Training Horse Profile: Wrigley the Mustang

 Training Goals:

• Start under saddle
• Continue to build confidence and trust

Wrigley is a four-year-old mustang that was recently acquired by a teenaged girl.  She had been spending a lot of time with him, introducing him to lots of things, and working on ground work.  While she really wanted to do all of his training herself, Wrigley could be a little flighty and unpredictable and they decided that it would be best to have him started by someone with a little more experience.

With a horse that has limited exposure to humans and is more wary of interacting with them, I slow down the training process as much as needed.  Slower is always better in the long run, and more foundational work is always beneficial!  Had his owner not put in all the time before bringing him to me, he would likely have been with me much longer.  Since she had put in so much work, I was able to get him going in about 30 days.

He was pretty suspicious of strangers, so my first challenge was actually being able to get close to him!

Day 1:  Wrigley was not interested in letting me get anywhere near him for quite awhile.  We got acquainted after bribing with a few treats and he let me pet his face.  That was a much as he was comfortable with and any attempt to get closer resulted in him retreating.

Day 2:  His teen owner visited today and helped me out by catching him for me.  Her mom says she is the only person Wrigley likes 😂  Once he was haltered, we were able to move to the round pen.  Worked on lunging, desensitizing to the saddle pad, and attempted to desensitize him to the saddle.  Despite being saddled several times before, he acted like he had never seen one before!  We decided to move on to working on yields, lowering the head, flexing- not super cooperative.

Day 3:  Lunge, desensitizing to saddle pad, whip, and fly spray.  He is absolutely terrified of the fly spray.  Even bringing the bottle near him causes him to try to bolt away.

Day 4:  Used the mini saddle today to help desensitize him-- way easier on my shoulder when I take it on and off a million times in a row.  Continued to work on desensitizing him to the whip and he was much more relaxed.  Added the plastic bag, which he was ok with it touching him and very not ok with it waving in the air.  He was a little better with the fly spray.  Lunged him with the surcingle.

Day 5:  Desensitized with the mini saddle, whip, and bag.  Some spooking today but better than yesterday.  Saddled him up with the real saddle, which he was a little shy about but we got it done.  Desensitized him to flopping stirrups while lunging.  This spooked him a lot but he eventually got used to it.  Took the bridle pretty well.

Day 10: Practiced saddling with the mini saddle. He backed away the first time I brought out the big saddle, but once it was on his back he stood pretty well for saddling.  Reviewed the flopping stirrups on the lunge line with no significant spooking.  Introduced him to the rock jug. He was scared of it when I was holding it, but once it was tied to the saddle he handled it pretty well-- only speeding up a little in the beginning.  Reviewed whip and stick bag.  Some spooking in the beginning when twirling the whip in the air.  He took the bit quickly, eager for the treat, and we introduced the side reins. 

Day 11:  Practiced saddling with the mini saddle first and then the regular saddle.  He backed up only one time with each one.  Reviewed noisy jug at shoulder, then tied it farther back with no further reaction. The plastic bag, however, was terrifying when it was tied on and he bolted around the ring several times at full speed before settling down. Worked with the bit, side reins, and flexing off of the bit pressure.  He must have tweaked something when he bolted because by the end of the training session he seemed to come up a bit lame.

Day 12:  Saddled with both the mini saddle and the regular saddle but only backed away the regular saddle.  Lunged with the plastic bag on both sides with very little spooking.  Introduced ground driving. He ran off at the when bit pressure was applied but started to get the hang of it towards the end.  Off a bit. 

Day 13:  Continued to work on ground driving while using the surcingle.  He did better than yesterday but he really doesn't like anyone directly behind him.  When changing directions, he makes the fastest turn possible so that he can keep me along side of him.  Backed up once when saddling.  Desensitized him to saddle noises/movement: slapped the stirrups, jumped next to him, and hopped in the stirrup.  He handled it pretty well on the left side, but was more nervous on the right side (as he is with most things).  Lameness a little better today.

Day 14:  Ground driving went pretty well today.  He is flexing better as well.  Desensitized him by slapping the saddle with the whip and plastic bag.  Stood in both stirrups, but he was better on the left side.

Day 15:  Continued to work on improving flexion to bit pressure.  Reviewed bag desensitizing on the saddle.  Stood in the stirrups. 

