Magnolia Creek Farm

I had such a wonderful time at Magnolia Creek Farm; it was a wonderful opportunity to work with some beautiful Friesians! I played with Piterke on four more occasions and she was so wonderful. Piterke's experiences before arriving at Magnolia Creek Farm were all with traditional training and as a result she really seems to have developed resentment for being told what to do. After our first two sessions Piterke was mentally avoidant of me and I decided that we needed to play the catching game. It seemed to have made a big impression on her and she started acting more like a partner. When she realized I was asking her to do things instead of telling her she really started to offer more and her driving game improved considerably. Piterke did very well with her first natural under saddle experience. She was predictably dull since she had always been ridden with spurs and a bit but she stayed calm and confident throughout the session. When I asked her for the trot she swished her tail and threatened to buck but I stayed passively persistent and she eventually offered five strides at the trot. I was very excited because I knew that was the first time that she had willingly trotted under saddle; I decided to end on that good note. 

I played with Tori on three more occasions and my main focus was on desensitizing her to a spray bottle. She did alright on the left side but the right side took considerably longer. Tori showed improvement but she still needs some more practice with it. One session I also decided to put a bareback pad on her and it was a piece of cake. She bucked a little when I asked her for the trot on the circle but other than that it really didn't seem to phase her at all. Tori's mother, Sami, was also fun to play with. Sami needed a little practice with yielding her shoulder but she caught on very quickly and she should be able to go sideways in no time. Under saddle Sami was a little hesitant to go forward at first but she settled into things and eventually offered a very nice trot. My time at Magnolia Creek Farm was wonderful but it went by so quickly. I felt so at home with Lisa and her family and I would love to come back if I can find the time.