Training Log for Graham Redmond

5/7/08 Road hack, working on flexibility. We had some discussiong about bending right especially. He came around quite nicely.

5/6/08 Wormed with ivermectin.

5/5/08 Went out on a dressage hack. Lots of work in staying relaxed in his neck and some nice canter work. Let him graze for half an hour when he was done. He liked that.

4/30/08 Dressage hack. Went out on the trail and helped him be relaxed in his neck. Every time he tightened, we did a small quiet circle until he let go and then he got to go forward again. He did a lot of nice relaxed breathing and had some nice work. We had a few moments in canter where he thought it would be appropriate to bully through the aids and I suggested that wasn't really his best bet at a fun time. He got over it and we had a nice ride. Coming along.

4/29/08 Hacked him in the hayfield, asking him to be soft in his poll the entire time. This is very difficult for him as he is convinced he needs to be on the lookout for bears or whatever. It got better and better throughout.

4/28/08 Worked Graham in the indoor, focusing on relaxation in his neck. Did a lot of slow work in walk and trot, focusing on correct work. He did just fine.

4/27/08 Worked in the outdoor with a lot of emphasis on him staying loose in his poll-a particular challenge for him and so important. When he is loose, he can relax better. We had some very nice canter work and good trot work. Very good.

4/24/08 Another hack, with much emphasis on keeping his neck down and staying relaxed. He did quite well.

4/23/08 Road hack on a beautiful day. He was quite tight in his neck at first, but came around nicely. By the end we had relaxed canter, which is where we're headed. Yay.

4/17/08 Took him out for a hack, and as is often the case after a hunt with horses, he was quite tight in his neck. We did a lot of bending an flexibility things, which worked quite well to relax him. However, he objected strongly to the mini-donk, which undoes a lot of horses. It was actually quite funny. He was alarmed at something that literally came up to his knees. He got somewhat used to it, but I wouldn't put money on them being best friends in the future.

4/13/08 Hunted at Grand River. Quite boggy, and he really thought the best solution would be to lock his neck and pull with his front end through it, but I managed to finesse him into considering getting off his forehand and pushing from behind. Ah, epiphany! One can bound easier this way! Yes, Graham, one can. ;-) Added coop jumping to our repetoire today and he did excellently at it.

4/10/08 Nasty horizontal rain and wind that is supposed to continue through tomorrow, with some snow. Blanket on. Much cookies. Day off.

4/8/08 Rode in the outdoor as the rain was holding off. We schooled a bunch of small jumps and a grid of jumps, focusing on him staying soft and relaxed in his jump and round in his canter. He needs help to do it, but he is clearing getting the gist of the idea of carrying himself. I like it.

4/7/08 Now that Graham has shown that he CAN carry himself in canter, he gets to do it all the time, with breaks of course. Today, after warmup, we worked on jumping--politely and staying light in the bridle. It took much coaching and reminding, but he had some very nice work!

4/5/08 Hunted at Grand River. We hung in the gate group, which, in our hunt, goes just as fast or faster than the jumping group, it just doesn't jump, and most of the time is right with the first flight. He was quite good, though occasionally got quite heavy in canter. When I refused to carry him and booted him under himself, he learned that he could carry himself and that it could be pretty nice to be light on his feet. He did a funny thing when he got what he considered was too close to the back of another horse, just decided to move away however he could. Not stupid, our boy.

4/2/08 Took him for a road hack in anticipation of hunting tomorrow. Stretch his legs a bit. As we were going along, suddenly many rounds of gunfire erupted at the shooting range at the Isaac Walton League that we pass by on the hack. He had a moment, but handled it well. He has more moments of relaxation all the time, which is amazing since I am constantly throwing new experiences at him (while reassuring him). Good man.

4/1/08 I had had a difficult session with a horse, which is very unusual, so perplexing. I brushed Graham in sort of a melancholy mood and he was very sweet to me. Right when I needed it. Sweet man. I got on and rode in the indoor. The therapeutic riding program was setting up so they were putting out cones and people were milling around or leading in horses or what have you. Graham was good with all the distraction and had the best canter work to date. One of the volunteers was watching him go and said, "Can you teach our horses to do that? What a good horse!" What a delightful change in the day. Thank you Graham.

