Answers To All .

Hey guysss. It's me, Christina. Anyways, I noticed that I left a lot unsaid in my last post. So let me explain. It's not as bad as it sounded.

Last wednesday, when I was at the barn, I rode Shelby in my lesson. I realised how much I missed her than. But when I was untacking her after an AMAZING lesson that I will go into further detail in a diff post, my coach told me to be careful around her head, because she's nervous on the crossties now. She told me that one of the grooms told her this. & than added "but he's gone now." I'm not sure what she meant but I had a pretty good idea after what happened next.
Someone who was in my lesson came from the front of Shelby holding a saddle and said "coming through!" * Shelby LOST it. She backed up completely, broke a cross tie, reared up. When she was back on all four, I rushed forward to calm her. Once she was calm, we took her off the cross ties while someone held her while I finished up.

Then I got thinking, not just ANYTHING can cause that much fright. It doesnt make sense, unless someone really traumatizing happened in that grooms presence while she was on the cross ties. Want my almost-sure theory? He was cleaning Shelby's stall, so he took her out of it & put her in the cross ties. He then did something that hurt her, & something that she would remember. HE must have abused her somehow. & that lady coming thorugh with a saddle triggered the memory.

It also makes sense that lately whenever someone goes in her stall near her head, she bites the air. Which she has NEVER done before. It's not her. That's what happened. I've made it my goal to help her overcome this, because maybe if I had been more involved with her instead of Will lately, I might've noticed sooner.

MY only question is this; while tacking her up, & not knowing about this fear, I was completely normal with her. Meaning, holding her head, moving the cross ties, & doing many things that could've spooked her. Why didn't she freak out when it was just me there, & only when it was a lady .. :S

Love,
Christina. (L)