Casey A has been riding and working Poppy for some months now, and speaks about her experience riding Poppy out in the big arena amongst other horses during the recent Joel Conner clinic:
“Poppy has come a long way from the defensive, stoved up pony who would strike at people, and charge at other horses with ears pinned and teeth bared. That armor is being shed as she gains confidence in herself, and the ability of humans to support her. I’ve ridden her in a big group twice now. The first time I felt a hint of discomfort from her, and a propensity to want to kick when others got near. I was able to keep her out of trouble, but it wouldn’t have taken much for things to go sideways. However, there was a marked difference the second opportunity I had to ride her around others. She was much more comfortable, and I didn’t feel any defensiveness. We wove in and out of traffic, and she stayed with me, remaining unconcerned with the horses around us. Lately, I’ve felt a definite shift as she feels like she is turning loose and looking to me for guidance. However, she still feels green, and requires an advanced rider. I’ll continue to work on getting her balanced and following my line and, with that work, I suspect that in the coming months she’ll start being better suited to a wider range of abilities.”
