she would flick her ear to me if I said her name, and I'd test out all the gears and make sure she would transition well. Basically, she determined how long she got longed - as long as it took for her to be well-behaved and focused on me, though usually it was about 5-10 minutes.
That took the fresh off before I got on, and made for a much happier ride for both of us. And that was usually before an arena ride, even. I know here today Arabee is a lot hotter/fresher outside than in the arena even, so if I was starting this 6 or 7 years ago I'd probably for sure longe her. In my opinion, nothing wrong with letting her get some of her conditioning in on her own, and probably safer for you since she tends to be so hot!
Just a thought I had this morning. It might help some.
That's how I was feeling with my previous horse. I finally said, I don't have that much time, I have 3small kids and a husband (same as a kid) so if/and when I do get to ride I want to have more fun and less work/grief. You, at least, don't have the 3 small kids. And I can't believe how far you've gotten with her already. Spring is always a difficult time of year for the young mare and her poor owner. I'm not trying to say to sell her or keep her. I'm just saying I had those feelings too. Sometimes I wish I would have kept my problem horse and worked her thru all her problems and then how great I would have finally felt! But 99% of the time I'm glad I didn't. (I am not trying to say that you should give up on Phebe. Just saying I know how you are feeling.)
ReplyDeleteAnd I think those spooks you talked about are ones to get rid of the rider, or at least test to see if your awake and compotent and in control. They are more about your relationship at that moment then her actually being scared. I think you realize that as well.
Good luck. Trust yourself. And don't get hurt! It's not worth it.
Michelle Detmer
That's how I was feeling with my previous horse. I finally said, I don't have that much time, I have 3small kids and a husband (same as a kid) so if/and when I do get to ride I want to have more fun and less work/grief. You, at least, don't have the 3 small kids. And I can't believe how far you've gotten with her already. Spring is always a difficult time of year for the young mare and her poor owner. I'm not trying to say to sell her or keep her. I'm just saying I had those feelings too. Sometimes I wish I would have kept my problem horse and worked her thru all her problems and then how great I would have finally felt! But 99% of the time I'm glad I didn't. (I am not trying to say that you should give up on Phebe. Just saying I know how you are feeling.)
ReplyDeleteAnd I think those spooks you talked about are ones to get rid of the rider, or at least test to see if your awake and compotent and in control. They are more about your relationship at that moment then her actually being scared. I think you realize that as well.
Good luck. Trust yourself. And don't get hurt! It's not worth it.
Michelle Detmer