I sat on Dahli today

[magical thyme]

3 times, sat on her, got off, got on, got off. She is stubborn. She knew what was coming when I set up the hay bales to use as a mounting block. I had leaned across the saddle a couple weeks ago, and let her walk around with me laying across the saddle. I bruised my ribs doing that, and then it rained for a week, so she had some time to think things over.

So today, as soon as I climbed on the bales, she smartly swung her butt away so I couldn't reach. We had a discussion about that, and after several re-tries and follow-on discussions, she finally stayed put and let me lay across the saddle and then swing my leg over.

Everything has been totally different With Dahli than with Algiers. They have totally, totally different karma. Algiers wanted to please, knew everything way in advance, but was anxious and afraid because of his foal abuse. We had as good a setup as I could afford -- small, level paddock, safely fenced, adjacent to barn (where he felt safe). At the end of a dead-end road, on a warm, school day when there shouldn't have been anybody around. The 3rd time I sat on him, 3 motor scooters started up behind some bushes across the street, and 3 boys playing hooky roared off. Algiers panicked, reared straight up, fell forward to his knees. I slid down his neck and broke my finger.

Dahli could not care less. She doesn't care to please me or not, and is not afraid. She just wants to eat. Lazy, spoiled princess! But we don't have a small, safely fenced paddock, but a 2 acre pasture with not great fencing for a rider. I am starting her by the barn, but it is also by a busy road. At least she is used to traffic of all kinds, lol. And at least nobody set off any firecrackers or gunshots.

Hopefully someday she'll learn to think of riding as something positive and fun, versus an interruption to her unending feast....

[BanzaiBonnie]

1. Seems that Dahli...

is quite a pill.

[Tsiyu]

2. I haven't ridden in so long.

Last week, a co-worker offered to pick up my horse and me this fall and take us riding at the Walls of Jericho (TN.) It's hard to ride in my neighborhood because of those who think the roads are their own personal racetrack. But I need to get my gal in shape for trailriding this autumn.

The horse I ride hasn't had a lot of formal training but is the child of awesome parents, her dad was all western pleasure champs and her mom has some of the finest Arab blood. (Her mom and me were a pair on many many miles in Cades Cove. Mom was surefooted as hell but a little spooky. Daughter is the same.)

I always have to lunge (longe?) her for a little bit before I try to get on. Let her work out the excess energy a bit. And she is the same as Dahli about the evasive maneuvers when trying to get up. I've learned to swing my leg over and be ready to move, have the reins collected (not tight but making contact) before she can think about where she's gonna go try to knock me off.

Just kidding about that part. She likes going for a ride, she just wants to keep moving. And she is an easy keeper, a hawg.

Have fun. I can't wait til the weather cools and I can start training my younger mare again.