MY RIDING INSTRUCTOR WAS NOT HAPPY. I'd been trotting my horse, Belle, on a circle in the grass, and she'd been poking her nose up and looking around, blatantly ignoring my cues. When I'd taken a firmer approach, the horse had stiffened, resisting what she was being asked to do.
"Shorten those reins," my instructor, Monica, said with an edge to her voice. I did so, firmly connecting with Belle's mouth. But it didn't make much of a difference.
"Shorter!" Monica ordered. "She has to learn to submit!"
