Well, yesterday was just that bit too exciting….
The lane up the side of the yard has recently been resurfaced. This means all the road markings have been repainted. The road has a bunch of chicane features to slow the traffic and it’s super narrow and a bit of a rat run. The chicanes have give way triangles. Terrifying, horse eating, give way triangles.
Now, we’ve been down a couple of times since the resurfacing and I think M has been down too and although he’s had a good look at them and a bit of a skitter he’s usually settled down by the third set of chicanes everything’s been ok. Yesterday, at the exact second he puts him foot on the terrifying give way triangle the builders working over the fence use an industrial nail gun to fix up something on the roof with a sound like a gun shot. 😮 At that point Dino’s poor over-stressed brain falls out and thus began a slightly too exciting 15 mins. There was traffic behind us and oncoming – he threw himself across into the other lane, span, reared, tried to bolt. I got him forward and calmed down a bit past the triangle. We let that traffic go, but he’s still tense.
At the second triangle we bump into the ponies from the London Equestrian Centre coming the other way down the lane from the field – three staff, nine ponies. This is also very exciting and he *almost* forgets his feet are almost on the paint. Until he realises and then has another melt down. We throw ourselves into the path of a mini but manage to get round that relatively ok and get to the top of the road where we have another fit and have to stand in on the wrong side of the road at the give way line to wait for a gap in the traffic to get out onto the Ridgeway.
We’re now back on familiar territory and I fully expect him to calm down. We have about 200 metres to do along the main road before a right hand turn into the quiet estate at the other end of the bridlepath and the way home. He does not calm down. He’s right on his toes, swinging him bum into the traffic and being really quite difficult. Pretty much a full on panic mode and has totally forgotten that actually everything is ok. So this, as you imagine is the *perfect* time for two pedestrians to attempt to ask me for directions!!!!!!! :doh:
Anyway, we get off the main road and there’s no traffic and he does, finally, actually calm down. We did a bit of walk and trot work round the quiet roads and he’s fine. Doesn’t bat and eyelid at any of the rubbish bins that he usually has a look at or the dogs that chase us down the road. So, all’s fine in that we get home in one piece but we will be going up the lane at a quieter point with a solid Brambles safety pony until he decides the paint is not horse-eating. I slightly wish he was more scared of moving traffic so he didn’t think throwing himself into it is an option!
I am pleased that actually throughout this whole incident I didn’t feel anxious or nervous or worried. I just sat there, with the reins in one hand so I could let the drivers know what they could do that would be helpful (no, London drivers can’t just look at a horse throwing itself around and think ‘maybe I should just stay back here out of the way’) and didn’t shorten the reins or do any of the things I might have done this time last year. So I suppose that’s nice. I’d rather not be finding these things out like this though!!!! :laugh:
Hoping the rest of the week is a bit quieter and SUPER EXCITED for Why to come down next Tuesday and sort our saddles out for us! :db:
