Progress

Progress, progress, progress that is the key. As a trainer I always want to make some progress by the end of each session. It might be only a little or it might be just refining some move but it is still progress. Well we got if from both of the horses today.
Robbie, was all in for our session today. He was saddled and moved around like before with a short stint at laying hte whip on his hocks and fetlocks. Then it was time to drive him. So the reins were put on him and he got in a tangle but I got him untangled and after a few tangled starts we finally got going. He cantered alot out of fear, I think, but I kept him moving until he calmed down. Then we switched directions. Finally, we just kept switching directions and until he was carrying his head down and was nice and relaxed. Then he had a long rest and we started again only we walked back to the starting point and I took everything off of him. He made good progress with this. I think, come Monday, he will do much better.
Darkstar again moved away when I stood in his stall, but he soon came back to me and I rubbed on him. Then he came out of his stall. He was real spooky today, because the rain, so I knew I wanted to just spend time with him letting him rest with me and see that he could be relaxed as long as he was with me. I am real happy with how things went. We flexed and walked around with him following at liberty then with a halter. I put him through YH YF and backup several times then rest. He was real jumpy but I kept after him to get him to jump and he started to calm. I didn't even saddle him today. I then decided to spend time moving him around and then letting him rest. Soon he was really on me. I sat down and played the YO YO with him and had his head in my lap and sometimes all the way with his nose to the ground and holding it there next to me. With all that was going on around him with the noises and such yet he was relaxed and trusting right next to me. It was picture perfect. Then I sidepassed him to the next bag to sit on and rested him. Again the same thing, head in lap and totally relaxed. We ended with sidepassing the other direction and resting in the place where he is always spooky, but he was resting with head in lap. It was great. I think much has been accomplished with him today though he didn't sweat hardly at all.