July 8, 2008

After the chores, we started out this morning watching a video on controlling your horse, and getting them to acknowledge you as the leader.  Then we went outside to try it with the things that we learned about the horses on the horse exams from last week.  Pat said she would go first, and her challenge was to get Cisco to let her stretch out his hind legs.  She put him in the "round pen" . . . a fenced in corral that is roughly . . . well, round.  Then she tried moving his legs.  When he resisted, like she knew he would, she made him go round and round the corral until he faced her.  That meant he was ready to comply, or at least try.  It took a few turns around the pen before he actually let her do it.  

Then she asks who is the next worse horse, and I said Chaco and his hind legs.  The only reason I spoke up is because I thought she would give another demonstration, and I didn't want to have anything to do with his hind legs.  But, that is not how it worked out!  She wanted ME to get in there and work with his hind legs.  I can't tell you how scared I was.  Pat did it the other day, but that was two days ago.  

So, I walk up to Chaco (he is loose . . . no halter or any restraints on him), and ask for his front foot.  He gave it to me!  Then, I ask for his hind foot, and he gave that to me . . . very gently!  Then, Pat wants me to stretch it out.  I pick it up again and stretch it out behind him.  It was awesome!  Chaco's next challenge was having someone touch his ears, and when he wouldn't let me do it, I had to make him go round the corral.  It is amazing how your body language "speaks" to these horses.  Just minute movements affect them.  Pat has to essentially "train" us to train the horses.  It is so interesting.

Anyway, back to the story at hand.  Pat had to step in when I couldn't pick up his feet again, and when she finally did, she found a rock in his back hoof . . . the scary hoof.  I went to get the hoof pick and expected Pat to take the rock out, but oh, no, she wanted me to do it!  I was already red-faced and exhausted from the intense heat of the day, and working him in the round pen (because I have to run around, too), but I had to do it.  Shawn and Laura were my cheering section.  I had to round pen him a few times, but he finally let me take the rock out of the hind hoof!  I still have the rock!  I think we are going to make an amulet out of it!

Much later in the day, when we finished practicing driving with Chaco, Pat wanted me to pick up his hooves again!  I got the hoof pick, and did all four hooves.  I thought I was going to have to make him go round again, but he did it.  He is acting differently toward me now.  A little scared, which I don't really like, but it is better than him biting me and taking advantage of me, which is dangerous with a thousand pound horse.

Here is something interesting.  When I was at the school, I tried to be cool and friends with the kids.  And the upper grade kids walked all over me, and I couldn't control them.  Here, I tried being friends with Chaco, and he took advantage of me.  I didn't learn the lesson at school, so I had to learn it here.  But the lesson is the same . . . I had to exert my authority.  Chaco didn't respect me before and that made it dangerous.  I still  have a ways to go, but I'm getting better.  I finally "get" it.