3/29/08 Graham was quite suspicious on the first quarter mile of our road hack while we walked. I finally decided that, rather than discuss every bird with him at a walk, we'd canter a mile or two very quietly and let him burn off some of that inquisitiveness in going forward. He was alarmed for a bit in canter, but I reassured him and he recovered nicely. By the fourth mile on the way home (not all canter) he was quite lovely. Over bridges, past cows, meeting light traffic (2 cars on a Saturday morning leisurely drive) and he dealt with it and was proud of himself at the end. Very good.

3/26/08 He got his vaccinations yesterday. Wind died down today, and while overcast, still a pretty nice day. Went out for a hack and he had some very nice relaxation at times. Very good breathing and little overreaction. There was a big piece of tin that had blown into the field and it really did look odd. He looked at it, but managed to keep calm about it. We also experienced new horses in the back pasture and while they surprised him at first, he recovered very well. Also checked out a cable spool and dealt with it. I really should pay people to put out all this new stuff for him to learn how to deal with it, but it just seems to happen for free. ;-)

3/25/08 Very windy (if possible, worse than yesterday) and I didn't want to absolutely fry his lovely little brain, so we worked in the indoor. We did a lot of walk work on lateral work (leg yield and side pass) and a good deal of canter work, which went well. He is starting to let go in his neck more all the time. Yay.

3/24/08 Thirty mph winds, so a great day to get out and hack. Wind upsets horses and he needs to get out and see the great big world, so out we went. He was, predictably, quite tense. But we walked around and worked it out. Deer jumped out and he dealt with it. When another rider came galloping near by, it was just about his undoing and he did a short mini-bolt (now I know what you experienced!) and I got it under control without comment and put him back where he was and back to what he was doing. Playing the Miz Scarlet effect card doesn't get horses very far at Field Day, poor dears. We did a lot of walking and focusing on him breathing and relaxing while the wind roared. It was a lot of work for what we accomplished on the outside, but it will pay off. He ended up walking calmly and flat-footed back to the barn, which was nice.

3/21/08 Off on another road hack. He is very interested in his surroundings, but is getting better about looking without staring. We walked the first quarter mile and then heard a gravel truck coming and it was coming quickly and it couldn't see us around the bend as we were, so I pulled him aside in a driveway and got off. They driver did not even slow down. I figured he just didn't see us. Graham was very good. I got back on and we did some trot and canter work. The trot went very well. The canter work varied from lovely to tight, but at least we had some lovely. Went about 3 miles, past cows and bridges and all sorts of stuff. He did fine.

3/19/08 In the mid 50s and sunny. Out on a road hack. We did a lot of walking, focusing on him doing it correctly, with his neck down and relaxed. More experience with this will really help his confidence. After a half mile of that, we went on to slow trot, with the same intent--to do it correctly and relaxed. He did well, crossed a bridge, saw cows, abandoned farm machinery and a dog. On the way home we had to pass an idling gravel truck which he thought was quite disconcerting, but dealt with it. The biggest shy of the day was at a cat popping out from behind the barn when we returned. Goof. Very good day, though.

3/18/08 Quite muddy out, so worked in the indoor. We started with walk flexibility work, including leg yield and shoulder in. When he is unsure, he braces against the bit, but he is coming out of it more quickly and this will improve with more steady work. His trot work started out tight, but got better. His canter work was excellent today and it just got better and better as we went. We were cantering over a pole on a 20 m circle, which sounds easy, but to do correctly is really difficult. By the end he had it.

3/17/08 Happy St. Pat's! Light rain and fairly miserable, so worked in the indoor. We did a walk warmup where we focused on staying soft in his neck and some slow lateral work. Some trot work, including leg yield and then on to canter work which went very well, except in the corner where the scary goblins live. We did many canter circles there until he figured out he could relax and trust his rider to fend off the goblins. Blanket back on for outside.

3/13/08 Took a long independent road hack. On the way to the road, we went through the woods and crossed two seasonal streams, which he was not sure about, but he did them reasonably calmly when asked. He's probably done several already on hunts, but it is a different thing to horses when they are along. Then we went three miles, past barking dogs and farm machinery in driveways etc. He was quite tight in his neck, but had some times of relaxation. I asked him to stop and stand in a relaxed manner several times and that was difficult for him, but he tried. We'll do more road hacks now that the ice is gone. The more he experiences, the more confident he will become.

3/11/08 Worked in the arena on bending and staying flexible. He was quite good and seems to be becoming slightly more relaxed and trusting each time.

