Monday, June 8, 2009

Mounting Block

She does not like mounting blocks. Oh she doesn’t do anything mean or very obvious but...she will stop one step before. Stand very quiet. I walk her past to line her up with the block and she is fine. I get up on the block and she will just oh soooo slowly drift her hind end away from the block. I’ve done circles, disengagements when she does this and then walk her back to the block. The first time it took a little while. Next time only a couple, next time back to a while.

And I know its not about the mounting block. Just can't figure out what it really is about other than memories of kids.

Sometimes she stands still and I flap the stirrup leathers for lots of noise. Quiet. I rock the saddle. Quiet. I put my foot in the stirrup and sloooow drift of hind end. Sigh.

Of course my trail riding friends think I’m nuts. I mean I could just get on. But I keep telling them I won’t get on a moving horse. So they wait LOL.

Yesterday it wasn’t that long before she was quiet. But I know I have to keep working on this. Each day. I watched the Parelli Clipping Naturally CD and was blown away by all the prior and proper preparation. Wow! So that has given me renewed hope. And renewed patience. Take the times it takes. Even if that is a looooong time.

You know we went to the Celebration and saw Pat do something in even a couple of days that when we get home realize will take up months! Hard sometimes to hold on to the incremental changes and be happy with them.

Re the mounting, Cici was a school horse of one year and I’m sure that someone held her head as the kids mounted. I am also sure that her previous owner mounted from the ground. And the kids were not her favorite riders.

I was on the trails yesterday and she saw deer for the first time under me. Her head was up and Vivian was coming up behind us. And then Vivian said let me pass, Georgie is fine with deer. Well Cici did not like the idea of him passing us, and she started to back up into him. To avoid any problem I hopped off. And then wondered if I would be able to mount her out in the woods from a rock or tree. But also figured we were not that far from the barn and I could easily walk her back.

I walked her to a rock. She stood perfectly still. I struggled to get my foot in the stirrup, it was a small rock LOL. She stood perfectly still. I got up very unaltetically very ungracefully. She stood perfectly still. Okay this answered my questions about the mounting block. Guess I need to disguise it as a rock?

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