- Tell me about your first encounter with it.
Iridize wrote:Owner: Iridize
Show Name: New York Boundary
Barn Name: Delilah
Gender: Mare
Coat Color: Chocolate Palomino Overo
Gene: ee/AA/Crcr/StySty/Oo
Height: 15.3hh
Personality: Ever so gentle with it's carer-rider, but nervous around new faces.
Halter Color: Light blue with silver claps c:
First Encounter: My first encounter with Delilah was a magical one, It all began when I decided to take a weekend workshop. I showed up at the yard early in the morning, eager to meet the facilitators and five other participants. My senses were on high alert, and I began judging the facilitators’ every move. As we introduced ourselves, I learned that I was the only one with horse experience and that one lady was absolutely terrified of horses. I started thinking that maybe this work would only benefit people without horse experience. The methods didn’t seem like they’d work for me, because it felt too basic to be learning about horses like a beginner. I knew how to lead a horse. I knew how to be with a horse. I knew what horses were capable of. Or so I thought. That’s when I met Delilah. We did an exercise called Reflective Round Pen. I entered the round pen, confident and ready to connect with Delilah. As I walked up to her, inching my way towards her, she kept moving farther and farther away. Now, all my shame and insecurities began to surface. Oh my God, what are people going to think? I’m the only person here with horse experience, and I can’t get the horse to come to me or connect with me. In fact, Delilah seemed repulsed by me. I kept trying to get close to her, but it wasn’t working. I felt more stupid with every passing moment. My insides were in a knot. I felt so embarrassed and ashamed that I couldn’t get this horse to like me. As I paused I figured that actually it may not be me as much as I thought and it may just be the horses nerves and feelings. I requested to spend more time with Delilah on a one to one basis as I was informed she was a fairly new horse and they were still figuring out her temperament etc. So that night I took matters into my own hands and spent quality time with Delilah, grooming and treating her. Letting her understand that I was a friend. The next day when it came to connecting with our assigned horses things had progressed, Delilah came round the second time, obviously trusting me more. All was going well, that was until we were asked to switch horses and that’s when more issues arose. Delilah was totally incooperative with a male participant and even attempted to buck at him. This was classed as unacceptable behaviour for a support group so she was taken away from the group. This left me gutted as I was assigned a new black Percheron called jinx. Nevertheless I continued the rest of the session with jinx, but things felt different. I wanted Delilah, I felt a connection, an urge to help her progress. For the rest of my time I visited her at her stall every night, we became so close. I was dreading the last day where I had to leave her side. On my last day I was speaking to our coach and he explained to me that a trainer had been working with Delilah alongside our courses and she was deemed unfit for support work due to her fear of men in particular and that she was going to be sent to an auction! I refused immediately and said I’d buy her off them and work with her at my own farm, that’s how our relationship began! Ever since Delilah has progressed massively and is a million percent more confident than she ever was at the workshop weekend <3
Strength: 3
Agility/Scope: 1
Motivation/Discipline: 2
Endurance: 2
