Month: August 2020

I want to be Zum’s friend. I am building up my own self-confidence with Zum again so I can be solid when he decides that being my friend is OK with him.

I have always revered the Arabian horse. As my grandmother bred and raised Arabian horses in Colorado, I have been around and ridden Arabian horses since I can remember. I value their extraordinary physical beauty and magnificent spirit. Zum is my daily dose of visual vitamins. He is royalty and he deserves to be treated like a prince. When he is treated less than this, he rebels and resists. I understand Zum.

I know that bucking is a horse’s response to fear or pain. Yelling or hitting a horse after he bucks only reinforces the pain that caused the bucking. I know that Zum’s bucking is very dangerous to me and he can and has hurt me seriously. I could let someone else ride Zum but I have to find a natural horseman who understands that I don’t want Zum to be kicked, whipped or punished. I have watched conventional trainers do this to Zum in the past and this only makes Zum angry and rebellious. Where will I find a natural horseman who could ride Zum?

After I put the saddle on, Zum stands perfectly still as I tighten the cinch. I don’t know whether or not I should get back up on Zum. My right arm is still very weak. Would I be able to handle riding Zum after he hasn’t been ridden for three months? I admit that after he bucked me off, I am afraid that he will buck me off again. I want to get over my fear. How can I do this safely?

Zum looks to me for leadership, companionship and relationship based on positive communication. I am yearning for exactly the same things.

Zum stands still while I put the saddle on his back. It is a small success. I am happy that all the work I have done with Zum this last year has not gone to waste.

Monty Roberts stresses the importance of putting a saddle on a horse without having to tie the horse up. Lifting a saddle towards Zum’s back definitely uplifts his adrenaline. I am so happy when he stand still.

My hand therapist told me yesterday that if I didn’t have the arm surgery to install two long metal plates and screws into my right arm, that I could have lost my right hand. This is really alarming to me. I have been training myself to wait for my hand to get stronger all summer. Just as I am training myself to wait until I can finally get the saddle back on Zum. I am so grateful to be able to finally carry the saddle in both hands.

When there are traumas in life, you have to have recovery. I feel that it is time now for Zum and I to recover. My right arm is still immobile but I need a sense of security with Zum again. Scared horses and people need to feel safe in order for them to proceed in their education.

Picking up Zum’s front feet are more challenging than picking up his back feet. If he refuses to pick up his feet, I only justify Zum’s fear or disobedience by hitting or scolding him. So I patiently keep trying. When Zum agrees to do what I ask, I reward him with praise.