Humbleness

So, Royal and I had a bad day.

Nothing was going right for me at all. I had to run some errands I hadn't planned on that turned out to be both expensive and useless. So I didn't get out to the farm until 2:45, tired and frustrated. The horses were out in the big pasture and Royal was at the very end. With all the rain and snow we've had, the pasture is very hard to navigate, since you either have knee-deep snow or lumpy narrow paths. Royal pretended to ignore me until I was about 10 feet from him and them he took off. And I mean galloping through the deep snow, and me without my cookies. All the other horses joined him and they started running like maniacs. Even after they all ran to a completely different part of the pasture, Royal still refused to come anywhere near me. Keep in mind he's been trotting to me the last couple of times I've been out there. I finally convinced him to come to me by pretending my glove warmer was a treat, but it was still really maddening.

I did manage to get a ride in, but he was spooky and blowing through my aids. I had to make some very strong corrections, stronger than I would have liked. There's just something in the arena that's spooked him and I need to help him get through it. So, that's my agenda for tomorrow. Lots of Approach and Retreat with the arena and all the scary corners.

And, I'll bring some cookies out to the pasture. If Royal decides to pay hard to get, the other horses may get a tasty snack. ;)