Events

Mondays
Jumping Fun Classes at Canterbrooke, (Ames)

Tuesdays
Riding Communication Classes at The Paddock (Truro) .

May 8-9
Clinic at Catalpa Corner

April 10 and 11
Clinic at Catalpa Corner.

June 4-6
Clinic and Schooling Show Catalpa Corner
(Iowa City)

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Waiver form

"Only way that horses will win is to sit there and spend time with them. Show 'em that you're trying to help 'em. Love 'em. Talk to 'em. Get to know 'em. Now that's what you gotta do. You love 'em and they'll love you, too. People might call me crazy, but that's the way it is."

-Eddie Sweat, groom for Riva Ridge and Secretariat

Training Log for Sammy Stockhausen

Subsequent log entries here.

1/15/10 Out for a hack in the snow. This horse is just fun. Whatever the game is, he wants to play. Had some very nice work in all three gaits.

12/30/09 Missed some log entries in there. Out for a frolic in the snow today. Just some very light work in walk, trot and canter. Had fun.

11/30/09 Nice walk in the pasture to warm up and then did some nice dressage work in the outdoor. He was really wonderful and quite proud of himself.

11/20/09 Some dressage for warmup, in which he did pin his ears once or twice in the early going. Silly. He had some nice basic flat work and then we jumped out of the barnyard and had a nice spin around the pasture, jumping the log and the logpile on the way home. Great fun.

11/11/09 Nice sedate trail ride with Chalrie and Katie. Good fun.

11/10/09 Finally the teeth marks on his back had healed enough that I could put a saddle on and ride. The sun was rapidly setting, but we set out on a hack. I had on my bright orange vest in deference to deer season and we stuck to the center of fields. He humped up a little bit at first and suggested he might buck, but I vetoed that. We had a nice walk warmup and then a lovely trot and canter in the fields and along the creek. He has a wonderful canter and we had a great time.

He 11/1/09 He was unsound due to a case of thrush, which, when treated had him sound in a day. Lots of mud out these days! Today I tried to ride, but he had a new bite mark across the top of his back where the saddle would be placed. He'll be fine, but no riding today. Wah.

10/21/09 Hunted at South River. He was very good, though a short hunt and no jumping, wah. He even stood tied to the trailer by himself, munching on his haybag during brunch. What a relaxed, good man.

10/20/09 Hack out in the beautiful countryside. He was an angel.

10/10/09 Missed a lot of entries here, but hunted on 10/10 at Tipton. He was excellent. Dealt with hounds, jumped well, got to gallop, very good.

9/26/09 He was slated to go to opening hunt, but he had some new teeth marks on his withers and back, so no go. They are nothing to worry about, but right under where the saddle would go.

9/25/09 I gave him the day off, thinking I would hunt him for opening hunt, but when I brought him in tonight to braid him, he had two new bite marks under the saddle area, so no go tomorrow.

9/23/09 Hunted at South River. He was quite good, jumped well and mostly relaxed. He got a little excited when I made him go in the absolute back of the field, but in the group he was excellent.

9/21/09 Hack with Jay on Elliott. Good fun was had by all.

9/15/09 Sammy's got a few new racing stripes from being in the pasture with the boys, but he is settling in pretty well. I rode him tonight where he proceeded to buck and hump his back at first, but came around nicely. By the end we were cantering and he jumped a few simple jumps very well.

5/4/09 Out for a hack. Nice relaxing walk at first, past the sheep and the neighbor dogs and flushed some grouse, which he handled well. Then down to the lower hay field where I asked him to trot and then canter. He let out a few good natured happy spring bucks, which he got over quickly and then continued on in a lovely manner. Hack in the woods and by the creek bottom where he did well, then home.

5/1/09 Lost shoe replaced and lesson with Jada in the carriage. He did excellently.

4/30/09 Slow walk hack. Just gave him time to decompress from all the driving work and dressage work he has been doing. He relaxed very nicely, tolerated flushing deer and birds and generally enjoyed himself.

