I had one of those wonderful moments yesterday when the change in both myself and my horse was revealed. A scenario that has occurred a thousand times before where I want to move Satin from one stall to another and I don't use a halter.
Seems simple enough, right?
Well, my bipolar left brain introvert/extrovert was happily munching her hay and did not want to move her feet (Introvert). At first she just planted her feet and resisted my pressure on her cheek, chin, main, and even the pressure on her cribbing collar. I didn't want her to think that this was going to turn into a fight where I get annoyed and say "C'mon! Roar!" like the direct-line-thinking-predator I am trying not to be. So I left her to retrieve my arm extension, the carrot stick! When she saw the stick she perked up, "I guess mom means business." said her expression as she quickly responded to me asking her to side step in her stall. I tried her cheek again and surprise, she responded! But as we started to walk out of the stall she got bratty (here comes Miss Extrovert)- she was annoyed that I was leading and she stepped on my foot. Now I have been around horses my entire life, many of them young and disrespectful, but the only horse that has ever stepped on my foot is Satin. She literally aims for your feet, no doubt in my mind. And even though I am keenly aware of this fact I still sometimes forget just how clever she is. She stepped on my foot as I was about to step out of the stall so that she could keep walking and I would be stuck under her weight until she got in front of me and... off she went! She left the barn at a lazy trot.
The good news is she got the side of my boot and completely missed my actual foot (Haha, Satin!). I let her leave and took a calming breath to make sure I was focused on being positive. I went out to find her standing just 20 feet from the barn waiting for me. She was mostly turned away from me. So I asked her for her eyes by putting a little pressure on zone 5 with the cs. She turned zone 5 away and swung so her side was facing me. I stopped and relaxed even though she still wasn't looking at me. I let her think for a few seconds, then put pressure on zone 5 again. We were in a weird spot with a tree between us, so she kept considering escaping by backing behind the tree and spinning around. I was able to keep pressure on zone 5 from behind the tree, so she felt this wasn't an option. Then it came - she looked at me! Neutral, dropped my shoulders, hip, cocked a knee. She stared for what seemed like an eternity. I was smiling at her. She finally looked away and I immediately put very gentle, rhythmic pressure towards zone 5. She looked. By the third time I was putting pressure on her she turned to face me and without hesitation came right up to me. I flung the string over her withers and she licked her lips and blew out her adrenaline. I loved on her then asked her to walk with me to the barn, this time without leading by anything physical. She stuck to me right up to the stall, stopped at the door and waited, and went in when I allowed. She didn't go right to her hay but instead wanted some cuddling.
A few months ago... even a few weeks ago, I could have predicted that Satin would have taken off across the farm with no regard for my leadership. Yesterday my horse waited for me. Yesterday she responded differently than that disrespectful mare I know so well. She responded like a partner!
Our relationship is really strengthening. I can see the change in both me and her.
1 comment:
Good to hear she is doing a little more thinking and a little less reacting!
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