Of course, I think Connie is just great. She is a quiet and kind
person, very sure of herself and quick to anticipate whatever the horses are thinking about doing.
Connie
has been giving me riding lessons on the barn's horses for a couple of
years, all year round. This winter though, I found I wasn't looking
forward to the snow slides off the roof and consequent spooks, nor to the bone
chilling tacking up. So, she agreed to teach me some training methods
instead.
Because
I lack balance and coordination, riding is a challenge for me though it
can be terrific fun. There is nothing like it in the world. I am
looking forward to riding Molly, whenever it seems to us that she is
ready. In the meantime, I'm studying up on Buck Brannaman and
Tom Dorrance to learn more about the importance of ground work. You hear this
all the time, but rarely see it practiced.
Here is a picture that pretty much reflects our relationship as of very early spring last year:
At this time,
we were doing a lot of grooming. Molly has always been very good about letting
me groom her legs. Here she is standing still, which is good, and
doesn't seem inclined to kick or bite me, which is also good. But her ears are back and she is
not remotely interested in doing what I'm asking, either, which is for
her to pick up her foot. This always took a long time while she mulled
it over and shifted her weight this way and that before grudgingly
lifting a foot and then slamming it down. At this time also, she was very
difficult to lead and I was always nervous when bringing her to the
barn. We did most of our work in her pasture. I really did not have the knowledge or experience to make much progress.
I
hope that in those months, we at least became familiar to each other.
She may have begun to see that I would not hurt her, either. So this was
the start of our groundwork.
