Gia - session 212 - Two steps forward, one step back ...

 I took Gia with me today to school at the Sharon Oaks Hunter show that I was taking several students to.  I had her wear a full set of normal shipping boots today for the first time since I started using the wraps.  She did great!  No fussing at all, just a little high stepping in the beginning (which they all do anyway).  When I put her on the big trailer, she even stood perfectly quietly with no "piaffeing" at all!  That's the first time she has ever been quiet on the big trailer!

So, I thought the rest of the day would go just as well ....

But ... horses ...

After I got my students through their classes, I pulled Gia off the trailer to get her ready to school.  She had been standing fairly quietly while the others showed, maybe a little talkative, but nothing noteworthy.

However, as soon as I pulled her off, she completely changed.  I did forget to give her the calming paste today, but she was worse than she has been in a long time, way before I ever started using the calming paste with her.

I have no idea what set her off today.  It could have been that the weather was a bit cooler, but it wasn't that much cooler.  It could have been the goats across the street, but they've been there before, and I'm pretty sure she's seen them.  I really have no idea what her deal was today, but that's horses for you.  

The only thing predictable about a horse is that they are unpredictable.

She was very antsy when I was getting her ready - lots of moving around, lots of ignoring my presence completely, lots of talking.  I managed to get her brushed ok, but she was getting more agitated right about the time I saddled her.  I probably should have left her unsaddled and lunged her, but I thought she would work it out, and I would still get to ride.

Once I finally got the saddle on, I took her out to lunge in a rope halter.  She was a hot mess.  Our lunging consisted of getting her to move her feet, but then getting her to stay off the top of me.  It took a lot of effort to get her attention on me today, but whenever I did, and she relaxed, momentarily, I would make sure to praise her.  

We were at it for a while, but I finally let her quit when things were slightly better.  She was nowhere near as good as I had hoped, but I felt if I kept at it, it wasn't going to get much better.  So, I picked a few good moments and ended on those.

As soon as I got her back to the trailer, I untacked her and loaded her up.  This was one of those moments where I didn't bother with cleaning her up and putting her boots and tail wrap back on, because I didn't think she'd really stand for it all anyway.  The ride home and unloading were pretty uneventful, so I am still perplexed as to why today went so awry.  It's definitely disappointing, but it's part of the game.  Hopefully, next time will be better ...

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