[orse]

Day Twenty Nine - Day Thirty Seven


Beep... beep... beep....



Ugh, what is that stupid noise? Beep... Beep...

No, I don't wanna get up yet.

Five more minutes... please..

My eyes flickered open, greeted by a sanitary white ceiling. Faces suddenly crowded my view, and I squinted, trying to take it all in.

'Oh Aria, Aria are you ok?' My head hurt, and I had a few bruises, but other than that, I felt fine. But..

'Who... who are you?'

~~~

Days flew by. One, two three...

Four five six...

Seven eight nine...

It was ten days since the accident. I exhaled deeply, snorting and shaking my mane. I could hear footprints in the grass, approaching me. I turned around slowly. It was Aria! She was home.

~~~

'Wait... this is Promise, isn't it?' I turned to the woman next to me. 'And you're Amelia, right?' Amelia smiled back at me in reply. I stepped over towards Promise and stroked her softly, resting my head on her neck. 'I'm back.'





Things I learnt/did today

-

[orse]

Day Thirty Eight


I wasted no time in getting up and dressing. I had many bruises, and an especially bad one just below my ribs. I winced as I stepped into the car. It was halfway through our 75 days, and I knew that with a close relationship between us, basic liberty mastered, and ground manners well under way, it was time to slowly introduce tack. Starting just with a saddle blanket, just to desensitize her. It was a huge leap in our training, but I knew we needed to catch up, seeing as I was in a coma for a week.

I grabbed a full scoop of chaff for Promise, as I had fully adjusted her to the new feed. While she ate, I went through our basic routine, brushing her thoroughly, and picking her feet carefully. She was overwhelmed by the sudden introduction to work again, but I was so glad to have her back. I stroked her softly, calming her nerves.

Foraging through my tack box, I found my lilac saddle pad, and brought it into the yard. Promise swiveled around to see me and the big flappy thing in my arms. I flapped it around her and she backed up, shying. I did it over and over until she was adjusted. When I flung it on her back, on and off on both sides, she was surprised, but calmed down quickly.

Later in the afternoon, I did the same exercise again. Promise did not flinch. I praised her, patting her firmly on the neck. Seeing as we had caught onto the saddle blanket so quickly, we were back on track and up to date. I didn't want to rush Promise, but today seemed like a good day to try a rug on. Carrying the big canvas sheet, it took me an exhausting thirty minutes to get Promise to stand still and let me shake the blanket around her. I took things slowly, step by step. Once I had a light canvas on her, I knew that after she was comfortable, I could rug her with any type of rug, but seeing as it was barely cold, I decided it wasn't important. I carefully slipped the rug onto her back, clipping up the front as she paced. I secured the middle and back straps then in clipped her lead rope, watching as she was sent into a flying frenzy. I winced as I watched and waited patiently. After what felt like forever, she had finally calmed down. I stepped into the yard, clipping her lead rope on and feeding her a small reward. I took the rug off, deciding that she would wear it overnight the next day. 'Thats more than enough work for today, eh Promise?'





Things I learnt/did today

- I am slowly introducing tack related items.

[orse]

Day Thirty Nine


Promise whinnied happily as I unlatched the gate and stepped into the round yard. It was a no-brainer that a had her food. I halter

her, not letting her eat just yet. I let her follow me without the rope opening the gate and letting her follow behind. When I stepped up onto the trailer, she hesitated, standing at the base of it. 'Come on, Promise. You know you want your breakfast, huh? And you've been on one of these before!' Promise hesitated again, but her love of feed took over, and she stepped up the ramp, this time, her feet inside the trailer by the slightest bit. I held out the bucked, and with one last shaky step, she was eating greedily from it. She nodded as I scratched her forehead, leading her back to her yard with the small remainder of her feed.

While she was busy cleaning her bucket, I groomed her carefully. She was obviously uncomfortable with me touching her legs and flank. I gently ran my hands down her legs to pick out her hooves, and she raised her head in alarm. 'It's ok, girl.' I finished grooming her and grabbed the saddle blanket, shaking it around her. She skittered to the side in surprise, but began to settle as I repeated the exercise all around her. When I began putting it on her back, she raised her head again, but took less time to settle. I grabbed the rug, patting her proudly. She knew what was next, and baulked, taking off to the other end of the ring. I approached her again, slowly placing the rug on her back and latching it as she fidgeted. When I released her, she stood, confused for a moment, then took off around the yard again. When it got late, I checked on her once more, feeding her an apple. I left her out in her rug, and on the way back, opened my phone. I pressed the vet contact.

'Hey, Matt, it's Aria. Could I get you to come out for a small checkup on Promise? I need her micro chipped.'
'Yes, she's half broke.'
'No, not saddle trained yet.'
'Yes, we will need to take it easy with her.'
'Mhm, just want her to be given a microchip and a vaccination.'
'Yep, great, thanks.'
'10am? She'll be ready by then.'