Day 16:  Reviewed bit flexing and bag desensitizing.  Increased the difficulty by tying the bag near his hip.  He bolted numerous times until finally settling down.  Repeated on the opposite time and thankfully it took less time for him to get used to it.  He was good with me standing in the stirrups.  Practiced fly spraying. 

(3 weeks later)

Day 17:  Wrigley is back after a break for a few weeks so me and my family could recover from illness. Reviewed ground driving and lunging with the plastic bag on the saddle.  He remembered everything and did really well! 

Day 18:  More review with saddle desensitizing and bit pressure.

Day 19:  Owners stopped by to watch.  Saddle and bit exercises review, stood in stirrups.

Day 20:  Review continued.  He is about as ready as he can be.  Time to challenge him with the next big step.

Day 21:  First Ride! Things seemed to be going well at first.  He stood calmly while I mounted, swung my leg over him, and eased onto his back.  After I had been sitting in the saddle for a few seconds, he suddenly panicked and launched me off  over his head.  Unfortunately, it was not caught on video, but his owners said I did a very nice front flip over his head 😂  The second attempt went more smoothly and he remained relatively calm, although we mostly did small left circles. 

Day 22:  Oof, I am sore today!  I am hobbling pretty good and my calf is too swollen to attempt a second ride.  

Day 23:  2nd ride!  Got him to move forward a little more and he only thought about spooking once.  His teen owner helped encourage him forward with the whip to make it easier on my sore body. 

Day 24:  3rd ride!  He is doing better moving forward but still very slow.  He was a little more challenging to saddle today.

Day 25:  His teen owner helped my today by encouraging him forward with the whip.  He spooked and bolted once.  We even managed to do some trotting!

Day 26:  Wrigley came out of the pasture pretty stocked up in the hind legs.  I hopped in the saddle very briefly.  He walked around slowly and at one point decided to lay down 😂  After the short session, we gave him some anti-inflammatories and coated his hind legs with lineament. 

Day 27:  Letting Wrigley rest today.  Hand walked him a bit and applied new lineament.

Day 28:  Repeat of yesterday.

Day 29:  After a few days off of work, plus the weekend, Wrigley is a back to normal.  We took it easy and did a light ride at the walk.  He thought about bolting once.  10/4 legs mostly better. Light ride at the walk. Thought about bolting once. Kept stopping and stretching out.

Day 30:  His legs are looking good.  Improvement on riding today.  No spooking and he walked around at a slow but steady pace.  Less stopping attempts than yesterday.

Day 31:  Good ride today.  He still is walking pretty slow, but keeps a steady pace and does not need as much encouragement to keep going.

Now that Wrigley had several rides on him and was no longer looking to bolt, his owner was ready to take him home and continue his training herself.  They have sent me multiple updates over the next few months of his progress.  He has continued to grow in confidence under saddle and now goes out on the trails and fields like a seasoned trail horse.  While he may have been a little slower to catch on to a rider, he is a fabulous trail partner now.  His teen owner commented that he was one of the calmest horses she had ever ridden.  We would not have said that at the beginning of his training!

In Training August 9-24 and September 15- October 6, 2021

Training Horse Profile: Juan the Paint

 Training Goals:

• Learn to Pick up Feet
• Groundwork
• Start under Saddle
• Trail Miles

Juan is a an 8 year old Registered Paint Horse gelding.  He was bred and raised by his owners and has been happily living life in the pasture, but now it is time for him to learn basic handling and get started under saddle.  His owner worked with him a little on haltering and leading before he came to me, but otherwise he has no training.

The first task was to work on basic handling, desensitizing, and to learn to pick up feet so we could get his feet trimmed up.

Day 1: Juan was a little unsure of being haltered and led to the round pen.  Once in the round pen, we worked on lowering the head, yields, and learning to lunge.  He picked up lunging pretty well.  Desensitized him to the plastic bag.  After initial suspicion, he accepted it well.

Day 2: Reviewed lowering head, yields, and lunging.  Desensitized to the plastic bag, lunge whip, and saddle pad.  The only thing he was unsure of was picking up his feet-- practiced right front.

Day 3: Reviewed of yesterday's lessons.  Practiced picking up feet.  He moves away in circles but I was able to pick up the front feet briefly.

