This message is from: Robin Churchill
-- On Fri, 4/3/09, Starfire Farm wrote:
Our Fjords can be very
> stoic about some things, which can serve to hide their
> sensitivity - and they are extrememly sensitive.
I think this is something that sometimes people don't realize about fjords
because they are so stoic. One of mine is extremely sensitive and pretty smart
and the other is not as sensitive but extremely smart. I have this mare that
has been confined for an injury for a long period of time. We put her out in a
very small paddock which she immediately decimimated and made into a sand pile.
Pretty soon she was digging a hole at one end of the paddock. At first I
thought she was just bored or digging for roots but then my husband figured out
that she was digging the hole and putting her front feet in it so she could get
her nose down at a level where she could get it under the last line of the
electric fence and eat the grass on the other side without getting shocked. I
think that is incredibly smart to be able to reason that out. My gelding on
the other hand is very sensitive, easily offended and his feelings are hurt
easily. I learned a lesson when he
stayed with a friend (who happens to be a USDF silver medalist and former
trainer who I value as a friend but really don't want to emulate as a rider)
for a week and she sat on him a little-not even really riding him and was not
supposed to be riding him when I was not there. I have no idea what happened
but he started picking up the incorrect lead in the right lead canter
especially at A in the arena, something he had never done. It took me the
longest time to correct that and just required a lot of patience. I can tell
you that he thought that that picking up the counter-canter at A was what he
was supposed to do, I just don't know why. I knew that if I made a big deal out
of it or became frustrated, it would just get worse. One problem with it was
that he happens to be a fjord who is balanced in the canter and at first when
he would pick up the incorrect lead, it would take me awhile to figure it out.
Anyway, I finally got the problem solved, I
don't really know but it was with patience and positive training.
Robin
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