Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Re-socializing Zing

Zing was a well-traveled show horse by the time he was four. He trailered with other stallions and with mares, he went in the halter ring with stallions and as a four-year-old he was in the performance ring with everything. He was very well socialized and easy to handle.

He hasn't been away from home for three years, but he is stalled next to geldings and he has a mare across the aisle. He has horses around him when he's in his paddock and they are all mares, as well as walking past mares and stallions in the barn as well as going to the arena. He is good with all of this.

A month ago Kristina was riding him in the outdoor and a friend had one of my mares to ride as well. Zing was a different horse and his behavior would not have been acceptable on a show ground. So, now we have been spending time reintroducing him to horses in the arena with him. I have only used geldings thus far, but the first time he was unruly throughout the ride. The next time he started out that way but settled down. After that he stopped paying attention. It's been about a week and a half since I had a gelding in with him, so today I used Spenser and Zing got up on his toes for about ten minutes and then settled down and went back to work.

I think one more time with a gelding and then I'll try it with a mare. We need him to be respectful so he can go for lessons and maybe start to show again. I know he will come back to himself as he was, but it sure was a surprise to me when he acted like a hormonal idiot!

3 comments:

dressage rider said...

I wonder if having one mare in the ring makes him think it is time for breeding. Two might be safer. Just a thought.

Sandra said...

That is an interesting thought. Now I'm pondering.

Sandra said...

At our lesson today I spoke to Bill about this and he seems to agree with you. He said shows are business, but at home where he has bred mares he could have been confused. He can be retrained to not act that way, but he thinks that was probably why he acted up so badly.

Zing is going to the next lesson, Bill is OK with him if he is not at his best manners and he wants to help Kristina learn how to get past that. I was so pleased to hear him say that!