Exceptional We both learned something new Pretty April Babe by prettybluebirds Teaching Affected Me contest entry

April had no interest in learning anything. She defied me in every way she could and challenged my authority. She considered herself a free spirit, and no man, or woman in my case, was going to tell her what to do. However, I had been hired to teach her and would, regardless of April's attitude.  Short for Pretty April Babe, April was a gorgeous palomino quarter horse with bloodlines to the moon and back. Disposition not so great, but ancestors beyond compare. Where she got her ugly nature from, I had no idea. April was one of those rare horses who would as soon bite or kick a person as look at them. Young horses sometimes kick out of fear, but April wasn't afraid. She meant to hurt anyone who dared to invade her personal space or make her do anything.   My preferred methods when teaching equine babies were gentleness and kindness, to which they responded well. I started young horses by getting them used to unusual items and sacking them out. I tied the animal to a post and got them familiar with being touched, handled, feet picked up, etc. It had always worked for me until April came along. April perceived my kindness as a weakness, ignored me, or tried to bite, kick, or knock me down. She was a vicious animal, and I knew I needed to find a different approach, or she might run over me like a freight train. I had never failed to saddle train a colt and I knew I must find a way. There was a new method by a horse trainer named John Lyons, and I decided to try it. I put April in my round corral and drove her first one way and then the other around the pen. She flattened her ears and kept trying to stop, but I snapped the whip and made her continue. April would have loved to send me straight to hell, but the whip intimidated her. She was one pissed-off animal. Finally, April conceded defeat. The attitude adjustment worked as John Lyons predicted, and April was ready to bond with me. She dropped her lovely head, walked over, and stood quietly beside me. Sweat dripped off her body. Several laps around the corral at a gallop had taken the orneriness out of her. April should make her owner a beautiful and willing saddle horse with a few more lessons, and I learned a new training technique. I used John Lyon's training method from then on. It took a problematic horse like April to make me learn a valuable lesson: Sometimes, the teacher needs a teacher.   Recognized Author Notes Word processor count-442 words. I did sometimes take in young horses to saddle break. I was no professional but did quite well. April was one of the meanest horses I ever met. It was just her nature. The horse in the picture is April.

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