Unfortunately I've found a bit of a problem with Denny. I had a friend's experienced children groom him and have a ride on him and he was a very unhappy pony. He is the happiest pony imaginable with adults around him but children make him very nervous and on edge, and although he did nothing nasty he was very tense and unhappy and wouldn't relax for a second. I need a really quiet, tolerant pony for two very young children so Denny doesn't fit the bill at all.
I was dreading telling his owner but she was great about it. The yard she's at won't allow children on the place so she had no idea that something must have happened to him at his last loan home to upset him when it comes to children. Luckily she likes it here so much she wants to leave him here and bring his mum and younger brother too. At least here she can work on getting him confident around children again. She is a really great person and we get on like a house on fire so it's all turned out well.
I have already bought an Inky Dinky Saddle which should arrive tomorrow so the hunt for a suitable pony will continue, and Denny's owner says that I can give his mum a try too.
My driving has gone completely to pot at the moment. I'm hoping that I'm getting all the gremlins out of the way this week so that I will be brilliant next week. I was a bit down today because my instructor told me that I need to drive as though I'm good enough to be there and worthy of my place on the road. I thought I'd got over feeling worthless and feeling like half a person, so it was tough to hear him say that. I thought I was appearing quite confident and assertive now. I know that I still try too hard and care too much about everything but that's got to be better than not trying or caring enough, hasn't it?
Oh well, I've got until Wednesday to get my act together, somehow!!!!!!
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Good luck with the driving - just pretend the car is a horse and you'll be fine!
ReplyDeleteI've met ponies who dislike or fear children, perhaps due to mistreatment by children or when children are around. Good luck with the training, and how nice that his owner is understanding.
Hey, I like Kate's idea. The car is just like driving horses!
ReplyDeleteI am sure you can help Denny overcome his worry about children. It will be another good project to keep you busy. *S*
Yes but cars do not look where they put their feet! LOL ^-^
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your driving, it is like driving horses, you choose the speed and the driection, but you also need to look out where you put your wheels ;-)
Thank you all so much!
ReplyDeleteMy lesson went much better today. One of my farmer friends text me just beforehand to say that he was trying out my new hay turning method. That geve me such a boost that I felt far more confident and in control today. I realised that I spend to much time hoping that nothing will go wrong instead of trusting my ability to deal with whatever comes along and just getting on with it regardless.
I also did a quick job with my loader tractor and the fact that not only CAN i drive it now but also that I find it so easy gave me another lift.
I find that self belief takes constant effort to maintain or it starts to drain away. I need to work hard at it before next week.
The trouble with trying to overcome Denny's fear of children is that the children I wanted him for are very young and are not mine. I just can't take the risk of not being able to rely on him in a crisis. If they had an accident I would never forgive myself. I know that accidents happen around ponies anyway but I need the comfort of knowing that I did everything possible to keep them safe or I couldn't live with myself.