3/9/08 Wormed with oxibendzole.

3/5/08 Back with my good friend Graham. He is becoming the leading poster child. Wonderful. We rode in the indoord with 2 other horses and riders and he was quite good about that. We did a lot of bending work in trot which went quite well. On to canter work over poles. He wants to brace in his neck at times, but it is becoming less frequent. He did well and he knew it, which is always fun. Cookies all around.

2/27/08 Today I like how he leads. He was light and polite and responsive. Very good. Warmed up with walk flexibility work under saddle, asking him to follow the rein in a soft manner. Moved on to trot and then some canter work. Then presented a small vertical and jumped it on a 20 m circle, asking him to stay soft in his neck. This is a deceptively difficult exercise. He did very well for his first try at it.

2/26/08 Almost 25 degrees, so the indoor felt quite balmy. We warmed up with a lot of walk work, focusing on him staying soft in his neck and even between the reins. Then the same goal in trot work. The canter work is actually easier for him than trot, which is a little unusual, but not unheard of. He has a lovely canter. We moved on to some jumping over a pair of offset cross rails, with 3 strides between. He wants to brace and rush between them, so I had him jump the first one and halt with his neck down and take a breath. When he could do that in a relaxed manner, we went on to jumping both of them, in a much improved manner. Very good. I like this horse's attitude. He's very smart.

2/21/08 Seventeen degrees, but no wind. Brought him in and tacked up and rode in the indoor. Did a lot of work in trot, reminding him to stay soft and flexible and focused on the task rather than his surroundings. He did quite well, with some tight moments, but on the right track. Canter work was usually quite good with just a few tight moments. The ratio of loose to tight is improving every day. Very good.

2/20/08 Around 20 degrees, which these days is feeling balmy. Tacked up and rode in the indoor. Warmed up with walk work and leg yield, which went well. Trot work was a little tight, but it came around and canter work varied between tight and excellent, with a tendency more toward excellent as time went on. We did some jumping at the end. He is not a terribly straight jumper, but has very nice mechanics. That's great news, because straight is usually just a matter of confidence and we can work on that.

2/15/08 Around 20 degrees and snowing, but rode in the indoor. We worked on him letting go in his neck and being softer in general. He had some very nice canter work, really very good. His trot work seems a little harder for him, because for some reason, he thinks he can just barge right along. We are discussing that assumption and coming to terms. He did well. Lots of cookies. I let him eat hay and hang out with a cooler in a stall while I rode another horse, but he was really not into it. He had neighbors too. I put him out as soon as I was done with the other horse and he was happy.

2/13/08 Tacked up and went out for a trail ride. It is very good for him because there are deer everywhere and he likes to look at them and get tight in his neck. We had a walk warm up and then went out to the big pasture for a trot and canter around. It is hard for him to stay relaxed in his neck in canter, but it is coming along. He had the most hilarious shy at the bare spots the deer had cleared in the snow, but recovered quickly. Just needs mileage and he will become more relaxed and steady. Side note, some young girls were there tacking their horses and they saw me untacking Graham and they said they just loved him because he always greets them at the gate with those big eyes (mugging for cookies, no doubt, but let's let them believe it is personal). They always pet him and love on him, they said. Just another day as Graham Gorgeous Eyes.

2/9/08 I went out to the barn and put his blanket on and administer cookies. It was very nice overnight and 35 degrees in the morning. A front came through, though, and it had dropped to 31 by noon. Wind chills tonight expected to be 30 below zero.

2/8/08 Really lovely day so we went out on a hack. He was quite tight in his neck, especially when deer were nearby. He did very well though and believed me when I told him it was ok to relax. Long trailriding will be a big confidence booster for him, so when we can, out we go. Good boy.

2/7/08 Another very good session. He is not relaxed in his neck at all times, but the ratio of relaxed to tight is improving. He actually worked up a sweat today and I think he was proud of himself. He had a right to be.

2/5/08 Had a very good session today. He is getting stronger in his body, and thus better able to carry himself. We did a lot of lateral work which went pretty well. The canter work was quite good at times. Yay.

