In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that Avalon is not nearly as spooky as Gamby was. I may have spoken too soon. Now that October's windy, leave-blown weather has arrived, Avalon is displaying some spooky behavior. There is some construction next door as well, which just gives her another excuse to get emotional.
Of course, she isn't crazy. Avalon is displaying healthy, normal baby horse behavior. She is young, and while she has benefited from consistent handling her whole life, she hasn't had very much asked of her. She received basic training (saddling, bridling, ground manners) before I bought her, but she hasn't been ridden. For the most part, she hasn't been expected to control her emotions. Horses tend to become spooky in windy weather because they can't always smell or hear potential predators. Experienced horses know they can trust their human, but many green horses have to learn that trust.
Thanks to Gambler, I am familiar and comfortable with spooky Arabians. Many of Avalon's reactions are the same: rearing, bolting, and blowing off my directions. For the most part, I just ignore the bad behavior and redirect the energy into something I want her to do.
During my warm ups, I have been asking Avalon to improve the quality of her walk. The first way I've been doing this is by counting her strides to encourage her to hold a steady rhythm. The second way is by introducing her to different frames at the walk. By clucking as she swings her inside hind forward, I encourage her to step underneath herself and bend while lengthening her stride. After that, I squeeze or gently shake the lead in time with that hind leg to simulate a half-halt, which encourages her to hold back some of that energy and shorten the stride. All of this should help prepare her for work under saddle in the spring.
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