Last of the summer rides...

I know the wet dark winters that confine us to the indoor arena are right around the corner so I have been soaking up every bit of the sunshine I can when we ride. I have been taking Deuce and Flash on trial rides around the neighboring Christmas tree farm and we have even ventured out down the road and out across the main road a few times to the big hay field. Flash is pretty content to just poke along and follow Deuce wherever we happen to go.....

While on our ride, he was trying to "help" with Deuce's steering... going for the reins every time we stopped.... Flash succeeded in pulling the rein one time and poor Deuce turned his head just as he was asked to do and bonked his head into Flash. It was kinda funny. 

Deuce is so patient with the little one..

I'll show you Mr. Scary Bag!

I have been exposing Flash to all sorts of loud rustle noises around his body. "Sacking out" as many might call it.  The idea is that he learns that loud startling noises and movement near him, around him and on him is no big deal. And if he does find it alarming, to remember to respond to the handlers cues with "conditioned responses" as opposed to the flight instinct.

Flash has excellent ground manners and yields to pressure very well. We have a series of exercises we do to practice moving different parts of his body (hip, shoulder, move forward and back). Now the idea is to continue to remember those cues when there is more scary stuff in play. (and the "run away" instinct is in play).

We have been working with a crinkly paper feed sack and several plastic bags full of coke cans; noisy stuff! Feed sack went pretty well.... but we had the fact that it smells good working for us. Of course he wanted to put his nose allover it...  (see video!)

However, it was a different story when it was crinkly and to the side of him and then over his back. It took a few approach and retreat sessions before he would stand without moving his feet when the crinkly bag approached.  Eventually, he figured out the bag was not going to eat him and he could stand still without getting too worked up.
My goal is to get him comfortable with all the extra scary and loud things and then when I am in the saddle moving around, it will seem like no big deal. I have to say, I am rather proud of his progress and he is doing very well wit hall I have been teaching him. He is a smart and eager to please little fella.

Enjoying late summer afternoons with trail riding fun

I have been taking Flash out more with Deuce for pony rides and he is starting to figure out how to use his legs better and keep up with the big spotted one (yay!) We have been having lovely rides through the Christmas tree farm and we even took a ride down the road and out to the big open hay field!!! Flash followed Deuce's lead and took it all in stride; from out of no where barking dog, startled sheep, open spaces, to golfers, to interstate traffic in the distance, if something startled him, he would stop and take a moment to investigate before reacting. That's the way to use you noggin, little one!

See horse jump...

I had Flash out doing some ground work while there was a jump lesson going on. He seemed fascinated with the whole running and jumping concept. In several years, that will be us little man...