Checkmate!

So after falling into the round pen last week, I never realized how hurt I actually was, I'm still sore and so was my confidence... Last night to me, was a disaster, I let Acacia get the best of of me and didn't make her do what I really wanted...

Tonight, though, I was in charge. I round penned her and was my normal, stern, in control trainer self. I wasn't allowing her to skip a single BEAT! She knew it too. So I got on and was firm and used my "I MEAN IT" voice, not my "oh pretty please baby sweetie cakes voice." So she did well for a couple minutes and then I wanted her to trot like we have been for DAYS now and she wouldn't, so I had S&D encourage her from behind while I cued. Acacia starts chomping the bit and shaking her head a bit and I cue her again and so does S&D and off she goes in a trot. THEN little miss pissy pants decides to gallop again and I was like OMG, not again! And apparently that's what I said very loudly! LOL! I said "NO WAY NOT HAPPENING THIS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!" I was not going to come off. So I grabbed that right rein with every intent on breaking her neck and one reined stopped into the side of the round pen and yelled again "I'M BACK!!" Then I spun her around and make her walk on some more as if nothing happened.

Her lesson tonight was simply this, what I'm asking her to do is WAY easier than me punishing her. So again she got sassy again and refused to walk and OH BOY, in my growliest voice I said "YOU WALK ON NOW!!!!!!!!" And I gave her a nice kick to the side and had my reinforcer, S&D, behind her and man she walked on. I practiced turns on the hind end and neck reining tonight, I really made her think about what she had to do instead of just lolly gagging around the round pen. She didn't refuse to walk forward another time tonight LOL!

I feel as though I've treated her almost too much like a baby and always coddled her when she got scared, but it occurred to me last night, that I would NEVER have treated another training horse like that. I'm firm, down to business, and I love them unconditionally, but I make them work. She beat me in round one, but tonight I got the checkmate!