Day 4: Worked on lowering the head, yielding with lowered head, leading off to the side.  A large rain puddle gave us the opportunity to desensitize to water.  Practiced picking up the front feet pick up.  First time with the saddle placed on back. 

Day 5:  Desensitized to putting the saddle on his back with and without the saddle pad.  Reviewed ground work and practiced picking up front feet. Introduced him to the rock jug, which he accepted without issue.

Day 6: Saddled him up and he was practically sleeping.  Probably the most relaxed first saddling ever. Lunged him at the walk and briefly at the trot with zero issues.  Moving a little off today but no limb swelling.  Did some saddle desensitizing.  I was able to pick up both front feet and he allowed me to hold the right for several times for a few seconds.  He was more wary of the left front so I was only able to pick it up briefly before he pulled it away. 

Day 7: Juan stood perfectly for saddling and lunged without issues at the walk and trot.  Still a little off.  Worked on saddle desensitizing which caused him very mild spooks.  Picked up both front feet for a few seconds each.  Rubbed him down with plastic bag and shook it around with no spooking. Picked up his left hind leg briefly a couple of times.

Day 8: Cleaned out both front feet for the first time!  He is doing great.  Saddled and lunged with the rock jug and plastic bag at the walk and trot.  Looking sound today.  Put weight in stirrup and hopped up a bit and he really wasn't too concerned about that. 

Day 9: Picked out both front feet and picked up both hinds briefly.  Saddled and introduced him to the bit.  Lunged with the plastic bag at the walk, trot, and canter.  Worked on flexing with the bit and backing.  He is not a fan of the bit. 

Day 10: Picked out front feet and lifted both hinds.  Saddled, bridled, and lunged with side reins.  He fought them for a while before figuring out how to give to the bit and and lower his nose.  Stood in each stirrup.  

Day 11: Picked out both front and lifted both hinds.  Saddled, bridled, and lunged with side reins.  Yesterday he wanted to keep his nose way up, today he overcompensated and had his nose practically on the ground.  Worked on backing and flexing to the bit. 

Day 12: Picked out both front feet and lifted hind feet.  Used the surcingle today to practice ground driving.  He did ok with it.  Fought turning some but no freaking out.

Day 13:  Practiced ground driving.  He kept turning opposite of the bit pressure. Better at flexing. Good backing. Good head position.

Day 14: Picked out all four feet.  Practiced ground driving.  He is improving and better at turning.  Good flexing.  Stood in stirrup both sides.

Day 15: Planning on first ride today.  Lunged at the walk, trot, and canter.  Reviewed flexing.  First ride no spooking!  Took him a little while to get him to move his feet and go forward.  Backed easily.

Day 16:  Second ride.  Lunged briefly and then rode at the walk and trot.  He moved out right away and turned ok.  Trotted him a little but he seemed a little eager to bolt.  Picked out all four feet.

Day 17: Third ride.  Lunged briefly and rode at the walk and trot.  He was better with the trotting but did not really want to stop and stand or back up.  He improved towards the end.  Practiced turning using the barrels as guides.  He struggles a bit turning left.

Day 18: Lunged and rode at the walk and trot.  Better at turning today.  Picked out all four feet.

Day 19: Lunged briefly and rode at the walk, trot, and canter.  First canter was brief but went well.  He was better at turning and good at stopping and backing.  Started working on hindquarter pivots and trotting through turns.

Day 20: Rode at the walk and trot and continued working on hindquarter pivots.

Day 21: Rode briefly at the walk today.  He just wasn't feeling right at the trot so I wanted to take it easy on him.  Good hindquarter pivots and turning.

Day 22: Reviewed picking up feet.  Worked on hindquarter pivots and turning.  Rode in the pasture where he had quite the mind of his own and did not want to go where I wanted to go.  Kept attempting to run off in the direction he wanted to go and sniffing the ground.

Day 23: Light ride in the round pen and then headed to the pasture.  Juan did not want to go in the direction I asked at first.  Rode by the pond and he was a little nervous of the bench and canoe but eventually walked by everything.

At this point, Juan continued to have intermittent mild lameness that did not change with rest or exercise, with no limb swelling.  After speaking with the owners, we opted to continue to do walk-only trail rides and continue to monitor it.

