I’ve written in about my mustang Macy in my post about my journey. I’m currently taking a step back from riding her because of a knee injury. So, I’ve been doing other work with her like ground driving, practicing the lay down, desensitizing, etc.. Sunday I was able to work with her again. I took her out of her stall and out to a grassy area and let her graze while I brushed her. I’ve been listening to a lot of Warwick Schiller lately talking about paying attention to your horse. So, all the while I’m brushing her, I make sure to pay close attention to her head, ears, eyes, tightness of her muscles, etc.. The only time she raised her head to look at something was when I brought a plastic shavings bag over to wipe her feet off. I’d never done that with her so I approached her with it until she saw it and raised her head. I immediately stopped and waited for her to begin grazing again. I then took a few more steps toward her until she raised her head again. She let me get about 2 yards from her. I immediately stopped and stepped back. When she returned to grazing I was able to bring the bag all the way up to her. She smelled of it and went back to grazing. I was then able to put the bag on her back and she stood there as I rubbed her with the bag. I noticed she did throw her head up when I changed the feel of the bag though. I started scratching her withers through the bag instead of just rubbing. She didn’t like that and threw her head up. I immediately withdrew it when she threw her head up, just to tell her, I saw that. I know it made you uncomfortable.” I want her to know I’m listening to her, like I’m part of her heard, watching for danger.
I wonder if this being uncomfortable with a scratch on her back is part of the bucking I’ve had with her. I worked on the scratching through the bag for a couple minutes and she eventually relaxed with it.
I then lunged her for about 3-4 minutes changing directions and yielding her hindquarters. I had her step over a piece of sheet metal that makes a ton of noise. She only paused at it and eventually walked over it with no problem.
There’s a young lady that is riding one of my dad’s horses. The rest of the evening, I watched her ride while giving her pointers, talking to her dad, and letting Macy graze. There were several times while I was standing there that Macy came up and stiffed my shoulder. Since I hurt my knee and I’ve been working on the connection stuff that Warwick Schiller talks about, she’s done this more and more. I made sure to rub her muzzle when she did this because I saw it as wanting social engagement. If she had shouldered into me, I would have corrected her, but the way she came up to me, I saw it as wanting engagement. Tell me what you think about that in the comments below.
I didn’t do much more with her. I’m trying to be really patient and really listen to her. I’m going to get back on her soon and I’m hoping the connection work I’ve been doing pays off.
God Bless and please leave me a comment!
Apprentice of the Horse 