4/29/09 After a warmup in the ring I went out and rode him around the track in walk flexibility work, shoulder in, leg yield and half pass. He did very well.

4/28/09 Dressage work in the arena including walk and trot lateral work and the introduction of canter half pass. He did quite well with it by the end. He has a lovely attitude.

4/24/09 Dressage work in the arena, working on lateral work and standing up in his shoulders in canter. He did very well.

4/21/09 Very windy day, but relatively mild, so out for a hack. We went down in the valleys and had a good play at canter on the path. Also did some exploring in the river valley. He was rateable and fearless. Well done.

4/17/09 Dressage work in the arena, including spiral in and out in canter. He gets better all the time.

4/15/09 Adequan given.

4/14/09 Out for a hack with a fair amount of cantering since he has had to do so much walking and trotting in the carriage. He was a little tight in his neck, but came around and performed nicely.

4/9/09 He had his borium shoes removed and trimmed hooves and reset with regular shoes. I will save the borium shoes for next year. Worked in the arena on dressage where he did quite well.

4/8/09 Out for a light hack and then a gallop on the track. He was very happy to go, but minded himself well.

4/6/09 Light dressage work in the arena. He did excellently in trot and lateral work. He was a little stuck in canter at first, but improved.

4/2/09 Sammy, despite ample feed, is a little thinner than I would like. We got in some richer hay and he is now being kept in at night to ensure that he always gets his share. He did put on a little weight when I didn't work him in that last week, but I would still like to see him put on more. Took him for a short hack today at a walk. He is a little stuck in his neck again, but probably a result of the tension of learning about driving, which is understandable. By the end of the ride today he had let go nicely.

4/1/09 Adequan and wormer administered.

3/24/09 He is a little lighter in weight than I would like. I think doing the driving training and the hunting work is a bit much, so I will tail back for this week to let him put on some weight.

3/21/09 Hunted at Grand River. He was excellent. The footing was boggy in places, though and he managed to pull a shoe going through it. Amazingly enough, someone found it. I have a call into the farrier to replace it. He was very good in the field today, minded his manners, tolerated hounds and had a great attitude. He jumped well. He got a nice warm bath when he got home and then, of course, a roll in the sand at his earliest convenience. Very good.

3/19/09 Worked him in the arena on dressage. With his driving training and my training, he has lost a little weight, which we are working on getting back on him. He still is bright eyed and ready to go, though. His work today was very good.

3/18/09 Emma rode Sammy with me on a hack to the park and along the river bottom. He was a little tighter with her, with a little more teeth-grinding, so it was a good experience for him to learn a little tolerance, and eventually a good experience for her in learning how to help horses become on and stay relaxed.

3/17/09 Out for a hack. On the way out we passed the sheep, went past 5 sheepdogs being trained and over a bridge. He crossed a creek, passed culverts and whatnot, jumped small down trees and stood politely while children in the park petted him.

3/16/09 He has been doing a lot of driving work, which, at this point, requires a lot of standing still. I decided he could use some time out being a thoroughbred, so I took him on a hack which included a nice canter in a big field, which we both enjoyed. Then we went adventure trail riding by the creek, seeing where new paths could be developed. He was excellent. Adequan given.

3/10/09 Nasty wind and dampness outside so he was in his stall for the day. We had a long walk warmup and then some dressage work. He was very good.

3/6/09 Out for some trot and canter work around the track. He was fabulous and enjoyed himself immensely.

3/4/09 Took a long hack over to Peterson Park. We covered about 5 miles and encountered dogs and traffic and water and more. He dealt with everything admirably. Good man.

3/2/09 Took him out for a long walk hack in the woods where the scary deer live. I thought that would be the problem, but the most hilarious thing was the squirrel that came down out of a tree, stopped, turned, yelled at us and then scurried. Sammy shied a bit, which was totally appropriate. Heck, I shied too! But other than that it was a lovely ride with lots of new experiences out on the marathon course. Adequan given

2/27/09 Walk warmup outside and then a fair amount of canter work in the indoor. He is gettig more through and relaxed all the time. Very good.

