Tuesday, 27 August – I didn’t like my pony today

Dear Diary,

How much does Bostic pay for horses to make glue? 😂 I’m kidding, I promise, but honestly, today was just one of those days. Nothing went as planned, and it was one of those rides that makes you question why you even got out of bed. We switched from a Pelham to a snaffle, and Dude made it very clear that he was not a fan. Now, before anyone jumps in with advice on tack—let me just say this: I love my horse, I’m always doing what I think is best for him, and unless you’ve ridden Dude yourself, you don’t really know what works for him. I ride him every day, and he’s definitely not a schoolmaster. He’s complicated, sensitive, and sometimes downright stubborn, but that’s what makes him… well, Dude.

Today, though, it felt like we were speaking completely different languages. I could tell from the moment I put the snaffle in that it wasn’t going to be an easy ride, but I wanted to give it a go. We went through our usual warm-up, and it was like every cue I gave him was met with resistance. His head was up, his focus was scattered, and I could just feel that he wasn’t in the zone.

Our downfall came when I decided to try and get him to canter over some 20cm “x’s.” It was like I was asking him to jump a five-foot wall. He was having none of it. It took me a good four months to figure out that Dude hates jumps under 50cm. The problem is that he’s so big, and when the jumps are tiny, he drops his head so low to try and see them that it completely throws us both off. It’s like he’s psyching himself out, and in turn, psyching me out too.

We spent about 45 minutes going back and forth before I finally decided to call it quits. There was no point in pushing him or myself any further when it was clear neither of us was in the right headspace. It’s frustrating, but I know we all have those days—horses and humans alike. Not every ride is going to be a win, and today was definitely one of those humbling experiences where you just have to accept it and move on.

So, we ended on a good note with a few simple transitions and called it a day. It wasn’t the ride I hoped for, but tomorrow is another day, and we’ll give it another go.