2/4/08 I tacked him up and rode him in the indoor. He produced some fair work in leg yield and shoulder in and some moments of real excellence in canter. He is figuing out that it is his job to carry himself and he sort of likes it. Very good. Lots of cookies and I gave him the hug you wanted me to and I told him it was from you. He looked for cookies in my pockets the whole time, the goof. :-) Kelsey log

2/3/08 Ok, I'll fess up that yesterday we hunted, then set up for the hunt ball, then emceed the hunt ball, and then boogied until the band refused to play anymore, so ran from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., so today was a day of rest, quite literally. I went out to the barn to put their blankets on in the late morning, though, because there was some ice fog going on and some light mixed precip expected tonight. They are fine and liked the cookies. Back at it tomorrow.

1/31/08 Brought him and tacked up. The walk in is very icy, but he does very well on it. He is starting to relax in his neck and tune in, which is delightful. Our work today was very good. We did some walk warm up, in which he was relaxed, then some canter work, which varied from relaxed to tight, but that beats entirely tight, and is part of the process, and the trot work was good. We cantered over a pole on the ground and he is getting better about balancing. Lots of cookies. Claire and Kelsey are fine. I'll take their blankets off tomorrow in anticipation of a mild weekend (until Sunday night it looks like...)

1/30/08 Still cold, but at least not windy. Tacked up and went to the indoor, and after a warmup, worked over some poles on the ground. At first he wanted to brace in his neck and avoid the poles or be crooked over them, but he got through that to the point that he was trotting over them straight and mostly relaxed. Then we proceeded in canter where he wanted to fall on his left shoulder and miss the distance rather than balance, stay straight and take it in stride. My strategy for this has always been to let horses do it unbalanced a few times without comment. They always figure out how to balance over it and take the pole in stride, which he did the fourth time. Very good. We did it in canter in both directions and then a walk cool out since it was 6 degrees out. He is doing fine with the cooler weather as are the girls.

1/29/08 The weekend was mild, but today a cold front came in with a vengeance. The morning was tolerable, but by noon when I went out to put on blankets, NW winds were starting up and it was 6 degrees. I put on all their blankets and distributed cookies all around. Claire was, surprisingly, a little cold. Since Kelsey has moved out of her pasture she has dropped down in the herd hierarchy and was holding the position just outside the barn but mostly out of the wind. Three horses were in and three lower ranking ones were elsewhere. I put her blanket on and she was better. I talked to the barn owner about either moving Kelsey back in with her or moving her in with Kelsey and Graham. They don't want to move Kelsey in with her again because Graham is reportedly being a little pushy in the herd and they already had to move another horse out of his paddock because of it. I mentioned that they could move another low ranking one out and put it in Claire's pasture and put Claire in with the other two. He thought that might work and he said he'd think about it and let me know. The other two were quite warm enough. Graham seems almost impervious to cold. He was out in the middle of the windy pasture goofing off with another horse and Kelsey was smart enough to get in out of the wind. She was warm enough, but sure didn't mind the blanket either.

1/24/08 Out for a hack with Jay and Sangha. He was tight in his neck and it is coming along, but miles to go. He did lead bravely past a overturned watertank that Sangha was convinced would eat her. He was a perfect gentleman about it.

1/23/08 He is getting much better about leading. Still not right where I want it, but moving in the right direction. Tacked up and rode in the arena with two other people who were lunging their horses at either end, but leaving room for us to be on the outside. He was rather frazzled by this at first, but managed to accept it eventually. Did more work on bending and flexibility which is helping him come unstuck in his neck. Very good.

1/22/08 During the cold snap over the weekend I checked on them several times and they were doing just fine. Today was up to a relatively balmy 17 degrees, so I was back in the tack. Graham produced some good work today. We warmed up with walk work, asking him to stretch forward and down, which he did quite well. Then we went on to introducing walk leg yield, in which he has to carry himself rather than push forward into the bit. He had some moments of imbalance, but kept working at it and improved. Then on to a bit of shoulder in, which was pretty easy for him. Then on to trot and canter work, which is getting better. He is also getting better about leading. A very good day. Kelsey was moved into the paddock with Graham and a few other horses as was the original intent to have Claire and Kelsey separated. Kelsey seems to be doing fine. Claire seems a little depressed. I will watch it the next few days.

1/16/08 Brought Graham in and tacked up. Improving every day on leading. We worked today with a balancing rein that goes from the girth where it connects to the billet near the point of the shoulder, through the snaffle and back to the rider's hand's. The purpose is to help him let go in his poll and relax. He gets a release the instant her relaxes. He did very well, and understood it immediately. Between transitions, I encouraged him to just stand and relax and take a breath. I think he has less solid fundamentals than he lets on, and dong this remedial work will pay off. His canter work was quite good. Following see a picture. Note big snuggly blanket firmly in place in anticipation of the cold snap this weekend. Also note that he has snow on him because he was outside playing with the white horse you see behind him, not in the run in.