2/26/09 I like to take them on a slow hack the day after a hunt. It was nice enough out today, though a storm was coming. The lowering fog and dead stillness was fabulous. We went about two miles mostly at a walk. I like to do this to give them a chance to unwind from the hunt and to get the muscles slowly moving after the strenuous day the day before. He was a delight. He was also trimmed and shoes reset

2/25/09 Bye hunt at South River. He was excellent. Crossed streams and ditches, watched his feet, tolerated hounds, jumped beautifully, stood while I helped a fallen rider and let me pony a horse off him. He did lock his poll in canter a bit at the beginning and there was some teeth grinding, but both were improved over the hunt earlier this month.

2/24/09 Took him for a lone hack out on the marathon (driving) course. There are many strange objects on the course that he got to learn about. He was unsure about some of them, but was brave about learning about them, and always kept going forward. He had a lovely time and did very well.

2/23/09 Lots of bending work in the arena, including shoulder in and leg yield in walk and trot. Also, transitions within the gait in canter, which went well. Then a walk hack warmdown around the property. Very good.

2/18/09 Warmed up with an outside hack. Nice sunshine and light wind, but hard footing, so we just walked. Then into the indoor for some trot and canter work. We worked on canter transitions and lead changes today. Easier for him to switch to the right than to the left. I reviewed transitions with some improvement and he is coming through better. I am most delighted with his relaxation. There was little teeth grinding, only a few episodes when he was going left. Very good.

2/16/09 Worked in the indoor, and after a lateral work warm up in walk and trot did a fair amount of work in spiral in and out on a circle in canter. He did well.

2/15/09 Hack outside to warm up and then some dressage work in the indoor. He did very well and was quite proud of himself. Good man. Adequan given.

2/12/09 Dressage work in the indoor. Coming through more and letting go in his poll more all the time.

2/10/09 Warmed up in the arena with some dressage work and then out to the quarter mile track to do some cantering out in the big wide open. He was excellent for both.

2/9/09 Hunt de-programming hack. Took him out and did a lot of walking and dressage work on the trail. He was excellent about it. Also crossed a melting snow stream, past the scary sheep and the back shack that horses all believe has evil gnomes in it. He did very well.

2/6/09 Bye hunt at Grand River. Sammy and I went. The weather was fabulous, the scenting was not, so it was a perfect outing for him to get experience in the field. We crossed flowing streams as well as frozen streams, dealt with hounds, cantered with the group, cantered with the field master, trotted behind the group on a hack on the road. He stood at checks and walked flat-footed when the field walked. Fabulous. He had a few moments of mild anxiety, some teeth grinding, but for the most part was just a darling gentleman. He represented himself very well and most of the time was on slack rein. With more mileage he'll be really first rate.

2/4/09 Lots of leg yielding work in walk and trot today and introduced canter half pass, which is actually pretty easy for him. We'll stay with that a while before we go to trot half pass, as that is a little harder for horses. His canter work was very good today and his leg cut looks fabulous.

2/2/09 His leg continues to heal nicely. We did some walk spiral in and out on a circle in warm up, then the same exercise in trot. On to trot leg yield, then leg yield to canter depart, and a few flying changes. He wants to grind his teeth when I ask for new things or more expressiveness, but he is starting to relax more and more quickly.

2/1/09 Adequan and dewormer given.

1/31/09 Out for a hack in the big melting winter world. He was delighted to be out in it and did some very nice work in all gaits. Toured the sheep with little problem and had a pair of nice hand gallops out in the open. He was grining at the end of it.

1/30/09 Work in walk, with a lot of lateral work to help him loosen up in general, then on to trot and canter work which went well.

