Tybee and I are in that exciting phase of our partnership where we get to experience many “firsts”. It’s fun to see how he responds to changes in his environment, how he answers new questions, and what he perceives as a “big deal” vs. not.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to join a barnmate on a late afternoon outing to a cross country field just a few minutes away from the barn were we board. She’s prepping her horse for an Intermediate horse trial and wanted to get in a quick XC school. I jumped at the chance to take Tybee on his first outing. My goal was for it to be a low-key, no pressure adventure. It was a bonus that the other horse is Tybee’s pasturemate, Ben! It was an extra special bonus that another friend was able to join us and obtain some photographic evidence that it actually happened!
Tybee loaded like a pro onto the 2+1 trailer, and allowed me to tie him to the trailer for tacking up when we arrived at the facility. As I was about ready to hop on, he started getting a little anxious (no, of course he wasn’t feeding off my energy! 😉 ), so we decided to warm up in the dressage arena before heading out to the XC field. Tybee gradually relaxed, and so did I, so we were ready to head out on the 15-20 minute hack to the field.
Tybee LOVES being out of the arena and traversing from point A to point B. He’s typically a loopy-rein, super-chill kind of ride out on the trails, and he was awesome for me as we crossed a dam, passed a pond full of geese, encountered deer, and trotted down the road and along the edges of several hay fields. As we navigated a short trail through the woods as we neared the field, we came upon a small stream with moving water. Ben walked straight across. Tybee said “No thanks”. But with some persistence and leg pressure, it didn’t take long at all for Tybee to give in and rush to the other side. He was so proud of himself that he passed Ben and took the lead going up the hill toward the field.
He came trotting confidently out of the woods and into the open field, head high in the air, and then SCREEEEECH. He saw the most terrifying sight he had ever seen.
A log.
And then he looked across the entire field and saw that it was littered with logs and benches and coops and other such nonsense! I have no doubt that in Tybee’s mind, each of those strange objects represented dangerous landmines, just waiting to bring him down.
He wanted NOTHING to do with any of those strange objects, so we kept a pretty good distance from them. I didn’t want to force the situation. I just wanted the day to be about creating a positive experience for him. We will address the “landmines” another day. With many reminders from my friends to “sit up” and “breathe” and “let him stretch his neck” and “keep him moving forward”, we worked through the worst of the fear. Ben was also a great help in giving Tybee confidence.
The great news is that Ben was able to gallop off and jump fences all over the field without Tybee being at all upset by being left alone!
At one point, we decided to try and introduce Tybee to the water complex (one of my “reach” goals for the day). Ben walked right in, and I encouraged Tybee to follow. He paused and took a few steps back, but reconsidered and then walked right in! I was both shocked and proud! He got lots of pats and praise as we spent the next several minutes walking and trotting in and out of the water.
Ben jumped for a bit longer and then it was time to start our trek back to the trailer before the sun set. Tybee crossed right over the stream on the way back. He jigged for a bit and then settled into a walk beside Ben.
Back at the trailer, he stood like a gentleman and then loaded perfectly for the short trip home.
I’m thrilled with the success of Tybee’s first outing! He was such a good boy and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience for him. I’m already looking forward to the next time!
Theforgottenone 
