Week 5 was a big week with many good learning experiences. Louie spent a lot of time riding out and about around the farm. We were able to venture further and further with more confidence each day. When training young horses out on a trail or teaching them to go outside of the arena I will generally start on the ground. If my horses won't behave on the rope, They wont behave under saddle. As I mentioned a few weeks ago this is what I did with Louie. I then, once the are under saddle, will gradually work my way out further and further from the barn. The barn for most horses is their comfort zone. By taking Louie out of his comfort zone in small steps we provide a good, safe experience for him building his confidence each time. When I was in South Carolina for the Young Jumper Trainers School one of the trainers there told us "never show a young horse what they can't do" and I love that saying. We have to build good experiences for these horses to be able to grow and flourish and gain confidence in themselves as well as in us as the leader.
Louie spent more time trotting under saddle this week. As a horse bred for harness racing, he isn't the most natural at trotting in a pleasure horse type of way. Just like some people have to work harder at math than others, Louie has to work harder to keep his legs in order :) and trot properly. We also worked on the standing patiently at the gate and side passing along the wall. All of these steps will eventually be combined together so he can open and close the gate smoothly, when asked.
Here is our week 5 video:
Happy Labor Day!
Love........... Courtney and Louie
No comments:
Post a Comment