So much...

Whenever I disappear for a while, you know it's because simply too much is happening! I'll try to spend some time this weekend getting caught up on the news...

First, Danni. Whose registered name (with the Dutch Warmblood Association of North America, thank you very much) is Eridani. Eridanus is a constellation, representing a river in the sky. Beautiful.

I've been working on her ground manners, and she's improving. She will now not only pick up her feet, but also let me hold them for a few moments before I put them down. This is a huge step for a prey animal. I'm asking her to give up her only means of escape. It takes a lot of trust. So that's going well. She's gradually learning not to flip her head all over the place when I put fly masks on or take them off. She accepts the bit and bridle, as well as the saddle. This naturally leads to... Riding.

Last Sunday, I rode Danni for the first time. This was the first time she ever had a rider on her back, and it went EXACTLY the way it should. I waited to tell everyone we were going to try it until I went to get Danni ready. This was a calculation on my part about how worked up they would get, and also how many questions I wanted to answer before it actually happened. I honestly didn't know for sure what was going to happen, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time talking about it. I just wanted to try it with an open mind, and all my attention on Danni.

So I put her in long lines (this is two lunge lines, so one goes to the outside 'rein', and the person stands in the center of the circle---it more closely approximates what happens to the bridle when you are riding) for a little bit, to make sure she was listening, and let her burn some energy.

Then it was time to 'belly-up'. I led Danni to the mounting block, took off the long lines, and put her halter on over the bridle. I already had a grab strap attached to the saddle. John held the lead line, and Jo stood on the off side, reassuring her with petting and scratches. I climbed up on the mounting block and leaned against her, leaning over her back, and patting her side. She was bored. so I leaned all my weight onto the saddle. This is danger point one. If the horse doesn't trust you, they will panic when 10% of their weight shows up on their back. Danni just flicked her ear back, and tightened her core to carry the weight. I stepped off onto the mounting block. Then I put my foot in the stirrup, and draped myself entirely across her back, with my head hanging down over the other side. Danni flicked her ear back, but that was all. So I told John to ask her to walk forward ONE step. This is danger point two, because now she has to figure out how to move when her balance is different. It's like the first step you take with a loaded backpack. You will either figure out how to engage your core, or you will fall. Danni flicked an ear, and took an unsteady step. So I asked John to take two steps, and she took took two much steadier steps, and didn't even flick an ear. So three steps. And then several.

Then I said to John and Jo, I'm going to move around up here a little bit. And I pushed up from the saddle. And I patted her haunches. And I rolled a little this way and that. And I turned to my left, and swung my leg very softly over. And then I sat up.

And this is the really, real danger point. Because now what the horse sees is a lion, coming at them from above, ready to wrap their arms around their neck and dig their claws in. Danni barely noticed. She was so busy being petted and fussed over that she had no time to think about lions! So then we walked on. She takes up my whole leg, already, and she's only two. She looked around. She took some unsteady steps, especially in turns. We walked to the end of the arena. Then we came back. John and Jo kept telling her how amazing she is. I kept patting her all over her body, and getting her used to the idea that she could carry a person, who would do weird person things. We walked back to the top of the arena, and I slowly leaned forward, and then to my right, and then slipped my leg over her back, and then dropped to the ground. And then we gave her approximately a billion peppermints.

My horse is now officially 'broke'. She has made the step in her head that means she's learned to trust that it's ok if a 'lion' sits on her back. It was nothing like the movies, and everything like what it's supposed to be. Just another step in the long line of things for Danni to learn.

The next day, she went ballistic in her paddock when I got on Trinket. It's difficult not to interpret that as jealousy. ;) Especially because she actually WATCHES the riding. And sometimes imagine that she's making the figures herself, in the paddock. Haunches in. Shoulder in. It seems she watches, and tries it herself. Or maybe I just hope she does...