Jan. 22nd 2007 Schooling Moon

Moon backs up when I gently pick up her tail. She has progressed from one step to ten! I am not pulling her here at all!

Below, Moon learns the first steps to The Bow. Here, I am holding her right front leg up and she is leaning down to touch the target stick.


The New Year has been fun despite our amazingly wintry weather! Between the snow storms there have been some fabulous, sunny days which have allowed me to make serious headway with Moon.

She is such an avid student that we have tackled all kinds of fun things. Some of the lessons were planned and others were spontaneous. Sometimes I go out to the pasture expecting to do one thing, but Moon has an interest in doing something else, so the lesson plan changes accordingly. An example last week was that I had put her halter and lead rope on (her) to help her get used to the feel of the lead rope hanging onto the halter. But she seemed more interested in mouthing everything so I switched the lesson over to having her touch things with her nose, and then having her pick things up in her mouth! The lesson moved on from there to "retrieving". Within a few minutes, Moon 's progress was excellent: I would throw my glove down on the ground a few feet away and she'd go get it for me! She loves all this stuff!!

I have also been helping her to move her feet based on a very light physical suggestion from me. Again, she is an eager student. After only a few short sessions, she has learned to back up slowly and carefully with a light-as-a-feather suggestion from me. All I do is stand behind her and pick up a few of her tail hairs. Sometimes I add the command "back" but usually I just pick up her tail as lightly as possible. What began as one step back has now progressed to ten. She will continue to back up as long as I keep holding her tail, moving back with her.

Another thing we have begun working on is "The Bow". She is such a gumby horse - she is the most flexible horse I have ever seen. Teaching a horse to bow is fun and it's a great introduction to teaching a horse to lie down, so over the last couple of days we have been working on The Bow. It will take a few more sessions before she gets it all because there are many steps to learning it, and we are just doing one or two steps each time.

In the pictures of her backing up, you may think her ears are pinned, but they are not. She has her ears turned back toward me and is listening. She also is looking at me. Horses use each eye separately and she is working hard in these pictures to do what is asked. Of course she gets rewarded every time for her trying!! She is getting lots of goodies for her efforts!

Our First Ride!
Last week was our first ride! One Jan 16th, I got on her bareback and we had a couple of nice rides in the pasture. Not long rides, but good, non-eventful rides. The safe kind! There was no saddle or bridle on her nor even a halter. I depended on what I had taught her from the ground, and I trusted her. She went forward, stopped, backed up, and then she went forward again, all by verbal command and by feel. It was exhilarating! She was so calm and she just wanted to please me!!

My 3rd and 4th rides were today, the 22nd. Even though it was cold outside, it was a beautiful day and she remembered her lesson about lining up at the mounting block for me to get on. So I got on twice - once from each side. It's important for horses to get used to things happening on each side of them, including people getting on and off. Again, the rides today were short but sweet. Pictures will have to wait I'm afraid. Mick had already gone into the house by the time I decided to ride today!

There are other things I have introduced to her this week: pulling me while I hang onto her neck. In case of emergencies I'd like her to be able to pull my weight, on cue. Then she can graduate to pulling/dragging things while I am riding her. Then maybe a cart of sleigh next year! Ha!

That's another of today's reports! I hope you enjoy this blog! Please feel free to comment below any individual entries!
Nancy