Gia - Adventures with Danielle bonus session 89.5 - Gia and the horse show! - written by Danielle Bryant

So, as Heather mentioned in a post last week, Gia got the chance to go on an adventure this week: to a horse show! At this point for Gia , shows are not for competing, but for experience and acclimation. There will hopefully come a time where horse shows become second nature for Gia, but for now they are new and scary. For me ( Danielle), it’s been 16 years since I’ve been to a show so it was a bit of adventure for us both! When I found out Heather was planning on taking Gia, I offered to come along to help with the big girl. Heather wasn’t showing in this show but she had multiple students in the show and had to do her job first and foremost! I had the opportunity to devote my full attention to Gia so I was a good second choice!

When I was almost at the show, I received a text from Heather to not even say hi to Gia when I arrived. Well, I know Heather well enough to know this means someone wasn’t being very ladylike in the trailer! Gia was doing quite the “dancing” in the trailer. She seemed to be quieting down so I went to take the first steps for us to get her off the trailer. Seeing me for the first time that day revved her back up a little (I’m the fun “baby-sitter”!) so Heather and I had to get out of her line of sight for a bit. A few try’s and few minutes later, we were ready to head off the trailer. It took a few more minutes for Gia to calm down and relax a little, then off we went.

Our first exploration of the day was the competition arena. We were the first group to arrive, which gave us the opportunity to walk the arena while it was fairly quiet. There were lots of new things to look at and see in this covered arena. I allowed Gia to take her time, walk around and explore a bit. The same rules apply at a show that apply at home. It’s okay to be scared; it’s okay to look first; and it’s okay to need reassurance. It’s not okay to “say” no. It’s not okay to try and direct me where to go, and it’s not okay to get angry and “threaten” me or anyone else. Gia knows these rules, but like most youngsters, sometimes needs reminders!

After the show began, Gia and I began exploring the show grounds. She seemed less scared of some things than I thought she would be, but as more horses and trailers arrived her anxiety did increase. We didn’t stand still for long, as Gia was quite anxious and dancing with happy feet. Often times when a horse starts “happy feet” while anxious, the next step can be lifting their front feet off the ground and even rearing all the way up. Gia is tall enough on all 4, and extremely strong, so I definitely planned to avoid this any way possible!

After the girls from Castle Farm finished their first division (in which they both did AMAZING!) we had a bit of a break so we took Gia over to the trailer for some snacks and a grooming. Still a bit keyed up, Gia had a few things to “say” to Heather about her displeasure. Well, Heather had a few things to “say” back to remind Gia where her place in the world was and she was a bit more humble. This seemed like a good time to take Gia up to the warmup area and longe her. Heather came up to coach me as I worked with Gia. (I’m not all fun, all the time!) The main goal was to get Gia to pay attention to me while she worked. This may sound easy, but to a young horse in a new environment, it’s easier said than done! It took us some time, but ultimately, we made a lot of progress. We did have one instance where Gia tried to intimidate me and “threaten” me into doing what she wanted. I am aware that she does do this and it wasn’t the first time she’s done it to me, but there’s no excuse and it wasn’t tolerated. We ended our session after some more positive work.

After her workout was complete, Gia was a bit quieter for a few minutes. Once she began getting flustered again, we began walking again. Many trucks and trailers were coming and going at this point, and I could feel how anxious Gia was getting. Quickly, I came up with a plan based on knowing Gia. We headed back to the warm-up arena. On the way up, a trailer made a loud noise, and Gia started to rear up on her lead line. I immediately gave her a tug and got her to the warm up ring. At home, Gia and I have begun walking over jumps on the ground. This is a new thing for Gia and requires a lot of concentration. Perfect! I knew at that point, I needed to get her back to paying attention and not just reacting to everything. Gia and I began walking over cross rails and low verticals jumps. We made many laps and stuck to no particular pattern. Once Gia relaxed and dropped her head, we headed back to the trailer. At this point, it was about time to head home.

All in all, Gia and I spent close to 4 hours exploring and learning. I think it was a great experience for both of us. Hopefully, we can visit another show soon and keep making strides to prepare Gia to be a pro when it gets to be her turn in the ring (or stadium or cross country course)!!!

     - Danielle