Thursday 28th Jan 2010
I was supposed to ride out yesterday but I felt so ill (rotten cold) that, after dropping Ed at Roundabout, I had to go home to bed. Blimey, I must have been ill!
I decided therefore to play with him on Thurs - a bit naughty as no housework day! I had seen in J's arena, a set of mounted games bending poles out and got all excited about them to the point that I took courage and asked if I could use the school, which was agreed. I was to text J when I wanted to go in and she would come and open the gate.
Duncs was very keen to have his hackamore on and go out (forgot the BB pad). I took my time leaving as I think M is better when he's got a bit of time to process the fact that we're going out and he then usually moves nearer the ponies next door. D was a bit hesitant at the exit again but after a bit of waiting and moving him around in the gateway, he stepped out pretty confidently.
I had the HUGE golfing umbrella with me today! I wait until we're having a graze ("grass" is the signal!) outside Pippa's before opening it slightly as by then D is chilled. I don't push any brolly so that it is held open as you then need 2 hands to release it but it will stay pretty much open without. D was a star, by the time we got back home I had the brolly over his back, waving around and above my head as I walked along. He flinches when it's arking past his head but that's reducing each time. Did some flexing and HQ disengagement - all very good.
We went to the end of the road and back, conscious I'd told J we'd be an hour and it was already half an hour over that! When J came down she was concerned that D might be frightened by all their equipment (jumps, flags etc.). I had a moment when I wondered why she would think that until I remembered that many non-Parelli horses are frightened by this stuff. I said no, I didn't think so as it was part of his training to investigate strange things. J was soon convinced when D ambled up to things and sniffed them, all very boring!
D was really good in the environment. He looked about a bit - what horse wouldn't - but he didn't show off in front of the other horses at all. They were not getting excited themselves which obviously helped. We did a few figure 8s - wow his life really came up and he trotted each circle without any chivvying. I stopped and rewarded after each one. When we did the bending poles, I had to run alongside D as they were too high to pass the rope over. ooh, what faces he pulled! Head tossing, trying to nip me, biting the rope, leaning in on the turns. I ignored all his protests giving him a lot of enthusiastic "Good Boy"s plus stopping and treating quickly after each up and down.
It was very funny, D didn't know what to make of this praise. I know in the past, I've got a bit agitated back with him and tried to out-dominate him. Since my recent light bulbs of keeping him sweet, i.e. always aiming to foster the "try", I realise it's all about being relaxed and having fun with D. He's not actually a bolshy pony - but you can make him one if you try!
Well, at the end, I decided to mount up doing more from the O/S which I didn't do last time I rode. Having no BB pad on, D was very slippery and my first mount, I slid straight over again! Not headfirst I hasten to say but my leg swing carried me up and right over! Now what I did notice was that D was tense, his head was up. But, I just kept getting on and off and then sitting on until he relaxed. I thought "How interesting". I wonder if he was in his "what are you going to do to me" mode or it may be just that he's less confident when I'm up top in a new environment - which is normal behaviour for a horse.
So, when I think about this, all I need to do is keep going into schools and keeping the pressure off. It doesn't matter if it's skepticism or nervousness, the remedy is the same and I'm sure I have the confidence and enough trust from D now to get through that. When I think of the nervous horses I've given confidence to, most notably Ollie, I realise it's potentially going to be a lot easier with Duncs. Well, that's my hope anyway!
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