On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 8:23 PM, sassyme808 <sassyme808@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> We have had quite a bit of rain here in Oregon, which is normal of course,
> but it came on top of a hard freeze. I don't know if the freeze is the
> problem, but the pasture is even more muddy than usual where I board, even
> to the point of forming a running stream right through the field. The barn
> owner moved the horses to a different field that sits just a but higher and
> has not been chopped up by hooves. The horses are very happy, but it's quite
> a hike through the mud to get them out of pasture and bring them into the
> barn. Today my DH went with me to get Charlie out and was kind enough to
> trudge out to get him from the field for me. Charlie loves Mike and walked
> up to him to be caught when he got out there. However, when it came time to
> wade through the muck to get back to the barn Charlie set his heels and said
> "no thank you" in the politest way possible. Mike said Charlie gave him a
> "horse hug" but would not take a step into the mud. He tried for 10 minutes
> or so, but the answer was No. He's never refused to be lead before. Now,
> remember that Charlie has had mistreatment in his past, but is the most
> willing boy to do what he's asked, and we have a strict no hitting or
> yelling rule with him, as even a small swat on the rump makes him act like
> he's been shot, and would be a setback in his trust. I had been chatting
> with another boarder and finally noticed that it had been a long time, so I
> popped my head out of the door and saw Mike and Charlie stuck in one place
> at the far end of the field. I hollered out to Charlie to come on in, and he
> popped his head up, squared up his shoulders and waded into the mud! Mike
> helped him pick the best path and they got to the barn within a couple
> minutes. Mike said it was the sound of my voice that got him to take the
> plunge. It almost made me cry, but I'm goofy that way. Meanwhile, the barn
> owner is working on some new gates so we can have a firm path to the barn.
> We're doing another month with the trainer, and me in more lessons.
> Charlie's still pretty jumpy, but oh so much better. I'm just so darn stiff,
> but much less fearful. The trainer had me ride his Steady Eddie with my eyes
> closed, and it was the best exercise ever. I got a glimpse of myself as a
> young girl with no fears, and no arthritis in the neck! A dear friend of
> mine who's horse is lame is going to take a lesson with Charlie and our
> trainer, and then ride him until her horse is better. It's a win-win. More
> miles on Charlie, and she gets to keep working on her skills. (She's an
> excellent and experienced rider whom I trust totally. )
>
>
>
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