The day after we rode Willow was a nice day, a P.D. day for public schools; and since the day was nice, we took it of too. We decided to spend this lovely day with our lovely horses.
Dexter and I went out to the barn, and Dexter walked Willow around, and I walked Massey around. I tried to get Massey to lunge, but I have been doing it with Bonnie a very different way than I’ve seen other people do it, so Massey didn’t understand this time. *Sigh*.
As we were walking the horses around, Massey and I walked in the partner position, and Dexter and Willow walked in the lead position (Dexter was in the lead).
I noticed Willow stretching her neck forward to bite at her lead. What was that about? I also noticed that sometimes she stretched forward to bite Dexter. Sometimes Dexter didn’t even seem notice! A few times he pushed at her neck.
Willow had never, ever, ever, ever, ever, acted this way before! Willow wasn’t a biter! Bonnie last summer was a biter, not Willow!
I told Dexter to watch Willow, and to pay attention to her bites. I told him to just push her out of his space when she did. The bites can’t have hurt much. I should have told him to use the move face button.
I also noticed that he kept consistent pressure on the lead, and I wondered if that could be part of it. Who enjoys pressure? Not me, that’s who. So I told him that when you put pressure on the lead, and she takes a step forward, release, and just continue walking yourself. Dexter denied it, saying that it may look as if he was putting pressure, but in reality, he wasn’t.
We continued to walk the horses in the paddock, and Massey was doing excellent. Massey moved over when I stepped towards her, and she walked in the partner position without too much asking. Dexter and Willow went into the middle paddock, so I followed him there. I followed Dexter into the farthest paddock, but then he turned back into the middle paddock. While in the far paddock, I heard Dexter calling from the middle paddock “Kayli! Help!”
I stood still, was that Dexter? Yes, that was him. What was he saying? He said “Help!” I unclipped Massey’s lead, which took a little longer than normal; because when you have a possible emergency on your hands, everything takes longer. I dashed into the paddock to see Willow running through Dexter, and him stepping out of her way.
I took the lead from Dexter; which he gladly let go of. He told me that Willow had been rearing. Willow? Rearing? Did Willow rear? Willow! What was with these bad habits today?
I circled Willow a few times, she was a little pushy, but it wasn’t all that bad, it was just like working with a worked up Bonnie last summer- just a little bigger and stronger. Willow would try to go out of the paddock to the other horses, but I would pull on the lead. Willow would turn, and walk around me. When she turned to face the gate into the next paddock, she would push into my space, trying to knock me over so that she could run, but I would step out of her way and keep her on the circle.
A few times when she went to push into me, I would put my back to her, and tap her hind quarters, and she would yield her hind quarters and not push into my space.
That’s when we heard a high pitched neigh.
It was over.
I fought with Willow’s lead, trying to unclip it, and Willow freaked out even more. She fought me a lot harder, but finally I was able to unclip the lead. Willow tore through the paddock like a bullet, disappearing around the corner of the barn.
When a horse is already in that worked up, stressed out, crazy state, and they hear a neigh, everything falls apart. Our horses want- above everything else- to get to the horse that neighed. Our horses are so herd bound; which means they are so bonded to their herd, and they don’t want to be separated, they stick together. They fight so much harder to run, to be free, to be with their herd. It’s not all that rare to see after the neigh of a horse, a horse running with a lead flying behind it without a leader.
It is hard to hold on to them, which is why I let go of Willow’s lead.
If it were Bonnie, I would have shrugged her off, I know how she moves, I know how to keep her moving, she’s not as strong, her rears aren’t as dangerous, and I understand her. I can hold on to Bonnie, but I don’t want to try that with Willow yet.
I walked over to where the horses were, and Willow, Massey, and Bonnie were all standing there. Willow was breathing a little heavier, but that was all.
I clipped the lead back on to Willow’s halter, and I walked her a bit more. I then asked Willow to stand still. She stood, but not happily. She tried to graze many times, but I would pull her head up, and sometimes she would bite me or the lead. A few times she stepped forward, so I would back her up, and when I pulled the lead to her chest to back her up, she bit at me.
When Willow bit, I would – if I was able that time – tap her on the hoof very gently, and push her out of my space. Sometimes I wouldn’t be fast enough, timing is very important in all things horses. After she took her head away from biting, she would lick and chew, what are you learning?
After that, we decided not to get on Willow that day, though I really did want to learn how to sit a rear, for I have a feeling I might have to sit one one day on Bonnie…
I went in to the barn, and I brushed Bonnie, picked out her hooves, and all that good stuff. Dexter brushed down Massey. I went and picked Massey’s hooves after Dexter was done.
