If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you...
This week my mom and I are going to Fernie for a clinic with Madison Shambaugh! We are taking all four of our horses so we could work them all. My mom is in the first three days and I'm in the last two days. In the clinic I used Moon. With Moon I learned a round pen exercise to make it so Moon would lock in with me. The exercise Madison taught me worked amazing!! The way the round pen exercise worked was I took Moon in to the round pen and took off her halter. After that I offered for her to join me and follow me and if she did that's great and if she didn't I would put pressure on her and push her around the outside of the round pen until she would give me an ear or a look that she would like to join up. Once she joins up I would walk around in a circle facing her. Once she got that down I then stood by her on her left side, looked over my left shoulder, clucked and pointed and tapped her on the butt if she didn't move. The goal is for her to find my right shoulder.
I also worked on desensitizing her with the whips in the round pen too. It's the same way with the halter except in the round pen without a halter. After working with Moon I then took Storm on a trail ride down in the field. It was so much fun and I learned a ton!! I can't wait till next years clinic!!! Today my mom and I went to cattle sorting. For those who don't know what cattle sorting is, it is where you are in teams of three and you get a number between 0 and 9. Once you get told your number you then have to go in order and push the cow through the gate. At cattle sorting I rode Faith and my mom rode Moon. It was Moons second time around cattle so my mom rode Moon. At the start my mom got Moon to follow Faith so that she could get used to following the cows. Faith did so good and Moon did amazing!! it was so much fun!! I can't wait till next time.
Today my mom and I went riding in the horse pasture. I rode Moon and my mom rode Faith. While riding Moon I worked on getting her to side pass and cross over the fronts. I worked on this for a while because it helped slow her down. She did great!! After riding Moon I then rode Storm on a trail ride around the pasture.
|