One thing that this adopting a horse thing has taught me is; When you attempt to realize a dream that's bigger than you truly believe you can acheive, God fills in the gaps for you.
I have a vague idea of where I want this whole deal to go. It's stated in the headline of this blog. I even scaled it down a few weeks ago and took out the part about endurance riding. I thought that seemed a little too "pie in the sky". Every time I start to lose faith in how far I can get with this horse, God places someone right smack in front of me to help me get that confidence back. It hasn't failed, not once. Even if it hasn't been the same person each time, or the "right" person to carry me and Fiona all the way to the end of this journey, it's always been someone who can help.
So after getting the "it's ok to drive a little and go back to work" from the doctor on Thursday, I decided to go see Fiona and give her a little halloween treat (more on this in a later blog post). Once I arrived, I found out that a trainer I'd been looking forward to meeting was back in town and actually at the stables today! His name is Don (terrible I don't know his last name yet). Debbie (the owner of Red Mountain Stables and now my riding instructor) told me about Don and recommended that I start working with him when he got back in town from working with his brother on a ranch. I rode with Debbie over to the other end of the property to meet Don. It turns out, we'd already met, but I had forgotten! He was there when another trainer loaded my horse onto his trailer to take her to his place.
After a few minutes of talking about Fiona's history, we walked over to see her. Immediately, Don said she was wormy and needed Ivermax. I guess that call I made to the vet a couple of weeks ago, wasn't based on complete BS. He said it would be difficult to work with her if she was sick, so I left the stable immediately to get the dewormer. I brought it back and luckily Don was still there. He dewormed her and got some bran/alfalfa mush ready for her.
Don is a very calm, good spirited person and he is going to be great for Fiona and even better for me. He was VERY encouraging and dismissed all the "wrongs" I felt I had done with Fiona. He basically is ready to start from zero and work with both of us.
He did take Fiona out of her stall and worked with her on lunging a little bit. She was quick to pick up his lessons and he was kind and gave her a lot of positive reinforcement. Don said I could ride one of his horses to start if I wanted and I told him I can't ride for 2 weeks. I am still waiting to get cleared by my doctor for full activity. Don replied "Well then we will work with your horse for 2 weeks and you can riding her at the end of the 2 weeks". I have been told stuff like this before and I am a bit skeptical of short timeframes when it comes to this horse. I do feel like she is very close to being ready though! As for me being ready, that's a different story. I still remember ribs smacking against a roundpen.
After he put her back in her stall, we gave her the bran mush and left for the night. I will go back tomorrow and take on the lovely task of doing poop analysis. We need to see if there's any parasites that come out of her. Good times!
I will go take her the halloween treat tomorrow, and give it to her if she seems to be feeling ok. I can't wait, I think it's going to make for some funny video footage!
Don sounds like a great guy. Glad he's going to be working with you.
ReplyDeleteRiding other horses such as his or Debbie's is the best thing for you right now. Build confidence and develop your riding skills on horses that are calm and predictable.
I would set your sights on riding Fiona in two weeks, two month, or two years. In other words, when the time is right and not before due to any arbitrary date.
What's most important for both of you is that the first ride together be successful. Your fall was terrible to watch and I'm so glad you weren't hurt more seriously, but it also freaked out Fiona. At the end of the video, she was snorting like crazy. She obviously understood that something had gone terribly wrong and it was very distressing to her.
I think you'll know when you are ready. It will be when you feel like you are generally able to stay on a horse behaving normally at walk, trot, or canter, and that Fiona has a good set of brakes (I prefer the one-rein stop for an emergency)and is not likely to buck or rear. Then, I'd start in a round pen or other small enclosure and move up to the arena. I did all of that with Buster and gave us both an environment where we could succeed - together.
Can't wait for the next update!
Hey there! Stay strong.. your horse will surprise you in the end. I have a horse (incidentally I think you know my step sister, she said she is a friend of yours from work Gail Norton) anyways my horse when I got him was basically so thin it was ridiculous, the family that had him before didn't intend for that to happen and they didn't abuse him however he is the type of horse that if you leave him alone and don't do anything with him he feels neglected. He loves to be worked with, I had so much to teach him.. and he was so stubborn.. like you I had a great trainer and now.. he is just the love of my life! Trust me it is worth it!She will get there.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your supportive comments, keep them coming especially on nights like this! I appreciate the support.
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