Bad Brumby
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Glass is Half Full:
Today Lilly was in the barn fussing so much at something in the corner that when Bill looked, he found a chicken who had gotten stuck there! She had been stuck for at least two days. When Bill pulled her out and she just flopped helplessly on the ground you should have seen me fretting! Thank goodness, after a few nibbles of grain, the chicken looks like she will recover! So today, it is fair to say that Lilly saved a chicken!
Glass is Half Empty:
Lilly's behavior has never been worse than it was today in the ring. She was so bad it was like I was on a horse I did not recognize. She was tossing her head and crow-hopping so much that I figured some physical thing had to be wrong. So I checked all of her feet. I looked to see if she might be in heat. I took her halter off and put it on again. I even took off her saddle and looked for a big prickly bur. Nothing. Everything was fine. So I got on her again. Fine at the walk, very terrible at the trot...too fast, way too cranky. I was crushed! Where was my brumby? At one point when I asked her to canter, she busted out a full-on gallop! I knew it the very instant she had decided to go for it. Then, I heard a little voice inside me say uuuh-ooh, and before I could collect myself to manage a one-rein stop, we were across the ring, at the fence! In other words, that was one fast gallop. At the stop I was a bit unseated. But not enough to fall off. I was just crushed and unsettled that my brumby had been so dastardly. And for what reason? If she had spooked and then galloped, I'd feel a lot better about it. But I don't think she spooked! I think she just decided to take off. Baaaaad Brumby. Very baaaaad brumby. Meanwhile, I called out to my horrified husband: No problem! She's being very bad, but I can make her right again! No worries!! Even though I was a little blob of jelly!
Tomorrow I will check again for anything physically wrong with her. Maybe she was trying to tell me something(?) If she's OK and I get on, I will not be using the full-cheek snaffle. It's back to the tom thumb. And I will be more prepared for a one-rein-stop. But really, I hope my brumby will be back to her old self.
Meanwhile, I left my camera at Bill's so I have no photos to post!
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3 comments:
I think you're on the right track. The #1 rthing I would look at is her turnout, though. If the weather's crappy, she may not be playing as much as she does when it's better, or the cold may be making her feel good. You're there, so try to get a feel for whether she seems upset or whether she's just having fun.
If she seems upset, try looking in to physical issues. A behavior change like that isn't normal.
It really sounds like something is going on physically. That is not like her at all. What does Bill say? From your description, it sounds like she was trying to race out of her own skin - like she was very uncomfortable. It might not be "bad brumby" but "poor brumby".
Could be weather, could be something pinching - girth caught in brumby hair or saddle?, could be a "wild mare hair", as we call it! Don't worry, your brumby will be back!
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