1/29/09 Warm up in the arena with a lot of walk work, then on to trot, lateral work and canter. He did very well. Went on a hack cool down, toured the sheep and he managed quite well with them. I took the blanket in for repair.

1/28/09 The cut is still draining, but the skin around it is pink and healthy with no sign of infection. We did a walk warmup around the property, experiencing the sheep again, who, this time were pretty active and loud. He was dubious, but brave and did very well. Then we went into the indoor and did some trotting and cantering and lateral work, which went well. Somehow he pulled a dee off his blanket where the legstrap attaches. I simply switched blankets and will take the other in for repair.

1/26/09 The cut continues to drain, but is uninfected and healing. I warmed him up with 6 minutes of walk, then 10 minutes of trot, a walk break and another six minutes of trot. He was very even through it and happy to go.

1/23/09 Groomed up and checked out the cut, which is draining slowly and looks to be clean and uninfected. He has modeate swelling around it. We walked under tack for about 20 minutes and did some trotting.

1/22/09 The vet was out in the morning and had these comments regarding Sammy's injury: Sammy has a rather concerning wound, even though it is small in size. It has a puncture that extends into the musculature, and there is crepitus (air under the skin) around the wound. There is a small amount of edema distal to the wound. He has a decreased range of motion of the limb, especially on the cranial phase of the stride. What these punctures can do is to allow so much air into the subcutis that the limb can fill up like a balloon. The wound has to now be left open to drain due to the age of the lesion and the fact that it is already draining well. I clipped around the lesion and scrubbed it well. I then flushed the open lesion with sterile saline, and examined it well to be sure there was no foreign body present (there wasn't). Since the wound will be draining, distal to the wound was covered with Vaseline to prevent scalding. Nothing else should be applied to the wound or the area. He should be carefully watched for an increase in the swelling or the crepitus, or for a loss of appetite. If any of these occurs, please call.

She had also commented verbally that he should move as much as possible to help keep the wound draining and that riding would be good. The leg was moderately swollen in the top half when I started out. We walked outside for half an hour. He felt fine and was happy to go, offering to trot a few times. During our hack we came across a scarey parked wood trailer and an encouter with a herd of sheep in a pasture. He was not approving of the sheep at first, but we kept working in circles near them until he figured out that they would actually run from him. Then we walked very near the pasture where the sheep were and he was quite brave about it. Very good. The swelling in his leg was a bit improved after the hack.

1/20/09 I was grooming Sammy when I noticed a cut on the inside of his left forearm. There was a small amount of blood. I cleaned it up and it is about 1.5" long with a contusion around it, probably a interference or a kick. It looked fresh, but not alarming once it was cleaned up. Jada will monitor it at feed tonight and tomorrow morning and I will check him again tomorrow afternoon. He was a little less free with the left than the right when he walked, but was happy to bear plenty of weight on it. I suspect the contusion was the difficulty with the slight soreness. I gave him some bute and turned him out to help encourage circulation. I suspect he will be fine, and, to that end, we will closely monitor.

1/19/09 Warmed up in the arena with some rhythmic trot work and relaxed canter work. Then I took him out for a hack to see how he is outside of an arena, should the weather actually allow us someday to hunt. He is a natural. He looked intelligently at things, but did not shy, crossed an icy patch with sense and did some drift busting with good humour. Well done, Sammy.

1/17/09 Long walk warmup since he had had quite some time off due to the weather being so cold. Had a proper dressage school with shoulder in and leg yield in walk and trot, and enough canter work to keep a thoroughbred happy. Had a review of turn on the forehand which he found helpful--his leg yield improved after that. He feels great in his body. He is naturally lifting his back. Very nice work.

1/16/09 Trim and reset, added a little borium to the shoes and snow poppers to keep snow buildup out. Adequan shot given.

