Siouxsie’s first day back under saddle: My goal was to assess her attitude and anxiety level after 3 weeks into her ulcer treatment.
It went really well.
Since I know her tummy is healing, the teeth grinding (called bruxism) while tacking up is most likely due to residual anxiety. Habit. History.
My plan is to change her experiences under saddle to very easy and pleasant ones. No work other than 10 minutes standing and walking around at her leisure, with me on her back.
I would say that day one was a success! Why? Because she was relaxed, head low, and after our 10 minutes, she stretched out through her back, too. No anxious behaviors while I was up there at all.
She went back a few steps in terms of her stifle strength, but I already know that she builds muscle easily with the right exercises, so I’m not worried about that.
For many riders, sitting on a horse for ten minutes, just poking around the ring isn’t much of a ride, but for me, it was everything today. And for Siouxsie… how awesome that she got to realize that her person, Helena, is actually a pretty nice passenger to have on board.
One day, one ride at a time. ❤️