It's A Door, You Idiot!

Hey guys, it's me! So, on Friday (I think it was January 15) I went out to the barn and rode Tarzan. Now, Tarzan (the horse, guys, the horse!) is a very skiddish horse, and he spooks (meaning he gets scared and bolts) at every little thing. Anyways, I got onto Tarzan and - as usual - he started walking before I was even in the saddle (don't get me started on that one...). Sooo that took a while, but finally I was able to get on.

I think I've told you guys about how Tarzan has a 'good way' and a 'bad way'. Well, in an arena, you ride your horse along the fence rail. You can - obviously - switch directions. Well, when you enter the arena, you usually start by riding to the right (this is very confusing, I know...I sorry). Well, going 'to the right' is Tarzan's 'good way'. He is a very good boy when we ride this way. He keeps himself straight, he doesn't walk all over the place, and he is very well behaved. His gaits (walk, trot, canter) are collected enough, and he is overall very good when going 'to the right'.

Then we reverse. We are now going 'to the left'. This is his 'bad way'. I could ramble on for hours about Tarzan and his 'bad way'. Alright. I'll tell you about his body position first. He swings his head around so that it's hanging over the rail, he sticks his butt into the middle of the arena, and he throws his head up. When he walks, he's tentative and not very relaxed. When he trots, it's 'choppy' (he takes REALLY short steps and it's really rough and bad-feeling...) and he is way out of control!

So, we switched back to the 'good way'. We were trotting (real fast...not normal!) and Erica (my horse riding teacher who lives in an apartment in the barn) opened her (squeaky) apartment door. Tarzan and I HAPPENED to be going by at that exact same moment, and Tarzan bolted at least six or eight feet to the left! I almost fell off, but Erica and I laughed our butts off. Tarzan gives us so many laughs!

Anyways, Tarzan spooked at a few other things (including a wall and a cat...no comment...), but we finished our workout without any broken bones. :) I'm hoping to ride Tarzan in 4H Horse & Pony this year. If you're interested in watching, we'll be showing at the Delaware County Fair this summer...:) Adios!