Riding Wicca

Wicca training today: It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.

Wind was strong and gusty. She gets twitchy in the gusty wind. So we’re already at a disadvantage.

Saddle on. She wants to move, so I let her move in just the saddle a bit. Then to the mounting block. Dan holds her while I go up. She’s nervous, but I put a leg over anyway. The mounting block was a bit too far away, so I had to scoot sideways as I tried to settle into the saddle. This scared her and she started crow hopping (think of the broncos in rodeos, when they arch their back and jump with all four legs, instead of throwing their back legs up). I was sticking it for a bit, but the saddle slid to the side. I was in the saddle… but with the saddle coming off, I had to come off. I hit the ground. My butt then the back of my helmet. She kept crow hopping a bit, and the saddle partially on her side had her freaked out. I got up, talked to her, she stopped moving but stood scared. I tried to calm her, but couldn’t get the saddle back into place. Dan came over, loosened the girth, and we got the saddle back on her.

She was nervous. I was nervous. Dan was nervous. Took her back to the mounting block. Moved my leg over her and back, and she kept being really nervous. I kept being really nervous. It was not good. So I did the leg moving thing for a bit, then we took the saddle off. We don’t need another fall like that.

Yesterday she had done well bareback. She had the day before, too. So now, with the saddle off but bridle still on, we went back to the mounting block. I climbed up the mounting block and she seemed much less nervous than she was with the saddle. I leaned over her, talking to her. This was fine. So I moved a leg over her. This was fine. I sat my weight onto her.

Nerves! Oh she was nervous about this! But Dan was there offering calm. She moved her back legs nervously a bit, and then we asked her to walk. She would take a few steps, but that was it. She wasn’t sure we were all ok. We worked with her gradually. I started to give more of the commands. I also started to use my legs to tell her to move. At this point Dan was controlling the reins and I was holding her mane. We walked around the round pen like this for a bit. Wicca became accustomed to it. When she gets comfortable with something she gets ornery, and oooh, she was getting ornery. Dan could feel her comfort. I could feel her comfort.

Ok, girl, just carrying me isn’t challenging enough? Fine. Now you have to listen to me! I picked up the reins and Dan kept a hand on her nose. Dan and I would ask her to walk simultaneously, and we’d ask her to stop with our voices and with me pulling on the reins. She took to this very well. She still hesitates to walk. She’s worried I’m going to fall off. She really wants to keep me safe (what a good girl!). Very quickly Dan moved to just… being next to her. Wicca was listening to her rider, walking when I asked her to, stopping when I asked, turning when I asked. All bareback. All was good.

I hopped off, walked her around the round pen briefly, then went back to the mounting block and, with Dan by her head, got back on. She was only a tiny hair nervous with this (probably because I was nervous). She went right back to walking, turning, and stopping by my command. She remained a bit nervous about starting to walk, hesitating. But she’d move. At one point she almost moved into a trot, but I gave her slowing commands (through voice, reins, and seat, each move gentle), and she slowed her walk.

This was proper riding, not just sitting on her back as she was led around. She’s listening to and obeying a rider. Wicca has been ridden for the first time.