Eli’s Likes and Dislikes

20150425_100858.mp4 from rennikka on Vimeo.

Eli is an odd bird. Not the weirdest horse, by any stretch, and some of his really weird habits have subsided entirely since I’ve known him, but he still had some quirkiness that makes me laugh. For instance, he seems to like my singing. Ears pricked the WHOLE time I sang Walk the Moon to him. And I CANNOT sing. Maybe he thought it was funny?

Likes:
People with cookies

Getting all the buckles on his bridle fastened–he starts falling asleep every time

Wearing bonnets

Grass and eating lots of grass

Getting curried

Dislikes:
People without cookies

Getting brushed

Having shavings picked out of his tail

Weed-eaters

Light-colored horses in the arena

Bonus question & answer:
How do I know if Eli is comfortable and willing to work under saddle and understanding my aids? His tail. It’s expressive. Might as well be a red flag. If I ask something Eli doesn’t understand, doesn’t like, or can’t do, or I start riding out of order, I get at the very least an impatient tail swish. It is most likely to happen when we are cantering to the left. Usually because my left leg is weak and I drop my left shoulder and my left hand drifts away or toward my hip. Horses will tell you what you need to work on!

We have chiro and saddle fitting coming up the first week of May. It’s not ideal, having the saddle fitter take a look the day after chiro, but I scheduled the body work before I knew a saddle fitter would be doing a barn appointment the following day. Such is life. My primary concern right now is that my saddle is putting a little too much pressure just behind the withers on the left side, so I’ll have both my saddles for the fitter to look at.

I tried watching helmet cam video of the Rolex XC …. couldn’t get past the third fence without wanting to die. The U.S.’s only 4 star, and it makes me want to hide under the covers!