On Wednesday we worked Rhapsody again. The Coach thought we could practice catching in the round pen and the little pasture behind the barn. It was a good idea, but...
She was a sweetheart. Flighty and sensitive, but a sweetheart. In the little pasture, she went away from me only once and when I went back up to her carefully I caught her no problem. Every other time, no problem. She even followed me a bit in the round pen.
She was wearing a halter though. Out in the pastures, nobody wears halters. Too easy to get hung up on something.
Hmm.
The Coach says she has no more tips to give me when it comes to catching Rhapsody in the pasture and I'll just have to try it. She seems reasonably confident I shall manage that this afternoon.
I'm more dubious. Get up to the horse? Sure. Catch her? Uhmm...Mayybeee. It's one thing to grab a halter strap; another thing to put the halter on. That rope on her neck or near her face just sends her into a fit. Plus she seems to be super-sensitive to intention and I begin to be pretty sure that just my thinking about catching her is enough to chase her away. You, dear Coach, have not been trying to catch this pony for a month and a half! <insert angelic smile here>
Well I shall try. I have some ideas, and some things I've tried in the past that have worked well, and one thing I learned on Wednesday--she doesn't fight pressure too terribly. When she comes to the end of the rope, she stops. So if I can just get the rope around her neck...well we'll see. If I catch this horse even once it shall be something of the triumph of a lifetime! Haha! And I will straightaway put a catch halter on her even if I have to make my own out of baling string!
If I can't catch her today, I'll be riding Paradox again. Although the Coach seems to begin to fear that the terribly awful canter is never going to improve. Hehe. We'll see.
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