On Wednesday I met Frisco for the first time. His owner scheduled an afternoon lesson/evaluation and was late getting to the barn because Frisco had been difficult to catch. Not only that- he pinned his ears and charged at her! I took him to the round pen and we had our first session that day. Like many horses with behavioral issues Frisco carried a lot of tension in his body, his feet were sticky, and he turned his butt to me anytime I asked for his face. He was defensive and distrustful of me and everyone else. We made a little headway but there was so much that needed work, so his mom and I made a plan- Frisco joined my herd of training horses that day. Thursday (day 2)- Frisco ran from me in the pasture, so we did a repeat of the previous day’s round pen lesson out in the pasture… it didn’t take as long. Later we had another round pen session and I watched his expression change from stress and resistance to curiosity and trust. Today (day 3) - I didn’t have to catch him in the pasture, he “caught” me. His expression is completely different. He’s interested in me and willing to participate in this “training thing”. I’m SO excited to see Frisco progress. Stay tuned!!!
The Feel-Good Phenomenon
It never fails. It never fails to amaze me and it never fails to occur.
A horse comes along who’s difficult to catch, doesn’t want to be haltered, avoids eye contact, walks away. He’s so locked up in his body, can’t bend, won’t accept contact, won’t accept the aids. The tension in his body is tangible. His carriage is hollow, the muscles under his neck are over developed, his eye is worried.
So we begin- teaching him to stretch, releasing tension, activating areas of his musculature he’d forgotten how to use.
He exhales, tension is released. Licking, chewing, softening his eye. The Feel-Good happens.
Then this- he greets me at the gate. Eye contact- soft, more trusting. “Can we do that again?”
The Feel-Good Phenomenon.
Maybe it’s for him. Maybe it’s for me. When I don’t feel like I can do anything right. When I question myself and my capabilities to help a horse, help a rider, help myself. When I need validation.
When we both need to feel good.