Trinket12
Well-Known Member
Sorry, this is long.....
So up to now (well yesterday) Sugar has been great. Good to catch (though I have to keep one of the mares away who's a knob when I get her from the field) and up until yesterday, fine to take to the main barn area.
Until yesterday.
Yesterday I go to get her, and she walks towards me more (yay) get her head collar on and off we go. All is good to begin with, lots of looking but no issues. Then not so good, we have backing up, walking sideways and general shenanigans. No spookiness as such, just not going forward. She would go backwards (face towards the field she came from) but that was it. I chucked her in a nearby paddock and went to get help.
One of the trainers came to help me, Sugar was still being an idiot (though again, fine to catch in the paddock) and going sideways and backwards. So the trainer basically walked her backwards until off the track and then was able to walk her forward into the barn.
Sugar was super stressed at this point and lot of head tossing and pawing in the cross ties. Which I corrected every time, but she was just very het up. I then took her into one of the arena's, walked her around, stopping her and not letting her walk on until I said and backed her up when needed to. She was OK, though was still clearly having a bit of a melt down.
I took her back to her field, and she was good on the walk back, no rushing (when she did try to speed up, I stopped her and walked her back a couple of steps, we stood for a moment and then would walk on).
So by this point my anxiety has kicked in, that I have a herd bound mare and that this is going to be a nightmare (I'm rubbish, shouldn't have a horse blah blah blah). The other trainer mentioned that I may have to move her from pasture board (which I can't really afford), my anxiety has already been having a field day with this new thing of owning a horse; so many fun ways to imagine things could go wrong...... ironically the possibility of being herd bound wasn't one of the thoughts!
So to today. We had the farrier come out, as she has been a little sore (is barefoot and previous owner trimmed her too short) to see if we should do shoes or not.
So after reading up on handling a herd bound horse, off I go to her field. Was even easier to catch today than yesterday (basically walked right up to me), get her outside of the gate, and the silliness starts again.
So I am backing her up, as she won't go forward (but will go backwards, which just seems like harder work to me!) and along comes my trainer. She pops on a chain through the head collar and a couple of corrections to Sugar and she's walking like the best trained horse next to my trainer!
Now my trainer has more horse experience, than I have been alive. But I couldn't help but feel a right numpty, on the one hand I am happy that she's not as herd bound as thought, but on the other I just feel so inadequate.
Once to the barn, she was good as gold with the farrier (no shoes, not enough sole, and he'd prefer not to shoe, which I liked) he checked her over and gave some suggestions, but essentially we need to give her hoofs time.
Took her over to the barn area where her tack etc. is, in the cross ties no problem. We had a nice groom, and fly sprayed her. Took her into the smaller arena, and did some basic groundwork, where she was great! Stopped when I said, modulated her walking speed and backed up nicely.
Popped her back in her field (fending off the dragon mare) all no problem.
I wasn't a shy and retiring flower when I got her, I like to think of myself as quite bossy! Anyway, I have a chain in her head collar now, and will try tomorrow, with my even bossier pants on!
TLDR; Horse was an idiot for me and an angel for trainer and now I feel like I should just go back to owning a My Little Pony
So up to now (well yesterday) Sugar has been great. Good to catch (though I have to keep one of the mares away who's a knob when I get her from the field) and up until yesterday, fine to take to the main barn area.
Until yesterday.
Yesterday I go to get her, and she walks towards me more (yay) get her head collar on and off we go. All is good to begin with, lots of looking but no issues. Then not so good, we have backing up, walking sideways and general shenanigans. No spookiness as such, just not going forward. She would go backwards (face towards the field she came from) but that was it. I chucked her in a nearby paddock and went to get help.
One of the trainers came to help me, Sugar was still being an idiot (though again, fine to catch in the paddock) and going sideways and backwards. So the trainer basically walked her backwards until off the track and then was able to walk her forward into the barn.
Sugar was super stressed at this point and lot of head tossing and pawing in the cross ties. Which I corrected every time, but she was just very het up. I then took her into one of the arena's, walked her around, stopping her and not letting her walk on until I said and backed her up when needed to. She was OK, though was still clearly having a bit of a melt down.
I took her back to her field, and she was good on the walk back, no rushing (when she did try to speed up, I stopped her and walked her back a couple of steps, we stood for a moment and then would walk on).
So by this point my anxiety has kicked in, that I have a herd bound mare and that this is going to be a nightmare (I'm rubbish, shouldn't have a horse blah blah blah). The other trainer mentioned that I may have to move her from pasture board (which I can't really afford), my anxiety has already been having a field day with this new thing of owning a horse; so many fun ways to imagine things could go wrong...... ironically the possibility of being herd bound wasn't one of the thoughts!
So to today. We had the farrier come out, as she has been a little sore (is barefoot and previous owner trimmed her too short) to see if we should do shoes or not.
So after reading up on handling a herd bound horse, off I go to her field. Was even easier to catch today than yesterday (basically walked right up to me), get her outside of the gate, and the silliness starts again.
So I am backing her up, as she won't go forward (but will go backwards, which just seems like harder work to me!) and along comes my trainer. She pops on a chain through the head collar and a couple of corrections to Sugar and she's walking like the best trained horse next to my trainer!
Now my trainer has more horse experience, than I have been alive. But I couldn't help but feel a right numpty, on the one hand I am happy that she's not as herd bound as thought, but on the other I just feel so inadequate.
Once to the barn, she was good as gold with the farrier (no shoes, not enough sole, and he'd prefer not to shoe, which I liked) he checked her over and gave some suggestions, but essentially we need to give her hoofs time.
Took her over to the barn area where her tack etc. is, in the cross ties no problem. We had a nice groom, and fly sprayed her. Took her into the smaller arena, and did some basic groundwork, where she was great! Stopped when I said, modulated her walking speed and backed up nicely.
Popped her back in her field (fending off the dragon mare) all no problem.
I wasn't a shy and retiring flower when I got her, I like to think of myself as quite bossy! Anyway, I have a chain in her head collar now, and will try tomorrow, with my even bossier pants on!
TLDR; Horse was an idiot for me and an angel for trainer and now I feel like I should just go back to owning a My Little Pony