1/8/09 Al Garcia, horse postural specialist, gave Sammy an exam and rebalancing. He had an illium shift, his right shoulder was out. His L1 vertebrae was rotated right. His C1 was rotated right and he had a subluxation between c1 and c2 and between c2 and c3. His l3 was high and rotated right. He had a substack of L7. The long and short of it is that he had several moderate things going on, all of which were able to be addressed and I expect we'll see a change for the positive on an already nice horse. Sammy was serene during the exam and adjustment and emitted several long sighs of relief. He is to have tomorrow off.

1/7/09 Some walk warmup while a person was working a somewhat fractious horse on a longe line. Sammy looked at the horse with wonder and if he could have had a thought balloon over his head, I think it would have said, "Oh, you shouldn't do that. Bucking and goofing off is so not the way." He dealt with the distraction very well. Then on to trot work and shoulder in and leg yield. Then on to canter and then on to some jumping. I set up a small grid, with a small vertical, a placing pole 9' away and another jump 9' from that. He, surprisingly, refused it the first time, to which I simply growled and re-presented and he went over it. It was a little fast and tight and through calm repetition, he slowed down his rhythm and by the end was jumping through it nicely. He was wormed with pyrantel pamoate today.

1/6/09 After a walk and trot warmup, we did some jumping over a single obstacle. It was jump blocks on end with a 6' pole across the face of it, so small but narrow. He did very well to it, but did indicate that he would like to rush a bit. I let him jump it several times in each direction, without much input from me, to give him a chance to make the decision to give himself time to rearrange himself rather than do a slight fling. He did improve, and then I put in a 9' placing pole in front of it, over which he made a few awkward decisions, but ultimates relaxed and just popped over the pole and then the jump. We ended on jumping the placing pole and the jump and then halting straight, quietly, a few stides afterward. By the end he was softly jumping in a nice rhythm. Yay.

1/5/09 After a walk warmup and lateral work in the trot, we moved on to canter. He likes to lock his ribcage one way or another in canter, so we did a canter and counter canter exercise, with true canter along the ends of the arena and a simple change to counter canter on the long sides. He had a few mistakes at first but got it brilliantly at the end. We did a few flying changes after that that went well. Better to the right than left, but we can work on that. Very good.

1/2/09 Gave him his adequan today. I rode in the indoor where Jada was starting a horse to driving by long lining him while pulling a light wooden drag. Sammy was dubious, but not alarmed. He performed well despite the distraction. We did a lot of shoulder in and leg yield in walk, asking him to come through his body and to let my aids go through. He did well with it. Canter work was excellent with a few nice lead changes.

12/31/08 There was a carriage in the corner of the arena that I easily could have moved but it provided a lovely distraction to the horses where we could work on moving the rib cage where the rider requests it to go and to help them learn to stay focused with distraction. After a walk warm up, we did some lateral work in trot. Had a little more teeth grinding than usual today, but actually all the horses were a little tight today for some reason. Very subtle, not major. Canter work was quite good. When we went by the carriage, however, he was sure that he could move that ribcage over and look at it and lose his rhythm. We had some discussions about the approrpriateness of that approach and he came around nicely. Very good work.

12/30/08 After a walk warm up on and off contact, we did lots of canter work, including lengthening in and shortening of frame and stride. He did excellently, and he only ground his teeth once the whole session. He is getting more confident. I am delighted.

12/29/08 Warmed up with a lot of walk work, including leg yield and shoulder in. When asked to do lateral work he gets somewhat anxious, so I am keeping it slow so that he will slow down his brain and just listen to what is asked with each step rather than trying to guess. He is just darling and simply wants to do what is expected! He did very nicely and kept his rhythm nicely by the end of the warm up. We had some trot work, including trot leg yield, which went very well and his canter work was very good, with only a little grinding of teeth. He is starting to stretch over his topline a little more consistently.

