06.17.08
Herd visiting HorseGal Days 21-23
[continuing report from Connie's friend, Guest Writer HorseGal...]
HERD VISIT DAY 21 – I RODE young Gilford last night!!! The first time on him for me and he was such a good boy! He listened to me so well, thanks to all the wonderful training he’s gotten. I may have even been as good for him as he was for me.
I think we both taught each other something last night. For me, it was what it’s like to ride something new (breed and saddle wise) and a youngster (I’ve never ridden such a young horse before!) and maybe I even taught Gil a little about what it’s like to be ridden by someone new (to him) with lesser abilities than what he’s used to!
HorseGal atop Gil, and so excited!
I had to be a whole new experience for him!!! I can’t believe I even cantered him (which in actuality is a lot more comfortable and an easier ride than a trot/jog) in the English saddle. I’ve just had such a huge phobia that I wasn’t a good enough rider and wouldn’t be able to keep myself on in an English saddle so cantering was something I was hesitant about… UNTIL I got on him and felt so comfortable with him.
And for her next act, HorseGal canters Gilford, riding in an English saddle no less!
I learned last night that if you know how to ride, in the end, it doesn’t really matter what you’re sitting on. What matters is having the knowledge and using the tools you’ve been taught to get yourself BACK (or better still, stay) in balance if you lose it.
HERD VISIT DAY 23 – I went to groom The Herd last night. They were all such a mess! They’d been rolling and it’s been extremely dry, hot, and very dusty here. Emmie always has them SO beautiful, so I wanted to get them all “prettied up” for Emmie’s return tomorrow (she’s been out of town).
I attempted to start with Momma mare… however, they all would just NOT give me any space. They were all over me. I had the shedding blade in one pocket and a brush in the other and Glendale was constantly nibbling at them. I was on one side of Momma trying to brush her and Gilford had his WHOLE HEAD across her back (I’m surprised she let him), so that if I wanted to I could have done her back and the front of his head at the same time.
After about 45 minutes of trying, I just couldn’t get anything done. I literally could not move around at all! I was so disappointed because I really wanted to clean them up! I spent all of my time trying to move them away from me. I tried to shoo them away and I said “back”, but either they didn’t move or if they did, they came right back!!
I’m going to talk to Emmie tomorrow night for some hands-on advice on how I can groom them without being crowded. This has been the first time it’s been just me and them in their pen for grooming. I’ve been in there grooming them before, but Emmie was with me. We’d groom two of them, so that would leave just one to “crowd” us and Em always made sure whomever we weren’t grooming didn’t get in our way.
So, since it’s going to be just me with them next week, I’m going to talk to Em about what I should be doing. I want to learn how to keep them from getting into my space. They’ve all had excellent training so I know they know better than to crowd. I tried to do what I’ve seen Connie do and either 1) I wasn’t doing it right, or 2) they KNEW they could boss me around!!! Maybe both!
There’s no grass in that pen, so I think some of the problem was they were bored and I was their entertainment! There was hay to eat, but I think if there’d been grass, they would have been busy eating the grass and I would have been able to groom everyone with no problem.
[NOTE FROM CONNIE: HorseGal just needed to become firmer and more assertive with her voice and her body language, to show the horses she meant business… see HG’s later post for Day 28.]
[NOTE 2: Taken previously on the Herd's home turf, this video with HorseGal and me shows how in-your-face horses can get, just trying to be friendly and to get a butt scratch.
Cute as it is, it still shows a lack of respect for a person’s space and can be dangerous because the person could get stepped on (a horse can crush a foot) or possibly even knocked over. It would not be safe for someone lacking any knowledge of horses to be out with them loose in a field like this.]
