Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sahara

After deciding to take a step back from a number of activities; I went a step farther back last night (and didn't realize it until later).

I've been struggling with Sahara but with the help of Mike (who pointed out what's going on in her brain), we now have a plan (and thanks to T from Gentle Spirits for giving me the moral support I needed to work with her more).

I realized a number of things last night while messing with Sahara, while watching Mike work with her, and thinking about what T said yesterday:





  1. Sahara is my mood monitor. I cannot be upset when I am near her.


  2. I must only focus on Sahara. My mind must be free of all other ideas/thoughts. When working with her, she has to be my only focus.


  3. I must exude alpha mare from within and exude it in my demeanor. I. Am. Boss. Mare. (hard for me to do since I like the laid back guys).


  4. If my inner self is not calm (even if it looks that way from the outside), I cannot work with her. I must calm my inner self before working with Sahara.


  5. Any leeway I give, Sahara will take it. Give her a centimeter and she will take 10 miles.


  6. Any minor deviance, and she thinks she's boss mare. Sahara requires boot camp. What I say goes and nothing more.


  7. She needs to be handled by multiple people to respect ALL people.


  8. The end of a lead rope is my friend. The end of a lead rope demands respect from Sahara.

Last night I wanted to get some hay scooped up from the round bale feeder (otherwise they waste it). Mike was near so I had him hang on to Sahara's lead rope. He was on the other side of the fence, safe from leaning, safe from hooves, and safe from teeth.

While I was working, Mike made Sahara mind. She wasn't allowed to paw or push. If she did, she got smacked with the end of the lead rope once. By the time I was done and had my little yellow hay wagon full of hay and out of the pen, Sahara was standing calmly near the fence. I probably stood there enjoying the view for a good five minutes while Mike and Sahara patiently stood there.

Maybe I'm too high strung or wired too tight as of late, but it was such an enjoyable view to see those two just standing their, Sahara just standing with a leg cocked. But she was starting to get stressed so we called it a day.

Now that I know she CAN stand alone, we'll work on it more tonight. Not sure if Mike will be able to work with her or if I'll work with her, but in any case, she's just playing me. And I hate to be played. She's a smart girl that is going to demand respect (as she so deserves). She's only a yearling so can't take long periods of training but she does catch on pretty quick. Now it's more a matter of working on us. :-)

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