I certainly agree with this! I loved my ex-horse
to pieces, and he was bonded to me, too. But he wouldn't/couldn't give up
his explosive spooking, I wasn't having much fun, and I sadly (but now happily)
gave him up to my g'daughter. she loves him to pieces, too, and he has now
bonded to her. He will hardly give me the time of day now. I'm sad,
but I'm also delighted to have him in the family, as they live only about 3
miles away. G'daughter's first endurance ride was Swanton Pacific
75, her second was Fireworks 50. Both of them did VERY well. The
horse looked like he hadn't been anywhere at all. I'm waiting to see them
do a 100.
Another thing I forgot to mention was the horse's
elevated, somewhat stiff-legged trot. Very hard on my back...doesn't phase
the g'daughter. Ah, youth....
There are times when personalities simply don't mesh and it's not the
right horse for us. I can't tell you if this is one of those times. Only you
can determine that.
To me, having horses and doing this riding we do should be fun. If we are
fearful and tense, we're not having fun. It's time to re-evaluate the
situation.
He is very smart and has a big attitude. And I think I am
struggling for leadership. He doesn't bolt but will either turn a 180
or backup without care of where his hiney might land him (and
me).
I am encouraged to know that others have had this problem. He is
usually rock solid with others (of course) but I can't ride him with others
often. We will keep working on it. I have had him in my care for
almost six months and we started out great and now it seems to have gone bad
and I need to fix it.
