Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Jan 21, 2013 20:53:52 GMT -6
but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you'll be travelling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.”Meg Cabolt
Walking into White Oak, Cara headed straight for the tack room and collected a bag she had stashed in Mouse's locker the day before. SHe then headed down to the grey Holstiner's stall. "Wake up, beautiful." She whispered as she looked over the door and say the mare was dozing contentedly in the corner. She picked up the mare's blue-violet rope halter and matching lead from the hook by her stall and entered the stall as the mare opened her eyes and bobbed her head up and down, even if she didn't lose the relaxed pose. "We're going to do some work on your suriphobia."
Rather then walking up to the mare, she waited just inside the door until the horse walked up to her. She slipped the nose band over the mare's nose and flicked the poll strap over the mare's poll and fastened it in a slip knot. She then clipped the lead onto lead line loop, led the mare out of the stall and out to the round pen.
She had now owned the mare for a good couple of weeks and this was the first time the small girl had had the mare in the round pen. Contrary to popular belief, the girl didn't work horses in pens like this before she did any other form of work with them. She preferred the freedom of working a horse at liberty in a small paddock or even in the arena.
Removing the lead rope, she allowed the mare to trot away from her and go to inspect the pen at her own pace. Keeping an eye on the mare she opened up the small bag she had taken out of the mare's locker. She closed her hand around the treats in the bottom of the bag and tipped it out, allowing the toy mouse to fall into her hand. She turned the toy over in her hand, inspecting it from all angles. Sure, it looked real enough, but she hoped the fact it wouldn't move wasn't going to be an issue.
Dropping the toy onto the ground, she tucked the bag back into her jacket pocket and walked over to where the mare was sniffing at the snow that had built up against one of the posts. "Come on." She said before she got too close. She held out her hand for the mare as Mouse turned her inquisitive head to look at the girl with deep brown eyes. "Let's get to work." She clipped the lead back onto the halter and then looped it over the mare's back so that if she walked off she wouldn't stand on it. She then began running her hands down the mare's body, just building on their bond, and seeing how far the mare trusted her out in the open like this.
When the mare was relaxed and happy, Cara walked to her head and closed her hand gently around the rope. She didn't pull on it, but clicked her tongue and stepped forward, asking the mare to walk with her. She smiled when Mouse stepped forward happily.
The walked across the arena like this, with the girl's hand barely holding the rope. Cara knew where the toy was, and ordered herself not to predict the mare's reaction to it. However, no matter how calm the girl remained, the mare threw her head up into the air and screamed out in terror as she reared up, pawing the air, before she landed on the ground, spun around and took off to the safety of the fenceline.
As the mare pulled away, Cara opened her hand from the rope and just let the mare be taken over by her fear. She remained as still as a statue as the horse spun, only just missing knocking the girl with her hindquarters as she spun. She watched the tension in the mare's body as Mouse's terrified gallop slowly transitioned downward to a canter and then a high-stepping trot, ever line in her body still rigid with fear, her ears back, eyes wild as she looked toward the centre of the pen every now and then.
