Even though Wrangler is nearing ten years old in this post, and has been ridden before, my approach to training is always the same way with all of my animals…as if they have never been trained. They need the highly structured Core Strength Leading Exercises in the Hourglass Pattern first, followed by adding Coordination over and through obstacles, straight through them to oversome fear and build confidence, and later, broken down into very small Balancing tasks. Once they have solidified their good posture and ideal body carriage, only then are they ready to begin work in the Round Pen. Wrangler completed his Leading Exercises in the Hourglass Pattern and will do more work there, but for the sake of variety to his routine, I opted to graduate him to some work in the Round Pen. In this post, you will also see how we deal with spring shedding effectively and how we get tack and equipment to fit nicely for good health and optimum performance.
Simple hairbrush bristles remove more undercoat
The loose hair on top scrapes off easily
Place girth 4 inches from forearm
Lossen crupper strap & insert tail
Adjust snugly, but not tight
Much improved walking in sync
Proper turn through the gate
More impulsion & flexibility at walk left
First offer to trot easily
Begin reverse
Improved posture & balance at walk right
Offer to trot right
Hindquarter engagement before halt
Improved in sync back to work station
Slide saddle back to loosen crupper – learns to stand quietly
Remove saddleBristles are longer which is enough to get it all
No more shedding blade hair breakage
Adjust back girth snug enough to hold the saddle down
