Confidence

We ride out into the state forest again. Gally is still spooky. So I start riding like I mean it. Then we come to the puddle. The same one as yesterday. Except that it rained overnight, and the puddle is bigger. Not deeper. Just wider.

Gally skirts around the edges of it for a while. I turn him away, and try to back him into it. No go. I turn him around, and drive him forwards. All of a sudden he finds himself half in the puddle. I drop the reins, and let him stand there. He seems mistified.

We go out of the puddle and come back in again several times. Every time, I allow him time to just stand and relax in the puddle.

Finally we go on. We take a track into the valley, and then we canter up the hill. Gally breaks into trot when he sees a big log. I spur him on, back into canter. Half way up (the hill is about 2km long) I allow him to trot, then we canter on.

At the top, we relax in a loose rein walk. He is no longer spooking, but the walk is lazy. I spur him on into a more active walk, and even a loose rein trot. Every now and then I pat him with the crop.

When we come to a ditch full of water, I make him step across it. He hesitates briefly, then goes forward. We practice this about 5 times, until the tentative step turns into a cruisy little leap.

Then Gally thinks it's time to head home. He doesn't play up, he just faces in the direction of home, and refuses to budge. I spur him on, and give him a serious talking to. Yes, with my voice. I am so loud that I can probably be heard a mile around. And like a typical woman, I go on a bit too. The effect is great! Not only is Gally not spooking any more, he is actually walking forwards really well.

On the way home, we see some sheep. I ride on with confidence, with an attitude that we are "above sheep". Gally steps proudly forwards, and barely blinks an eyelid at the little creatures, as they scuttle away from the fence.