One small step forward and twenty back....

There must be something in the air subduing the horses this morning. BG let me put the head collar on her in the field (okay – I did have her food bowl on me but that doesn’t normally make any difference) which is unheard of. She didn’t even attempt to pull back when it went over her nose or anything. Then P1 and P2, who had escaped into the fenced off bit of the field last night (a common occurrence), were stood in the corner waiting for me to open the gap to allow them through. They walked sedately through nodding a thank you as they went past.

BG was lunged last night. She is behaving on both reins again now after I did a bit more work the other night, even involving a pole on the circle which is something she still eyes with distrust. She didn’t seem overly active – choosing to look at me when I asked her to walk on before deciding she might manage to put one hoof in-front of the other.

This is a bit of a contrast to last week when all three seemed on their toes (see my last entry). Last week we put the saddle on BG one evening, me on her another evening, and I popped on her back on Sunday too.

The saddle is still a learning curve for her and I. We borrowed one last year to see what she was like with a bit of weight on her back. We didn’t have a girth at the time so just rested it there and did a little bit of walk with me holding it. Then someone popped their saddle on her back with a girth. BG wasn’t so keen, especially when this stranger asked her to walk nicely with her. BG freaked, took off and went charging round the field, the saddle-cloth went one way, the stirrups another and she ended up with the saddle under her belly as she stood there blowing.

The intention was to get her used to the saddle so we could get a saddle fitter out and ensure we get one that fits and won’t cause her any issues. I know nothing about what size saddle she would need and, as I have never known her to have one, I don’t even have any guidance on size from that.

The saddle fitter was superb when she did come out, really patient considering BG did her turning round and round in her field shelter so we couldn’t catch her even with her head collar already on. At least, not letting us catch her for a little while.

Once caught BG stood quite patiently out in the open field whilst the saddle fitter tried on several saddles, came up with the one she thought was the best fit and asked me to lead her round in it. BG at this stage doesn’t like turning with a saddle on and looks over her right shoulder at where the last saddle slipped under her. She didn’t want to move with the saddle on, scared herself, charged for the safety of her field shelter almost running the saddle fitter over in the process and almost hitting her head on the back of the shelter.

I would really recommend Bridlepath International as saddle fitters though, considering BG can be a nervous wreck the saddle fitter was superb with her.

So the saddle has been a bit of a work in progress. BG hated having it put on and tensed up, would refuse to walk in a straight line (always looking over her right shoulder). Gradually she straightened up a little and we have had her on the lunge with the saddle so she is starting to bend with it on too. She would bunny hop going into trot as if she were ready to freak and break free at any moment. Now she happily breaks into a jig-jog beside us as we lead her so the feel of it on her back is obviously not an issue so much any more.

I even got on her with the saddle. But the saddle slipped as I got on, off I got to straighten it up and either the stirrup touched her side, the wind freaked her, or something happened as she took off again and my husband couldn’t hold her. Off she went, throwing in a buck, heading straight for the three foot electric fence between her and the field shelter and other ponies. She’ll turn and run round this bit of field we thought (she is petrified of fencing). Then we saw she wasn’t planning on stopping and that’s when I started to panic and think she is going to attempt to jump it and will get her legs caught up in it and it’ll be one huge disaster.

She cleared it! I never knew she could jump! And the saddle, numnah and stirrups all remained attached which must be a good sign.

So we are back to leading her with just the saddle, getting her to straighten up and not be afraid of it on her back. I put it on her last week and tied her up to do so. I think I could have put it on without tying her up, she has obviously got over her fear of that part. Probably because her new trick is to stubbornly plant herself and refuse to walk out of her field shelter with it on so she intends to avoid it that way. This has resulted in twenty minute arguments (I do not want to use a whip to force her out of the door out of fear) where the only way to get her to move is to make her do tight turns and try to edge her out the door that way. I don’t really remember seeing her stubborn side before, I guess because she has never had a lot done with her before. She is getting better out in the field with it on though and doesn’t plant herself out there. With BG it is one small step forward and twenty back.