Now see the Missys below. Note that they do not have one speck of snow on their furry black selves. They were happy to camp in the barn when it was snowing. I adjusted all their blankets so that they wouldn't get any sort of unwanted breeze under them. The windchills this weekend are expected to be brutal. I think they're prepared.

1/15/08 Cold out, but not as cold as it is likely to get later this week, so in the tack. We worked on letting go in the poll and transitions. Today we also focused on sidepassing, going one step at a time and then stopping, then one step, then another step. Methodical, quiet. He did very well. Canter work was nice today. The Clarinator and Kelsifier are doing fine, running their paddock like the queens they are and mooching for cookies from underneath their warm blankets.

1/14/08 He was a bit of a pill today, starting out, but many of the horses were, could be due to the cold. After we got through the energy, he produced some nice trot and canter work, all going in the right direction. He is such a smart and willing horse. All three of the biggies got their blankets on this evening as the sun went down. It is dang cold out there and not expected to get better until after the weekend. They are all snuggled in, though, and have lots of hay and shelter from the wind, so no worries.

1/11/08 Brought him in and tacked up. Leading continues to get better. Yes, it is a thing of mine. A horse who leads well also usually does other things well. I've never met a horse that lead well that was unpleasant under saddle. I digress. Did a lot of trot work today, which went well. Focusing on him staying loose in his poll in trot, which is harder for him than canter. His canter work was good, with some really nice moments, that I look forward to becoming his general way of going in the coming weeks. He is highly amusing if I flick him with the dressage whip if he is a little slow off my leg. He sqeaks at me. "Eeeep. Don't do that, I'm going." I've had another horse who does this and it is endearing. He is getting lighter off the aids and he's also earning and getting a lot of cookies. Speaking of cookies, the Missys are doing just fine. Fluffy and happy in their herd. Cookies and rubs today. As far as saddles for Graham go, today I tried a County Eventer on him that a friend bought for her draft cross. It fits him nicely and is a lovely saddle. It is not forward enough for me, but may fit you quite well. The other saddle I would recommend is a Berney Dublin Jumper. I use this saddle for eventing and it is really a wonder for galloping and jumping.

1/10/08 Brought him in and tacked up. He is still tight in his neck when being led, but coming along nicely. We warmed up in walk and trot which went reasonably well, with moments of nice relaxation and some of tension. Canter work started out tight, but improved as we went along, ending with some relaxed work, which was great. Much praise. The big cute mares are doing well. I cookied and played with them. I scratched Claire's teat cleavage where the stuff gathers (yes, probably too much information!) and she was appreciative and quite amusing with her nose antics. Kelsey was not as enamored and didn't have as much buildup, but she did allow me. She got other scritches.

1/7/08 More than 40 degrees. I checked and cookied the girls and spent some time telling them how beautiful they are. They like that. Graham is doing well, ground manners coming along. Tacked up and rode in the indoor. Today was a little more difficult than yesterday because I had the end doors of the arena open, so every time he passed by one, he was trying to tighten his neck and look out. We had a few discussions about that and he came around nicely. Some nice work in trot, some really nice transitions to canter and some acceptable canter work where he let go in his neck.

1/6/08 He is getting better with his ground manners and with consistent work we will get there. I tacked up and rode in the indoor and today he figured out how to let go in his poll at a canter, which is fabulous. He doesn't have it consistently yet, of course, but we got a few strides of it, and where there are a few, there are eventually more. Very good.

1/3/08 Twenty-nine degrees and sunny! Blankets off all the biggies. Claire and Kelsey are fine and got cookies in the process. I led Graham in, carrying their two blankets and he did fairly well with only a light lead from me. He is getting better with ground manners. Tacked up and led him to the arena, insisting on him keeping his neck down in a relaxed manner while being led. He is getting better about that, but his nature is to tend to be tight. We did a lot of work in walk in trot, asking him to let go in his poll and he made good progress. Did some canter work. He is becoming lighter to the aids, but did manage to grunt at me once, as if to say, "I'm getting there fast enough," when I tapped him with the dressage whip on the hindquarters. He's very funny that way. He was very good leading back, with his neck down and relaxed. He earned much praise throughout and cookies at the end.

