The boys successfully moved :D

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So this is being written whilst I sit at work, bored out of my brain because after a very early morning wake up call from my darling dog, it is safe to say I have overdosed with coffee. The result of this is that I am currently 100% ahead of the game in the office and am bouncing around like a Duracell bunny!!.
Moving the boys last night went like clockwork. And it's good to know that my methods are effective. I led the old pony and my mum led the racehorse.  Well about halfway into our journey (about half a mile) It was clear that Buzz (the racehorse) was tanking with mum a little.
Mum severed her cruciate ligament in her knee so has to be careful when leading pushy horses as her knee is liable to just give out. To save her knee we swapped over and Mum took over leading the much steadier Joe pony. I took over buzz and spent the rest of the journey putting some boundaries in place.
He received a firm half halt and a flex to the left every time that he got too fast. After three firm yet gentle corrections he really started to respond. He steadied his pace and started to keep his attention more on me. I was really impressed at how quickly he responded. I mean this is a horse that only gets handled these days for maybe 20 mins every few weeks.
It was also an eye opener for mum. Where I live the way that I work is different, and a lot of people poke fun at it and think that it's daft. Yesterday proved that it worked. Mum has also been incredibly supportive but she loves Buzz to pieces and lets him do what he wants. Now I also love Buzz but as I explained to her yesterday. With no boundaries, his respect for her will plummet and their relationship will suffer as a result. I showed her that she could discipline and gain respect from him in a non-violent way that provided a clear message.
His response was picture perfect. And mum said how much she would like to ride him again, there is no reason why she can't. He is healthy, sound and middle aged.  And I would be more than happy to re-introduce him to work and make him a safe mount for my mum. But like many racehorses, and many horses in general his groundwork was overlooked.
I may well take him on, re-establish the ground rules of interaction with humans etc and see if I can help her achieve the dream of riding the big fella again.

It was such a boost to see methods that I have developed over the years working, years of watching other people, observing my horses, making a lot of mistakes and learning a lot of lessons are finally starting to pay off.

So with food for thought I shall continue my day at work, and see what other plans I can come up with!


Here is a happy pic of the Joe pony, to brighten everyone’s Fridays! 


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