Had a lovey ride on my sweet red-headed mare last weekend. Well - actually it wasn't lovely.... but the previous two lessons were so nice. She was really round and deep and coming out through her withers - I could feel the forward, uphill, smooth, recycling of energy.
She is normally tense in her neck and I know I always will have to work on getting her deeper and reaching out to my hand... it's her "go-to" evasion. Those last two lessons were so nice. Like but-tah. I thought - oh, maybe we've finally gotten it? Maybe it'll be like this from now on?
Well. No.
Last weekend's lesson Sera warmed up beautifully, round, deep, coming over her back, forward and feeling the motor from her hindquarters pushing her onward.
And then we began shoulder-in on a circle.
She HATES shoulder-in on the circle. HATES it.
We pissed her off.
Her stride became choppy and very up and down like a piston, her neck came up and became stiff like rebar, while her ass swung back and forth like a barn door any time I put any leg on her. Sigh. We worked through it, got some decent try and moved on to flying changes.
BIG, GIANT, 2-LEG KICKS behind with her ears back telling me just what she thought of that idea. And when she's kicking with both barrels? All that weight that is supposed to be shifted to her hind end? All that weight is on her front - on the forehand - the opposite of what we are shootin' for.
The good part about our lesson tho' is that I know what it can be... I know how forward and soft and uphill she can be. The piston, up and down, flinging around gave me a very dramatic taste of what we don't want and for me, it's good to see, feel, work through it. It was an extremely clear demonstration of good vs. bad.
Sure was disappointing after having the good Sera Sue... even tho' it was sort of cool to truly feel the complete difference between her good side and bad side.
She's like that nursery rhyme... There once was a girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead... and when she was good she was very, very good... and when she was bad she was horrid.
That's my Sera Sue!
Oh - random sidenote: I say her name affectionately like Tsera Tsue... with a bit of a T sound in front of the S.
Mrs. Kravitz asked me last weekend, "Why do you call her Tattoo?"
I guess it does sort of sound like that... I had to explain my weird, affectionate, nick-name with my Ts in front of my Ss....
following the breadcrumbs life leaves...
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About Me
- Shanster
- Fort Collins, CO, United States
- I'm 51 (wait... how'd I get to be 51?!) divorced (wait...how'd that happen?!) and figuring it out
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6 comments:
Reading this post totally confirms to me that the Rosso thing is totally legit. If you can deal with Sera acting like this, there is no reason Rosso should be any different. But he is. And for some reason, your inner voice is telling you to keep away. You are right for listening.
When is your next show with Sera?
Yeah - it's cuz I came off him a few times and it freaked me out he could easily dump me any time he felt like it. Hopefully I'm learning in my rides with him how to stick and deflate the situation before it gets going. I only feel comfy riding him in an indoor at this point.
I haven't ever really come off Sera so I feel way more secure and when she gets mad like that it doesn't occur to me I will come off.
I am comfy on the ground with him! Not that it does us much good ... he is sweet and personable when I'm not on him... it's difficult. I don't want to see him in a bad situation but I know I'm not doing him justice.
Guess he'll stick around and when a good situation comes up for him, he can have his new job. You sure get attached to the buggers tho'... even when they are boogers.
Is Sera Sue a red head by any chance :D
Hey Shanster: I have the same problem with my Arab/QH gelding Diego that you are having with Rosso. I love him dearly and on the ground he is the perfect gentleman. But under saddle, with me on him, it's a nightmare. I used to think that I could work through this with him and he would be a great horse for me, but now, I think I have come to the realization that I need to move on and so does Diego. I don't have the time, desire, energy to deal with getting my confidence back and making him believe that I have my confidence back. I have my own two kids (beginner riders) that want to ride trails and I can't take them right now because I can't watch over them and try to make Diego do what I want. And I don't want them to lose their interest while I deal with my horse. I just can't be selfishly holding on to him for a hope/dream/what if only.
I've given him two years and although we have worked through a ton of issues I don't have the energy to deal with the rest of them. I want a horse that I can just hop on and go. No lunging, no praying that he will be good, no feeling like my legs are jello and it's going to turn into a nightmare.
Also my fencing can't take anymore. The big goof ball has taken out one gate, two brace posts and today he almost got hung up in the fence when we took the other two horses out. I think he needs someone who can give him a job and keep his silly little Arab head busy.
But I can tell you this now, when who ever buys him comes to pick him up, I will have a friend here to load him and I will be a long way away from my house. I will be a mess wherever I am and I will miss his beautiful face like crazy.
Sometimes decisions are really hard, but life is short and I don't want to not enjoy my equine friends to the fullest. No matter how hard the decision is.
mommyrides - Yes, absolutely. It will be really hard to let Rosso go but he is not the horse I want to ride and that has been a HUGE learning experience. Not a fun lesson learned but... a good lesson all the same.
I don't think every horse is for every person. You've said it perfectly ... in all it's complication.
oh, and yes, she is a redhead... how'd you guess? grin
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