Improvements, Lets use the Thinking side!

Work is decidedly crippling my time at the  moment, however this week my focus has been on encouraging these ponies to use the thinking side of their brains.

 For example, Stella likes to rush, run and react when ridden. 

So I have started some groundwork to help her think about doing things a little differently. 

Lots of Yeilding to pressure and moving her feet in different directions, anything and everything to get her to think. 

Also this puts me in a better place when it comes to riding her, if I can move her feet then I have much more control.

Stella is a dominant mare, which in my opinion is what makes her reactive. 

She is seeing it as her job to look out for danger and to protect her herd. 

So what does that mean for me?

Time for me to become leader. 

Now that doesn't mean dominating her, or scaring her. 

 I want her to respect me, not fear me.

I want her to trust me, its my job to deal with danger, not hers. 

Basically I want to take that responsibility from her, so that she might be able to relax a little.

As you can see she is always alert, always on the look out. 

And when she is like this she struggles to focus on what I might suggest we do. 

She rushes and spooks herself.

Her Aunty Dee came for a lesson on her yesterday, and we put this theory to the test a little, lots of changes of direction and circles ect. 

Much to my satisfaction it worked. 

Stella relaxed and by the end of the session we had a beautiful steady trot instead of a racing trot.

If we can carry one like this I think she will improve rapidly!

Dee and Stella make a great team and its lovely to see her relax in the school with someone other than myself or Gabbi.

Shes a mare that doesn't trust easily so its a credit to anyone that can earn that trust!

Now, onto the other little beast. 

Thimble excelled herself the other day, one of her explosions resulted in me being kicked. (Nothing major, not even a bruise) And Thimble earning herself a few new names!!

The reason for this explosion.... no idea! Apparently nothing!!! 

Thimble has respect issues, having been hand reared if she gets in a tantrum she deals with you in the way she would deal with another horse, because she doesn't distinguish between horse and human. 

So Yesterday saw some lunging for respect, seeing as she is much to small for me to ride we have to establish everything through ground work.

So in the same way that Stella did lots of direction changes and transitions, so did Thimble. 

It all works the same.

Thimble has much less Respect for me than Stella does but we still achieved some good results.

When the rain backs off we might just do another session today. Failing that I need to build a round pen to really achieve the results that I want to.

Eyes peeled folks, this will get interesting.