Day 24: Ride by the pond.

Day 25: Led him over bridge.  Juan did not want to step on it at all but after he was crossed it once he was good.  Trail ride over bridge and around flat.

Day 26: Took him on a trail ride to picnic area.  One little jump at squirrel, but otherwise was great.

Day 27: Took him on trail ride through timber and back field. Spooked at the hunting shack after we were close enough to touch it.

Day 28: Arena too sloppy/slippery to ride so we reviewed some ground work and then Juan got pampered with a complete full grooming.

Day 29: He started walking off as I was halfway on so I checked him back with reins and he immediately started bucking.  After I made my exit, he proceeded to buck for a lap and a half before stopping.  I lunged him out and he acted normal, so I got back on and he did not make any further attempts to buck.

After the bucking incident, we opted to rest him for a few days in case the bucking was triggered by pain.  Since his feet had never been trimmed, we had the farrier come out to check for any feet issues that could be contributing to this.  He did very well for his first trim.  The farrier did not find any issues with the feet that he felt was contributing to the lameness.  While we had planned on 2-3 months of training to put a lot of miles on him and give him a lot of hours on the trails, we decided to pause his training and move him back home until he could be evaluated by a vet and chiropractor.

Update 1/10/22: Juan's owner emailed me that he is nice and fat and doing well.  They opted to rest him awhile and wait on having him evaluated by the vet for the lameness.  The good news is that the lameness seems to have resolved on its own!

In Training July 12- August 24

Trailer Training: Flicka

Training Goals:

• Load Consistently
• Gain confidence in trailer

Flicka was here in 2020 for training to address several behavioral issues.  We worked some on trailering then, but that wasn't the focus.  Read about her previous training, here.  Her owner was not able to get her into the trailer, so instead he rode her 25 miles (!) to get her to me.  It was quite the surprise when he showed up on horseback.  It took him about 8 hours, but he frequently stopped to let her rest. Talk about dedication!

Her owner has been very happy with the improvements that were made in her behavior last her and many of the issues we worked on previously are no longer a problem.  One of her biggest issues was getting her feet trimmed, as she would rear, strike, and kick while the farrier was trying to trim her feet. Since coming for training last year, she now stands nicely for the farrier.  Her owner told me that his farrier said, "she was like a new horse" and that sending her to training had been "money well spent".  So great to hear!

She is very nervous about the trailer, which presents in aggressive behaviors.  She may bite or strike. And rears frequently.  Her owner has had her since she was a year old and since she never left the home property she never really learned how to trailer.  Because of her trailer anxiety, it was important to build her confidence by making the trailer a positive experience and reward her for steps in the right direction. 

3 feet in...small steps forward

Because she has a tendency to respond aggressively when she is anxious, extreme care was taken to ensure my safety while working with her.  While aggressive behaviors are not tolerated, they are dealt with fairly.  A few examples:

Rearing: This was her automatic response to halter pressure.  If she decided to rear instead of stepping forward, I would simply send her out in a small circle, continually moving her forward for a few minutes before applying halter pressure again.  This reduced the rearing response considerably.

Biting:  A natural consequence works best when it comes to biting, but it does require recognizing the behavior is coming before it happens.  When she would go to bite, I would bump her nose with my elbow.  This makes most horses think that they are somehow doing it to themselves and eliminates the behavior over time.

Backing up instead of going forward:  This was another very common response for her.  If she wanted to back up instead of moving forward with me, I had her back up until I ran out of room to back her up.  Some days it felt like we did more steps backwards than forwards!  This is another example of a natural consequence.  Backing up is much harder work than walking forward and they soon decide it is less effort just to walk forward when asked.  

Day 1: Led into trailer up to back legs.  She had all four feet in briefly before backing out.  More pressure on the lead only causes her to back away.  Worked on asking her to step forward by tapping her hindquarters with the whip but that gets her riled up pretty quickly (i.e.: rearing).

Day 2: She had quite a bit of attitude (pinning ears and biting) when I when to catch her.  Led into the trailer up to her back legs and was relaxed about that but got very worked up (backing out and rearing) when asked for more.

Day 3: She was more willing to get in the trailer halfway.  She only reared a few times when I brought the whip out to ask her to step forward.  She briefly had all four feet in one time while using the whip (as an extension of my arm only) to tap her forward.

