Not being able to help her feet was a little frustrating, but luckily, they aren't too bad. We started by working in the round pen. We kept the halter and rope on this time and worked on lunging. Dash is still confused but she is slowly improving and learning to walk and trot on the line. And I'm working on teaching her about space and staying out of my bubble (she has a tendency to cut her circle in half to come to me or run me over). She is the first horse I've met that doesn't know how to round pen. She won't run away from the whip or work off of body cues. It is difficult but we are figuring out what works for her.
After round penning on the line a little bit, I took off her halter and free lunged her for a few minutes. Dash is improving at that, though she still doesn't like it too much. I love how she follows me around after I work with her. It makes me feel like she likes me (I hope she does).
I wanted to try and ride Dash again today but I couldn't get her to take the bit. She hates people messing with her mouth and will put her nose into the air and bob her head up and down every time you try to put in the bit. Eventually, a friend helped and we were able to slide the bit in with her halter on. It was different for her to work with her halter and super long, heavy lead rope tied around her, but I had no way to take it off and leave the bit in, so we worked with it.
I don't want her to always associate bits and bridles with work and riding, so I took her out into the outdoor arena for the first time and we practiced walking and stopping around the arena with the halter (and bridle on). She likes to run ahead of you and struggled with stops. But when I stopped her and she went to move two seconds later, I backed her up and made her wait. Eventually she understood that when I said stop, she was supposed to wait. She did great and we will keep working on it.
We headed back inside and to the round pen, where I hopped on (it took about 5 jump attempts this time before I could slide up onto her back lol) and we worked on walking, changing directions, and stopping. She did great and I was feeling sorta brave, so I slid off and we headed into the indoor arena for the first time. I got a leg up (after several bad jump on attempts) and we worked in the arena. Dash was distracted by the other riders and trainers at first but I was able to walk her around and stop her.
Honestly, she is a pretty lazy moving horse and I have to keep on her to keep her moving forwards. But she is sensitive to my legs and the bit for turning and moving over. Maybe she is just lazy because she hasn't been asked to work most of her life and she is pretty fat and a little stiff right now.
When a horse and rider accidentally ran up her butt while we were stopped, Dash squealed and kicked out with a leg, but she didn't buck or freak out. Just warned the other horse to back off. She shakes her head for a second every time I ask her to stop, but she always stops and waits when i ask her. Same thing with backing up. She will shake her head annoyingly, and then take a few steps back. She is a good horse and super smart, just a little stubborn and pushy sometimes.
I even got Dashy to trot today! It takes a good amount of pushing with my legs but she would trot for half the arena and then walk. I let her do that for a little bit because we are learning together and she is out of shape. When the other horses left, I was able to get her to trot one full lap in the arena! I was proud of her and then walked her out.
Dash didn't like when the other horses left. She tried to follow them and then circled the gate every time we passed it. I was nervous she would rear or buck because she was upset, but after correcting her several times and keeping my legs on her, she forgot about the other horses and just focused on working with me in the arena. She moved out better and trotted longer.
After I cooled her off, I hopped off and she started following me around the arena. I tried running and she even trotted behind me! It was so cool! She stopped when I did and went where ever I did. She got distracted at one point and ran off, but I called her back and after a few seconds she ran back over and followed me again.
She followed me over a mat in the arena and a tarp, without even blinking. I shook the tarp by her and she didn't mind, so I placed it on her and walked her around. This horse is fearless. I love it! Because I am such a scaredy cat an full of anxiety. I freak out while riding all of the time. It's nice to work with a horse that is calm. How funny that a rescue that no one touches ended up being such an amazing horse after a few days.
We still have far to go and a lot to learn on both ends, but I'm super proud of Dash and excited to have her as my horse. She is a great partner and I think we will have fun together.
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