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Last night was one of those "chalk it up to experience" rides. It was a little windy and rainy and I think the cooler weather made Trudi more frisky. Before I tacked her up, I spent some time showing her a big plastic bag and petting her and letting her sniff at it, and brought out an excercise ball that I kicked around and let her sniff, though she's still a little wary of it.
Another girl was out working her horse, which was totally fine, but Trudi was all "AAACK a horse! EEEK!" and spooked at the girl's horse when she cantered. I took her to the center of the ring and she calmed down as we stood and watched. Girl takes off the saddle and hops on bareback to cool horse out, Trudi spooks at the saddle laying on the ground. Both directions, of course- got her all relaxed going to the left- changed directions- sudden spook again, so had to get her used to it on the right too. She doesn't usually try to run away, but she's really good at shying- those sideways leaps are much quicker than you'd guess and cover a good distance. I'm pretty sure the initial spooks are not due to nervousness on my part, because they usually come out of the blue, where she suddenly jumps and then I have to figure out what scared her.
I keep telling myself to be patient, and in a couple of years I'll have ridden her around enough stuff that she won't bat an eye, but it's hard. We just did some walk/trot stuff because she was tense and nervous, bringing her back to a walk when she got too ancy, but I also tried taking some of that nervous energy and half-halting it into suspension, which was tricky and a little scary but actually seemed to work now and again.
Another girl was out working her horse, which was totally fine, but Trudi was all "AAACK a horse! EEEK!" and spooked at the girl's horse when she cantered. I took her to the center of the ring and she calmed down as we stood and watched. Girl takes off the saddle and hops on bareback to cool horse out, Trudi spooks at the saddle laying on the ground. Both directions, of course- got her all relaxed going to the left- changed directions- sudden spook again, so had to get her used to it on the right too. She doesn't usually try to run away, but she's really good at shying- those sideways leaps are much quicker than you'd guess and cover a good distance. I'm pretty sure the initial spooks are not due to nervousness on my part, because they usually come out of the blue, where she suddenly jumps and then I have to figure out what scared her.
I keep telling myself to be patient, and in a couple of years I'll have ridden her around enough stuff that she won't bat an eye, but it's hard. We just did some walk/trot stuff because she was tense and nervous, bringing her back to a walk when she got too ancy, but I also tried taking some of that nervous energy and half-halting it into suspension, which was tricky and a little scary but actually seemed to work now and again.