Massey is a little nervous about people picking up her hooves, and she can get kind of defensive. Massey trusts me, at least a little, so I have been picking out her hooves lately.
I picked out her left front, and when I got to her left back, she threatened to kick at me. When I was able to get her to lift her hoof, she would slam it back on to the ground. What’s going on, Massey?
The last time the farrier came by, he was only able to pick her front hooves, so I have a feeling her back ones are quite over grown now, so it may play a part. But Massey, don’t you trust me enough? You let me pick up all four of your hooves yesterday… I picked out all of her other hooves, trying to respect her space at least a little.
Dexter and I decided to saddle up Massey, which I was SO EXCITED to do. I was more excited to get on her than I was to get on Willow yesterday! Massey also loves me more than Willow does, and I was pretty confident we could get her tack on.
I decided to pull out her bridle first, we found the bit less one and put it on, and we put her halter around her neck. Then we realized that she might have another one with reins, and that would probably be better than the bit less one WITHOUT reins.
We found her bridle with a bit and reins, and we put that on her. I had to try a bit to get her to accept the bit, but finally she did. Dexter said that Massey hadn’t taken a bit before when we tried to ride her last- which was the only time since we got her.
I noticed myself getting a little nervous, so I took Massey for a walk outside and took some deep breaths, when we entered the barn we were a lot better. Massey’s head lowered, she nuzzled me, and she licked and chewed. Deep breathing for the win!
I asked Dexter if he could go get her saddle pad, and he did. I put it on Massey without any trouble at all, I took her for another walk in the paddock, and she came back even calmer.
I asked Dexter to grab the saddle, and he did. Dexter held the reins while I put the saddle on, and she tried to walk away at first, and was a little nervous, but fine. The saddle went on. I took the reins and Dexter went for the girth.
I then cinched up the saddle slowly, and fastened it. I took her for a walk, tightened it, and repeated that about three times.
I took her for another walk, we took some deep breaths, and I sent Dexter to go get Mommy and Daddy. After that walk we were both very calm.
I put a lot of my weight in the stirrups with my hand, Massey was just fine. I pulled on the horn a bit, and put pressure in the stirrups on both sides, she was fine. I grabbed on to the horn and I hung on it, with all of my weight, and she was fine. Mommy and Daddy really didn’t have to worry about weight spooking her.
Dexter arrived soon, and Mommy and Daddy came a little farther behind.
Daddy hoped on Massey, that was the first time he had been on a horse. Massey did not move, and she handled the mounting very well. Just as I had expected, Massey is a wonderful horse!
Daddy rode Massey around, and Massey did pretty great. After Daddy dismounted, I flew to my helmet and hopped on Massey. I get to ride Massey! Yay! Dream come true!
She was a little difficult until we got outside, I rode her around the paddock. She did really good, and she knows how to leg yield well! Massey responded pretty well to everything I did, and we went up and down hills, and the hills felt less steep than they did when I am on Bonnie.
I was so sad when I had to dismount, Dexter was getting tired of me walking around on Massey. Dexter didn’t want to get on either, so he was only standing around just in case something happed.
Dexter told me why he thinks Willow reared. He thinks it first started when he was putting unnecessary pressure on the lead, and then I started telling him to stop, which made him annoyed. Because he was annoyed, he started leaving the paddock to get away from me, but I followed him, not knowing he was trying to get away from me, and so he turned away from us and the other horses. That move means that Willow was separated, and she is SO herd bound.
Then Willow tried to leave, but Dexter wouldn’t let her, so she started to get worried, and she started trying to push through Dexter to knock him over, so that she could return to her herd. Of course, Dexter didn’t let her knock him over, so she reared in Dexter’s direction, probably trying to inspire fear in Dexter, so that he would drop the rope and she’d be free. She continued to rear, trying again, which did make Dexter nervous, though he did not let go of the rope. After that, Dexter started calling for help.
He thinks that she was biting because he was applying unnecessary pressure on the lead, which made her frustrated, and so she bit to show that frustration. I thought that this would make sense, because she bit at me when I made her stand still, wouldn’t let her graze, and wouldn’t let her go to her herd either, which would have made her very frustrated. They are all good guesses.
Dexter went in, and I rode bareback on Bonnie. She did well, went up and down hills, fought a little – but not much. I don’t have to use open reins anymore, I can use the direct rein again. On the way back to the barn, Bonnie was doing a fast walk, and she seemed like she would like to go faster, so I squeezed, and she trotted for a step or two! I was so happy, I think that was the first time that I, on my own, had gotten Bonnie to trot- even if just for a step or two, it was great! I got off of Bonnie, and went in for the day.
That was our rearing, riding, and biting adventure! Have you been on any horse rides lately?
Kayli and Bonnie
Kayli's Homestead 