and i am not formally trained, and I have been told I have rough hands so I make a point of using my hands as little as possible, but when startled, or when the horse startles I have a tendency to do what parelli says "the fetal position" where I curl, grabbing reins taut, and clutch up with the knees, which makes the horse think its been grabbed and freaks him. My horses get used to that but it takes a while. I was in a clinic once and the dead broke demo horse took off with me in the arena while the leader on the microphone finally figured it out and yelled for me to let off leg pressure, I was squeezing the horse to go while hauling on reins at the same time. getting a new horse used to all this takes forever. Trausti was very very side sensitive when I got him, seemed to almost jump out of his skin when I kicked him to go, he had a bad experience with that i suspect, somewhere, but yesterday I noticed he really didnt have a problem with that at all anymore, but seemed resentful if I pulled real hard on one rein to steer right or left. Would brace a little, then i notice he is neck reining like a dream and i never noticed that before. so I think he is compensating, we both are, me learning not to pull too hard when reining, him telling me, why dont we just neck rein, we both do better with that. Whats weird is I have seen him ridden and he was ridden english, but with me he seems to be trying to respond and show me how to ride him western. is that weird?? Maybe I remind him of someone who rode him western since I am un-lessoned, and he is responding that way. When I rode him one handed, neck reining, in the arena, he responded like push button and when i rode him "english" direct reining and would pull one rein to steer unexpectedly in another direction he would brace a little , i suspect against my heavy handedness. He is also like my jas, picked out horses he would rather be around more than others. It wasnt always a nice horse either. He seemed to like my friends green heathen horse and seemed to want to pass him and let him follow him like he was taking care of him, and anytime he saw my other friends buckskin he made a beeline for him and stayed on his hip. but funniest of all, every time my husband walked out into the middle of the arena to take pics everyone would laugh cause trausti would leave formation and walk over to get some pats from his new cary :) Gosh he is just so loving with donny i am trying so hard not to be jealous! but donny does not ride him, I do, all donny is is treats and pats... disneyland daddy as they say...
but yes, it takes so long for a horse to feel at home. They will be ok, and you think they are great. but as time goes along you realize more and more... for one thing, he is now i believe completely assimilated into our herd and so now its time to get relationships going with people, dogs etc. So many changes, I know he is in some sort of mineral imbalance. every new horse that comes here goes thru it, craving minerals, chewing bark etc. He wolfs minerals I give him and then this morning I saw him licking wood. not chewing tho. But yesterday he barely sweated i thought but i gave stonewall electrolytes and not him. So today i am gonna give him electrolytes. I think he is a secret sweater! Not anhydrosis, just doesnt get lathered like others! nasi doesnt either really! Teev did. janice -- even good horses have bad days sometimes.
