Author: GPadmin24

I was recently asked by a vegan if horses should be ridden? The vegan said she heard that horses prefer to be free and that it is detrimental to horses to be ridden. Who made this up? I told her that horses love to be ridden! They love to be out in nature. They love exercise. They love to move their bodies, see new things and explore new places. And horses attach themselves to their person. What could be better for a person and her horse than an adventure in the wild on horseback? There is nothing more sacred than the bond between a woman and her horse as they gallop through the desert.

I put a little saddle on my mini pony, Obsidian, and my girlfriend put decorations on her mane and tail. Obsidian is perfect for pony rides for mini kids between the ages of 3 and 7 years old. Obsidian is tame and she loves and trusts me. I could lead her anywhere and she would be happy!

I met a racehorse trainer and I told him how my colt has been cranky and irritable with me for the last month. He put his hand inside Zum’s mouth and found sharp wolf teeth. He explained that the two sharp wolf teeth coming out on each side of the back of Zum’s mouth could be why he is so unhappy. I called my horse dentist and he came over to look at Zum’s teeth. He felt the teeth in the back of Zum’s mouth and agreed with the racehorse trainer. So now Zum needs to have his wolf teeth extracted. In a way, it is a relief to know that Zum is not angry with me at all. He is teething and his mouth hurts!

I am slowly trying to help Zum get over his specific fears. I release Zum from the scare the moment he turns to look at what scared him. If he doesn’t startle, I am ready to increase the intensity of the pressure or stop the lesson. I praise him profusely when he does the right thing!

I told my ferrier the story about my neighbor. He responded to my story by saying that horses never forget when they are abused and he refuses to work for people that hit their horses. He told me to baby Zum now and, in time, I will win Zum’s heart and trust back. I feel like Zum is already starting to trust me more. I asked him to stand on tarp. He did!

I move the scary thing around and on Zum’s body, backing away with the scary thing if Zum moves or seems anxious. I make sure Zum is solid at one threat level before moving on to a bigger threat level. I never scold Zum if he reacts to the threat by moving. I try to remain calm. I patiently work through the progression to teach Zum not to move his feet when he is frightened. When Zum couldn’t handle all the scary things in the neighbor’s arena, he reared and bucked and ran off. I was calm and patient and I did not scold Zum. My neighbor scolded Zum which only made Zum angry. I have learned that Zum can only handle so much at one time.

Before Zum gets anxious, I put the scary object down. Then I pick it up, move closer and lay it down again. I keep working through this sequence until I can touch Zum with the scary object and he stays calm and still.

The scare at my neighbor’s arena was too big for my colt to handle. He regressed emotionally, feeling hostility towards people when he used to feel friendliness and curiosity. So I have to start at the beginning, training my colt in a non-threatening manner. He used to trust tarps so I pick up a tarp and show it to him.

I am elated that Zum is warming up to me again. All summer in Santa Fe, Zum and I were very close. After Zum experienced trauma almost three weeks ago in the neighbor’s arena, I was heart-broken when Zum became hostile towards me. But slowly, Zum is starting to remember that we were once friends.

I am backing off to smaller scares now. I am paying more attention to Zum’s emotions to interpret his degree of panic or growing calmness. My goal is for him to face what is scaring him when he is frightened. I don’t want him to think that running around in the arena is the right reaction to his fear.