Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Beautiful day!  We worked with Brego some more in the pasture (more of that important ground work) then went for a short ride out from the house.  On the ride we practiced gaiting a bit, and turning, particularly to the left, which Brego isn't as good at.  There are so many things to think about all the time, to keep Brego in his prime and be a good leader for him.  On the way back, Brego began to take off on me a couple of times, so I had to slow him down and "retreat" a bit on the way home.  I don't know if he was just anxious to get back to the barn (be turned out to roll, see his buddies and then get some dinner) or if he was nervous about something in the wind. Anyway, we slowed down (even though it was getting late and we were hungry) and took some detours to get Brego's mind off going home to the barn.  When we got back, he got to stand still while tied to the trailer for awhile, to get him out of the habit of always getting his rewards the mintue he gets home.

Tim also is working with me on learning and teaching Brego to move towards me when I want to mount him from the mounting block or step.  He thought of some new, good techniques that seem to be working!  I'm also changing the way I hold the rope in my hands, more the way Karen Scholl was demonstrating, which seem to help.

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