Day 4: Today we were able to get all four feet in the trailer several times!  Sometimes while using the whip and once or twice of her own decision.  She backs out quickly and is very worked up once she is out, even after the times she went in on her own.  Only reared a few times.

Day 5: A bit on the ornery side today.  More resistant to leading into the trailer but got all four feet in a couple of times with the help of the whip behind.  I backed her up when she backed without me asking and lunged her when she refused to go forward.

Day 6: Success pretty quickly today so the lesson was short!  She led all the way into the trailer on the 3rd attempt and didn't immediately back out.  Stood nibbling on the snacks for about a minute until I asked her to back out.  Ended on a good note!

Day 7: She led all the way in 3-4 times.  No rearing!  She stood and nibbled on the snacks for a bit.  I backed her up 50+ feet when she backed out without me asking her to first.

Day 8: No rearing!  She led all the way in several times and ate inside until I backed her out.  She even loaded all the way with me standing outside the trailer.

Positive Reinforcement- Food Rewards

Now that she is leading into the trailer pretty consistently, I need to build her confidence to be in the trailer by herself and be comfortable with someone behind her.

Day 9: She went in every time at first...until I started trying to walk behind her.  She got nervous and started refusing to go in and rearing when asked to lead in.

Day 10: She led into trailer and stayed every time until I started walking behind her. Only refused to load once but backed out as soon as I walked behind her. She was in far enough that I could have closed the butt bar.

Day 11: She led into trailer almost every time. I walked behind her a dozen times and she backed out every time. Tried to cue her forward with a crop when she started backing out but that didn't deter her and then she was hesitant to get back in.

Day 12: I was finally able to walk behind her without her backing out!  Repeated that exercise several times. To start to get her comfortable with the noise of the doors moving, I worked on closing the opposite rear door.  She backed out the first few times but got comfortable with it.  She kept her eye on me... she was definitely suspicious!

Stretching as far as possible to
keep the hind feet out!

Day 13: I was able to close the door behind her. When she backed up and felt the door, she panicked pretty hard and was pushing super hard against the door. She actually pushed the rubber mat up under herself. She wasn’t real interested in getting back in after that, although I was able to get all feet back in eventually.

Day 14: She would lead all the way in most of the time but was quick to back out. Sometimes progress is one step forward, two steps back.

Day 15: Owner here today.  She was pretty suspicious and did not want to get in the trailer with him standing nearby.  I showed him what to do and he worked with her while I rode another horse.  After I was finished, we worked together.  I used the whip to keep her from backing out and closed the door.  She was nervous, but stayed relatively calm with her owner in the trailer with her.  After about a minute, I opened the door and he backed her out.

Day 16: Owner worked with her again today.  She would lead all the way in but would back out if he tried to walk behind her to close the door.  She got much more agitated when using the whip to cue her forward but we did close the door twice and she stood quietly for a few minutes.

Day 17:  Owner here again.  She got in for him most of the time and we were able to close the door 3 times. She seemed more relaxed and I did not have to use the whip to cue her forward once I started closing the door. The last time she did back into the door as I was opening it and forced it open. She was a little on edge after that so I stood out of sight alongside the trailer until she was in and then walked behind to close the door. Also worked on her stepping forward from the whip away from the trailer.

Building her confidence

Day 18: Now that she is loading all the way in consistently when I lead her, it is time to start working on her loading on her own.  To ask her to load, I lead her towards the trailer with the rope over her neck. When we reach the back of the trailer, I remain outside and ask her to continue forward and step in.  She was very uncomfortable with this at first and would crowd into my space instead of going forward into the trailer.  Eventually I was able to get her to load by herself and she did so several times. 

Day 19: Loaded from back much better today. Swung door closed (not latched) a few times, walked away from trailer with the door open and she did not back out!

Day 20: She loaded from behind for the most part but got a bit stuck at one point and didn’t want to go in unless I led her in. Swung the door closed a few times but she was a little eager to back out with that.

Day 21: Her owner brought his other horse over today to practice loading with both of them.  We had thought that she would be eager to see her buddy and be more relaxed in the trailer, but it really had the opposite effect.  She was more nervous from the beginning and much more aggressive towards whoever was asking her to load.  Lots of refusals and rearing.

