Discouraged...

Yesterday I wanted to work on leading with Dodge being away from the herd. Like I did a few days ago in the round pen. My plans were to take her up to the pen area and lunge her for a few minutes, work on the walk, and then let her just be her in the pen before calmly walking her down to the pasture.

Nothing worked out.

I got her out of the pasture and tied her to the hitching post that sits right next to the pasture. I went to put her fly mask away and she had already untied herself from the post and was beelining it back to the barn. I caught her and retied. I should have thought everything through then. Sigh.

I made her lead rope into a stud chain again and walked her up the the pen. She made me do circles on the way up about 5 times. Meaning she wasn't listening to the stud chain or me, so we did a small circle to reset ourselves.

And then I've never been so let down and feel so horrible in my entire life. I let her off the lead rope in the round pen and she started running into the fences. She was frantically trying to get back to her buddies and it didn't matter what I did, she would take off into a fence. I was mortified and embarressed. Here is this gorgeous horse acting like a fool and her stupid owner completely dumbfounded to her new behavior.

I clipped her lead rope back on her and started to walk her around trying to get her focus on just walking. Instead she was ramming into me, not watching where she put her feet, and screaming for her friends. I eventually got so fed up I tied her to a gate and walked away for a second to cool down. What we were doing was not working. Her mind was on her friends and nothing else. Even being tied to the gate she was nervously pacing it and sweating horribly.

I would say we were out there for maybe 20 minutes and she was dripping with sweat. I wasn't even working her into that type of sweat. She was so nervous and focused on getting out of the pen that she brought herself into a panic.

I did not have a lunge line with me but did have the lunge whip and her lead rope. That was just going to have to do. I untied her and started trying to walk with her again. Once again she started acting like a complete idiot. I let out all the slack and made her work. I had her trot, canter, walk, ext. Just a few circles, maybe 2-3. I would say "woah" and when she stopped I would give her a pat and we would restart walking again.

Near the end of this she would stop dead in her tracks on the woah and was leading very nicely. Still not as nice as I wanted but it was a dramatic improvement. I decided that enough was enough as she was starting to act like there was a brain in her head and started to walk her back down to the barn.

Then she got dumb again. Sigh. I can deal with a few little pulls on the lead rope from her but when she starts trying to trot in front of me I can't deal with that. So, I know I looked like a fool infront of the other boarders, but I just worked her again. I let out the slack and made her do some transitions. I would ask for the woah and then give her a pat and continue on like nothing happened. I think that went on about three times and she walked once again like a brain was in her head.

Then she got dumb again once I put her int he wash pen to rinse the sweat off of her. She was pacing the fence line and being generally very rude. At one point she pushed me into the fence. I WAS PISSED. I gave her a good wallop on the side but it didn't even phase her. I think I'm going to get a small whip and use it on her when personal space is invaded. I mean she was dangerous to the point where I feel helpless.

I am just at a loss that my sweet sweet horse has gotten this out of hand. I spoke to the barn owner today and told her I am going to be out there every day this week. I HAVE to get Dodge over this behavior. I am not going to ride her till she acts like she has a effing brain. I've been reading up on a few boards and the whatnottery about this behavior.

I think I have made the problem slightly worse because I take her too far out of her comfort zone from her other horses. Thus compounding my problems into something explosive before I even get started. My game plan is her issues start when she leaves the pasture. I mean right when she leaves it. 1 ft from leaving it. It's like she can't function once she is away from her buddies.

I am going to work her here. Right in front of the barn. Some figure eights, working on bending to the right (which she will NOT do right now), and some back and forth. When she finally relaxes to the point where she will stand still, then I will take her out anther foot and repeat. I will work her with her buddies if I have to.

Sigh.