You Take The good, You Take The Bad and There Ya Have Horses!

Ahhhh the joy of a good day with a horse can so quickly be forgotten when a bad day comes up. Ice Cream tried me for the first time today on two occassions. She snaked up on me and thought very hard about charging me. I knew she did it to other people but I thought I had gained enough ground on respect that she wouldn't try me with it but she did. Lesson learned with her...don't forget she has that in her. I have had so much easy going progress with her, for her to show such disobedience and downright nastiness towards me I was a little heartbroken, felt like betrayal from her in a sorts. When she came at me the first time I sent her off out onto the rail to think about what a mistake it was to try me. Then after a little while she decided she would have a second go at charging me and this time she thought she would up the force and actually started to come at me. The first time I checked it as soon as I started to see what she was thinking with her head up like a viper and ears all pinned back. The second time she puffed herself up and started to come out at me but I grabbed the whip and ran at her like a crazy person thrashing the ground and she retreated. Later on that day I did get some of the best join up I have had so far...she was even running along with me, weaving as I weaved, stopping on a dime for me. This episode just goes to show how opportunistic some horses are, and just how wise it is to be paying attention to what they are sending you in body language. If I wasn't paying attention and didn't react as quickly as I did, she probably would have got me.
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First Ride On Ice Cream

Again today I went out to work with Ice Cream and she did a GREAT job. She is showing a lot more respect towards people and I mounted her without any issues. I trotted & walked today...worked on turning...it will be a long road till I can call this horse "broke". She has spent most of her life in a pasture not being asked to do much and has developed bad behaviors towards people - she would knock you down, invade your space to the point of trampling on you, strike you with her front legs, offer to kick from the side, use her head to push you around, not listen when being handled...basicly just a brat. Her owner loves her and wants to see her have a more "useful" life and so I am trying to teach her to respect humans while being handled, accept a rider and move when asked in the way you ask...so far so good...things seem to be moving along quite smoothly!
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