Last night I took the big guy out to the horse park, with every intention of riding him again. There was a guy in the round pen working with a horse, using a grocery sack… and Big John completely freaked out. I got him calmed down by walking him around. After a while, the round pen was free, and the guy who had been working his horse asked if I wanted to do some desensitizing with Big John. Not what I had originally planned, but hey… when opportunity knocks, why not? I ended up working with him for a solid 45 minutes, and got him to where he would finally stand patiently without freaking out as the grocery bag touched him wherever I wanted it to, swishing it back and forth at the end of my whip. It ended up being very positive and rewarding.
I then tacked him up and got on him to ride, and it was pretty obvious that he was a little overstimulated. I rode him briefly and decided that I’d better end on a positive note, so I then trailered him so that we could go home. All in all, it was a good evening. Tonight is my lesson, and I’m looking forward to that.
