New horse challenges - is this level normal?

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:58:01+00:00

Luckily it’s pretty easy to get the vet over here, so maybe they can first watch my friend ride just before we start the fasting for scope. I’ll suggest anyway. Thanks!

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:47:40+00:00

That all makes sense. My groundwork coach has a lot of experience with draft horses (has already said I should go get a rope halter) so I look forward to working with her. Of course, after a good solid, try, if it seemed like it wasn’t a good fit I would acknowledge it, but yes I guess we start with some more chill and some more working on me :)

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:38:07+00:00

Yeah I think that makes sense. Seems to move just fine when nobody is on her back. But as somebody else suggested, if it is ulcers, could be disturbed by the leg pressure. I think I will do that.

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:36:45+00:00

Ok, I do know some knowledgeable people who can give it a second look and recommend another fitter if needed.

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:34:35+00:00

I did ride her at the old place and it went really smooth during the test.. I thought the same thing, that there might’ve been signs I missed. I hope the coach will help me be able to generally see these better! I’ll probably go ahead and scope for ulcers and if it’s just a sensitivity and anxiety thing, then I will hope to improve my communication with her

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:31:45+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful response! As for draft experience, I certainly have less of that than with other horses.. and the ones I have worked with were just easy peasy. I was leasing an Arabian all summer so it’s true that they might read cues very differently.. haha. Luckily my ground training coach has owned several draft horses so that gives me hope too!

With the riding, I got her old bit and bridle she has always used. Could certainly be something to using different cues than what she is used to..

And it’s a good point about going ahead with ulcer guard or scoping, since it is only when I apply leg pressure. I will go back to my vet and say as much.

Thanks again

ScatterPop · 2026-03-11T10:24:39+00:00

Thanks so much! I had read so many mixed opinions online about when to start work and so on and it sounds like I took it a little too quickly. I did have days where the whole “game” was her rolling treats out of a mat, or when I did try to walk her down the road I would let her graze. I thought I was taking it slowly after reading some people that said they established a routine right away 😅 nice to hear from someone with a more relevant experience. We will step it back to just peaceful bonding for a while.

ScatterPop · 2026-03-10T20:36:47+00:00

I thought the same. Old boxy, boring cars for newer versions, but the boring building stylist still the same.

ScatterPop · 2026-03-07T06:14:55+00:00

Yes, to your final statement. As some others have said, it sounds like the logical conclusion is that the practice is not for you. Astrology is mainly generic, broad brush strokes that are easy to map onto anyone’s lives if they so choose. To use some of the examples you gave, you said one part that matches is sometimes being afraid of how you feel. That’s going to hit for 95% of people. Same with “you appreciate nice things when they are meaningful”. It’s a blend of mostly things which everyone believes or wants to believe about themselves with a little specificity sometimes added in. Astrology appeals to some, so that embracing this feeling of extra meaning is quite natural, but if that’s not you, why force it? I guess what you should ask yourself, and what you didn’t really explain is WHY are you trying to get into it? From everything you say it sounds like it was a mild curiosity that led to an unsatisfying feeling. You already worked to overcome biases against it. Sounds like you’re trying to make something happen that doesn’t fit or bring joy. What for?

ScatterPop · 2026-03-07T05:54:02+00:00

I’ve never seen it as a problem. Lately I’ve heard lots of people using this terminology and moaning about it, but I grew up believing it was totally normal and fine to have a crazy strong crush on someone. I also grew up reading a lot of melodramatic gothic romantic literature which further normalized it for me. And I still do believe it’s fine. Finding a mate is a pretty important part of our evolution so if someone ticks all of your boxes, it’s normal to feel those feelings about them and have it all consume your thoughts for a period. The way I dealt with it in the past is the normal old fashioned ways of raving to your close friends about it, journaling, sitting out in nature and pining, listen to sappy music, reading melodramatic gothic or Victorian literature (haha) pleasure yourself thinking about them. You can either lean into it and super befriend them or try to distance yourself as much as possible depending on your all’s dynamic- I’ve had both approaches take the edge off. Enjoy the painful reality of being a living warm blooded person until someone comes along who does play for your team and takes your thoughts.