Things I learnt/did today

- Promise was left in her rug overnight. She is becoming farmiliar with wearing it.
- The vet is coming for her first checkup tomorrow.

[orse]

Day Forty


Yeah, she's looking pretty good.' I smiled happily at the vet's confirmation. After an hour of struggling, kicking and fighting, we had managed to calm Promise, and check her vitals. She was looking fine, other than her high heart rate due to her new found fear of the vet. We hadn't even done the microchip yet. I held onto Promise's halter, keeping her still while the vet prepared the injection. As it was put in, she jumped in surprise, shaking after it was done. 'Shh...' I comforted her quietly. Steadying her as the vet prepared the tetanus. The tetanus was not as large, so there was little fuss from Promise, and one injection later the vet was walking away with the painful remainder of a kick, and Promise was chewing a few pieces of apple and chaff happily in her round yard. I grabbed one more small piece and took her over to the trailer, managing to coax her a few more steps inside. I then put her back, shaking the rug and saddle blanket all around her.

I made it short, deciding not to put her through too much that day, as she'd had a lot of new things happen to her. I buckled the rug once more, whispering goodnight as I latched the gate, looking up to the sky of stars above.



Wild horses, Wild horses, Never tamed.
Wild horses, Wild horses, Never named.
Wild horses, Wild horses, Born to be free.
Wild horses, Wild horses, Frighten me.
Wild horses, Wild horses, Full of flare.
Wild horses, Wild horses, Handle with care.
- Dan Brown







Things I learnt/did today

- First vet visit today - microchipped, given injections
- Making progress with rug and saddle blanket

[orse]

Day Forty One


Yuck. I hauled the poo-laden wheelbarrow over to the muck pile, dumping it. Sweat rolled down my face, as I cleaned up the rest of the yard, putting the wheelbarrow and rake away. Promise nickered to me as I entered the yard again, taking off her rug. I was confident we had gotten that down easy.

I did the exact same thing I did last time with the saddle blanket, giving her a thorough groom after. I led her to the trailer, but she knew what was happening this time, and began to pace anxiously. I held her back as I stepped onto the trailer, coaxing her on once more. I had finally managed to ask her to step inside. Fully. But only a few seconds later, she backed out again. I opened the side door, letting her see the light on the other side. We tried once more, and I patiently led her through the trailer as she warily stepped through and off the trailer through the side door. I let the lead rope go long as the surged forward, jumping down the ramp and turning quickly when she got off. When she was down, I made the rope shorter, pulling her in and controlling her again. She paced beside me as I led her to the stable to grab her dinner.

I sat on the rail, watching over Promise as she munched methodically on her chaff. I smiled. She seemed contempt in her rug, and I was so happy she was adjusting to it well.





Things I learnt/did today

- Making progress with rug and saddle blanket
-Very close to getting her in the trailer

[orse]

Day Forty Two





After a morning ride on Marley, I got to work. A few rounds through the trailer had Promise listening to me. We did some liberty revision, and I lunged her with her rug and halter on. I groomed her, pushing her over and asking her to back up. She obeyed. I carefully placed the saddle blanket over her back once I took the rug off. I ran my hands over her back, pushing down. I slowly began to lean on it, putting weight onto her back. She raised her head in alarm, snorting in fear. I shifted my weight off of her back, making my way around to the other side to do the same thing. I took the saddle blanket off, and put her rug back on. There was a little metal ring on the side of the rug. I tied a piece of bailing twine to her halter, and then tied it to the ring, bending her neck slightly. Using my whip, I pushed her out, asking her to walk around the arena with the slight bend and flexion I wanted. After a few minutes on both sides, I turned her in, making the bailing twine tighter. My aim was to have her listening to the pressure, and it worked. She began walking in a small circle, abiding to the pressure on her halter. I did the same thing on the other side, getting the same result. I knew it was enough for today, so I untied the twine, letting her loose in my yard.





Things I learnt/did today

- She is learning to accept weight on her back
- Learning about bend and turning when pressure is used

[orse]

Day Forty Three


The next morning, I continued my work with lunging and bend, giving Promise some time to adjust to both sides. I leaned on her back again, making sure not to lean too far. We had aced everything so far. Ground manners, lunging, leading, trailers, and the saddle blanket. I needed to introduce more, seeing as we were also working on weight. I finished off some more ground manners, and took her through the trailer again. When I was done, I decided to take her out for a short walk.

I held onto the lead rope tightly as Promise instantly became nervous out in the open. I knew it wasn't a huge problem, but it had to be fixed one day. And by the end of this week, I was hoping to have work with the bridle started, and a horse that was not a pain to deal with in large spaces.

