Gia - sessions 1170-1172 - A change of reins - Danielle works with Gia ... and writes the blog!

I am stepping away from riding and working my own horses for a few weeks to get a few big projects completed.  During that time, Danielle will be working with Gia and writing her blog.  They had a busy week last week ... 

Gia’s Blog 11/11-14/25

Danielle here. I worked with Gia last week on grooming and treating her fungus. I will say it was an interesting week!

On Tuesday, I worked with Gia in the same manner as I had been for years. I am familiar [to her], and she is a bit more patient with my touches. It is not necessarily a favoritism situation as much as I provide her with an expected, consistent experience. However, our mutual affection for each other does not hurt (usually…). Before the show, I had some time to bring in Gia and give her an antifungal bath with prescription strength shampoo. My hope was that this would get the fungal issue under control. Additionally, Heather was able to find her a flysheet that fit her while we were at the show. So, we came into this week with some potential solutions. Luckily, I did notice on Tuesday that the fungus that had been plaguing Gia and her belly was improving. I was able to treat her fully, groom her and pull her mane. I felt great leaving this session. 

On Wednesday, Heather talked to me before I began working with Gia. She wanted me to do things differently. Admittedly, I was hesitant. I have been grooming Gia for a long time. We have had to combat a lot of different challenges and behaviors and my way worked. The problem is just that, however; my way works…for me. But it is built on an understanding and predictability that cannot be replicated by others. For a long time, I was, either by necessity or circumstance, Gia’s only groom. However, as my responsibilities have changed and evolved, other people need to be able to groom Gia both home and away. (Gia DOES NOT agree with this idea). Let’s be clear-I do not hold a magic wand over her. Gia pushes her boundaries with me just like a child would. The difference is that when I would give her a pop with a whip or tell her to quit it, she responded appropriately. Gia very much responds to consistency and is quick to test people. As Heather explained, Gia needs to learn to be handled differently and by anyone who needs to work with her. She needs to expand her own window of tolerance and, perhaps, I can help her with that. When she is comfortable with me, then Heather can step in and our grooms after that. So, we went at things a bit differently. Heather has explained in detail in the past about how she is working with Gia on accepting things she doesn’t like and giving her a break when she displays positive behavior. We basically tried to adapt to this idea. Now, I am familiar with how this works and personally seen the benefits with Ava but doing things with Gia felt different. I suppose Gia isn’t the only one who has a set routine and mindset about how she is groomed. I experienced and saw negative behaviors that I wanted to correct. Heather reminded me to stay focused on the work despite the fact that it may seem like a backwards path. We made it through Wednesday, but I was left feeling unsure of myself and our relationship. 

On Friday, my expectations were clear. I had to go in and do things the NEW way. It was going to be the new way or the highway, and we were going to get through it! I would love to tell you that we set out on this path together and worked through it and all was great. Gia loved it and accepted my new touch, and I felt renewed and invigorated afterwards…except, that would be a lie as big as Gia. Let me add, I started out with hay at the tree for Gia as Heather had stated in last week’s blog. However, we both quickly remembered that due to Gia’s tie back surgery, she cannot eat elevated. So, I decided to take her to the grass to graze on what is left in the hope I could complete her meds and grooming. *Spoiler alert-this doesn’t end well* Gia is definitely a wanderer when she eats. Some horses will graze in a small area and stay close to their handler. Gia doesn’t always have the attention span to do this and tends to move a lot while eating. I took her to the grass and tried to stay with her, but she was definitely getting annoyed with me touching her and keeping her within a small area. I started to notice her negative behaviors, but I didn’t do any of the things I would have done in the past to stop her. I stayed with her and pushed her boundaries in hopes of getting her through things. Gia has VERY big feelings. She also has big teeth and big legs. Working with her through her feelings can be a bit of a challenge and why at this time, only myself and Heather are grooming her. You have to pay very close attention to her and stay close to her despite her protestations. Horses’ legs pack a big punch, but typically, if you stay close to them, it is very difficult for them to be able to get enough striking force to really sting. This isn’t easy. Your brain tells you to get away from danger, not get closer to it. However, as crazy horse girls you learn this lesson either the easy way or the hard way. One of the areas that Gia needed treatment was far inside her upper thigh of her back leg. I was standing very close to her leg and reminding myself of all of the above when Gia demonstrated that TYPICALLY doesn’t apply to her. With some rather athletic ability, Gia managed to show me that she has a special way of using her legs to twist and kick. (She’s always got to be so extra, dramatic and fancy) I found myself in the bush with the wind completely knocked out of me and a rather large horse standing over me asking me why I made her act like that….Well, that hurt like heck. Luckily for me, the alignment worked out so her giant foot left me with a bruise on my stomach but no serious injuries. I would also love to tell you that I handled all of this with grace and peace and certainly did not go off on a tangent to Heather about why if it wasn’t broken (not me, clearly) why fix it? etc. But that too, would be a lie. I was hurting both in my stomach and my pride. I was fuming mad and having my own little meltdown to match Gia’s. In hindsight, we both may have overreacted a bit. Heather stated that if I didn’t want to work with her for a while, that would be fine. I walked away and said “fine,” knowing fully well that nothing would keep me away from her or vice versa. I needed my minute, okay? Later that night, we had some snuggles and I went into the next week with a new sense of purpose. How could I help Gia to accept different things, ultimately with different people, but accept that she doesn’t always “follow the rules”? If I truly have the connection with this horse that I think I do, then it's on me to figure it out. We have to make this better and help her be comfortable. If I don’t figure out a solution, I would be the only one able to groom Gia and that just isn’t realistic. I have to get creative and find a way to help Gia accept change, first from me, then others. Here’s the thing, I would and will do anything for this horse. Forgiveness given, challenge accepted, and I proceed with love and her best interest in mind. Stay tuned for next week when I begin my mission.