Ginn
Well-Known Member
The last time I took Tilly out for a walk downn the road she was a total cow - napping, jumping, dancing on her back legs! You name it! We made her take 3 or 4 really good positive steps forward and then with lots of praise turned around and took her home before we had an accident. Before then she had been up the road and back 3 or 4 times but had always been really forward and had left me feeling very out of control. All this was back in the spring.
Well as the ground is very hard and she has been doing so well inside and outside our lessons I decided that I'd pop up the road and back with her today. She has been feeling very well recently (see pics in gallery!) and this was very much a spare of the moment decision. Walked her round in the field first, doing lots of stops - start, back up, move over etc to make sure she was listening and then off we went. We were barely out the gateway before we met a big sit on lawn mower on the other side of the hedge, but with gental praise and encouragement she walked straight past (well she wasn't straight - more of a banana shape but she didn't stop or nap!), we then went past some super human giant leaves - again she looked but went past, then a house which is currently a building site - scaffolding, plastic, bricks, pallets, digger etc which she didn't even look at! Then there were some large scary stones on the side of the road - no problems, just a look, cows - again took a look. Only really scary thing was the drain cover but she happily went past, only she "curved" herself around it rather than walk over it! We went past some neddies and she just ignored them. We then stopped and nattered to some people just up the road and she stood still like an angel, before turning around in there driveway to go back, passing all the spooky things again but just looking at them - no spooking at all!
Whats more I didn't have to take a pull once. When I stopped and said "Woah" she stopped, if I dropped back and said walk on she did, I didn't have to move infornt of her shoulder to lead her past anything once and her little ears were pricked the whole time! I am a very, very proud mum and she is a very happy pony after getting a whole packet of peppermints with her tea!
Well as the ground is very hard and she has been doing so well inside and outside our lessons I decided that I'd pop up the road and back with her today. She has been feeling very well recently (see pics in gallery!) and this was very much a spare of the moment decision. Walked her round in the field first, doing lots of stops - start, back up, move over etc to make sure she was listening and then off we went. We were barely out the gateway before we met a big sit on lawn mower on the other side of the hedge, but with gental praise and encouragement she walked straight past (well she wasn't straight - more of a banana shape but she didn't stop or nap!), we then went past some super human giant leaves - again she looked but went past, then a house which is currently a building site - scaffolding, plastic, bricks, pallets, digger etc which she didn't even look at! Then there were some large scary stones on the side of the road - no problems, just a look, cows - again took a look. Only really scary thing was the drain cover but she happily went past, only she "curved" herself around it rather than walk over it! We went past some neddies and she just ignored them. We then stopped and nattered to some people just up the road and she stood still like an angel, before turning around in there driveway to go back, passing all the spooky things again but just looking at them - no spooking at all!
Whats more I didn't have to take a pull once. When I stopped and said "Woah" she stopped, if I dropped back and said walk on she did, I didn't have to move infornt of her shoulder to lead her past anything once and her little ears were pricked the whole time! I am a very, very proud mum and she is a very happy pony after getting a whole packet of peppermints with her tea!
