Navar's training continues to progress and while he is not "perfect" I have a reliable horse I am comfortable taking anywhere. This summer while encouraging him to go through a deep mucky pond, I was met with a lot of resistance. One gal who was riding with us, stated I was being too soft on him and to just give him one good wack. I am not adverse to "going to the bite" when my horse is not respecting my personal space but I have never found it beneficial to force a horse onto or into an obstacle or situation they are truly worried about. For one thing, I don't want my horse to rush over or through an obstacle or situation out of fear but would rather they think their way through it, as it makes things safer for both of us. I also believe this approach increases my horse's confidence in himself and me. Nevertheless, I didn't think Navar should be so resistant about going into the pond so I foolishly took her advice and gave him one good smack on the bum with the end of my rein. He nearly threw me off and could have injured himself in the process because he was deep into the mud at the time.
Thankfully nothing bad happened and I went about "helping" him through the pond by dismounting and sending him through a few times on his own. Going through the pond has not been a problem since.
Why I listened to that other supposedly "experienced" horse person is beyond me. This woman clearly dominated her obviously unhappy horse; and he didn't do all the obstacles perfectly either. This incident gave me pause and made me really think about what kind of experience I want to have with my horse. I am playing with horses for fun, not out of necessity. If it takes us a bit longer to accomplish something; staying safe and maintaining a trusting relationship with my horse is well worth it.
I came away from that seemly inconsequential incident thinking, "Navar may not be perfectly trained, but we are perfectly happy and having fun together"!
Tovie and Navar
Thankfully nothing bad happened and I went about "helping" him through the pond by dismounting and sending him through a few times on his own. Going through the pond has not been a problem since.
Why I listened to that other supposedly "experienced" horse person is beyond me. This woman clearly dominated her obviously unhappy horse; and he didn't do all the obstacles perfectly either. This incident gave me pause and made me really think about what kind of experience I want to have with my horse. I am playing with horses for fun, not out of necessity. If it takes us a bit longer to accomplish something; staying safe and maintaining a trusting relationship with my horse is well worth it.
I came away from that seemly inconsequential incident thinking, "Navar may not be perfectly trained, but we are perfectly happy and having fun together"!
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