My lord I dont know what went wrong with my stonewall but I worked with him a long time yesterday and found a huge training gap. I free longued in the rp and he was great, I decided to do a sack out and see if anything was revealed there. oh boy was there... I did the rope, all was fine. I did a rolled up feed sack, crop, longue whip, whapping him in the eyes he hardly blinked, was taking a nap. As soon as I walked out and picked up the blue tarp he blew and spun and ran around. he has been totally sacked out with the tarp so that seemed odd.
I held it and waited til he quieted. He was nervous but stood as I approached. He flinched every time I touched him with it so I kept on until he was napping. I walked to the other side and he was flinching. And he never relaxed. And each time I got close to his rear end he would gather up and his haunch would tremble. His eyes were wild and every muscle taut. I kept on until he relaxed a little, unfolded it and went to lay it over his hip like a saddle blanket and he flipped OUT. He reared straight up, landed, spun, bolted like a maniac! He must have had a bad tarp experience lately? Hard to imagine this has always been there? I sacked out until he was ok, taking a nap. Took about a half hour. Then we went to the front gate and he flipped out when a car came by! I think he lost his confidence at the field trials! Like post traumatic stress disorder or something! I worked with him til he was calm and soft and then at the end he was fetching a frisbee, walked up the mobile home steps, stood on his pedestal, bowed, was calm and relaxed and his old self. My husband commented this morning when he went out to feed that he seems more his old self, calm and goofy and sweet. Makes me wonder if situations where they lose confidence gives them a setback in sacking out! I had thought once you sacked a horse out you didnt have to do it again... But now I know--- I wont get on stonewall again unless he is soft and relaxed. He does exactly on the ground what he does under saddle... Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
