Emotions

Phebes has been idle for a long time.  Almost eighteen months since she's had any "real" riding.  The winter will soon be upon us, which means I need something concrete to do.  I'm not a good shut-in.   Today was one of those crisp Fall days when the sky looks like it is forever, and the air feels sharp and good in your chest.  A simplistic way of putting it, is you feel alive.  Good. 

My agenda for today was to fit Phebes to a headstall, and perhaps try a bit for the very first time. It isn't that I felt she needs a bit necessarily, but rather that she should be well-rounded enough to go bitless or bitted.  Since my soujourn with the Speckled Wonder I've come to appreciate the extra communication that happens with a bit.  So I bamboozled Phebes into her halter and snapped her onto the trailer with The Clip.  Having no idea of what to really expect after a year and half off, I did a little sacking out, touching the "no" places until she was non-reactionary, wiggling the saddle to her general annoyance, same with the breast collar.  She fell into some of the nasty biting behaviors over this, that, and whatever.  I just persisted at doing the annoying thing, and then stopping when she quit reacting.  Pretty soon all was well.  Then I put a snaffle with a roller ball and a very short shank in her mouth. Of course this set off all kinds of chomping and chewing.  Once that was worked out, I fastened the reins on both sides to the pommel of the saddle so that if she got high headed she would meet resistance.  It worked well, so I had her do low energy trotting in circles on a long line attached to her halter/ bridle with me on the ground.  We did those for awhile, and then some side-passing from the ground, backing up with light pressure on both reins, yielding her front and hind quarters.  When she got moody I just kept doing what I was doing until her face relaxed, and then released.  I spent a few minutes putting weight in the stirrups to see if I'd get a nasty reaction, and she was looking kind of snarly faced, so we worked at that in a low-key way.  Pressure.  Release.  Pressure.  Release.  Her expression softened.  There was only one thing left to do, and that was climb aboard.  I'd say Phebes is easily 14.3 + and I haven't been swinging myself up that high for awhile.  I could have, but I thought again of how to do this in a way to make it less uncomfortable for her in general.  I rolled an old tire into the round pen and used it as a mounting block.  Foot in, up, over, and gently settled in.  The moment of truth.  I lifted the rein, and she stepped off.  I could feel her energy buzzing beneath me, but she walked calmly, steered light as a feather, backed off of a lifted rein, side passed, and was just beautifully responsive.  I leaned back in the saddle, she stopped.  It wasn't good,  it was darned near perfect.  I dismounted.  Pressed my face against her neck, and entirely choked up.  However Phebes may feel about me, my heart still belongs to her.  Everything she did today was a result of many long and sweaty hours of my work with what has been described as an impossible horse.  A horse an expert trainer told me "not to turn my back on."  Pressed against her neck I told her, "you did a good job", and she lowered her head and sighed.  It was a beautiful moment.   ~ E.G.