Today we started off with some basic lunging. For some reason Idaho has decided she 'doesn't know how' in the last couple of weeks. I am working on correcting that. When I ask her to move forward and swat at her hip she just keeps disengaging her hindquarters instead of going forward. It is *very* frustrating! I have got it mostly corrected on one side. I have found that rhythmically tapping her under her bum kind of in between the point of her hip and her hock(if that makes sense?) she will move. That faster I tap that faster she moves which is something I want her to learn anyways so I might as well start on the ground instead of . On her other side however I haven't really gotten very far, if you watch me working her you will probably see me chasing her around when I work on this side. I have made a little bit a progress at least, it will just take more time.
Then we worked on desensitizing. I used the stick and string and leadrope. She is doing really really good there I can pretty much whack anywhere around her or on her and she doesn't mind. Well, atleast as long as I don't hit her! While was at it I messed with her ears for a long time. She has come so far. I could barely put a halter on when I got her. I couldn't touch anywhere in the general area of her ears either, unless she could see the halter. Now I can rub her ears all I want and she has decided that she LOVES in between her ears to be scratched!
After that I worked on lateral flexion. I just use my index finger on the halter and wrap the lead rope around her neck because I like to teach them with just a teenie bit of pressure so they don't get used to being able to brace themselves against me or get to be resistant. It was pretty awesome because I pulled down instead of to the side accidently one time and she totally flexed vertically!!!!!! I was super excited because I haven't even been doing lateral flexion for very long or very much....it works!!! I think I am a believer now more than ever! I can't wait to try it under saddle.
After I did the flexing I just let her sit there while I walked around her doing all sorts of crazy stuff. Whacking the stick and string around, jumping all over the place(me not the horse!) and other stuff. She was ''locked on me" yay!!! There she was standing alone, with no restraint in the middle of this huge corral with all of her focus on me, but keeping her feet still at the same time. It was pretty sweet!!! I felt almost like a professional....yeah, almost.
To finish things off for the day I worked with the plastic bag, she still thinks it is going to kill her but she has come a loooong way because she used to think it was going to kill and eat her. :)
Yep, she's pretty sweet!
Let me know if you or someone else you know would be interested in her. She is going to make someone a killer barrel horse if they want or a awesome trail/pleasure/kids/just fun to ride horse if they don't want to barrel race.
