Getting on with Living

After losing my wife to cancer 5 months ago, a terrible disease that came back on her with a vengeance that took us all by surprise, and the subsequent things that accompany a loss of your spouse,....profound grief, funeral arrangements; communicating with the Army of support that surrounded her and I,....the seemingly never ending legal issues; going through property for donations; catching up all tasks left undone; and, feeling bad about the horses only getting minimal attention, I have been getting reacquainted with my horses after several months of minimal attention. I am reminded of the saying that "the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man". Nothing could be truer.

What has helped me get through these tough times is the love of people who knew Susan, my belief that she was received by Jesus Christ on her passing, and rediscovering my love for horses. I am thankful for God to allowing me the time he has given me, the trust in me for caring for His animals and the joy I can feel riding and working with my horses.

I am often asked my people how you get through the loss of your spouse and the first word that comes to mind is gratefulness. Sounds kind of strange using that word in a place of intense grief and sorrow, but if a person isn't grateful for what they have been given, be it health, mobility, means to live comfortably, and animals to travel this journey with you, then the ungrateful person is likely not to cope very well.

So I am back to riding everyday, sometimes 2 or even 3 different horses, enjoying every understanding the horses' have, even if it is preceded by days of not getting it. Enjoying learning, relearning even if it's my riding and understandings that need to be fixed.

Be thankful and find joy in your daily life. There are so many who are in such a dark place, where the finding or rediscovering of joy is near impossible for them. I am incredibly thankful I am not one of them. Safe Journey with your horses!

Horse That Is Suddenly Spooky

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Horse Training – Spooky Horses on the Trail": "My horse has suddenly become afraid of leaving the turn out. She is really dangerous as she totally loses it and runs into you. What can I do. She is really spooky lately."

It would be good to know how and where you are keeping your horse; how much training she has had and how much are you are riding her. Horses are herd animals, relying on the group to be safe, and keeping them by themselves can contribute to spookiness. Sometimes a younger horse can get nervous and spooky, if she is the lowest horse on the totem pole in a herd that is kept together, if she is getting bullied by another horse(es). This can carry over into your interaction with her. Sometimes changes in how you keep her and her environment may help.  

What you can do, when you are with her, either on the ground or riding her, is to work towards her looking to you as the leader at all times. You have to get good at correcting all the behavior which empowers her to exhibit that behavior which can be dangerous to you.  The only reason she is doing that is that she thinks she needs to. 

The frequency in which you work with her also has much to do with her's and your progress. I think the majority of horse owners are 'once a week people' who may provide care for their horse seven days a week, but only work with the horse or ride once a week. I think it's hard to keep a well trained horse tuned up with a once a week schedule, let along trying to correct bad habits.  There is a lot of truth in the old saying that 'wet saddle blankets make good horses'. 

Ground work is often neglected or thought to be largely unnecessary once a horse is being ridden. I beg to differ. Ground work establishes and builds that relationship, needs to be done often, done well and is useful at any stage of the horse's training.

Ground work does not have to be only a formal event in the round pen. Everytime you interact with your horse, asking her to drop her head for the halter, leading her, asking her to move her front end or back end over, and even not to crowd you when you throw feed - are all things some people won't be careful at. So when the horse throws or shakes his head when putting the halter on, invades your space or doesn't lead up correctly,....or, when while leading you stop and your horse is still moving or paying attention to everything but you,....or, when she is feed aggressive or otherwise not respecting your space when you throw feed,.......are behaviors that degrade the leader position you should hold with her, and make it increasingly harder to correct in some cases.

I would work her, both on the ground and, when you feel safe, in the saddle. Start with things she can do well, When she does well, stop and give her a release before moving on, but be ready to re-direct her focus back to you if she becomes spooky or lost. This means moving her feet. Lunge her. Work on backing. Work on turns on the fore end and hind end. Sack her out with a flag. Introduce other obstacles to her such as tarps. Give her time to make it her idea to approach the new obstacle.  You want to be building in her a chance to think instead of just react.

Again, be ready when her focus on you is diverted. If I can see some anxiety building a horse, I'll re-direct that focus onto something I am asking, like lunging or riding in a circle. Work on collection. Practice leg yields.   Doubling on a fence line.  Things like that. I don't make it a federal case if they spook, I just re-direct and concentrate on something positive.

The last thing I'd like to give you to think about is to not be waiting on your horse to spook. Horses are pretty perceptive. I think they can pretty much sense our moods. If you are waiting on them to spook or run you over, they just may feed off of you and prove you right.