Went out to ride Gali today, planning to get a little more work out of him than on Friday, because it was nice out and he had yesterday off unexpectedly. He was great for grooming and tacking up, hardly fussing at all even when I tightened his girth.
I brought him out to the side ring, where I can work without having to steer around jumps or share a fence with his pasturemates, and hopped on. He started out fresh and full of energy, but I liked it, and he was nicely responding in the warm up. Just as I was getting ready to ask him for some effort, he spotted a man in the house behind the ring (their backyard ends at the arena fence) digging through an old half-collapsed shed, and his poor little thoroughbred brain could not handle it. He spun out from underneath me and threw his head in the air, snorting like a dragon. I got on his case about it for a few circles before I realized he was genuinely terrified, and not just making excuses. When I realized I had the choice between picking a fight with him over it, or letting it go and re-planning my ride, I decided to re-plan. I made him walk over within a few yards of the Scary Man, and felt his heart pounding through the saddle, and recognized that this wasn't a battle I was going to win. At the first sign of his relaxing in the back of the ring, I turned him around and decided to head out to the track.
On the track, he relaxed immediately, and we had a nice stroll. I know he definitely did NOT need a break from real work today, but sometimes shit just happens.
Starting off, nothing was too off, but pretty quickly it turned to:
Holy shit! Lions! Over there!
but luckily, the track was had many fewer Lions.
Oh! Katie's half-boarder is a ten year old little girl, and she got K this *fantastic* new halter.
(Yes, that says PEACE PEACE PEACE). Bekka is thrilled.
I miss that big lug.
ReplyDeleteIf you would've caught me yesterday, you could've had him. I'm so worried he's going to be an asshole and embarrass me on Saturday.
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