This message is from: "Melissa Waters" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Fellow Fjord Folks,
I have been reading the last few posts with great interest. The thought of Fjords using 'bad' behavior to get what they want is not new to me. When I first got Leif I rode him for quite a while in a very poorly fitted saddle. (I didn't know any better at the time and the saddle came with the horse so I 'assumed' it would fit.) It seemed to me that Leif would trip quite a bit when I was riding him which to begin with I now attribute to the saddle. When I finally smartened up and noticed how poorly the saddle fit him I purchased a much wider and more comfortable one for him. The tripping decreased right away but didn't disappear. I then started to notice a pattern in the tripping. At the gate that led to home...when going in a direction away from home/food/pals etc, when asked for a faster gait. I had been (unconsciously) rewarding Leif's tripping by: allowing him to slow down or stop and once after a rather large trip when he actually went almost to his knees...I got off of him and led him home! This smart fellow I believe learned that when he wanted to slow down or go home all he needed to do is trip and I would 'go easier on him'. Once I finally figured out what was going on I would ask for more rather than less if he tripped for no apparent reason...ie...trip...trot rather than trip...stop. SURPRISE...he almost never trips now! I sometimes think it would be way easier if these Fjords were dumb! They certainly keep you on your toes! It is a humbling experience to be outsmarted by your cute fuzzy pony! Keep those stories coming...I learn so much from this list and it is very reassuring to those of us without 'perfect' ponies that others are also experiencing difficulty and finding solutions to the problems! Melissa & Leif in FREEZING Acme AB -25 today but saw the arrival of our first Snowy Owl (very cool)
