A few little things with Scottie have changed recently and I haven’t really thought anything of it until now, where I have started to link a few of them and come up with a shocking theory!
Over the past few months, Scottie has improved massively in the school. But not only this, but our confidence in each other and as a combination has also massively improved. I have recently noticed that after schooling, I make a fuss of him, get off, loosen his girth and go to leave the school. However, Scottie seems to take a bit of convincing to actually follow me out of the school. This has always confused me as although he has never been in a rush to leave the school, he has always been happy to leave and have his feed! This new habit is now happening every time we school, no matter how long or how hard we work.
The second thing I have noticed the past week or two is that Scottie is very keen to come in from the field. At first I thought this was just him being used to just coming in and have a feed. However, I didn’t ride yesterday and didn’t take him out the field. I fed him and gave him cuddles and scratches in the field and then spent the next half hour or so poo picking in the same field, giving him a fuss when he was nearby. When I went to leave, he followed me to the gate and stood there shouting after me as I went down the track! I felt so guilty!
Today after riding, I reached the conclusion that Scottie is enjoying flatwork schooling! Shocking I know! But my thoughts are if he is improving and building confidence, he might be enjoying that feeling!
Do any of your horses enjoy flatwork?
Last Updated on 14/01/2022
