tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144707587213691856.post8391932279146529602..comments2008-12-10T09:51:35.286-05:00Back in the saddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01970627462078105397noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144707587213691856.post-82782094968683882142008-12-10T09:51:00.000-05:002008-12-10T09:51:00.000-05:00Hi Jackie! <BR/><BR/>I really appreciate your comment as I seem to always “feel” I am the only one going through these phases, even though I “know” I am not. That’s the thing I like about our little horsey bloggers community, there’s always someone to extend a word of encouragement, validation, expert advice, and it’s nice to be able to do it for others as well (of course I leave the expert advice to, well… experts!). I’ll definitely add you blog to my RSS feed not to miss a post! Thanks again and stop by anytime!Back in the saddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01970627462078105397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144707587213691856.post-3755118932892762662008-12-10T09:38:00.000-05:002008-12-10T09:38:00.000-05:00Hey there! I just discovered your blog today and am glad I did! I can certainly relate to what you are writing here. I took up riding at a young age (my mom was a horsewoman and my trainer). I was a big wimp, and it took a long time to work through issues and build some confidence. I rode a little quarter horse named Smoke who is one of the smartest horses I have ever met. He had this bad habit of throwing his head down, grabbing the bit, and dragging me out the arena door to go eat grass. My mom refused to provide the simple solution and close the door; she made me stick with it until I was able to keep Smoke in the ring. And eventually I did! <BR/><BR/>Being proactive is definitely an important lesson. If you know a horse is going to do something they aren't supposed in a certain spot (I taught lessons long enough that what you are describing with Meeka is common behavior), you have to start using the aids to fix the behavior before it starts. <BR/><BR/>I also like your trainer's trick of tricking you into relaxing before trying it again. My new horse Ace forces me to do that; if he acts up and I try to push him through it he gets worse. If I instead take a step back, encourage him, let him relax for a minute, it's like the misbehavior never even happened.<BR/><BR/>I love that we can learn so much from our horses!Jackiehttp://www.regardinghorses.comnoreply@blogger.com