Sometimes progress looks like a beautiful ride, a perfectly executed maneuver, or a horse confidently tackling a new obstacle.
Other times, it looks like your trainer riding your horse all over a hay pasture while your horse argues about which direction she'd prefer to go.
Welcome to another week with Bee.
Cooler Days, Muddy Arenas, and Windy Horses
Daylight saving time has ended, and our horses have transitioned to their cooler-weather turnout schedule. They're now enjoying the pasture during the day, when temperatures are a lovely 70 to low 80 degrees, and returning to their stalls at night when things cool down.
After months of Texas heat, anything that doesn't involve a temperature in the 90s feels like a gift.
We also received some much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the arena and round pens were still holding plenty of that water when Tuesday's lesson rolled around.
Add some serious wind to the equation, and we had the makings of an interesting day.
Wind can make horses more reactive. It carries unfamiliar sounds and smells, causes objects to move unpredictably, and can make it harder for horses to hear what's happening around them. For an animal whose survival instincts depend on detecting potential threats, a windy day can be a lot to process.
And then there's Bee, who doesn't necessarily require wind to have an opinion.
Bee Has Other Plans
Sarah and I had planned to ride together in the hay pasture. But when Sarah rode Bee down there, it became pretty clear that Bee had a different agenda.
She wanted to go back to the barn.
Not once. Not twice. Repeatedly.
This behavior is commonly called barn sourness. It's when a horse becomes reluctant to leave the barn or repeatedly tries to return to it. Sometimes it's related to separation from herd mates, sometimes to comfort and familiarity, and sometimes a horse has simply learned that heading toward the barn means the work might be over.
Whatever Bee's motivation was that day, she was committed.
So instead of Sarah and me enjoying a leisurely ride, Bee got a lesson of her own.
One of the things Sarah teaches is to let a horse commit to a mistake and then immediately correct it. Rather than constantly preventing Bee from making a wrong choice, Sarah gives her an opportunity to choose correctly and makes the unwanted choice less rewarding.
When Bee tried to turn toward the barn, Sarah redirected her feet. Sometimes that meant backing up. Sometimes it meant moving her shoulders in the opposite direction. Other times, it meant asking her hindquarters to move.
The goal wasn't to make Bee tired (we’ve actually never reached the end of her “go”). It was to reinforce that the rider, not the horse's desire to return to the barn, determines where those feet go.
And Bee certainly got some exercise. By the end, she'd worked up quite a lather traveling around that hay field.
Two Stubborn Students
Here's what makes this particularly funny to me.
I've spent plenty of time lately struggling to coordinate my hands, legs, timing, and cues while learning to move Bee's shoulders and hindquarters independently.
And Bee has spent plenty of time demonstrating that she also has some work to do.
Sometimes I wonder whether I'm a slow learner. Or perhaps a little stubborn.
Then I look at this dragon of mine and think, "Yep. She's all mine."
We might be more alike than I'd care to admit.
A Big Spook and a Little Victory
Thursday was my turn to ride, and I'm happy to report that Bee was actually quite good for me.
Mostly.
We had one spook and immediately another smaller one in a corner of the arena. The first was impressive enough that I'm particularly pleased to report I remained in the saddle.
If you watch the video, what you won't hear is the expletive that escaped my mouth, immediately followed by, "Beeeeeeee! Stop! Easy, girl!"
Thankfully, she settled quickly, and we continued working.
That's an important part of progress, too. A horse doesn't have to stop noticing scary things altogether. Learning to recover, listen, and return to work after becoming startled is valuable.
Because the arena was still muddy, we kept things slow and spent about an hour working in the driest areas.
No speed records were broken. No Olympic judges were impressed. But we got some good work done.
The Platform That Didn't Eat Bee
One of the highlights of my week came before Thursday's ride even started.
Lupe built a new platform for the horses to practice walking over or standing on. It's a great addition to our training opportunities.
When I brought Bee in from the pasture, I decided we'd give it a try.
She approached it, sniffed it, gave it a good look, and apparently concluded that the mysterious wooden structure wasn't planning to eat her.
Then she walked right over it.
Just like that.
I was pretty darn proud of her.
This type of obstacle training helps horses develop confidence with unfamiliar surfaces and situations. It also encourages them to think through something new rather than immediately reacting to it.
For a horse who can occasionally be convinced that an ordinary arena corner contains a horse-eating monster, confidently stepping over a new obstacle is worth celebrating.
The Great Saddle Search Begins
Meanwhile, my saddle-shopping adventure is officially underway.
Now that I've decided to keep Bee for a while longer, I want to find a saddle that fits her properly and is comfortable for me.
That may be easier said than done.
Bee has broad shoulders and low withers, which can make finding the right Western saddle challenging. The withers are the raised area where a horse's neck meets its back, and their shape influences how a saddle sits.
A saddle needs to provide appropriate clearance and distribute pressure without restricting the horse's shoulders or creating painful pressure points. And because Bee has been losing weight, her shape is changing, making fit even more important.
One of the wonderful things about boarding at a multidisciplinary barn is the variety of equipment available.
We have riders from different Western disciplines, and many of my barn mates have generously offered to let me try their saddles.
That gives me an opportunity to compare how different saddles fit Bee and how they feel to me as a rider before making a purchase.
Of course, a saddle that looks good sitting on a horse isn't necessarily a saddle that fits properly when someone is riding. We'll be paying attention to both.
Next week, I'm going to explore the different types of Western saddles, what makes them different, and how their designs serve different riding disciplines. I'll also share pictures so we can compare them side by side.
Who knows? Maybe Bee will have an opinion about saddle shopping, too.
Actually, who am I kidding?
Of course she will.
Until next week,
Bee & Christina
Have you ever dealt with a barn-sour horse, or struggled to find a saddle that fits? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments!