26/10/2026
As I mentioned yesterday, Jason gave us an absolute s**t show when we tried walking him past the paddock with the horses, cow, bull and donkeys. He acted as though the mere sight of them was going to get him killed!
So today, that’s exactly what we focused on.
I’m not scared of aggressive horses. I’ve dealt with them before, I know the warning signs and usually know how to react.
But a terrified horse is a different story. Fear makes them unpredictable. They can barge into you, rear, kick or run straight over you without even realising what they’re doing. Humans aren’t much different when fear takes over.
You can see me being nervous, and rightly so. The last thing I need is a broken leg that stops me riding for a year and affects my livelihood.
Jason wasn’t kept away from other horses through cruelty, simply circumstances. But horses are herd animals. They need other horses to teach them manners, boundaries and social skills.
Right now, Jason reminds me of an awkward teenager who’s been homeschooled his entire life, kept in a bubble and suddenly thrown into a school full of other kids. He simply doesn’t know how to behave!
Notice how the white horse ran over to help the black horse? That’s what being part of a herd means. Soon Jason will have his own companions, friends and family. We humans like to believe we’re their family, but we’re not. We should be grateful they allow us into their lives. Nothing replaces another horse.
So for the next few days, Jason won’t be riding. He’ll be learning to socialise with the horses, cow, bull, donkeys and Shetland pony.
I’m not getting back on him until we’ve worked through this fear.
Imagine coming across a herd of sheep or goats in the forest with him behaving like this.
He’d probably bloody kill me!
Better to deal with it here than find out the hard way out there.
