SATURDAY (02/27/16):
We loaded up all three horses and headed over to the arena. It was an “all
horse” kind of weekend. So after the horses had their breakfast we got the day
started. The arena was busy but not crowded. Lots of maintenance crews doing
their jobs with weed-whackers, lawn mowers, trimmers and more. Very noisy. We
could tell that the horses were not fans of the pitch of the motor whines but
they did their jobs and focused on us. We did have a perspective buyer for Nike
come out. That was interesting. She kept talking about not being sure if she
wanted a younger horse. Our thought: Why would you come out to see a young
horse? Our post was super detailed and very clear on where Nike is at “right
now” and what will need to be done to help her achieve her full potential. We
also had links to this blog and video. Our hope is that the information
provided allows whomever decides to adopt her from us to be as informed as they
can be. Nike was a rock star on the ground. We went through ALL of the
groundwork exercises she knows (over 30 of them) together and then we let the
potential new person do the same. While her body language had a funny accent
(she was not the most clear in her signals) Nike stepped up and did everything
that was asked of her. Could not have been more proud. Nike does have a weird habit
that we are working on. Her lope when on the lead line has a funky cadence. We
believe this was a learned habit from her short time with the “dressage trainer”.
When she is under saddle or just at liberty it is not there. We have some plans
to see if we can help her over this mental issue. Under saddle Nike did well
too. All three gaits on a loose rein. Decent transitions with some nice
serpentine moves. All in all it was a good day. At the end of the session we
felt that this new person was not quite the right fit for Nike as she really
did not want to put in the time and miles a young horse needs –even though her
current horse likes to turn and bolt at the first sign of something spooky. Oh
well. The right person WILL come along at some point. For now we will continue
to love on our girl and help her to reach her full potential. We can improve
skills but only time can help with “age.”
SUNDAY (02/28/16):
Sunday was a really fun day. It was a little windy and brisk at first so all
the horses had some spunk and sass! Again the maintenance crews were out in
force so lots of distractions, including a big, noisy tractor! A little
groundwork and some hustling of hooves got the horses thinking about us and
less about the stuff happening around them. Good times. We decided to test the
theory about the lead line/halter and the lope by using a 25 foot long line.
There is a ring and clip on the rope but we could really let her lope out in a
big circle and keep lots of slack in the rope at the same time. We also added
some front end stretches to her routine which she REALLY liked. Takes about 3
minutes. In short – reduce the “lateral feel” of the halter while moving
forward at the lope in a BIG circle. The result? After a few circles Nike got
the message! The odd cadence went away and she was loping out in a nice big
circle. The COOL thing is that she was the one maintaining the roundness and
not pulling away from the human no matter how big the circle got. We event
jogged near her to keep the energy up and she kept up the circle. Very cool and
very proud of her. So we’ll be adding this experience to her routine for a while
until we feel that she mentally has the concept even on a standard 14 foot lead
line.
We also added a new transition exercise to Nike’s routine.
The concept is to move forward on a loose rein, stop when cued and then back up
three to five steps and then move forward again when cued. This helps the horse
stay focused and helps with conditioning the top line and hind end. Nike did
pretty well on her first try! She got the concept down after a few tries and
then we began the process of refinement. Mustangs seem to like “short lessons”
meaning that you introduce a concept until the give you a good try. The EFFORT
is the important factor here. Then you move on to something else. Before you
wrap up the session you simply revisit the concept and if it is even a little
bit better (and it usually is) you quit for the day. This formula has worked
really well for Nike. Constant repetition seems to bore her and she can “check
out” so by doing the short lesson and moving on helps her brain to stay
engaged. Remembering that she will be five in April and that she is a young
horse mentally as well as physically has allowed us to sculpt her program to
how she learns.
Young horses are just that…YOUNG, Their brains simply do not
work to the same level of an older horse. We saw this in Argent. It was around
his sixth “birthday” that the brain mechanics really seemed to mature. Welcome
to working with a young horse! The upside to Nike is that there is very little “negative
baggage” with her. So our “job” is to make sure ever session is positive and
productive.
For giggles we introduced the concept of a roll back to
Nike. This as NOT in her wheelhouse or experiences. We started off walking and
trotting in a rough circle near the fence and then stopped, nose in at a rough
45 degree angle to the fence, then we cued for a slight back up and lateral
movement of the shoulder and then the trot. She got the concept and was beginning
to plan the hind end nicely before we quit. It is a tough exercise as there is
LOTS happening mentally and physically. The fact that she gave this exercise a
really good try was awesome. It too will be added to her training routine and
is a good way to break up the lessons in a session. Do an exercise, flex, rub,
roll back a couple of time, and go on the next lesson. We are pleased with Nike’s
growth and progress. It is really a blessing to be part of her journey which is
allowing us to grow as horsemen.
We shot some video of her playing on the Long Line and
working on a new transition exercise: You can see it at: https://youtu.be/khAYtMcnoLQ
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