Gally's secret

For months now I have been putting up with poor ground manners from Gally. Biting, cow kicking, being restless at the hitching rail. Even breaking away. Not wanting to get on the float. Not wanting to be caught. I've only managed to get bitten once, but I must admit that getting up at 5:30am to get Gally from the paddock, was not something I was really looking forward to.

I had solicited advice from every single horse person who crossed my path. The advice varied from growl, smack, get on with it, wait, ignore it, knee him in the guts. I appreciated the advice, and tried it out, but the behaviour was just getting progressively worse.

I want to stress, that at all times the riding has been going really well, and progressing at a pretty good rate.

It's a pretty terrible predicament to be in, especially when one is aspiring to be a horse trainer. Add to that years of "you've got no talent to be a hrose trainer" comments from my mum, and you are just about ready to give up, or sell the horse, and try with another one. After all, all the other horses I own or am in charge of seem very very happy.

The problem with giving up on Gally is this. I believe that you get what you asked for. And before I even heard that Gally was for sale I asked to become the best horse trainer in the country. Yes, that was the honest to goodness wish. No half measures. So I believe that Gally is here to be my teacher. He has already taught me heaps about where and how you need to sit in the saddle, and now he is trying to teach me another lesson.

Today at the hitching rail he is just unworkable. The ears are back and the teeth lash out in every direction. He is restless at the rail. I get my jumping whip and smack him on the backside, then keep tapping him gently on the backside, while I calm down. He calms down. He relaxes. The head comes down, and ears go forward.

I breathe a sigh of relief, put down the crop and get the brush. The ears go back and the teeth come around again. I use the brush as protection against the bite, and with my free hand start patting. Gally calms down, and I can proceed with brushing.

Holy bananas! That's it! Gally's secret. Patting. Not stroking. Patting. Patting for everything. Patting to say "calm down, it's okay", as opposed to "good boy for trying to bite me". Leadership in action. Wow!