So good to be back after a very long winter! I've been freshening up
my groundwork skills, reviewing Parelli and catching up on all the
Downunder Horsemanship (Clinton Anderson) episodes I recorded from
RFD-TV. Yesterday I decided to get back in the paddock for a first
session, and I was amazed at how much Brody remembered, particularly
changing direction on a circle. We seemed to have just about picked up
where we left off. I decided to keep it short and vary the exercises a
lot.
As those who follow Brody on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001366475166) know, overconfidence from this easy success coupled with silly human warm fuzzies over Brody's apparently increased attachment to me after surviving the winter together
nearly led to disaster. Things were going so great I decided to hand
graze him as a reward. We'd only done this a few times since the snow
melted, but I nevertheless decided to lead him out the more narrow gate
near the covered gas grill. He seemed a little nervous going through the
gate, so we went in and out a few times until he passed more calmly. Once
he got out of the paddock, I foolishly let Brody pass me in a fairly
narrow spot, which is when a gust of wind blew, kicking the grill cover
up behind him. A snort and flash of the heels, and Brody was gone. He
ran around the front of the house and into the backyard. When Brody
spotted me, he snorted and galloped off. OK, so FONDNESS doesn't mean
RESPECT. After a harrowing sprint across the road to a neighbor's, Brody
was soon safely back in his paddock.
Last night I watched some more Clinton Anderson, and today Brody and I had a longer session today.
Brody's willingly standing at liberty for the halter, even dipping his
muzzle into the noseband (thank you for your assistance this winter,
Petra Christensen at Parelli Central!). I moved his feet around quite a
bit, trotting on the circle today with frequent direction changes,
sending him back and forth in front of me in squeeze play with the
fence, and working lots on sidepasses, backing, and keeping a respectful
distance while following me on the lead. After about an hour, I then
tied Brody to a post with a Blocker (Aussie) tie ring and did some
densitization/Friendly Game stuff with the rope and stick. Then I left
the paddock and sat down at a picnic table with the excess rope, and started typing this post.
Normally it only takes Brody five to ten minutes to get antsy, but he
put up little fuss today. He was probably tired out! After 30 minutes,
I went into the paddock and un- and re-haltered him a few times. Then I
gave him a carrot. Good to be back indeed!
As always, you can see my complete blog at www.backyardhorsemanship.com
