After the Clinic

One reason we sometimes do clinics is to find out where we are with our horses and how we can bring them along better. 

The cattle clinic gave us some good information. 

Epona: Epona was the youngest horse there that day, and she seemed to be handling it exceptionally well…until she wasn’t. She bolted, and then, when she was brought around tight and a spur accidentally caught her underneath, she bucked. 

What set her off was a multitude of things coming together at the exact same moment: wind, cows, other horses around her, free horses running and bucking in the pasture, and Tumbleweed getting restless. 

I said that to Katie when we finally got together. (She was there, too, and saw the whole thing.) 

She agreed, but reminded me that though Tweed was very worked up, he didn’t bolt or buck. 

My daughter had serious questions afterwards. What could I have done to prevent it? Is my horse overly reactive? Is my horse one that hides her tension, then explodes? How do we solve the issue of her being nervous around horses in an arena, shown by the tail clamping and ear pinning? And most concerning, is it going to happen again?

So many of those questions I didn’t feel qualified to answer for her. But I have watched Epona over the months and years, and she is always one of the most solid for as little as she is worked. She has a very confident personality. 

At most, she was getting one day per week, and that’s not enough for a young horse. 

So, I immediately set about adding her into my training with Tumbleweed. (I am a co-owner, after all.) I did Masterson Method and TTouch bodywork each day, along with other ground work, and I found some answers in her body. 

She has a shorter, muscular neck and it was tight on both sides, but mostly on the right. I found it with bodywork, but then we saw it in action when Katie worked her. She had a hard time bending in as she moved in a circle to the left and showed some major resistance—much like what she did at the clinic—wanting to get out of the bend and bolt in a straight line.

Also, it struck us that when a horse is tight, it makes it hard for them to see behind them, which is required when horses are coming up or your buddy is losing his mind behind you.  

We asked Katie all of the questions my daughter had:

Question: Is there something we could have done to prevent it? 

Answer: yes. However, it is hard to make split second decisions in the moment. But there is a lot we can do to prepare Epona and ourselves to handle the inevitable “perfect storm.”

Question: Is she overly reactive?

Answer: No, she is pretty chill and doesn’t go to the reactive mind much. If anything, she’s a little stubborn.

Question: Is Epona a horse who hides her tension, then blows up?

Answer: No, there were signs ahead of time. Epona tensed up and had her ears pinned back.  (Katie watched the entire episode unfold).

Question: How do we solve the issue and will it happen again?

Answer: Start her back at ground zero and make sure to do the groundwork before every ride. Look for holes. Be more consistent. Give her more time and exposure because she’s so young. Take lessons, daughter and Epona, to create better communication and understanding between the two. Body work and chiro. And, Katie doesn’t want her rode with spurs anymore. She just figures it’s best not to add that variable since we don’t need to.

My daughter doesn’t have enough time for what is required, so it will take me doing a lot of it and Katie continuing her once a week sessions. Katie just took a job as an assistant to the main equine chiropractor/vet in our city, so she has less time now. She can only fit us in on Saturdays now, and we’re so lucky to get even that. 

Tumbleweed, well, he’s just a super sweetie. Nothing has changed with him, except that now that Epona is always in tow, he has had a lot more time to work on settling down when she leaves him. The first day, he dented my trailer kicking it when she left, but each day it got better and now he is only mildly bothered. Win win. 

My oldest son has been working with me and the horses once a week for the last month, and Tumbleweed has become his lesson horse. 

I’m very proud of how patient Tumbleweed is with a complete novice. And I’m proud of how fast my son is learning and how sensitive he has been working with them. 

I’ve also had some beautiful fall trail rides with my boy.

We went on our longest ride together yet, clocking in at 4 hours, and he had a lot thrown at him and did very well. By the third hour he had completely given up hope that the ride was ever going to end. Haha. 

The trailer ride there and back was long and it involved taking the freeway. Surprisingly, he came out of the trailer very calm, even though it was an entirely new place, he didn’t have a buddy, and we had gone over far too many washboard roads.

I hope we get a few more new trail rides in before winter, but I couldn’t be happier with the progress we’ve made together this year. It all came together.