This is going to sound kind of stupid (meh!) but I've always wanted a relationship with Phebes. I've never been satisfied with the she is dominant so I'm going to be more domineering horse/ human thing that we have. In our early days I would have a tough time not getting angry when she attempted to bite me, kick me, run me over, and/or slam me to the ground with a hypersonic 180 degree unplanned (at least by me) rollback. I vascillated largely between my love for the beast, and a desire to ship her far away never to be seen or heard from again (not really). Hypersensitive horses are not easy. That's for sure. My break from riding her has allowed me to mature from a training perspective in that I feel more confidence in what I am doing, have a reasonable idea of when to put on the brakes and backtrack for safety, and I'm much more able to separate my emotions from the process.
"This is what it is today and we will take approach A, B, or C."
That is about as exciting as I care for it to get. Yet, Phebes is what she is, and I'm aware that the outcome may not be what I wish it to be. Amazing what eight large circles at the trot can do for one's self-esteem though. Those circles represented about six hours of pre-work on the ground. I love this horse, but Phebes will likely never give me more than a passing compliance in return. Now off to work (the real job) I go.
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