12/28/08 Much milder weather after a few days of ice, wind and cold. Mid 30s today so back in the tack. They have been spending nights inside, but tonight, with low temps in the 20s and no wind, they will be out. Mounted up and he stood for mounting very politely. Then did some walk work, asking him to walk in a relaxed manner on contact, rather than anticipate transitions since he was on contact. He was a little tight at first, but came around nicely. Then some walk leg yield and then trot leg yield and trot shoulder in. Canter work today was quite good. Very little teeth grinding and a fair amount of good breathing.

12/23/08 A break here due to the cold snap, but back into the teens today, so back in the tack. He seemed happy to go and performed very well. He is coming over his back more consistently and doing less teeth grinding, and when he does grind, it is easier to encourage him to let go. Some very nice canter work today.

12/19/08 Sammy was given rhino/flu, teeth floated and sheath cleaned.

12/18/08 Big ice storm coming tonight so rode in the afternoon. Warmed up in walk work asking him to come over his back and down his neck. He was very good in it in walk and trot. He was grinding his teeth some at trot, but let go when requested and he is getting better and better about it. Canter work was lovely and relaxed and breathing, so much so that we did some flying lead changes. Much easier left to right than the other way, where he doesn't come clean in back. Not a major deal and we'll work on it in passing in the coming months. Did some walk and trot leg yield work which went well. He got his adequan shot after the ride and they will be staying in their snug stalls tonight while the freezing rain falls outside.

12/17/08 Oh, well, a heat wave of 11 degrees today, so we were out in it. Look ma, no bugs! His new bit arrived yesterday and I put it on his bridle. I didn't ask too much when we were warming up, just wanted to let him get a chance to try it out in his mouth. We did a fair amount of walk work, and some investigating of the mirrors which have strange frost patterns on them that were mystifying every horse I rode today. He was playing with the bit in a relaxed way throughout the walk and the trot work and even was slightly less prone to lock up when we were doing leg yield. That is coming along. We discussed shoulder in today, which is an easy concept for him and he mostly stayed forward to the bit in it, which is a good sign. We did some walk halts and trot halts in which he did tense in his throatlatch a bit, but coming along. His canter work was the real thrill, he breathed and was relaxed and did not grind his teeth once. In fact, the only time he ground his teeth today was once when I first asked him to take a step back. I am delighted with his progress and he thinks he's pretty cool too. ;-)

12/13/08 Really lovely weather out, 45 degrees. Footing still had some ice, though melting rapidly, but I thought the indoor was still a good option. We did a lot of walk work in warmup, with the usual encouragement for stretching to the bit, which he is starting to get more interested in understaking. Then some trot work, with lots of serpentines and bending. He is grinding his teeth less as he figures out how to loosen in his poll. In canter work he still grinds a fair bit, but it is improved and that is the name of the game. He's on the right track.

12/11/08 Lovely day, no wind. I thought about hacking outside, but there is too much ice to risk it when I have an arena to ride in. We rode while Jada drove another horse. Sammy remains dubious about that concept, but he minded well and gets better all the time with it. We did a lot of long and low work in walk and trot and leg yield in both gaits in the further effort to get him to stretch over his back. While doing canter work, the driver unhitched her horse and put the carriage down. We worked in a 20 m circle in trot right next to the dreaded object and we had some discussion about moving his ribcage where he is directed regardless of carriage monsters. He got on board very nicely. He's coming along fine. Cookies.

12/10/08 Brought him in, tacked up and rode in the indoor. Relatively mild 23 degrees. He stood well for mounting and even took a nice deep breath when I asked him to just chill out and relax and stand there for a few minutes. Excellent. I had just turned on the arena lights and one of them was buzzing in the cold in an unpredictable manner and he was only mildly upset by it. Very good. We did a lot of walk and trot work, asking him to come over his back and stretch down in his neck and keep his poll loose, which of course does not include teeth-grinding. We did a fair amount of walk leg yield where he came to understand that just quietly moving off the outside leg is all that is required. He is a pleaser and sometimes works himself up trying to find the "correct" answer. I am endevouring to show him that the right answer is usually very simple and nothing to get excited about. He is coming along in that regard. Had some good canter work, focusing on the stretch. He has lovely gaits, but some tension to release in all of them. He's a dear and I enjoy working with him. Carrots and an apple.

