After The Fonz moved along, I hesitated to bring another horse in so soon; primarily because I wanted to spend some time with Dexter and Nevar while the weather is still good.
I am so grateful that I changed my mind about taking beautiful Leo after all. He has been an absolute joy to play with. Even though I sound like a broken record because I feel that about every horse I play with - it is so true. It could be the somewhat unconventional variety of training methods I employ to help horses overcome their issues that makes it all so much fun.
It is hard to know what groundwork exercises Leopold was exposed to before he came to me as the only videos I saw showed traditional lunge work and chute jumping him. Yet, his focus and relaxation make everything I ask of him seem like he has done it a million times before. Yesterday, I put a saddle on him and he stood quietly throughout the process and then quietly walked out to the arena. However, as soon as I sent him out onto the circle - he started to crow hop. His behavior was strangely odd in the sense that he didn't seem scared or mad - just crow hopped a few times and then we carried on with our business without further incident. The TTouch body exploration work indicated no apparent back pain and he wasn't cinchy at all as I gradually tightened the girth. Will be interesting to see how he responds to the saddle today.
Gord took video of Leopold yesterday showing how well he is coming along with the ground work; lateral flexion, parking at the mounting block, and w/t/c transitions up and down. He doesn't mind when I bounce the giant equine ball off his back and around him, nor does he mind my slapping the ground with the stick and string. He actually seems to become more confident every day. Once the video is ready, Gord will download it on You Tube.
Tovie, Gord, and Leopold
I am so grateful that I changed my mind about taking beautiful Leo after all. He has been an absolute joy to play with. Even though I sound like a broken record because I feel that about every horse I play with - it is so true. It could be the somewhat unconventional variety of training methods I employ to help horses overcome their issues that makes it all so much fun.
It is hard to know what groundwork exercises Leopold was exposed to before he came to me as the only videos I saw showed traditional lunge work and chute jumping him. Yet, his focus and relaxation make everything I ask of him seem like he has done it a million times before. Yesterday, I put a saddle on him and he stood quietly throughout the process and then quietly walked out to the arena. However, as soon as I sent him out onto the circle - he started to crow hop. His behavior was strangely odd in the sense that he didn't seem scared or mad - just crow hopped a few times and then we carried on with our business without further incident. The TTouch body exploration work indicated no apparent back pain and he wasn't cinchy at all as I gradually tightened the girth. Will be interesting to see how he responds to the saddle today.
Gord took video of Leopold yesterday showing how well he is coming along with the ground work; lateral flexion, parking at the mounting block, and w/t/c transitions up and down. He doesn't mind when I bounce the giant equine ball off his back and around him, nor does he mind my slapping the ground with the stick and string. He actually seems to become more confident every day. Once the video is ready, Gord will download it on You Tube.
Tovie, Gord, and Leopold
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