Putting the RELATIONSHIP FIRST!

Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted for a while. I did play with Brizzee on Sunday...I wasn't going to write about it, and tell you what happened, but I think I will tell you what happened. I am very embarrassed about it, and I can't beleive I let it happen, but I did, and now I feel so ashamed. Like I said, I wasn't even going to tell you guys about it, but I should. Some of you (even though you understand your horse and everything) loose your temper or get frustrated once in a while, right?!? Gosh...I hope I'm not the only one!

Well, first of all, my mom got Simmer-On, and we had to keep moving the horses around. She then got him into the round pen, and started playing with him. Then, we forgot to bring the treats down, so I went clear back up to the green house (tack room) and got out the treats. Then put all the other horses in their little "pens" inside our big pen. THen, after I walked down to the second large corral (play pen) I handed my mom the treats.

In case you are confused, we live on what used to be a Dairy/diary. I always forget how to spell it. lol. Anyways. We have two really big pens. THere is one pen up close by the green house, which we use as the tack room. Then, on the other side of the fence towards the south, there is a second pen. We call that the play pen, because we have all the "toys" down there. Our green round pen is in the play pen. In the first pen, by the green house, it's really rocky. My mom and I built four pens up in the first pen, so that we could feed each horse what they need. So, I just wanted to clear that up.

So anyways, then I came back up, haltered Brizzee,took her down there, and started playing with her. First, we just walked around. Now, the night before I read over the Level 1 assessment AGAIN, and had everything planned out to do; Pick up all four feet, do sideways, circling game, figure eight, etc. So, I started playing those things. Things weren't going too well at first, so ethen I decided to play the Circling Game...cause she is really good with that. Well, she became unconfident, and wouldn't do anything. Then, I kinda got frustrated. After that, EVERYTHING I aksed her to do, she wouldn't. She would refuse...and be very LBI...

Meanless to say, things weren't going to well. i knew that she was confused, and I needed to slow down, and try to figure out what I was doign wrong, but I didn't. I knew I should have, but I didn't. I just got more and more frustrated. I wanted to get Level 1 done, so we could start Level 2. I wanted to, etc, etc. But when things didn't go right, I became frustrated. I knew I should stop, but I didn't. And I became mad at myself because I knew that she didn't understand, and I kenw that we should stop, and do Undemanding Time or soemthing, but I didn't. Well, me arguing with myself didn't help.

I got really, really frustrated. Finally, I unhaltered Brizzee. And after I became frustrated, she became very LBI and STUBBORN. She pushed me against me to get her halter off, and as soon as it was off, instead of staying with me like she usually did, she took off running. I watched her go, and tears came to my eyes. I knew I really screwed up. I don't know why, but it just seems liek I am the only person on earth where I loose my temper and patience so easily. Somebody will just say something to me, and it makes me angry. I've been doing really good with being patient with my horse but Sunday, something just...sparked I guess is the right word.

I think about our session that day, and tears come to my eyes. I feel so bad about what I did, and like I said, I am very embarrassed about it. When I saw Brizzee run away, I just stood there for a few seconds, threw down my halter, and ran behind a barrel. I sat there for a long time thinking, then I grabbed a stick. I think I wrote; "Patience earns Trust, Patient earns Trust, Patience Earns Trust," etc. 100 times. Then I slowly sat back, looked at it, drew in a deep breath, and stood up.

I looked over at Brizzee. She looked at me, then looked away. I sat down where she could see me. She kept glancing over at me, but then quickly looked away. For a few minutes, I was really scared that I blew something with our relationship...which, I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to come up to me after what I did. I bet 30 minutes went by, and I just sat there. She then slowly licked her lips, turned and came up to me. She lowered her head in my lap, and just kept it there. I apologized to her numerous times. My mom then told me to halter her, because she was going to take Simmer-On outside into the play pen to play with the toys.

I wanted to end it on a good note, so I haltered her, wrapped the rope around the Round Pannel a few times, like it showed Pat doing on the...October dvd I think. I then groomed her. She was really relaxed. I groomed her tail, and again, after jsut a few minutes, she loosened it...a LOT. It was looser then it ever was before! After I groomed her, we then walked around the play pen. I then stopped by an orange tarp that we have. She sniffed it, then walked right over it. We walked all around the play pen, then after my mom turned Simmer-On loose in the round pen, we started to play Stick To Me. It was AWESOME! My mom got lots of pics. I would post them on here, but I can't find the cord that I use to download pics onto the computer from the camera, but when I find it, I'll put the pics on here.

And then, after Brizzee was really confident, and I was calmed down, mom gave me a leg up on her, bareback. Of course, she went to the gate. It was okay though. I stroked her neck, and we just sat there, then she moved around in front of the gate. My mom then told me to go over to a a weed pile down on the other side of the pen, and reward Brizzee for going there, by letting her eat them. I only had the halter and lead rope, but I did. It probably looked like a drunk driver, because for some reason it is really hard on Brizzee to go in a straight line, but I didn't want to try to keep her straight or anything. I just wanted to be someone on her back, that went whereve she went.

She went right into the weeds, but didn't eat them. She then turned towards the gate. We stood by the gate, did a little of trotting by the gate. Which I almost came off once! lol. But I didn't, so it was okay. Then, I ended it there. I dismounted, gave Brizzee a treat, walked her around and gave her a treat.

I feel really bad that I did loose my patience with her, and got so frustrated and aggrevated, but it taught me a lesson. ALWAYS PUT THE RELATIONSHIP FIRST! After Sunday, I watched a lot more of the Level 2 DVD's. Everything makes a lot more sense now. Of course, I always heard Linda talking about putting the relationship first and everything, but on Sunday, I just...I don't know what happened. But never again, will I ever do that. As soon as I start loosing my patience, I'll just sit down, and spend Undemanding time with my horse, or else groom her, and end it on a good note. We have come so far, and I don't want to do anything to ruin the connection we have now. I am really surprised she came up to me on Sunday after what I did.

And once I got frustrated, it just got worse, but that was because I was frustrated, my body was stiff, and Brizzee could feel that, so then she got that same way also. I made a vow (is that how you spell it?) to Brizzee that day that never, ever again, would I ever loose my patience with her again. And if I start to, that's the end of it. Like I said, we'll just either spend Undemanding Time together, or I'll just groom her. Something.

So, there's how Sunday went. Towards the end of the session though, after I calmed down, it went really well! So, always put the relationship first. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. Thanks for reading this. I probably won't post more on here for a while, because the weather this week is supposed to be really nasty, so I may not play that much with the horses. Oh, I was going to play with Storm (my uncle's Arabian) on Sunday also, but it was getting too late for that, so I didn't get to, but that's okay.

Savvy On,
~Randa~ & ~Brizzee~

"PUT THE RELATIONSHIP FIRST!"