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Ali, the white male riding horse our daughter uses for her riding lessons these past few weeks, was being naughty today, extremely lazy actually.
Being the first to handle him at the beginning of Monday’s slotted lesson times, after he sits in his stall all day long, usually our daughter doesn't have a problem with his energy levels, easily able to get him moving in a rhythmic trot for riding requirements with the coaching and teachings of her instructor, easily directing her movements within the paddocks.
Whether trotting around the indoor or outdoor paddocks, this horse seems to be wise beyond his years. For instance, when the instructor is watching, he moves easily and sees her content, but when she turns her head, walks in a different direction or is having a conversation with me at the ringside, he slows to a slow waltz awaiting his next momentous “show time” when necessary to begin once more. At times the teacher has had to grab her whip, only having to hold it pointed outward towards the horse for him to see, or whip the air to make a noisy snap, and then the horse resumes his gait. Today, time and time again Ali disobeyed, so the instructor grabbed her lunge lead and hooked it onto his bridle to pull him around as was necessary to get him back into full gear. When unhooked later on, there weren’t anymore issues, at least not today.
It’s humorous to watch the direction of the movements change when the horse sees her come nearer to him, almost as though he knows he’s being naughty so he heads off in the opposite direction as far away as he can get from her.
Standing near to me, the gal waiting around for her lessons after our daughter, and who also rides the same horse the past few weeks, giggled today when noting his behavior and subsequent chastisement, telling the story of the instructor mounting onto the saddle herself last week disciplining him plentifully to get him redirected in proper fashion for his exercise time. Now that would be great to see a horse disciplined, someone sitting on him getting his absolute attentions, then later stand in the center of the paddock egging him on, whip in hand and the lesson proceeding as normal with the rider back on top.
Truly, the more I witness our instructor's expertise, the more I realize how wonderful and so very knowledgeable she is. What a great instructor we have, very special and so very British in her ways.