Day 22: Much more relaxed today and loaded for her owner most of the time. He was able to load her from the back and swing the door closed many times. Was able to latch the door and took her for a 15 min ride. She was sweaty upon return but rode quietly.  Excellent day!

Day 23: She loaded into trailer every time. I was able to swing the door closed several times but sometimes backed out.

Day 24: Loaded well and was better with the door.

Day 25: She started out a little nervous but settled into loading well and was pretty good with door. Held it closed for a couple of minutes.

Day 26: She loaded well, I closed the door, she sat quietly for a few minutes, did not back into the door, AND stayed in once I opened door!

Success!

Day 27: Owner here today.  He loaded her up and took her for a ride.  She sat quietly for awhile once they returned.  After unloading, he asked her to reload.  She got back in but was a little quick to back out.  After a few minutes of working with her, she did not back out until she was asked to.

Day 28: Moved the trailer to a new location to help Flicka learn to be comfortable in different loading locations.  She was more nervous and distracted but she did load on the 3rd attempt, although she quickly backed out.  After a few times, she relaxed and stayed in the trailer.

Day 29: She loaded after a few tries and I closed door.  She did not try to back up until I walked towards the back of the trailer to open the door.  She was a little quick to back out afterwards so reloaded her several times until she stayed put.

Day 30: She loaded after a few tries and was quick to back out first couple times.  Once she was staying put, I closed the door.  She sat nicely until I opened the door, then backed out before asking. She was quick to back out the next few times, so I reloaded her until she stayed.

Day 31: Loaded right away and closed door.  Rewarded her by ending the session.

Day 32: She loaded on the 3rd ask and I shut the door. Stayed in once I opened door.  Owner had planned to pick her up today but he was unexpectedly hospitalized.  

Day 33: She wouldn’t load in until I led her in. I shut the door and she backed into it a couple times until she settled down.  She stayed in when I opened door.

Day 34: I led her in once, backed her out, and then asked her to load.  I closed the door and she stayed in when I opened door after a few minutes.

Day 35: Moved the trailer onto the driveway.  She was more nervous and only would lead halfway in for the first few attempts.  Then, she would lead all the way in but  would back out quickly.  Finally, she led all the way in and stayed.  I backed her out, asked her to reload and closed the door.  She backed out fairly quickly when I opened door so I reloaded her until she stayed put.

Day 36: Flicka loaded great today!  Until...she had a moment of panic and managed to fall down in the trailer.  Picture a good-sized horse in a small two-horse trailer.  She is sort of laying on her side so her legs are out underneath the divider instead of underneath her body.  She, of course, is frantically trying to stand back up and with the speed of her motions she is not able to get traction.  For a moment, I wasn't sure what I was going to do...when she was finally (it felt like a long time but it was probably less than a minute 😆) able to get back up.  Needless to say, she was not too keen on getting back in the trailer after that!  It took me quite awhile to get her to lead back into the trailer with all four feet.  She was scheduled to go home tomorrow, so this was very unfortunate!

Day 37: I came down with something last night that has me pretty laid up in bed.  Fortunately, I have been working with her owner on loading Flicka, so he was able to get her loaded by himself.  I was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to do it since she had the bad experience yesterday, but he got the job done!

Flicka made a lot of progress in the time that she was here.  She still has some hesitancy with the trailer, especially when it is not in a familiar place, but her anxiety about it has improved immensely.  With continued patience and consistency, I have no doubt that Flicka will soon be loading as well as she stands for the farrier!

In training July 6- August 27, 2021

 

Training Horse Profile: Highlife

 Training Goals:

• Start under saddle
• Trail riding

Highlife is a 4 year old gelding (believed to be a Quarter Horse/Arabian cross).  He is super cute with a sweet personality.  He came to his owner with another horse that they had purchased and they had decided that it was time to get him broke to ride.  They plan to use him for trail riding for their family.  He has basically no prior training other than basic halter training. His owners planned on 90 days of training as they are more novice riders and wanted him to have a solid foundation and some miles under saddle.

Day 1: Taught Highlife to lunge.  He was pretty nervous being in a new place without his buddies from home.

Day 2: He remembered the lunging lesson from yesterday! Taught him how to yield his forehand and hindquarters, which he learned quickly.  Desensitized with the plastic bag.  He found that a little scary on each side but got used to it pretty quickly.

