After my feelings yesterday, I knew that if I didn't make myself go out last night I would never get back on Penny.
Well, to say that she was spooky was an understatement - but that I know was down to me. She must have been able to sense how nervous I was, and even from the lane onto the road she was jumping at everything - this from my neddy who is normally 'bombproof' - yet a blade of grass had her snorting and prancing.
We managed to hack out for about 20 minutes before I couldn't take anymore, along a main road a horse decided to trot alongside us to say hello - this and fast traffic, Penny spooking and prancing was the straw for me, I had to get off as I was in pieces.
Gutted and crying I walked her alongside the road, and thank god that the heavy fast traffic wasn't bothering her as that would have been everything!
I walked her on, and back around the loop - and met up with a lovely lady who owned the horse from the roadside and two others (one was a gorgeous Shire x Percheron - just gorgeous, and even Penny thought so) She took a great liking to Penny, and my treeless saddle, so I managed to have a little chat to settle me and Penny down.
I decided that if her horse didn't follow us again I would get back on and try to ride back the 20 minutes or so. This I did, and it was so, so hard, but did get easier - and this is what I should remember. We still jumped at everything we wouldn't normally, and we were doing a fair pace - not normally Penny amble speed, so she was definately wound up.
When I got back my OH was so proud of me for getting back on - he said that it would have been so much easier to just carry on walking on foot and not get back on - but he knows me better than that, he knew that I don't like failure, and this to me was failing....
Hopefully at the weekend my OH can come for a walk with me, as he works shifts he was working last night so not able to walk with me.
I know it will get easier, but I need to invent something that can block your feelings to the horse...grr...I'd make millions.
Well, to say that she was spooky was an understatement - but that I know was down to me. She must have been able to sense how nervous I was, and even from the lane onto the road she was jumping at everything - this from my neddy who is normally 'bombproof' - yet a blade of grass had her snorting and prancing.
We managed to hack out for about 20 minutes before I couldn't take anymore, along a main road a horse decided to trot alongside us to say hello - this and fast traffic, Penny spooking and prancing was the straw for me, I had to get off as I was in pieces.
Gutted and crying I walked her alongside the road, and thank god that the heavy fast traffic wasn't bothering her as that would have been everything!
I walked her on, and back around the loop - and met up with a lovely lady who owned the horse from the roadside and two others (one was a gorgeous Shire x Percheron - just gorgeous, and even Penny thought so) She took a great liking to Penny, and my treeless saddle, so I managed to have a little chat to settle me and Penny down.
I decided that if her horse didn't follow us again I would get back on and try to ride back the 20 minutes or so. This I did, and it was so, so hard, but did get easier - and this is what I should remember. We still jumped at everything we wouldn't normally, and we were doing a fair pace - not normally Penny amble speed, so she was definately wound up.
When I got back my OH was so proud of me for getting back on - he said that it would have been so much easier to just carry on walking on foot and not get back on - but he knows me better than that, he knew that I don't like failure, and this to me was failing....
Hopefully at the weekend my OH can come for a walk with me, as he works shifts he was working last night so not able to walk with me.
I know it will get easier, but I need to invent something that can block your feelings to the horse...grr...I'd make millions.
He's one in a million that lad - took me round safely (kept looking at his dad to make sure it was ok 