Up on her back

I mentioned that I had got on BG’s back last week. It was the first time in a while so I was a little unsure how she’d be. So far she has been very sensible, which I am grateful for. You can tell she is a little unsure about it but she behaves herself.

I only got on her briefly last week. I am getting on her bareback and don’t want to leap on as it would scare her (try jumping up and down next to BG and she looks as though she has just seen the most terrible monster ever and cowers away), but without the stirrup and a tall enough mounting block it is a little bit ungraceful. I put my leg over her back, wait until she is happy with that then use my husbands shoulder to push myself up and across her back. I put my leg across last week and she pulled back and sideways. I am not the most confident person so needless to say that made me nervous. Round she was led again and second time I got on with no issues.

I only stayed up there for a brief walk around. She isn’t used to so much weight on her back.

Sunday I got on a bit more easily. You can feel every one of her muscles tense beneath you bareback and tell when she is going to try turning, or move on, before she does it. She is still very tense with me up there but she jig-jogged along on Sunday so must be a little happier. We had the bridle on her too, for the first time she refused to open her mouth to put the bit in so we had a little bit of an argument over that.

My husband led her like usual, she is still being headstrong walking her away from her shelter, she will go so far up the field then swing round to say I am heading home now. It is a little bit disconcerting being on her back when she does this, I don’t have the best balance. However, with her unexpected jig-jog, a couple of tight swing rounds and a bit of a jump when some birds flew up in the air behind her, I think I can certainly say my balance is better than it was when I first got on her last summer and for that I am grateful. BG is quite sensitive to any weight movement on her back as she doesn’t know what it means so the stiller I can be the happier she will be.

So last night I got up on her briefly again. We didn’t have the bridle on us so she was just being led round in her head collar. There was a little bit of wind which had her on her toes a bit, it took a few tries before she would stand still enough for me to get on her. Once on she felt like a bundle of energy beneath me, almost like she was going to leap forward at any moment. We only did a little bit of walking round, then she saw something in the hedge and pulled back a little like she was thinking of rearing. I think this got us both a little nervous but I didn’t want that to be the last thing we did otherwise she would remember that as a get out. So we walked her on just a little more before I got off. I was glad to get off. Something had upset her, my husband led her round a bit more and there was something in the hedge she was watching and refusing to go near. I think if we’d tried to keep going with me on her back it would have ended in an accident, better to leave it on a good note.

BG will have a night off tonight. Even though we aren’t working her hard I think she should have a minimum of one-day off a week.