Ditches

Are interesting. I took Siaga out for a walk, me on foot, no riding, for some groundwork at the ditch to try and better understand the problem. The really funny thing was... there was no problem. His unwillingness to cross the ditch is entirely an under-saddle problem. I walked him, trotted him, jumped him over various areas of the ditch, with absolutely no problem. Not a single one. He didn't even hesitate.

So what's up with that? Some might say it's crazy of me to think, but I think that he's afraid that crossing that ditch will make him lose me again. I think he understood the last time, that there was something very wrong with me, I mean, I can't have been acting normal at all, or at least I wouldn't think I'd be acting normal while in a state of shock. But then again, I don't remember.

Today Jacy's coming out, hopefully, in about a half hour, and she's going to watch while I take him over the ditch. Again and again and again. Not drilling, just having fun with it. I -am- taking my crop today, in case I need it, since he made it very clear last time that under no circumstances other than turning away was he going to cross that thing. Not like I'm going to beat him across though. I want him to feel confident in himself and in me, not utterly terrified of it.

I also thought, if she's up to it, Jacy might take him for a little test drive around the yard or something. He is, after all, only green broke, but I think she could handle him. He's pretty much a gentleman under saddle, so long as you don't let him get away with stuff. (Like: HEY! Look, lady! See that? It's a big huge thing of GRASS. Let's eat it!... at which point, he starts turning toward it, lowering his nose, shaking his head... which then leads me to give him a bump on the nose and squeeze his sides to let him know he has to keep moving in the way I'm telling him to go, not to the grass.