Verbal Cues

["Kathy Mayeda" <Kathy_Mayeda@atce.com>]

Title: Verbal Cues

I guess I do more verbal cues than I think I do.  I don’t talk to Beau a whole lot because we have many years together.  Usually it’s relegated to praise or reprimand, not for command cues, which I get from leg, seat and rein cues.  Every once in awhile, I’ll lean forward and “whoosh” in his ear if I want him to pick up a gallop.  I tend to talk to Beau more when someone else is riding him while I ride Drako, so that he knows that I’m paying attention to him anyway even if I’m not riding him.

With Drako, I’m still having a lot of conversation.  Like, “okay. baby, we can make it up the hill”, or low growls and “quit it!”, or “easy”……  I still rely on my physical aids more, including a slap on the shoulder (with a verbal “cut that out!”) for arguing with me, typically as we ride by the tie-rack at the barn.  He’s just a greenie.

K.