Confidence is a fragile thing - do all you can to protect it. That applies to both horse and rider, of course.
H has owned J for more than 5 years, and they enjoy gentle hacks through the countryside. J is a big lad, with little known about his past. Poor confirmation led to a ligament injury with mild long term lameness which continues to affect him, but doesn't stop him from enjoying gentle hacks in walk.
A few months ago, J started to play up out hacking. H's confidence gradually decreased, and she lost any enjoyment in riding. Finally, 6 months ago, she gave up, not knowing how to overcome their problems.
Thankfully, she's decided to give me a call. The first thing I've addressed is J's understanding of what we expect from him in hand, in particular insisting that he stand still when asked. This, combined with changing his medication after discussing the case with his vet, led to an entirely different horse, one that H suddenly felt she might enjoy sitting on again.
So far they've 3 times in the past week, just in walk around the arena for now, but the smile on H's fave and the pride in the way J is carrying himself leads me to hope there's lots more to come!
