99.9% of the time I am grateful for
how smart Bella is. There is also that 0.1% where I think she is too smart.
I was riding Bella outside a couple
weeks ago and there were poles laid out in the arena. My thought was to get
Bella to do something new and walk over them. After a snort and a little
encouragement, Bella began to step over them. Doing it again, she picked her
feet up methodically and did that a few times. Then Bella decided she didn't
need to prove she knew how to do something new.
Bella has always had this funny mentality
of "I know what I'm doing. Why do I need to practice?" Halting was
not her favorite thing, and occasionally she refused to halt when practicing at
home. In the show ring, she was perfect and had the best manners, standing as
still as a statue before reversing for a big, showy trot.
At the Good Hands Equitation finals in 2011, Bella refused to back right before we went in the ring to do our pattern. She threw her nose in the air and planted her hooves in the ground. I had made it to one of the Equitation finals and my horse would not back. My heart was pounding as I entered the ring for my pattern, but sure enough, Bella backed like a pro when it mattered.
At the Good Hands Equitation finals in 2011, Bella refused to back right before we went in the ring to do our pattern. She threw her nose in the air and planted her hooves in the ground. I had made it to one of the Equitation finals and my horse would not back. My heart was pounding as I entered the ring for my pattern, but sure enough, Bella backed like a pro when it mattered.
When it came to the poles, Bella
decided she no longer needed to demonstrate she could step over them. She began
to knock them instead. Same old Bella. I just shook my head and laughed
before trying it again.
Since walking over them was such a
bore to her, I decided to trot her over them during our next ride. Once again,
it only took a few attempts for her to figure it out and be comfortable doing
it.
The next ride I thought we would
try to canter over the poles. We walked and trotted over them again as a
refresher before cantering and Bella got the hang of it after a couple times. I
thought it would be fun to try something new, but Bella made a guessing
game out of it: "Will I go over the poles or will I knock them?"
She’s figured out it is the middle
of show season and she is still not back in training. She thinks she can do
whatever she wants whenever she wants, and even though she can be a handful
some days and lazy the next, she still takes great care of me and also has days
where she does everything I ask.
Yesterday I decided I wanted to
bareback her with just a rope and halter. I always said I would never trust her
without a bit, as I’ve had some interesting bareback rides on her when she’s
been wound up and trying to take off, but I knew if she was having one of her calmer
days she would be fine. If she tried to take off when I climbed on, I’d call it
quits right there and grab the bridle.
Bella was perfect. She stood still
as I climbed on and walked around the arena when asked. She also picked up steering
without a bit with the extra help of neck reining and leg guidance. She could
have dumped my sorry butt as I sat on her and took a selfie of us to capture
the accomplishment, but she only stood there, looked around, and waited for me.
Even when she outsmarts me or finds
a new way to cause trouble, I am thankful to have such a smart horse, and even
more thankful that she tolerates all my antics. Shout-out to you, Bella. You’re
the best.