Promise skittered around as I led her through the paddock to my cabin. I tried to keep her under control, and as we entered through the forest to the small clearing, I managed to catch her attention, bringing her back to a calm state. When we were out in the clearing, I had her walking quietly, leading her to the creek to drink. When she was back out in the open on the way back, I managed to keep her under control this time. I put her rug on when we got back, this time clipping on the neck section after a bit of hesitation from Promise. I stroked her softly, running my fingers through her forelock as I said goodnight, leaving Promise to get some rest.





Things I learnt/did today

- I am introducing her to larger areas

[orse]

Day Forty Four


When you wake up early, the whole world is silent. Still asleep.

Promise and I were down by the creek. She still had her rug on, but I had brought her down to the silent clearing in the hopes we would be able to work well down there. I let her drink, grabbing the lunge rope and clipping it on when she was done. I began to lunge her, after I had removed her rug. When she was well warmed up and I had gotten her attention, I turned her in and repeated the saddle blanket exercise. Promise was a bit anxious due to the new surroundings, but I was proud of how she was handling it.

I went to the cabin to retrieve my old bridle. It was a hanoverian bridle - my favorite. After a bit of fiddling, I managed to unbuckle the bit. Promise was confused as to why this scary thing was being put on her face, but being just like a halter, she seemed to be fine. I buckled the bridle and tied the reins around her head. Promise shook her head, trying to remove it. She snorted, nudging me fearfully. I grabbed the cheek piece and controlled her, taking the bridle off when I had control.

I put the bridle on once more, and Promise sighed as I left it on for a longer time. I tied the reins around her head and, rugging her again and gathering my stuff, led her to the round yard once more. It was much easier to control her using the bridle, and we got there in record time, meaning more dinner time for her. Grabbing a scoop of chaff on the way, we arrived at the yard, this time with no injuries.





Things I learnt/did today

- Working in larger spaces

[orse]

Day Forty Five


I grabbed the old training bridle, slinging it over my shoulder. Promise was waiting patiently at the gate of the yard. I laughed as she went berserk the moment she saw me.
'It's coming, girl.'
Grabbing the bucket of feed, I poured in a small about of sunflower seed oil. It was to give her coat a shine. I mixed it through, making the mixture slightly damp. When I fed it to Promise she hesitated, snorting in confusion and uncertainty. I sat on the fence, encouraging her to eat up. When she couldn't resist anymore she began eating, and it was gone in minutes. I kicked the bucket out of the yard and put Promise's bridle on, leaving the bit aside. I tool her for a walk into the arena. She snorted, remembering the place. She tried to roll, but I held her reins, asking her to walk on.

In the dusty arena, there was a mounting block. It was tall enough for me to be able to see over her back. I took the rug off, hanging it up on the arena door. I grabbed the saddle blanket, putting it on her back. I leaned on her back, doing the same thing on the other side with the help of the mounting block. I leant my weight over her back, like and arc. She raised her head in fear, so I stopped. I then retrieved a roller. It was also known as a surcingle. I placed it on her back without fuss, as it was light and could not be felt due to the saddle blanket. I carefully brought the straps around her belly, and she spooked in fear, jumping to the side. I positioned her again and clipped a lunge line to the bridle. I slowly pulled the surcingle around her belly, buckling it as fast as lightning. It was not on tight. Only tight enough to stop it from slipping and spooking her further. She backed up, running out to the walls of the arena. I held onto the lunge line, pulling her into a circle. She bucked and pigrooted on the circle, and I watched carefully as I tried to calm her down. 'Whoah, girl.'

It took Promise a good amount of time to slow down, and when I finally had her at a halt, she was exhausted. I walked over to her, patting her softly as she huffed and puffed. I took her roller off, deciding it was best to store it away for the next week. After a walk out on the lunge line, I knew it was enough for the day.





Things I learnt/did today

- She is becoming more comfortable in a bridle without a bit
- Introducing her to new environments
- Tried using a roller on her, very loose

[orse]

Day Forty Six


Promise sighed deeply as I leant against her, playing with her mane. I watched as she grazed, cropping the sweet, long grass short

with her rubbery lips. I decided we had been dawdling for enough time. That morning, I had taken her down to the clearing for some training work, and her reaction to the open areas was beginning to improve. I slipped the bitless bridle onto her, buckling it firmly. She backed up, adjusting herself to the bridle. When she settled, I grabbed a snaffle bit and covered it in molasses. Promise sniffed at the clunky metal bit as it jingled beside her. She flinched when she first saw it, but her mood was instantly transformed when she tasted the sweet mixture. I held the bit on either side, offering it to her. She cautiously licked the bit, trying to remove the molasses from the bit.

I began to push the bit against her mouth, and she backed up, uncomfortable. I let her lick the bit clean, then packed it away again. She nudged me softly, knowing what was in my pocket. I reached into it, realizing I had brought a long some apple. 'You knew all along didn't you, eh?' I rubbed her forehead as I fed her the treats, rugging her for the walk home soon after.





Things I learnt/did today

- Promise is comfortable with wearing a bridle, no bit
- I introduced her to the bit