These goofy boy is teaching me so much. I admit some times I have gotten kind of frustrated over the last year… But I remind myself that it is mostly because of his discomfort. He can be really funny. Like when he’s really feeling good he’s like an old broke horse. But he can be really tense and spooky (while still trying to be good) And that gets exhausting to manage. But I’m hoping we’re getting onto the other side. I know he can be really cool. In my opinion he will always be a little bit of a horse that wants to look at stuff but his spooking seems to be directly related to discomfort.
The other day was his 3rd session with the long lines. The first session he did get scared changing direction and got loose (trainer was doing it.) Then the second session he was really trying to figure things out but pretty confused. He kept wanting to stop and turn. But this third session he came out acting like he really had the idea and was able to do turns around some barrels and even introduce some trot at the end. It was really fun watching his gears turn and his brain and see some confidence come out of it! He doesn’t like not knowing the answer and he gets a bit flustered. But once he’s sure that he knows the right answer he kind of puffs right up.
Every horse is a journey. Really hoping the prostride makes a difference. He deserves to feel 100%. Obviously at this point I’m pretty doubtful if he’ll be able to fulfill the goals that we had. But I still am enjoying the learning that’s happening regardless. It’s one of my favorite parts of horses. So many details and so much to learn.