Day 3: Reviewed yields and lunging.  Some bucking at the canter but it looked like he was just having some fun.  He was better with the plastic bag.  I introduced him to the surcingle and he handled that well.

Day 4: Reviewed ground work and taught him to cross the step bridge.  Tied the plastic bag to the surcingle while lunging and he did not spook.  Introduced him to the saddle pad.

Day 5: Lunged him with the rock jug and no spooking.

Crossing the Step Bridge

Day 6: Introduced him to the saddle.  Some mild bucking at the canter.  Desensitized him using the stirrups.

Day 7: Still mild bucking at the canter.  Introduced him to the bit.

Day 8: Lunged him with the side reins to introduce him to bit pressure.  Worked on giving to the bit from the ground.  Very resistant to the bit pressure.

Day 9: Stood perfectly for saddling.  Better with the side reins.  Tied the plastic rock jug at his flank on both sides.  Totally cool with with the plastic bag on the whip.  Desensitized to me hopping the stirrup, which he was a little unsure about.

Day 10: He was a bit concerned about the running tractor, so he had to race around a bit on the lunge line before he settled down.  Worked on giving to the bit.  Continued to desensitize to hopping in the stirrup.

Day 11: Lunged in the side reins.  Tied plastic bag to saddle wile lunging.  Continued bit work.  Stood in stirrup.

Day 12: Side reins while lunging.  Worked on getting him to stay at each gait until asked to change instead of immediately charging into the canter.

Day 13: Better at staying in gait.  Reviewed bit work.  Stood in stirrup on each side for several seconds.

Day 14: 1st ride!  It took a little while to start moving forward but overall it was a very uneventful ride.

Day 15: 2nd ride.  Rode at the walk and trot!  He got a little spooked at the first trot and tried to run off.  The one-rein stop brought him back under control.  Fast-paced walking today.

Day 16: Worked on riding in circles at the walk, stopping, and backing.

Day 17: Worked on trying to trot without running off.  He was able to trot without bolting a few times but he is definitely nervous about it.

Day 18: Rode at the walk and trot.  Was able to go a full circle at the trot without bolting.

Day 19: Rode at the walk and trot and was much better at the trot.

Day 20: Highlife was a little excitable today.  He just wanted to canter and it took him quite awhile to decide to slow down.  Worked with side reins.

Day 21: Ground driving to work on better turning response.  Rode at the walk and trot and he was much better.

Day 22: Reviewed ground exercises.  Practiced switching directions on the lunge line.

Over the weekend, he was anxious about the thunderstorm and decided to join Annie in the adjoining pasture, amazingly with no damage to the fence.  I only had to reattach one wire.

Ground Driving

Day 23: Rode at the walk and trot.  He trotted much better and maintained a nice steady pace for the most part.  Started working on pivots which he did decently.  Stopping and backing he did well.

Day 24: Some bucking at the canter today on the lunge line but he was good under saddle.  Maintained a nice, steady trot.  Started working on trotting small circles and figure 8's but he has a hard time turning.

Day 25: Better at turning while trotting today.

Day 26: The little stinker managed to go through the lower wire of the fence without breaking the upper wire and was happily hanging out in the adjoining pasture with Annie.  He was a little sad to be separated after I had finished fixing the fence.

Grabbing a snack after a roll.

Day 27: Highlife was extra spritely on the lunge line.  He spooked a few times under saddle but he was better at trotting through the figure 8's.  Started working on the side pass.

Day 28: Calmer today.  He's been a little spooky about the saddle pad recently, so did some desensitizing with the pad.  Rode at the walk and trot.  Worked on the side pass.  He did well moving off the right leg but struggled to figure out how to move off the left leg.

Day 29: Switched up his bit to see if it would help him give a little better.  He did not pull as much but definitely was a different feel for him.  He spooked a few times by the manure pile but I was able to get him to trot slower and more relaxed.

Day 30: Pretty relaxed today.  Used the same bit as yesterday.  Worked on side pass, pivots, and figure 8's.  First canter on the left lead!

Day 31: Same bit.  Fabulous canter and picked up both leads.  Very good boy today!

