Aslan keeps being very sceptical of the rider. With horses who already made bad experiences, it is very important to respect the horse's fears and not go further than the horse is confident with. In this session, he finally gave green lights, for the rider to sit upright and to actually start moving without panicking.
Horses are very susceptible to changes, especially environment. Until now I worked with Aslan in his field. He has gained enough confidence in me and my tools that I took him into our outdoor arena. I wanted to see if he was only afraid of people and training in general or if he also had environmental fears.
Horses are very susceptible to changes, especially environment. Until now, I worked with Aslan in his field. He has gained enough confidence in me and my tools that I took him into our outdoor arena. I wanted to see if he was only afraid of people and training in general or if he also had environmental fears.
In this session, I use the flag to help Aslan find a different response than flight when he is afraid. I am respecting certain points which are very important when dealing with horses like him. This helps him to finally realise that I and my tools really don’t mean any harm.
Aslan is a very special pony, who had some unfortunate experiences in his past which caused him to lose all his trust in people and especially their tools and what they will do to him. He is here for 2 months to get help with his deep fear and to find trust again. This is the very beginning of our relationship. First of all, I have to convince him of my good intentions.
Zayin had the treatments necessary for his physical issues. Now I have to ride him every day to support his rehabilitation. His fragile emotions and spookiness make this a challenging task. I use a few strategies to help him stay connected and reasonably calm.
The day when Obelix had to see the vet and it was impossible to touch him for examination or treatment, his owners followed the advice of their vet contacted me for help. The horse was pulling around their the two daughters, an age of 10 and 13, and it started to become more and more difficult to prepare him for riding. Grooming, placing the saddle and the bridle had become a big drama each time.
Zayin had a hard time this week. We started with an exceptionally good session on Monday, but the next day was very bad, he had huge issues already when grooming. So I decided that it was time to have him checked by a Vet. Sometimes physical pain has a big influence on the emotions of a horse.
I was very happy with Zayin this week. I start to get the feeling that we are heading in the good direction. The Figure 8 rope was a very good idea for him. It prepared him well for the next step: Long reins.
