Learning To Ride Coyote
Summer has started out ridiculously busy around here. I get so much more time to work with the horses when it’s zero degrees in January than I do in the so called riding season. I find the weather more pleasant too.
With the loss of Onna, who we knew we loved and depended on but didn’t realize just how much we depended on until she was gone, riding has been even harder. There is a little kids rodeo series coming up in our biggest nearby town. I found out about it last year and am all for things that encourage a love of riding and showing for the kids, even if they are not exactly my thing, so I promised we would go. At the time it was a simple fun thing to do. Now my daughter is excited about going, but doesn’t have a horse to ride. I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to do it.
She can ride Coyote. Probably. They’ve been trying to get used to each other. She’s annoyingly, wonderful parent aren’t I, timid on him. She sits there and refuses to steer or even try. He has never made any attempt to hide his dislike of children and spends the whole time looking at me, begging me to save him. They are starting to work though. Lots, or at least as many as we can fit in, of long easy walks. I’m trying not to push them. It’s hard for me. I like to work on things. Drill hard! The more intricate and minuscule the thing we are working on the better. Not the way to teach children.
I don’t know what he’ll be like out and about though, however good he is at home. The last time I showed him he did not like it. I realized this morning that that was 15?! years ago. There abouts. 2004 maybe? Might have been ’05. He’s much older now and easier going than he was as a youth. He is still probably going to need to be led though. I only have Rusty.
Rusty has done wonderfully every time I’ve taken him anywhere. He wasn’t phased by the noise and crowds of the talent show. We hauled to a friends indoor arena a couple of times and he was great once he settled in. I decided to try leading them with Rusty. We’ll get there plenty early and do a nice long warm up. Get them both settled in and calmed down. We’ve been practicing ponying here at home. Got him used to the rope around his butt. Not under his tail, I would like to do that a couple of times first. We did it when first starting him undersaddle. Hopefully he remembers or we just don’t have that problem. If it becomes apparent that it’s not going to work I’ll just lead her on foot. It will work out. Some how.
Wish us luck.