Sunday 14 November 2004

Enter the Recommended Associate


On the first outing to the field she walked down most of the way on her back legs.



The first day in the school (in hand) she showed me her levade even tapping my on the hand to make sure that I was watching!


When picking up even the lightest of contacts she stood on her back legs over a dozen times in one lesson. I was hit in the mouth while riding her twice and I spent one lesson with blood dripping down my face, when I got back to the yard they were all really worried as the blood had streaked all over my face and down my sweatshirt.

Her rearing was knocking my confidence. She was fine to handle but a nightmare in the school. Our RA rode her for just 5 minutes before figuring out the problem. She took off her bridle, put on a Dually headcollar and attached the reins to that. It wasn't as if she was in a harsh bit, I'd gone from a snaffle to a french link to a happy mouth to a rubber straight bar (which she ate!). I thought that she was nuts but Saffy proved me wrong and lengthened, overtracked and relaxed. Later that day I hacked her out in the Dually even though people thought that I had completely lost the plot.


The 'diagnosis' was that she was expecting either pain, discomfort or something horrible to happen when you picked up a contact. She was put in a hackamore for a few months and was 'cured' overnight.
She eventually went back into a bit, kindly choosing the KK Ultra costing me even more money! She obviously takes after her mother in liking expensive things



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