so incredibly fucking proud
i posted this in the other forum i visit.
i just wanted to share the absolute love and admiration i have for my big, awesome red boy today. we have had many issues over the past year; leadership, grief, communication, riding out, riding in general, handling scary stuff, visiting beejyland... you name it.
we've also had some discussions regarding the big F word. that's right, floating.
in the time i have had him (including the day we went to pick him up from his previous owners) he has not been happy with the float. Over the past year i've done bits & pieces of 'my style' float training. He's been okay with going in, but NOT with staying on. once (in the beginning) we had him on and the chain at the back done up and he had SUCH a tantrum (with another horse & person in the float) that he undid the chain & ejected at high speed. some ppl have been quick to tell me how to float train, but clearly have misunderstood when i've said it's not the GOING in but the STAYING in. IMO it's about building up confidence and trust in me that i'm not going to sell him on and stress him out. i've had many discussions with him about how much i love him and how the float is not going to be the end of anything with us... and today, i think it finally clicked with him.
anyways. i've had many discussions with people, and both my wonderful bowen lady and an Animal communicator said that they didn't think he'd suffered physical trauma in a float, just that the float signified a lot of emotional trauma for him, especially coming from his foalhood & move into race training.
anyway, today, with the help of a couple of squirts of rescue remedy (for both of us, haha), he not only stayed on the float, but did not stress (from what i could see anyway) when i lifted the tailgate up.
this is such progress. i locked the gate & ran around the front to see him (he's a real mummy's boy now and would initially stress when he couldn't see where i was - like the whole 0.1sec it would take me to get from the tail gate to the side door) and he was totally CHILLAXED.
i brought the float door down & he didn't try to barge off or anything, and came off when i asked. i was so impressed!
i actually had a bit of a cry because we have just come so far in our relationship. i really was not sure if he was the right horse for me, but now i just know in my heart we are going to have such a great time together. i am unbelieveably proud and amazed by him - every single day. I've been around horses since i was 3, and educated green ponies & horses & gone up thru the ranks at pony club etc and *always* had horses. But this horse has taught me more about sensitivity and communication and leadership than any of the other horses i have had the pleasure to meet. i have never met a horse like him and every day with him reminds me of how much i DON'T know about horses. because of him i've opened up to using parelli & other methods to open up the lines of communication.
Merrylegs' post today (OK own up...) totally reminded me of how much i don't know. i am so thankful i've had the opportunity to meet such a wonderful horse and learn so much from him. i can't believe how i fall in love with him more, every single day.
and then i post a bunch of pics etc and gush some more.
srsly ppl, i CRIED. wow, how much has that been held in??? fuck.
i just wanted to share the absolute love and admiration i have for my big, awesome red boy today. we have had many issues over the past year; leadership, grief, communication, riding out, riding in general, handling scary stuff, visiting beejyland... you name it.
we've also had some discussions regarding the big F word. that's right, floating.
in the time i have had him (including the day we went to pick him up from his previous owners) he has not been happy with the float. Over the past year i've done bits & pieces of 'my style' float training. He's been okay with going in, but NOT with staying on. once (in the beginning) we had him on and the chain at the back done up and he had SUCH a tantrum (with another horse & person in the float) that he undid the chain & ejected at high speed. some ppl have been quick to tell me how to float train, but clearly have misunderstood when i've said it's not the GOING in but the STAYING in. IMO it's about building up confidence and trust in me that i'm not going to sell him on and stress him out. i've had many discussions with him about how much i love him and how the float is not going to be the end of anything with us... and today, i think it finally clicked with him.
anyways. i've had many discussions with people, and both my wonderful bowen lady and an Animal communicator said that they didn't think he'd suffered physical trauma in a float, just that the float signified a lot of emotional trauma for him, especially coming from his foalhood & move into race training.
anyway, today, with the help of a couple of squirts of rescue remedy (for both of us, haha), he not only stayed on the float, but did not stress (from what i could see anyway) when i lifted the tailgate up.
this is such progress. i locked the gate & ran around the front to see him (he's a real mummy's boy now and would initially stress when he couldn't see where i was - like the whole 0.1sec it would take me to get from the tail gate to the side door) and he was totally CHILLAXED.
i brought the float door down & he didn't try to barge off or anything, and came off when i asked. i was so impressed!
i actually had a bit of a cry because we have just come so far in our relationship. i really was not sure if he was the right horse for me, but now i just know in my heart we are going to have such a great time together. i am unbelieveably proud and amazed by him - every single day. I've been around horses since i was 3, and educated green ponies & horses & gone up thru the ranks at pony club etc and *always* had horses. But this horse has taught me more about sensitivity and communication and leadership than any of the other horses i have had the pleasure to meet. i have never met a horse like him and every day with him reminds me of how much i DON'T know about horses. because of him i've opened up to using parelli & other methods to open up the lines of communication.
Merrylegs' post today (OK own up...) totally reminded me of how much i don't know. i am so thankful i've had the opportunity to meet such a wonderful horse and learn so much from him. i can't believe how i fall in love with him more, every single day.
and then i post a bunch of pics etc and gush some more.
srsly ppl, i CRIED. wow, how much has that been held in??? fuck.