A thought provoker from L. Williams at Viva Carlos!
"We love our horses, but we are human. Being human means we are prone to mistakes, some of us try to gloss over and hide them. A lot of it has to do with education, horse ownership is kind of like trial by fire. I for one am all about transparency, I own up to my humanity so today I am gonna fess up to one of my biggest horse care mistakes. Will you Fess up to yours?"
I have a few things that I have done with/to Shyloh that have been pretty big mistakes or detrimental to her training.
We have had lots of bumps in our rode to learning to drive. I truly believe that something happened to Shy before I got her that scared her. But, she does know how to drive, she just does not enjoy it. I think there are some moments when she may like it, but overall, it is not for her.
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| One of our better days |
My biggest mistake was going at it pretty much alone. It doesn't help that there are practically no driving trainers in the area. We have had a couple bad moments: here and here and here are just a few.
Another mistake I often think about is getting Shy to begin with. . .looking back, it was probably not the best decision of my life. But I have her now, she is mine. I wonder where she would be if I hadn't bought her. Could she be doing something great-ish with a much more experienced person than I or could she have been just tossed aside because of all of her issues?
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| She is such a goof! |
Either way, I have no intentions of selling her. We have come this far. We are having fun. I am not an adult amateur with showing aspirations so I don't need a horse that will take me places. All I ever wanted to do with a horse is trail ride. I have done a ton of other stuff as we meander along our journey and I love it. Shy is proving to be a great pony, I just really need to get over my fears, work on my riding, and get out there. With another horse, I would probably be riding the trails by now, but I am not. Am I mad or disappointed? No. We have had our own fun adventures along the way. And she brings me happiness (frustration, too, but mostly happiness). And that is all that really matters.
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| kapow! |
So, what has been your horse mistakes?
Shy is very lucky to have you. Sure she has issues, but I admire so much your perseverance in trying to figure her out, in trying to find something she enjoys, in turning her into a better horse. It's hard and it can be a very long road. She is a completely different horse from when you first got her, and it's all thanks to the dedication and patience that you have shown her. She may not always show it, but I get the impression that nowadays she knows that she lucked out when you picked her. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou have done so much with Shy! You should be very proud :)
ReplyDeleteIt is really great that you are sticking it out taking what might have been a "bad" decision and turning it into a good thing. She might not have been the best buy for you at the time but sometimes these things work out anyways so good for both of you!
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how often I could write the same story as you about my journey with JoJo the Pony.... Did I ruin his chances at "Being somebody" by bringing him into my life? I have wondered so often if it was the wrong decision... I wanted a pony to go on trail rides... but my own fear has been my own worst enemy... He's mostly fine, it's mostly been me who has been the weakest link! Sure, he's got some mental baggage, I think someone was very hard on him, perhaps with a crop as he's petrified of them... but we are learning, or I am... and even if I am never a great rider, it is amazing experience/journey to EARN the friendship of a horse!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experiences! Good and bad! ~~ :))
LOVE that last picture! I think you giving Shy a home is one of the best decisions ever. Sure it hasn't been easy, but you're both learning and growing together. Horses with issues rarely find such great homes so I'm glad she found you. :)
ReplyDeleteWe do the best we can for and by them and as long as we have their best interests in mind I think Shy has a great home with you.
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