july 08

By July Nina was definitely feeling better and the Thoroughbred in her was starting to show. Energy was bubbling over and she needed a job. A couple of weeks getting her re-accustomed to tack and working a little on a lunge line revealed that she understood quite a lot, but was readily defiant. My few times of getting on her did neither of us any good. She was stuck, didn't want to move and when repeatedly urged to move she would rear. She also shook all over and was extremely defensive, ducking away from any movement from the rider.
I am a pretty good rider, but not the most confident in the world and I knew I was over my head. I started looking for someone else to get her started and found a very good, very aggressive rider who was able to get on and get her moving forward. However, both from the rider's viewpoint and from the ground, Nina appeared to be uncomfortable, moving stiffly and with great resistance. I needed to get more of her physical issues dealt with before I could reasonably insist that she behave under saddle. I decided on a couple of more months off and more massage. I was sure that she also needed her teeth done and a visit from a chiropractor was on the list.