can horses mind read????

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narkymare

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for those who dont know im a novice learner with a blosy spooky cob - we have come on in leaps and bounds since getting a wonderful instructor
So today i took him in school to practice our rising to the diagonal before our lesson tomorrow
Total disaster - houses facing were having scaffolding erected, it was windy and well it all went wrong.
I was so upset, i know people say you should push tehm through and i tried but he was hating, i was - noone around and all my old fears came back.
I didnt dismount immediately - waited 5 mins and dismounted when he was calm but i was still peeved with myself - wondering how we would ever get throught this
I led him to his field and normally he goes in and disapearsw, no goodbyes nothing. not today
He went for a drink and i sttod at gate watching, another horse came to me to say hello and my horse came back, shoved the other horse away and - first time ever - nuzzled my neck
I know this sounds daft but that little nuzzle made up for everything - made me determined to get through this - god i love the dammed horse and so need to get over my bloody nerves
ps - horse was originaly bought for my teenage daughter who lost interest, i love him so am trying my very best to learn to ride him - in hand we have a fabulous bond

pps - takeaway of your choice with wine and choccies if you managed to get this far xxx
 
Chin up hun :D

You did flipping well for trying! Maybe not ride on windy days for a while, give yourself a chance :)

And you waited five minutes, so another very well done you :)

And the nuzzle was just for you :) :)

Have a hug and a hot choccy hun.
 
I think you should work horses through it to a degree. Horses are flight animals and the scaffolding would be quite scary for them. Horses, like humans also have bad days as well! Aslong as he wasn't intentionally naughty I would view it as natural for him to have been scared.

Don't worry so much about working him through it - I always aim to end on a good note. It sounds like you did this by making him stand.

He loves you and sees you as part of his herd. Don't be too hard on yourself - Rome wasn't built in a day lol! Sounds like you are making really good progress.
 
thank you so much mrs mozart - sometimes i wonder if im letting him down but i truly know noone will ever ever love him like i do - thank you xxx
 
Hmmmmmmm - I honestly think a lot of horses would have reacted in the same (or worse) way. You stayed on, you held your ground, and you also knew when to quietly retreat rather than make things worse or get you scared (which the horse can tell straight away) All signs of a good rider imho :D
 
thanks lauren - he spooked pretty badly and a few weeks ago i would have got off immediatley but today i didnt - we stood for five minutes till he was calm then i dismounted calmly and led him round the school very calmly by hand.
We are gettign there i just wish i could be firmer on myself sometimes, although i am getting better - i now will not jump off the minute he spooks x
 
It's taken my almost 5 months to work with my horse on the ground. Now to start the riding lol! He's very spooky too - it's just lucky that I'm relatively balanced on him haha!

It sounds like you both trust each other!

Hope your lesson goes well!
 
Awww, that's really sweet - something you'll remember next time you ride. I think you did the right thing, we all have boundaries we need to cross but to push too far too soon over them would have spoilt all you've done so far.

Def think horses sense things. They are very emotionally intelligent.
 
thanks lauren - our lesson will be fine, im so lucky my instructor is the lady who broke my horse in so knows him inside out - thanks to these replies i feel better now - cant expect perfection every time and i now know i handled it pretty well :)
 
well i think so - normally when he goes in field he just bugars off but for first time ever he came back to give me a cuddle - this is why our horses are special and only you guys understand - my hubby thinks im bonkers lol
 
I dont think horses mind read, but I think they "read" us a lot better than we read them lol:)
Dont beat yourself up about being scared.....remember you cant be brave unless youre a little bit scared first:) Take your time and you'll get there.
 
Well done for staying on hun thats one big hurdle you have overcome,just to walk round after was still a positive thing. Congrads doing better than me having a real confidence time and dont even want to ride. If there was a competition for jumping off I would come first every time. Got a cob who is a saint and nows me inside out.he has more fun with me lol still love him to bits as he always says hello,mind i do have a bucket in hand. got someone riding him to give him some fun. they can def read minds and no whos who when being ridden.
 
lol i will mrs mozart - omg ive been so down all afternoon and you have all made me see it isnt so bad - thank you and choccies are fab lol :)
 
In my opinion you did exactly what a lot of more experienced riders would have done. I think there are very few horses that would cope with scaffolding being erected close by on a windy day. So, well done to both of you.

It does sound as if you have a special bond developing, he was probably relieved that you took him away from a scarey situation, without making a 'big deal' of it.

My 'mother daughter share' has also turned into a 'mother only' relationship, and I have to admit I am loving every minute of it. It sounds as once you've got the riding 'cracked' you will do too.

:)
 
Give yourself a pat on the back you were brave enough to stay on board when your instinct was to jump off..Well done you!!!
Just remember there is no rush to get things, done baby steps are positivly the best way forward!!!
 
well done. You should be proud of yourself. After 20 something years I am still learning about horses and their foibles!

You stayed on, fought your fear and did well. I don't think they read minds, but they are intuitive creatures. They always do something to make you feel better.

Keep on going, you are doing fine and well done for giving it a go!

I still get nervous, I hate showjumping it petrifies me!, but I know I have to teach my youngsters to jump and go to a couple of shows just to add to their CV. My reward for SJing is vodka the evening of the show! Luckily my youngster is just backed, so I dont have to face that nightmare for a while! :)
 
My horse can't mind read, but it appears to be a fully trained mechanic......it has always kicked off in the box just before it has broken down! I get really excited when he doesn't kick off because it means that I will get home without the recovery company coming (again!).

PS - sounds like you did the right thing today. Everyone has a boundary and sometimes it is just too hard to push it.
Someone above me said that they are terrified of jumping - join the club - I hate it! A cross-pole I can manage, but anything bigger than about 70cm and I am a wreck! And I will not push that boundary because I know that if I fall off, I will never even go over a trotting pole ever again!
 
your all really brilliant - honestly you do not know how much this support has cheered me up - big glass of wine and a box of the best belgian chocolates to you all lol - seriously ty, i was feeling rubbish - now im not :D
 
Sounds to me YOU are coming on strides with your cob and you were in a situation with the scaffolding and the high winds we've had and rode through it. So give yourself hefty pat on back and a as Mrs Mozart would say ahot choccy.:D:D:D:D
 
thank you echo - im putting all these replies on favourites so when i next feel fed up i will be cheered up - im not mushy but your all brilliant xxxx
 
Sounds like you did really well to me, wind, scaffolding, waited till calm "before" getting off calmly, if you love this beastie work at it and give it enough time it will come ;):) sounds like your well on your way
 
thank you everyone - i will keep you updated mrsm and post more piccies, we have a lesson tonight and i cant wait - he is georgeous!:)
 
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