Reluctance to work

The hot weather and plenty of grass is making BG hard to work with. She isn't that tempted to come in for food and once in she is very reluctant to behave. I think it is also partly because I have been expecting her to do different things most nights and she is used to being a companion pony and having a life of leisure.

When I first met her she was very nervous of people, go in a stall with her and she would hide in the back of her stall. As you moved around she would shuffle round, keeping a wary eye on you and swinging her bottom round towards you. I was never worried she would kick out, but there isn't a lot you can do with a bottom facing you and try to push her she just makes herself more and more agitated.

She has started to revert to moving to the back of her stall (field shelter now) again. She is reluctant to come in, reluctant to have her head collar put on and reluctant to have anything done with her once she has had her food. With the grass as it is she would be happy out grazing on her own, with no interation with humans. Makes me feel loved to realise that!

Thursday I only intended to lunge her, she is happy being lunged as it is something she is used to rather than the saddle/ bridle etc. that is still relatively new.

So she stood beautifully to be groomed after she had eaten and did not move to the back of her shelter. I put her fly repellent on with no issues. Then I popped out to double check the gate was secure and prop the lunging whip outside so I could collect it easilly. She figured me leaving must mean she would be expected to do something. Having been so good she went and hid.

I spent fourty minutes just sat at the entrance to her stall. I made it clear I wanted to catch her and when she swung her hindquarters round to be stubborn I decided to out-stubborn her. Once caught I just led her out and let her go. See, I don't always expect her to work.

Last night I tried to keep things simplier for BG. So I gave her a lovely long groom and coated her in repellent again as there are still flies everywhere. Then I led her out (she was easier to catch after her food) and gave her only a five minute lunge on each rein. She was very responsive which was nice. Since she has been quite headstrong recently just being led, I decided to do some in-hand work with her, using the lunging whip to discourage her from pulling forward ahead of me. She reposnded to that quite well, although she tried to veer to the right away from the lunging whip a little.

Today she has taken a lot of persussion to come in for food. It has been so hot today, I don't do the heat very well and thought that she might be suffering a little but she actually seemed to be coping with it very well. She had a light groom tonight and then we turned her out.

BG is prone to laminitis. I check her hooves nearly everyday for heat in them and today I am glad to say they were cool, a little bit unexpected on such a hot day but good for her. We also weight taped her, she is keeping a nice even weight at the moment.