Lacy the sea (ok, pond) monster reminds you that if you have an area of difficulty with your Mustang (or domestic equine), don’t give up just yet.
Most people who meet the now 9yo Divide Basin WY mare, one of the Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy Ambassador Mustangs, comment on how willing and well behaved she is. This is true. What’s also true is that I’ve put 7 years of work into her AND me.
Lacy was a 2yo unhandled spitfire when I first picked her up for gentling. All things considered, she was mostly good.
When she wasn’t, she would rear. She reared about a great many things, including not being allowed to go back to her friends, ditches and water.
Lacy hated all water that dared to exist outside of a trough. Her signature move was to rear and throw herself down. Not over backwards, down on the ground like a toddler at the grocery store. Big drama. We worked through it each time.
After the first few months and many conversations she stopped throwing herself down. The rearing and jumping so the scary wet stuff wouldn’t touch her feet took longer to move past.
I remember the last half rear at 11,000ft when she was 4yo. I had just started riding her bareback a bit before adding the weight of the saddle. We needed to get across a creek to go above treeline. She was having none of it.
We took the time to cross the creek and she never reared again. Was I frustrated and scared sometimes during those first few years, even though she was doing great with most other things? Absolutely.
We got past it with persistence, patience and practice. I didn’t ignore, shy away from or sugar coat potentially dangerous behavior.
We’ve been crossing all manner of creeks and puddles effortlessly or nearly so for several years now.
Earlier this summer we encountered our first fast moving, fairly deep river. I asked, she went in. Two days ago we celebrated our first time riding into a pond deep enough to swim in and enjoyed playing in the water in just a halter.
I hope that gives some of you hope to keep moving forward.
That being said, if most things aren’t working right and you or your horse are in danger because of it, get help now.
If you don’t know how to address or move past the roadblock you’re facing, feel free to reach out. Maybe we can help.
#BLMmustang#wildhorseswillingpartners#wildtowilling
#adoptamustang#mustangtraining#horsemanship#dontquit#summer#makingmountainmustangmemories
