Rhapsody Goals

Rhapsody doing what she thinks she's best at...

It is being a rainy, cold week and Coach isn't feeling good, so I'm not going to make it out to the barn till Friday.  So then I am stuck inside trying to stay warm and making schemes for Friday instead!  :)

I am definitely going to catch Rhapsody again if I can.  I think if I take enough time to go slowly and follow her as much as I need to, it will work.  And that is what I want; I don't want her to get the idea that if she acts nutty and keeps running away, I will eventually let her alone.  She already has that idea all too firmly fixed in her little mind!

The main things I have in mind right now to work on with her are:

• Just accepting people, period.  Realizing we're not going to eat her up.  She's had very little work with people since she came back from the track and as a result she's very worried.
• Relaxing...see above goal!  She is so worried about everything but she tries so hard to be good. This will involve gentle desensitization and mostly a lot of rhythmic, relaxed attitude on my part.
• Learning to lunge and do basic groundwork.  Theoretically she knows some of this, but she is very tense throughout it all.  Though she leads fairly well, her groundwork is near nonexistent.
• Overcoming claustrophobia.  Loose rein/halter work both on the ground and under saddle, getting her to accept my legs and weight--both "static" and as cues--without freaking out.

I have no clue how long this will take and some of it depends on whether I can get over there frequently.  With winter coming on, I don't know how that will work.  After we've mastered those four goals I don't know what's next, either.  I've put her over poles under saddle before, and she is an absolute klutz; she's too hot for the kids, and so far too spooky for trails...well, hopefully we'll find something she likes and is good at!  Dressage maybe?  She has pretty good movement...

Then for Friday hopefully I can find someone to canter poles with.  Fringe maybe; it would be good for her to get back into some very basic jump work.  I started her on jumps but then the little kids took over and that was the end of that.  We could stand having another jumper around and she is really a natural.