Time and Patients

Hi, this will be a short blog post, just wanted to share something.



A really neat thing happened yesterday with my large pony that I wanted to share. And this all ties into training, repetition, knowing your horse and patients. Briefly let me share her story.



Dolce came into our lives 6 years ago for a client, she was a 3yr old, already had a baby and a little freaky. She is a tough mare and maybe was subject to some abuse, but not intentionally. I think because of her personality, she is a fighter and some do not know how to handle that. Corrections must be fair for her to accept, and the best training is when she thinks she has a fair say in it..



So, when we got this pony, she would buck, spin,bolt, whatever to get you off and would run back to her stall. But I saw the talent and the sweetness through all of it and did not give up. We took our time with her and she turned out to be quite lovely( when she wanted too..haha) and could not be beat in the ground poles/cross rails and 2' divisions.

There was still this fight to her, so her training had to conform to her personality, not what others wanted her training to be. She continued to get nervous over the bigger jumps, so many just put her into the 2' category and said forget it...

Well to make a long story short, with repetition, patients and not rushing her, I have allowed her to grow and mature without any pressure. And yesterday she sailed over a 2'9 course and did beautifully over a gymnastic that ended with a wide 3' oxer. My moral to this brief story...

1. Do Not rush a horses training, it may have taken us 5 years to get to this point with her, but that is OK!

2. Get to know your horses personality. Basics are the same, but need to conform your approach with what works best for your horse.

3. Relax and enjoy the ride... everything will turn out better in the end!!