Summer Update

I spent the end of May visiting Bruiser and had a blast! My goal for the visit was to develop respect and trust in preparation for his trip to GA with me in August. On day one Bruiser would try to go forward when I asked him for forequarter (FQ) yields and he would threaten to kick, tail swish or put ears back when I asked him for hindquarter (HQ) yields. During my stay I focused on getting rid of this opposition reflex when direct pressure is applied. I used a combination of natural horsemanship techniques and clicker training and Bruiser responded quickly. By the last day he was willingly yielding both his FQ and HQ. We also worked on nose yields (he went from shaking his head to backing nicely) and head lowering. The head lowering was particularly fun as Bruiser was really getting the hang of CT and I was able to do some free shaping; by the end of the second session he was putting his nose on the ground. The last thing we worked on was trailer loading. Bruiser is quite comfortable getting on the trailer but being shut in and moving are a little nerve racking for him. We did a lot of approach and retreat and made some great progress. I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to get him in August!

Recently Anita and I competed in a Trail Class that was put on as a fundraiser for NATRC. It was Anita's first competition and she placed third in novice! I decided at the last minute to ride Cal in the open division and we placed second. The competition was held at Meadowchase Farms in Dublin, GA. It was definitely hot but still very enjoyable. Eclipse did the clinic and is making great progress. He walked through the bottle box for the first time and is less scared of tarps and "car wash" type obstables.