12/8/08 Brought him in, groomed up and tacked up and into the indoor. I have taken the noseband off entirely, since his difficulty is in keeping his mouth shut too tightly and grinding his teeth. I'd like to encourage him to let go and chew in a relaxed manner. He stood pretty nicely for mounting, mostly relaxed. We did a lot of walk work in which I encouraged him to stretch over his topline and down to the bit. He did quite well with it, but his belief is that he would like a rider to let go of the reins entirely and let him go on a slack rein. We really want him to stretch to the bit, and I am sure it will come. We did a lot of trot work, asking him to do more of the same, to come down and forward in his neck and also to keep his focus on his rider, he is a bit prone to watching birds or other horses or whatever. He needs help to get settled in his mind. We had some canter work, just asking him to come over his back and down his neck. He took some nice breaths in canter which is great. He is not yielding his ribcage yet to bend through this body, but that too will come. Very good horsie. Cookies.

12/4/08 He was out playing in the paddock, chewing on the mineral block with Kelsey. I brought him in, groomed and tacked up. I'm not a huge fan of the jointed bit or the cavesson, sorry. I think we can go with a milder bit (I always think this, but when I rode him he reminded me why) and I don't like the crank noseband because it is too easy to crank it down too tightly so that it pushes the horse's cheeks into his teeth, and if he has even the slightest sharp edge, it hurts. Not a big fan of the flash strap either as I like to get the horse comfortable in his mouth so that effectively tying his jaw shut becomes unnecessary. That is the goal, though I will admit that with some habitual tongue lollers, something has to be done, but that is not the case here. I am ordering a french link for him and will pull a plain noseband off another bridle I have and use it on him. All that said, he is an angel in the cross ties. While I groomed him he stood quietly square and did not move a muscle. Until the pony was hitched to the cart in the arean near him where he could see. This was not acceptable. to him. He was still mostly polite, but clearly shocked that that carriage was torturing that poor (lazily trotting, docile) pony. After I tacked up, I went out and quietly longed in the arena with the pony. Sammy was pretty upset about it, but eventually we were able to do walk, trot and canter with some semblance of order. Lovely gaits! Lots of horses get upset about seeing carriages pulled by horses, so this is just one thing for him to learn. Then I mounted up. He started to walk off before I picked up my stirrups, so we had a discussion about standing dead quietly while his rider mounts and only moves off when she says so. Then we did a lot of walk work while he dealt with the pony and carriage being near him and we discussed his relationship to the bit and transitions. I can see why he would be a little disconcerting to a rider because he does allow his attention to wander elsewhere and he is not confident about his relationship to the bit so he is habitually either tight against it or sucking behind it. We did some trotting, but the walk work for now is really the focus. He needs to learn to relax and stretch to a soft contact (which is where I am going with the french link) and to focus and trust his rider. I think he is a very brave and kind horse who has been getting by on being brave and kind. My goal, as I see it today, is to get him to be more trusting and confident in his rider, so that a partnership can bloom. Then the foxhunting and jumping fun begins!

12/3/08 Brought Sammy in from outside playing. I groomed him up and checked his feet. The borium he has is very light and one of the points on the left front had actually broken off. Not a big deal as he has other points. We worked in hand in the arena getting to know each other. He is quite polite on the ground, as you mentioned. He understands personal space issues, halts, backs up and yields to new direction well. However, he does like to lock his neck in a high position and generally allow his attention to go elsewhere. We worked on unlocking that neck and having him travel with it in a more relaxed manner and keeping this attention on his handler. Once he understood what I was asking, he was very happy to oblige and took some nice deep breaths, always a good thing. We did a series of patterns and exercises, all the while asking him to maintain the posture of a relaxed horse. He did quite well.

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