Re: RideCamp: Balker

[Farafix@aol.com]

Rachel,

We had a similar type discussion a  month or so ago about not crossing water.
My trainer taught me to wait the horse out when I was breaking my then 2 yr
old stud colt.  Rather than trying to get the horse to move (which just caused
rearing in my case!), I would just sit & sit & sit & sit until finally he
would get bored, relax, sigh, chew.  I would wait until I got a second bored
sigh & then ask for a step or 2 forward.  I would try to stop before he wanted
to stop (that way it was my command), and then wait & wait & wait some more
This takes an INCREDIBLE (!!!!!!!!) amount of patience.  But it's safe.  The
horse is looking for a fight, & they get a bit perplexed when one is not
offered (this mitigates to some extent the waiting; its sort of fun to see
their confused expression as they gear up for a fight & then none is coming).
I sat for 20 minutes 1 time while my 2 yr old decided that a car going down
the neighbor's driveway was not a horse-eating tiger.  If I had pushed him, I
would probably have ended up on the ground.  He finally got so bored, that we
were able to move on.
It seems counter-intuitive, but it worked for me (we are now able to complete
50 milers in the top 10, so there is hope that you will someday be able to
move forward at speed without too much of a fight!!!).

Good luck,

Nancy
Md
Tempo ok I'll go if that's my only choice, it's soooo boring just standing
here


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