Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Callie day 4

It is kinda fun to see the transformation that takes place in a horses mind as I work with them day after day. Now Callie didn't want to go to work with me today. I tried to coax him to follow me into the pen, but he would just run off then when I followed he would give me two eyes and I would back off and he would follow me all the way to the gate, but no farther. I guess I don't like to go to work sometimes either. Anyway, had to put the halter on to get him inside the pen. Then it was rest for him while I groomed him.
I could tell a change in his attitude as soon as I sent him off in the rd pen. He moved off real quick and gave me quick turns. I made him do 10 laps each direction at a canter, he wanted too, then had him turn and started to shorten the turns/direction changes. Finally, I stopped him and did the desensitizing. I did the yh and yf at liberty. He did well. I disensitized him alot more without halter. Then I put halter on and did some backing up and lungeing. He is really bent well toward me when I lunge him so when I did the circling, which is kinda like lungeing only he is within my sticks range going around me at a trot. He just really did good. I was quit pleased with his shape on the arc of the circle. I had saddled him too by this time so he was already to be ridden. I desensitized between exercises a bunch, because he is rather head shy with the whirling of the string. But he is getting alot better. I even decided to get my little flag out and use that with him and he was real relaxed with that by the time I was done. An hour was gone by this time so I wanted to ride and we flexed, by the way he is getting real soft. He is better about moving off my leg so I can get a yh with him. His one rein stop is super soft. I got him trotting and I was acting like Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou, just a drunk ready to fall off, that is how comfortable I was on him. We got some cantering out of him too and the stops in each gait are pretty good. I think it is time to get him out of the rd pen tomorrow and try some open field and see how that goes with him. He is making improvements every day, but still wants to throw in his union card once in a while. I just have to push him past that a little bit then let him rest and pretty soon he is ok with it. I think He is mainly looking for leadership so he can relax and not have to worry about things.

2 comments:

Kathryn Hanley said...

dear jeff, hello and thank you for all the work you are putting into callie! you did such a great job on my other horse "joey" that i knew you could get callie going in the right direction. i so enjoy the blog, as i did with joey. looking forward to getting back to michigan for the summer and having fun at the farm ! yea to judy for getting a new horse trailer!!! take care god bless and hang on to the saddle horn!!! kathryn

jeffrey said...

thanks for your comment. I definitely will hang on. But I don't think he will really be that big of a deal. He just needs a leader and that is what we are working out. He is coming along nicely. I think by the time you get here and get him home he will be just fine for you.
Thanks for sending him my way.
I will stay between his ears!