Training Thoughts

Not terribly long ago I made a decision, which was for me, quite momentous. I decided that I was done training my horse. Where she's currently at in her training is how she's going to stay. I'm done.

Yeah, yeah, every time you ride or handle your horse you're training it, blah, blah, blah. I know. What I mean is that I'm done instilling NEW training in Cherry, and I'm not going to fret over improving what we've got.

Why? Frankly, Cherry is a pain in the ass to train and always has been. I'm not the only one who has come to this conclusion. Cherry is a difficult horse to train, that's just how it is. If it isn't something obvious, and she doesn't see the point, forget it. Progress is slow and painful, always has been, and I'm over it.

Cherry is that annoying little kid who keeps asking "why?" "Why do I have to do this? Why now? Why can't I do that? Why? Why? Why? Why?" GAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! It doesn't matter why, just DO IT! "No!" And so it goes.

She couldn't be faster to grasp the concept if the "why" is satisfactorily explained. If I go too fast I get yanked nearly off my feet? Okay, slow it is, that sucked! I'm convinced you're going to eat me if I bite you,so I won't do that again. Wow, these things you call leg and seat cues are so much better than you hauling on my face, I think I'll listen to them.

On the other hand........

Walk across the scary, crinkly blue thing on the ground when we could EASILY go around? Are you out of your freaking mind?!?! I love travelling with my head in the air and I can't figure out why you don't like it. Why canter when you can GALLOP! See? We got there much faster and it was a whole lot more fun! What are you so pissy about? I still don't see why I have to collect if we're not traveling uphill or across difficult terrain.

Either it has to make horsey sense, or I have to beat her ass into doing it. It sucks, she's old, and I'm done.

Unless there's a very good reason to teach her something new, I'm not going to bother. I'm glad I did the hobble breaking, and if something like that comes up, we'll learn something new. Or if some random thing appeals to me, I'll work on it with her.

Lately I've been tailing her back from the field, but I only have one rein. It's hard to ground drive with one rein and no rommel. So I think I'll teach her voice commands for "right" and "left". It'll be a fun project to work on that won't matter if I'm entirely successful or not. But the under saddle training? It's finished, and admitting that to myself was an enormous relief.