Yesterday about 10 minutes after I got to the barn it started hailing. I tried to just outlast it but it was sooo cold, I gave up after about 30 minutes, put Nina away and got in the car. I was cold all evening.
Today the sun was shining but the wind was blowing right off a glacier, icy cold.
I decided to work Nina in a bitting rig in the round pen. She was very good at first. I lunged her a little with no tack, then put a surcingle on her then put her bridle on.
She pulled the same crap she did about a week ago, waited until I was fastening the straps up and stuck her head up in the air. Then she took off. Since she was in the round pen there was nowhere to go but my very-expensive-and-I-can't-afford-to-replace-them woven rubber/web reins were dragging in the dirt -- right after she caught them on a section of fence and pulled them off her neck.
I was furious, I told her if she stepped on them I would kill her and I was mad enough to. I could not get her to stop, she whirled away every time I went near her and trotted around like an idiot when I ignored her. Then she apparently decided that I was really angry and not playing some stupid game and she stopped and stood still while I finished tacking her up. No damage to anything.
Now that it has been almost 2 months since she has had regular work she is turning into an idiot over being tacked up. I think part of it is that she knows that it pisses me off and she is always about Let's Play World War III. She may never get over it and she baits me all the time trying to get a fight started. I think it is her comfort zone in dealing with people. Everything successful has hinged on my refusing to get mad no matter what she does but now she has gotten an angry reaction out of me several time over putting the bridle on.
I need to make sure I have control of her and let her act out and be an idiot while I ignore her, it's the only thing that defuses her. I think I need to just leave the halter on and put the bridle over, that way if she jerks away or starts dancing around I won't be trying to get something - anything fastened so that I can hold onto her. That's where I get mad and she just eats it up.
I thought we were past all this, it is very discouraging that after all the good work she has done she would still rather start a fight.
Today the sun was shining but the wind was blowing right off a glacier, icy cold.
I decided to work Nina in a bitting rig in the round pen. She was very good at first. I lunged her a little with no tack, then put a surcingle on her then put her bridle on.
She pulled the same crap she did about a week ago, waited until I was fastening the straps up and stuck her head up in the air. Then she took off. Since she was in the round pen there was nowhere to go but my very-expensive-and-I-can't-afford-to-replace-them woven rubber/web reins were dragging in the dirt -- right after she caught them on a section of fence and pulled them off her neck.
I was furious, I told her if she stepped on them I would kill her and I was mad enough to. I could not get her to stop, she whirled away every time I went near her and trotted around like an idiot when I ignored her. Then she apparently decided that I was really angry and not playing some stupid game and she stopped and stood still while I finished tacking her up. No damage to anything.
Now that it has been almost 2 months since she has had regular work she is turning into an idiot over being tacked up. I think part of it is that she knows that it pisses me off and she is always about Let's Play World War III. She may never get over it and she baits me all the time trying to get a fight started. I think it is her comfort zone in dealing with people. Everything successful has hinged on my refusing to get mad no matter what she does but now she has gotten an angry reaction out of me several time over putting the bridle on.
I need to make sure I have control of her and let her act out and be an idiot while I ignore her, it's the only thing that defuses her. I think I need to just leave the halter on and put the bridle over, that way if she jerks away or starts dancing around I won't be trying to get something - anything fastened so that I can hold onto her. That's where I get mad and she just eats it up.
I thought we were past all this, it is very discouraging that after all the good work she has done she would still rather start a fight.
Mares... you love them and hate them all at once. We should form a club! Good luck, knowing it is just a few steps from fixing it! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she'll come around quickly - she just needs to get back in the swing of things. I know how discouraging this can be though - it seems everytime I make progress with my horse something happens to hold us up again.
ReplyDeleteGlad your nice reins weren't damaged.
What a stinker! I hope things go better next time. Don't let her get a rise out of you. ;) Yup! She can sure be a stinker!
ReplyDelete