I went to The Ranch on Tuesday and worked with Ava. She just wanted to run and run on the lunge so I let her, only, my way. I made her do lots of changes of direction, it didn't take long for her to realize that I meant business if she was going to be all race horse-like. When she finally ran out of freshness I walked her around quite a bit to get her breathing back to normal. I didn't ride for very long since she was already out of most of her energy but we did have a successful ride. She is becoming much softer in the mouth and is learning to keep her head in a certain position. We also worked on take offs and downward transitions, they are coming along nicely.
After we were finished with our ride I groomed her off and covered her with her cooler (which I am loving by the way!). Then I went over and asked one of the boarders about a sorting event that was coming up (she mentioned it to me the other day). It sounds like a lot of fun and it is only $40! She also said that I could most likely get a ride over the event too, which is even more perfect. The next time I see her I'm going to tell her I want to go and hopefully my ride will come through and we can go. I truly do not expect anything from Ava if this works out. All I can picture is her acting like a fire-breathing dragon and prancing and rearing and all that horrible stuff. So if she for some miracle behaves then I will be happy but I don't expect it. Anyways, I will definitely take lots of pictures and hopefully I can somehow get someone to take a few pictures of me as well!
I am new to your blog, and so I had to go back to read why you were broken hearted, and boy that had to hurt I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI see that Ava is a rescue, which to me says alot. I may have some insight that could be helpful.
You see there is a reason she was on her way to a slaughter house. Horses that are easy without issues do not often end up on those trucks. So it is a safe assumption that she has "baggage". She was probably damaged goods. Emotionally damaged.
I have one like that too. It doesn't mean they are bad horses, they just need a little more dedication and understanding.
When my "special needs" horse reacts to something in a very negative way, I have to really step back and ask myself, "What is he trying to tell me?" Usually there is a message there, and I just have to figure out what it is.
Of course it always helps to have someone with more experience to help me figure these things out.
My point to you is to try and remember that when she reacts to something negatively, it has nothing to do with loving you or not loving you, and everything to do with her past. It is up to you to love her even when she reacts. Horses with baggage need consistency, and really strong leadership.
By that same token, sometimes we have to be realistic about what we have to offer out horses. I had a mare that also came to me with issues. I worked with her for a year, and made some good progress with her, but she had such a strong personality, and needed worked with on a daily basis. I just didn't have the time. I ended up giving her away to someone who did have the time, and it was a perfect match. They love each other, and that girl does things with that mare that I would never have dreamed of trying. So some times we have to be strong enough to let them go.
It can be a hard call and only you know the right answer, but if you decide to keep trying, (and I think that maybe you should for a while at least) always remember that horses may or may not love their humans, but when they are frightened or over stimulated, they react like horses. They no longer care how much you love them. They only care about being safe.