Kick #3

Yes, I was kicked again. I thought back and in 20 odd years, before this one, I had only been kicked once. I was riding a pony behind a cranky horse who kicked at the pony and hit me. How is it that this year hooves have found me 3 times?
Ok back to the story. Saturday started with a farrier visit for Dottie and DaVinci. I was really happy to see the hoof growth Dottie had on her back feet. The dogs were happy too. Afterwards, I was determined to ride despite the heavy heat. DaVinci was first in line. We went and worked the little hills bareback. He was LAZY in the heat sagging his back leaving me sitting on his bony backbone. Hill work brought his muscles up where they belong and made me much more comfortable.
Next I hopped on Rosemary. I just wanted to work on her flexion, but it turned into a focus lesson. For some reason she seems to think that when we ride in the arena that is work. When we ride in the field she is turned out in, the rebellious teenager appears. I had to really block her shoulder with my outside aids and kept turning the opposite way she wanted to go. Eventually she figured out that I say where to, not her. After completing a figure 8 with out bulging, I got off. As we went towards the barn I worked her in hand, using the reins to counter bend then bend correctly both directions. She seemed to be listening and giving the right answers. Closer to the barn she was being sticky about yielding her hind end, so I worked on that. In true Drama Mama fashion she flipped her tail and moved around me, but she also crossed over in the hind end so I was happy. By this time we had made it to the sacrifice area just outside the barn. She was doing well and I was about done. Then I slipped and lost the reins. Not a big deal normally, but this time she took advantage. As I reached for them, she took off and kicked out.
Luckily I have plenty of fat padding (Can you believe I am saying lucky to have extra pounds?) because she connected with my ribs on the side just below my arm pit, along the bra line about a, ha ha, hoof's width. I knew immediately that I was okay and went to get the pony. She was standing smugly by Dottie's stall. I led her out again and picked up the training whip (Clinton Anderson's stick w/lash) and began to work some of the gaining respect exercises we have been using on Roscoe. I had her move around me and then asked her for an inside turn, pivoting off her hind end to change the direction. Ideally I should be able to change whip hands and point with the free hand in the new direction and she should do the change. She is not quite there yet and I have to back up the motion with the whip pointed at her. Very rarely does she need contact. Once she was listening and turning well, I asked her to again yield her hind end. It is basically asking for a turn on the forehand on the ground. Using the whip I pat the air to suggest she move. If she moves correcting crossing over, I rub with the whip to praise her. If she does not move after 3 air pats she gets a tap.
For all her drama, she knows what to do and she did it. After going through the desensitisation process, I took her bridle off and put her halter on in order to tie her to the wash rack outside. I cooled her down with a sponge bath. Then I sprayed her and left her to think about the lesson. It also showed her that end of work does not necessarily mean back to her stall and Dottie. I stayed close and kept close watch on her. She is Amish bred and spent a lot of time in tie stalls, so she behaves, but I still took no chances.
While she was in time out, I dug in the medicine cabinet and got the Calendula. This homeopathic ointment is great for bruises and abrasions. We use it on us and the horses. I put some on my sore side for two days and the bruising is not too bad. You can almost see a whole Rosemary hoof print.
Sunday and today I repeated the ground work with Rosemary and though she gave me attitude, she also did the exercises better. Mom and I are going to try to consistently work her and see if we can manage her antics. I have been impressed with the Clinton Anderson exercises with Roscoe and now Rosemary. They gain respect without creating fear.