Queenbee
Well-Known Member
I am walking on air, I am so proud, ben is turning into everything I could have hoped for in a youngster, he is so good.
With a view to long reining him in the not too distant future I started to do all the ground work leading up to the long reining. he has already been mouthed, he is used to his roller, he has been down to the school to 'play' so he is used to the environment. Last week while he was in the school, I put the lunge line on him and within 2 minutes he had the concept of staying out on a circle and walking forward, we did 2 full circuits at walk on each rein then left it at that. Last night we went into the school and did a bit of in hand work, halt, walk on, halt, back up etc. Again this took moments for him to understand what he was being asked
He then went on the line and this time the lunge whip came out, I have been walking around with this flicking it etc while he was loose in the school because he was a tad wary of it to begin with. We had a few circuits in walk asked for a halt (he did it! ) then walk on (did that too!! ) then he decided he wanted to trot 
he did a couple of circuits in trot then sloooowly came back to walk 
was about to leave it there and change the rein when he decided to break into trot and then canter I was thinking OMG!!! joints!!!! then I was thinking, that if the little sod decided to bugger off that was it he would learn to get away from me. But he didn't, it wasn't the prettiest canter, but he stayed on the circle, came calmly back to trot then walk then halt and I gave him the biggest hugs and a couple of treats, we then did the same on the other rein, I let him break into canter for a couple of strides, wasn't that I asked him to or even that he was rushing, he wasn't, his trot was always lovely and relaxed, he just seemed to want to and I thought well, why not get it out of the way. then walked him up to his field so he could tell his field mates about it all.
Silly post really but I am really proud of him, please don't think that I am going to lunge him to death, I'm not, I just want him to get the concept of halt, walk on, etc and be used to the equipment, but he was soooo good and he was just loving doing something.
He is going to make a fantastic horse
With a view to long reining him in the not too distant future I started to do all the ground work leading up to the long reining. he has already been mouthed, he is used to his roller, he has been down to the school to 'play' so he is used to the environment. Last week while he was in the school, I put the lunge line on him and within 2 minutes he had the concept of staying out on a circle and walking forward, we did 2 full circuits at walk on each rein then left it at that. Last night we went into the school and did a bit of in hand work, halt, walk on, halt, back up etc. Again this took moments for him to understand what he was being asked
He then went on the line and this time the lunge whip came out, I have been walking around with this flicking it etc while he was loose in the school because he was a tad wary of it to begin with. We had a few circuits in walk asked for a halt (he did it! ) then walk on (did that too!! ) then he decided he wanted to trot he did a couple of circuits in trot then sloooowly came back to walk was about to leave it there and change the rein when he decided to break into trot and then canter I was thinking OMG!!! joints!!!! then I was thinking, that if the little sod decided to bugger off that was it he would learn to get away from me. But he didn't, it wasn't the prettiest canter, but he stayed on the circle, came calmly back to trot then walk then halt and I gave him the biggest hugs and a couple of treats, we then did the same on the other rein, I let him break into canter for a couple of strides, wasn't that I asked him to or even that he was rushing, he wasn't, his trot was always lovely and relaxed, he just seemed to want to and I thought well, why not get it out of the way. then walked him up to his field so he could tell his field mates about it all.Silly post really but I am really proud of him, please don't think that I am going to lunge him to death, I'm not, I just want him to get the concept of halt, walk on, etc and be used to the equipment, but he was soooo good
and he was just loving doing something.He is going to make a fantastic horse
we go down to the school a couple of times a week and 'play' he basically has loads of barrels, poles and cones and the run of the place, he is so funny he can be like a child running up and tapping someone on the shoulder and then running away (he creeps up to anything new, sniffs it, runs away bucking and farting! once he calms down we always do something, even if it is just me leading him in hand around the obstacles. nowwe really need to do a bit of walk and halt commands on the lunge, so that we can get long reining.