Training blog, day 421.7

[Marsha Cassada]

Well-stated, Myrna.

I can't argue with any of that!

I winced over the one-day hitching, but sighed and admitted that I probably could have hitched Turbo in one day as a yearling and had it go fine. Once. The second day, when he got overwhelmed, it would all have gone to h-e-double-hockey-sticks in a hurry! So many of these little guys are practically bomb-proof that it's easy to do that sort of thing without immediate consequences and then get into a lot of trouble down the road.

The instructors around here usually start a lesson with "So how much experience do you have? What are your goals? Okay, let's get started. Here are the basic safety rules, and this is why we do each of them. Now, let's harness the horse...."

I find that sort of sad, honestly. IMO the right answer at that point would be to calmly state that you can have lots of fun driving but not if someone gets hurt, and go right on teaching. It sounds like that club really needed him.

No worries, I hijacked it myself.

Leia

P.S.- I see you mastered the multiple quotes thing! Good job!

Hehe.

Do not know how to edit quotes, but I want to agree with the comment about everything going fine the first time hitching, then the horse possibly becoming overwhelmed the second time and losing it. I was worried about this very thing with Dusty and the sleigh bells, so I wanted to be sure someone was home when I tried it. He seemed to handle them all right, but that isn't to say the next time out he won't be overwhelmed by them and lose his cool. (I will be sure someone is around the next time I take him out also. I should be able to tell then if he is really ready for them.) It is sometimes hard to know when a horse is mentally mature enough for something, even though his body is.

 

[MiLo Minis]

Pix of him in the shafts, hmm? That could be interesting to obtain!

Mom found out Monday she's been walking around on a broken foot since Saturday so she's now in a walking boot and avoiding grass, puddles, horses, and anything else hazardous to her toes.

I can try to take one walking beside him but honestly I want my attention 100% on the horse when he's loose between the shafts like that. Maybe I can coax Dad into playing photographer?

Leia

Not IN the shafts! You promised us photos of them "pulling" at the cart with their feet and we are patiently

waiting!