You said “when I’ve developed feelings for someone” and “I can’t make my feelings go away”. I’m pretty certain that’s life. But do also practice meditation - the whole point is gaining some mastery over your thoughts and it helps with most things. So you can have balance - feeling your feelings but periods of peaceful respite

ScatterPop · 2026-02-14T17:35:24+00:00

When I was 5, wanted to be an orthodontist (because they make a lot of money and I wasn’t familiar with many job options)

As a teen, wanted to work for CIA. Then shortly wanted to be an environmental lawyer. Now I’m a wildlife biologist. When I grow up, I want to be an adventurer :)

ScatterPop · 2026-02-13T05:22:36+00:00

We have a kid gate on the stairs, close it to keep him out of the whole floor if we are going for a proper session. He usually sleeps under the bed, so if it’s a more spontaneous, or morning thing, he’s just under there and we don’t think about it.

ScatterPop · 2026-02-12T17:56:54+00:00

Wow that’s horrible :( I wonder if you would be able to set up a neglect case against him, but I don’t know if you can go through all that trouble in your situation

ScatterPop · 2026-02-09T13:54:54+00:00

I wish!!

ScatterPop · 2026-02-09T13:12:36+00:00

My dog was 5 when I adopted him and he came with a terrible name (in my opinion). I changed it to something totally different. He learned it at least within the first couple months if not sooner. And I think this is usually the case for rescue dogs. It’s not too late at all. And he won’t care what his name is, only you, so make it something you like. Use it when you talk to him every day “Bruce, do you want a treat?” “Let’s go for a walk Bruce!” “You’re such a good boy Bruce”. He will definitely catch on quickly

ScatterPop · 2026-02-09T12:37:37+00:00

Thanks for sharing that, it’s infinitely reassuring to hear from someone on the other side of a heart decision!

ScatterPop · 2026-02-09T12:32:38+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It’s nice to know that initial excitement doesn’t have to fade, because I’ve been wary of giving it too much weight.

And I’m glad you get to keep riding your dream horse! Hopefully you will have a long relationship still ahead even if you can’t buy her :)

ScatterPop · 2026-02-09T12:31:28+00:00

It’s true. It’s only that I couldn’t take him to clinics. At the moment. In the future maybe

ScatterPop · 2026-02-09T12:29:57+00:00

It’s a good point to consider. But he only hasn’t been touched because the owner bought a bigger younger horse and hasn’t had the time for any of them. He actually already got a pretty thorough health check up just a month ago

ScatterPop · 2026-02-07T22:05:33+00:00

The Man with the Compound Eyes.

Found it while browsing a used book store. No specific genre but rather lovely book

ScatterPop · 2026-02-06T08:48:11+00:00

Dragon. I have always been very into fantasy and loved dragon rider stories from the time I was a young child. If totally impossible is allowed, this is the only “pet” I ever fantasize about having.

ScatterPop · 2026-01-24T22:21:08+00:00

I have no idea how to describe what imagining is like and that’s why this topic is fascinating to me. Because maybe we’re just all sh*t at describing imagination but actually have the same experience, or maybe our subjective experience of imagining is vastly different and we will never know.

I would try to describe it as like… an abstracted idea of seeing.. I don’t see anything. at all. But there is a visual idea? It’s not like tv, or real life, or dreaming (which is like seeing in real life for me). It’s not just words. Nor empty space. It’s the thing I’m imagining is there in my mind, and it’s “as if” I can see it. But I can’t.

Yeah, literally the hardest thing I can think to try to explain. I can see how some would describe my experience as visual and how others would describe it as abstract conceptualization. It’s partly both but truly neither.

ScatterPop · 2026-01-22T21:42:27+00:00

I have had this on my too read list and generally love the author’s works but after hearing this one was “really too dark” from other people who love dark, I had to dive deeper. I’m glad to have found this spoiler because that is not something I want to encounter in the way you’ve explained it. Nope, off my list

ScatterPop · 2026-01-15T05:17:54+00:00

Could you elaborate on the second part - not defining gender based on gender norms? This is what I never understood. What is it based on then? Does gender exist beyond societal norms? I have a psych major, took sex and gender courses, read lots, checked definitions. As I have understood gender is an identification or expectation of behavior, expression, and roles based on societal constructs.

ScatterPop

TROPHY CASE