The mare became a unicorn

January 11:

When I went to catch Mayfly in the field, it was early afternoon nap time again. She is getting to be more and more of a snuggle bug all the time. She let me snuggle with her for a bit before I slipped her halter on. Tying, grooming, and saddling don't even need mentioned anymore because she acts like a real horse now. Well, she does love her face being brushed and likes being around me.

I got her to the round pen and slipped her side pull on (which I have to mention, she lowered her head nicely for). I mounted up and started her walking around. She was relaxed and eager to get going. Footing was getting a bit precarious in there. When I asked her to lengthen her stride, she tensed up and started tail swishing with a hump in her back. I couldn't let her get away with that, but due to the footing I didn't want to press her for more than a little more walk. Due to the condition of the footing, I decided it was time to get her out of the round pen again.

She picked up her feet and walked with pep when we left the pen. I think she must have been as bored as I was going in circles. I took her away from the barn a bit, then went to turn her back. She balked a bit heading back to the barn. Apparently I have a reverse barn sour horse. As soon as she got out of sight of the barn, her friend on the hitching rail started calling out for her, but she didn't react to that in the least. We went out to a nice loop in the driveway with pretty good footing and worked out there. She is a lot less tense about me randomly touching her or moving suddenly while riding. We worked on moving out at the walk, and moving off my leg for a while.

We had a few more fights about where we should go, but she found it is easier to go where I am directing her. She balks by sulling up and swishing her tail, nothing more. I appreciate that and understand where she is coming from. She is a mature mare who is used to doing only what she wants when she wants to do it. Now this human comes along and decides that she must do what the human wants all of the time. Poor horse! Thankfully she has a kind disposition.

Anyway, back to the horse. After she was doing well speeding up and slowing down her walk, we moved on to the trot. Last time I rode her was the first time I trotted her under saddle. She did well but was a bit nervous. This time she did great. I wanted to make it easy for her at first, so we trotted towards the pen where the rest of the herd was. The first time she went into the trot, she was a bit worried. The second and third time she did great. The second to last time I asked her to trot going away from the herd, thankfully I was on a loop, so I just kept asking and asking until I got her into a trot. She will learn that it is easier on her to do what I want rather than sulling up on me.

After she did well on one last trot, we went for a short ride in the other direction, then I dismounted and led her back to the barn (I was freezing my butt off because it was a balmy five degrees Fahrenheit out and I don't like riding green horses with gloves on).