12/31/07 Brought him in and worked him in hand on flexing and giving to halter aids. He thought it was a lot of work, but did very well and earned much praise. He and the girls got their big winter blankets on, as it is supposed to be very cold the next 48 hours, with some wind. The good news is that later this week, we are supposed to get up to 40 degrees. Hang in there ponies! :-)

12/29/07 Almost 30 degrees so all the biggies got a break from their blankets. They will remain off overnight and tomorrow, but we are to get a cold blast Monday, so they will welcome them back then. Rode Graham in the indoor, working on relaxing in the poll in walk, trot and canter and being lighter off the leg aids. He said it was a lot of work, but was a good sort about it and earned lots of praise. His ground manners require strict attention at the moment, but they are coming along. He needs to be attentive and mindful of the wishes of his handler at times, and he is getting better and earning rewards. Cookies all around when I returned him to the pasture.

12/28/07 Snowing steadily when I arrived, but the trio of biggies was just fine in their snug blankets. Cookies all around. I brought Graham in, and in doing so, worked with him on his ground skills, which have a ways to go, but are coming along. He is very intelligent and a good sort. Then I tacked up and rode in the indoor. He was relaxed in his poll at a walk, which is a great improvement. In trot he had moments of tension and relaxation as one would expect as he learns this new skill. We did some canter work today. He has a lovely canter, and it is actually easier for him than trot. He likes to have you carry him in canter though, which I did not sign up for on this cruise, so he started to learn about carrying on until being told to stop. He picked that concept up quickly, though I am sure it will take some time to really sink in. Very good day.

12/21/07 No foot tenderness (in any of them). I brought him in and tacked up with the Wintec. I haven't remembered to bring out the Berney yet, but it will happen soon. Did some more loosening in the poll work, which is coming along. I spent a lot of time working with him when I lead him in so that he is soft in the halter as well as in the bridle, a concept that is coming along. We did some trot work under saddle today and he is doing well, though it is a paradigm shift for him to stay loose. After the workout I put his big thick winter blanket (that I labeled on the inside) on because tomorrow and Sunday are predicted to be quite nasty, with snow and wind, and the cold comes Sunday. Driving is not likely to be recommended tomorrow, so I may not get out to the barn, but the barn managers live right there, so the horses will be fed and checked, of course. I took him back out and then put the thick blankets on Shaniqua and Bat Girl too, who were being pills about it because it was hay time and they hadn't time for the primping. At any rate, everybody is set for the weather.

12/20/07 Lovely mild day. All three got their shoes removed. Will watch for tenderness the next few days.

12/19/07 Tacked him up and rode today. I have an extra wide Wintec that fits him acceptably. Tomorrow I am going to bring out Claude's (Claire's full brother) custom Berney saddle on the extra wide tree to see how it fits him. It is a first rate hunting saddle. I rode him in a french link snaffle and spent a fair amount of time walking in small circles, showing him how to let go in his poll. It was a paradigm shift for him but he made very good progress, earned much praise and was quite pleased with himself. He has a very likable, generous attitude. Picture of the goofballs in their run-in.

12/17/07 Worked him in hand in the snow with other horses nearby again. He was better about focusing and today we introduced the idea of loosening in the poll and backing up and also yielding to halter pressure to go forward, which was slightly less successful than backing was, which is fine, it will come. Claire and Kelsey watched over the fence and wondered what sort of karma Graham must have built up to have to work all the time. Divas.

Graham mugs for cookies.

12/14/07 When he arrived yesterday he had a spankin' new halter, but no leadrope. So on the way out to the barn, I bought him a lovely black and silver leadrope to complement his halter. He likes it very much, almost as much as cookies. I went out and checked on him and Claire and Kelsey who all are well. In fact, here is a picture of them, all in separate pastures, which share a run in that is divided inside.

Kelsey has to learn to make new friends rather than hoarding Claire to herself; Claire already has her pasturemates well in line as her minions and Graham was doing a fair amount of cantering about with new friends when I arrived today. I worked with Graham in hand today, on bending, yielding to aids and generally tuning in. He did well, though at times thought I was asking entirely too much for him to walk in a circle and keep his attention on me when there were other horses near him (Um, Graham, 100 yards is not near you.) It was a good getting-to-know-you session.

Field Day Horses Powered by: