Mercury in Retrograde*
By the time Sean got to the arena Saturday morning, I was a simply a hot mess. I had received tragic news about an old friend’s son earlier in the day (the kind of news that has emotional ripple effects) and I arrived at the farm to find Oliver acting totally out of character. Friday’s surprise storm had all the horses on edge, I learned later, one of whom bucked for the first time in seven years. But I didn’t know that when I gathered Oliver up and got started grooming. All I knew was that when I lifted Ollie’s front right foot to clean it he jumped back and reared. Twice. I was alone in the arena and what scared me was not as much a rearing horse (it happens), as was the fact that Oliver had never reared before. I was certain that whatever I had been doing the three times I worked with him alone had lead to this behavior. I took him out into the center of the arena to get his feet moving. He kicked and bucked and tried to run off. I kept him moving forward and just kept breathing through what felt like unmanageable frustration.
I hate to say this but I was hugely relieved when Oliver gave Sean some of the same runaround. Sean took him in the round pen and moved him around without a halter and lead and Oliver was challenging Sean’s space and, momentarily, Sean’s authority. This was short lived because of Sean’s responses, but it was really helpful for me to watch the whole dance between the two of them because I realized what I might need to do when faced with this nonsense in the future. Unfortunately, my camera wasn’t recording so I didn’t capture any of it on video, but it is pretty well burned in my brain and I am certain we will have a chance in future to document (hopefully later rather than sooner).
We decided to seriously dial back our expectations for the day and while we did work with the surcingle, we kept it simple. Unlike our first go with this equipment, Oliver braced against the constriction around his middle and threw a few bucks when trotting in either direction. Sean brought him down quickly and made lots of changes of direction. Then, they worked briefly on side passes--just enough times to find success. When Oliver finally calmed down and seemed focused we decided to call it a day so as to end on a high note.
It was a beautiful afternoon, so though we finished in the arena Sean suggested we walk the property. Armed with proper gloves and a stronger drive to make my points strong, I led Oliver down to coyote circle and surprisingly the only issue I faced was trying to keep his head up so as not to let him eat along the way. I guess he had gotten most of the vinegar out.
Oliver and Ruiridh
On our way back up to the barn, Sean and I discussed putting Ollie out in the pasture for a bit. He has not yet been turned out and it seemed like he had some energy to burn. I turned him loose and we brought Dante (who will hopefully be a fast friend) up to run around for a while with him. What an amazing sight was Oliver when he realized he had the whole field to explore. He pranced off, quickly transitioning to a full gallop and he made the rounds introducing himself to all the horses in the adjoining paddocks. It was thrilling to see Oliver interacting with Dante--Oliver is a super social horse, having grown up in a huge herd at the sanctuary. Dante rose to the occasion and transformed from an in-your-pocket pony to a confident older gelding, making sure Oliver knew where he could be and how he could behave in Dante’s company. It was likely good for both of them.
We left the two of them out for a few hours to give them a chance to graze and after about 3 minutes of posturing and running laps they both settled in. This gave me a chance to watch Sean and Bryce work with Boone on trailer loading, which was super informative. I am always struck watching Boone and specifically the difference between mustangs ages 2 and 6. While Oliver learns quickly, we have to revisit everything each time to reinforce. While Boone may take a little bit longer to get used to new ideas (and really not that much longer) once he understands a new skill, he appears to hold onto it. It’s helpful to have this frame of reference so I can keep my expectations for Oliver at this stage realistic.
After about 45 minute of prep in the arena with a wood and barrel bridge, Sean and Bryce had Boone loading in a trailer with relative ease--first being led in and then being driven in from 50 feet away. Every chance I get I watch Bryce and/or Sean work with Boone and each time I learn a great deal. He's an incredible animal and it's amazing to watch him come along.
Today, I was on my own with Oliver, which worked out really well. After his run-about yesterday and the change back in weather he was receptive and easy to work with. We spent 20 minutes in the round pen practicing transitions--he did beautifully--and then we worked on the obstacles Sean had set up to work with another horse. Oliver crossed the bridge confidently when I led him and drove him over, and he jumped the barrels with much less excitement than before. He even went through the shredded tarp a few times despite the fact that it was rustling because of the winds outside. We again finished up with a walk around the property and Oliver was great, especially considering the wind and subsequent rustlings everywhere.
On a final note, I am getting much more serious about my responses to Oliver's relentless pushiness--face in your face--and mouthiness--eating EVERYTHING. It must be more believable because he is responding well. By the end of the day, I could drop the expletives (“For #$&*’s sake!”) and simply say “Stop!” and he backed off. No one has ever accused me of being terribly ladylike, and in this case it is paying off (sorry Mom).
*While I am not a believer in most things astrological, I lay low when Mercury is in retrograde (I can handle the resulting jeers and judgment--my most ruthless critics have all circled back to whisper themselves as believers). Apparently, this round finishes up April 15. Regardless of the whether Saturday was due to stars or air pressure, at times it is better to just accept the chaos and adjust accordingly...which we did.