Tell me about your horse's quirks and how you overcame them...
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:34 pm
I've thought for a while now that Miro was a bit "funny" about footing changes, but today I got to experience this quirk in all its glory. He's balked at lines in the footing before, but has always gone after a very brief discussion and then been fine. Today, I was riding him, and it started pouring, so we went into the freshly dragged indoor. He got a few steps, and then stopped dead and started spinning. And then encountered another drag mark and spun like a little top until he stopped dead, shaking and trembling. I think it was just total sensory overload for him.
He was fine if he was walking WITH the lines, but the second he had to cross a drag line, it was no go. And he was legitimately scared. So I got him walking forward with the lines and then picked up the trot. He was fine trotting and cantering across everything, but the second we walked, it was a full scale melt-down again. Luckily, there were people at the barn and I was able to get a lead across the footing - and we ended walking on a loose rein, with him choosing to step over things (you could literally feel him stop, then gather himself and march firmly across the scary thing). He's also "funny" about poles with stripes on them, but has been walking over those as well - but any deep furrow, stripe or mark in the ground is bad news bears. He'll get better as he trusts me, and trusts himself... and as I don't make a big deal over the ruckus we ended on that super good note. But geez, what a quirk to have, poor baby - freshly dragged rings are my favorite, but to him, they spell the pits of hell! My game plan is to have a lead over dragged footing, and leave him mostly alone other than support from my seat and legs, and let him figure it out rather than "make" him walk over stuff - but I don't want him to feel like he's in it alone either. (Side note: his vision is good)
Any odd quirks in your guys? And how did you overcome them?
He was fine if he was walking WITH the lines, but the second he had to cross a drag line, it was no go. And he was legitimately scared. So I got him walking forward with the lines and then picked up the trot. He was fine trotting and cantering across everything, but the second we walked, it was a full scale melt-down again. Luckily, there were people at the barn and I was able to get a lead across the footing - and we ended walking on a loose rein, with him choosing to step over things (you could literally feel him stop, then gather himself and march firmly across the scary thing). He's also "funny" about poles with stripes on them, but has been walking over those as well - but any deep furrow, stripe or mark in the ground is bad news bears. He'll get better as he trusts me, and trusts himself... and as I don't make a big deal over the ruckus we ended on that super good note. But geez, what a quirk to have, poor baby - freshly dragged rings are my favorite, but to him, they spell the pits of hell! My game plan is to have a lead over dragged footing, and leave him mostly alone other than support from my seat and legs, and let him figure it out rather than "make" him walk over stuff - but I don't want him to feel like he's in it alone either. (Side note: his vision is good)
Any odd quirks in your guys? And how did you overcome them?