Day 32: Switched to an O-ring snaffle but he didn't do super great with that.  Rode in the small pasture and spooked at a frog but otherwise he was pretty good.

Day 33: Very nervous about the new dirt piles and trees outside of the round pen.  Worked on side passing.  Rode in the small pasture and he tried to move sideways away from the new piles of stuff but eventually went up to investigate everything and stepped over a log.  Lead him around by the pond and over the bridge.

Day 34: His side passes were good today and he rode well in the small pasture.  Rode by the pond and stack of tires and he jumped a few times at a fish splash but otherwise was pretty good.  He was not a fan of the big puddle and it took awhile to get him to ride through it.

Day 35: Rode at the walk, trot, and canter and nice side pass. Trail ride through the pasture, by the pond, bridge and flat.  A few spooks but better than Annie.

Crossing the Bridge

Day 36: Rode at the walk, trot, and canter.  Trail ride through the flat and out to the west field.  He did fabulous with only a few minor spooks.  Practiced stalling as well while I worked with another horse.

Day 37: A little distracted in the beginning of the ride but rode at the walk, trot, and canter.  Trail ride by pond.

Day 38: Rode at the walk, trot, and canter.  Long trail ride.  Spooked at a couple of rabbits and was nervous about the hunting shack.

Day 39: Rode at the walk, trot, and canter.  Reviewed side passing and pivots.  Good ride!

Investigating the Tire Stack

Day 40: He was pretty spooky today, but only on the east side of the round pen.  Reviewed side passing and pivots.  Stopping better today.  Had a minor bucking episode when I asked for the right lead canter.

Day 41: Brief ride in the round pen before heading out on the trails.  A Blue Heron flew out of the creek as we were riding by and Highlife hardly flinched!  He was such a good boy that when we were almost back from the ride I reached back to pat him on the butt (something I do frequently while stopped in the round pen).  Apparently, he was not expecting that and all four feet left the ground.  Desensitized him to that afterwards so hopefully that won't happen again!

Day 42: Arena day.  Rode at the walk and trot.

Day 43: Rode at the walk, trot, and canter before heading out on the trails.  No spooks!

Day 44: Arena day.  Rode at the walk, trot, and canter.

Day 45: Arena day.  Threw a little fit when asked to canter so we had to work through that.

Day 46: Reviewed moving off leg.  He was having difficulty walking nicely on the rail without either running my leg into the fence or veering off towards the middle.  On the trail, I rode him into the creek.  He wasn't so thrilled about going in at first, but once he did it the first time it was a piece of cake.  He was scared of the big tube crossing and the old trailer parked in the weeds and tried to bolt off, but thankfully he was pretty easy to stop.

Day 47: Starting to ride without lunging first.  Still struggling to ride nicely along the rail, especially counter-clockwise.  On the trail, he went right in to the creek the first time I asked.  And he spooked when a walnut fell out of the tree 😂

Day 48: Seemed a little cranky today.  Rode at the walk, trot, and canter.  And he ran my leg into the fence twice.

Day 49: Ground work day.  Also worked on getting his man untangled from the little sticky weeds because he's been exploring and his mane was MATTED with them.

Exploring the Creek

Day 50: I was planning on heading out on the trails again today, but a thunderstorm was coming in and Highlife was ANXIOUS (He seems to have storm-induced anxiety).  He raced around on the lunge line with an unusual amount of bucking, so I decided that today was just not a good day to ride.

Day 51: Back to his normal self today.  Arena was a little slippery from the storm so we stuck to exercises at the walk and trot and fine-tuned the side passing and pivots.

This guy took to trail riding like a champ!  He was one of the easiest horses to start at the walk and canter that I've worked with.  He was also one of the easiest ones to put trail miles on, right from the beginning.  It's nice to get a horse in for training once in awhile that doesn't make you wonder if you're going to make it back from the trail ride in once piece 😂  He was a blast to ride and was a horse I would have loved to own as a teen!  He is going to make a great trail partner for his owners and has the potential to go in many different directions in the future if they desire!

In training from June 6 - August 24, 2021.

Update 11/18/21: I sent his owner an email to see how things were going with Highlife.  She emailed back:

"We love him!!!  He is absolutely for adult riders but no hesitation when we lead him, saddle him and he takes commands like a pro!!!  Thank you so much!"