The Zoe Dilemma

A strange phenomenon I've noticed since partnering with Zoebird is people telling me that they want one just like her, but nicer. 

mmm but she's so pretty

Like in those words. To my face.

It's actually a super rude thing to say no matter how you stack it up.

A different version of myself would be bugged about it. I'd think up some sassy answers that pointed out the obviously shitty nature of the comment without actually descending to their level and then I'd giggle about it while they figured out exactly what had just happened.

But see.

all smiles!

I just took my first lesson on my baby horse.

so curvy!

And if you're counting, that means aside from her initial training rides getting started, it's been all me for well over a month now.

all me looks like bareback and toodling

And not only has Zoe been a shining ray of positive energy in my life, but she's also such a game lady. Toodling bareback on a cold windy day? She's your gal. Taking a lesson and working harder than she's worked in her life? Sign her up!

lil workhorse!

Plus, I know the subtle implication of "like Zoe, but nicer" is that she just isn't fancy enough to pull down solid dressage scores.

But you know what I see?

mmhmm

I see a little mare with a walk that over-tracks several hoof prints without even trying, a jaw-dropping trot, a supple back, a developing canter, and a can-do attitude.

plus "cute as shit" should go on her CV

I mean. She's not a "10 mover" and we're not going to win for steering around a training level test, but she's going to be a force to be reckoned with in every arena we show in.

gotta try every option

And she's sharp as a tack, with a calm, willing mind. 

nose in, nose out

She never says no. She just keeps trying. She puts a smile on my face every single day.

And I guess I'm left with the question:

and sometimes she gets it right

How exactly would she be nicer? 

Training the Not-Hot Horse: Part the Second

As a person who's spent all of my time around horses with animals that were 50% or more thoroughbred, I had a lot of illusions about draft crosses. I think the biggest one for me was that because they weren't super reactive, they also weren't very intelligent.

And as a reasonably intelligent person, I didn't want to deal with a "dumb" animal.

Enter Zoe.

SMOOSH

Training her is fascinating for me. Remember when she started putting on the (literal) brakes out of the blue?

Well except it wasn't out of the blue. What preempted that was me realizing that my goofy brain was going U GONE GIT RUNNED OFF WIT BECAUSE U GOT NO BRAKES, which is clearly ridiculous on a horse that stops when you stop kicking. But brains will do what brains will do, so I taught Zoe a one-rein stop to appease my brain. We literally did it three times one day.

Annnnnnd the next time she was ridden, she started doing the STOP AND FREEZE response.

Huh.

So she not only learned it, but was also willing to show it off to me to prove that she understood.

That's actually pretty smart.

Another thing we've been working diligently on are our turn on the forehand/haunches. We do them on the ground, pre-ride, and then at the end of each ride. Except the other day I mixed it up and did them in the saddle at the beginning on the ride. Zoe was a champ, like usual, but then every time I asked her to halt (normally, not one rein haha), then put my legs on to ask her to go again...

...she started going sideways.

Like I'd asked her to earlier.

smartie. pants.

When I finally started to put it all together, I laughed. Here I was concerned that somehow the little lady wouldn't be "smart enough" for me and instead she's the smartest horse with the most try that I've probably ever worked with.

48 Hours of Zoëbird

If you're a serious SB blog stalker, you'll know I haven't updated more than twice a week in months.

NOT UNTIL THERE WAS A ZOEBIRD IN THE PICTURE.

And here I am, updating again.

Because omg you guys. I know I've had her like 54 hours as of the writing of this post but like. omg. I love her. Not just in the like "she's new and exciting and shopping yay!" sort of way, but like. This little mare speaks to my soul.

And I hate people who talk about their souls because that's usually a cover for how they don't have brains.

But here I am and I don't even care.

We're just getting acquainted and playing right now. We're doing important stuff like selecting her favorite curry:

answer: no bad options

Trying on stuff:

apparently not cob size. still.

Learning about saddle pads:

Trying on boots:

Playing with the hose:

I mean, we've done a little ground work. We're going slow. I'm in no rush and she's a smart little thing. She was a little goosey about the saddle pad on Wednesday, then totally fine on Friday, so I went ahead and put a saddle on her.

and a bridle bc why not

We just walked around and explored and ate some weeds, then took it off again. No pressure. 

I'm having a fun time playing with tack, too. Her head is cob length, but otherwise oversize dimensions. I took my western bridle in and had to have them lengthen the throatlatch 6"+ because no way no how was it going on her. However, the girth Courage used is a solid 12" too long for her. 

And Zoëbird? She learned the barn routine and settled right in. She has a mini-me bff she gets turned out with, two boyfriends, and she's learning to eat treats.

Oh and yesterday she met me at the gate and ate a carrot and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. <3