what a difference

What a difference a real Nina correction with Nina's weight behind it makes vs.  my wimpy corrections.  If you have been following along you have heard that Nina and I have been having some tacking up problems.  Yes, I caused it but she doesn't get to be an ass forever for one small mistake that I made.

What she has been doing is being quite agreeable about being bridled, but then when I go to adjust straps etc. she starts slinging her head around, then she just walks over top of me.  Annoying, rude and makes me want to break my rule about not killing her.  She will back off when I correct her until I go to adjust her tack again.  It's a game and I am tired of it.

So yesterday the grooming area where I tack her up was full of horses, so I tied her in the round pen to tack up.  I left her tied while I bridled her, just slipped the halter down her neck.  When she turned to walk over me I stepped back and she hit the tie - hard.  Backed up and tried to sit or rear but she was tied too short.  Tried to walk over top of me again, this time with more enthusiasm and hit the tie really hard, it rocked her.   She threw a little fit, but tied short she didn't have much room to play.

So today I decided to tie her and tack her up in the pen again.  I can't do this in the grooming area, the only place to tie is a hitching rail that is way too low to work.  I can tie her high in the round pen.

So today she was an angel.  ONE time of hitting that rope with her full weight behind it had made more of an impression than all the corrections (including with a whip) that I had made.   Took all the fun out of it (for Nina).

Had a good walking ride.  Walked about four times as far as yesterday.  More tomorrow.