Becoming the leader my horse needs me to be: January 2017

Sunday, 22 January 2017

Much more than riding

If you would like to continue to follow my progress with Lucie and Seraphina, and read my reflections on horses and behaviour, and training, please go to my current blog http://muchmorethanriding.blogspot.fr/

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My horses

Lucie is a Camargue mare, born 12 April 1999. She came to me in April 2009. She is not an easy horse, and has been found difficult by others. She can be over reactive, tense, distrustful; very sceptical; she requires a lot of patience & does not forgive easily. She is constantly challenging me in every way; when she becomes confident, she tests my leadership and she is always testing to see which human has turned up today. She is very subtle about this and maybe I have not always been subtle enough in my response. She is by far the most difficult horse I have ever handled and I don't always get it right. In 2010 she became lame with a bone spavin (osteoarthritis of the hock) so we have pain issues to deal with too. I can't ride her so we go out for walks in hand and do appropriate groundwork.

Seraphina (Fina) arrived to join us in January 2013. She is a Fjord mare born 2006. She has been with my friend Helen and her daughter Ali who has now outgrown her and moved into horses. With them, Fina has been hacked out regularly, done TREC and dressage and jumping; she is barefoot and bitless. I have introduced her to PNH and she is proving a steady calm learner. I ride her and pony Lucie when we go out for hacks.