I always start a new training relationship cautiously in the beginning. There isn’t a whole lot of trust at first – not just from me, but from the horse’s point of view. Since Rush’s arrival 2 weeks ago, I’ve taken the time to get to know him and to understand how he ‘ticks’. That means being hands-on everyday and testing him when it comes to grooming, cleaning his stall while he is in there with me, touching him while he is eating, or leaving him in cross-ties while pulling his mane. I’m watching his demeanor, his ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’, taking into account that horses are individuals (just like people) and that he is a former race horse who hasn’t been ridden since last year.
We’ve warmed up to each other since his arrival. He loves one on one attention. I’ve discovered that he is very respectful of me and seems to appreciate that I take charge when we are together, and loves having a job. Since is he over weight with no muscle, during the first week I slowly worked him on the lunge line for 20 - 30 minutes. I made the exercise a bit more interesting for him by placing ground rails around a 20 meter circle. That helped Rush pay attention to where to place his feet and kept him focusing a little faster in the lesson. I then work in both directions doing up and downward transitions from walk to trot. Rush is excellent at this, staying relaxed and waiting for my next voice command. He really seems to be enjoying himself the whole time with his ears clicking from front to back as I talk to him. Not once has he ever tried to be sassy.
This week I pressed Rush a little more by doing the same exercise, but with me in the tack. We kept it at a walk, but continued doing up and downward transitions throughout the circle, having him become familiar to my leg aids at his girth, and keeping the rein contact soft yet supportive. He caught on quickly and felt relaxed and happy. That’s usually a sign for me to ask a bit more just to see where we are in the training department. I try to stay aware of his body language and keep him focused and listening. I repeat the moves over and over so that they become familiar with what it is that I’m asking. I also changed direction often in order to keep his attention. I was pleased to see that he had some nice foam on his lips and that he was respectful and responsive to my leg at the girth pressing him.
And now to the fun part . . . my old faithful trick of using the blue tarp tells me so much about a horse. Being nervous when approaching it, wanting to smell and snort at it, gingerly placing a hoof on it, shying, jumping backwards away from it, lurching over it, are reactions I’m totally prepared to deal with. It’s the awkwardness the rider needs to be ready for, while staying relaxed with the seat and hands and encouraging at the same time with the legs. It’s sort of like patting the top of your head with one hand and then rubbing your tummy with the other at the same time. 
After pressing him forward with my legs over the rails on the ground, I navigated to the tarp and continued squeezing him with my legs. In the first photo Rush is interested with what’s in front of him, but I can feel that he is cautious because his rear end is lowering and there is that feeling that he could jump backwards once he touches the plastic for the first time. As his trainer, all I can do is keep a soft rein and an encouraging leg. Should he decide to go backwards, I will keep him facing the tarp, have my hands low (grab mane if I have to), and continue to nudge him forward. I might add that the sound of the sand falling onto the tarp or the crinkling noise when stepped on could certainly add an interesting flavor. Sitting quietly and not getting worried if a mistake is made will set the mold for a confident partnership.
Once Rush placed his feet onto the tarp, in this photo he sort of freezes for a second, trying to sort out what is happening and deciding if this ‘thing’ was going to swallow him up. Again, remembering to keep encouraging him forward from my leg was something that he responded to really well and is an important aid that he listens to. Since he is familiar with voice commands, I talked to him through the lesson over the tarp, keeping my voice low and deep. Adding a scratching finger to his withers let him feel a bit more secure as I waited for him to figure things out. Watching his body language helped tell me where his comfort level was at. He was clearly enjoying himself, while he was being careful and attentive with his feet.
Within a few seconds on the first attempt, it all clicked together and we went across the tarp, and was soon followed by good neck rubs and a ton of “Good-Boy” compliments. So getting yanked out of a field and taken away from his buddies seems to be not so bad after all. Rush is very intelligent, kind, willing and truly wants a job and a teammate. 
Naturally there will be ups and downs with his training, but since I have a steady commitment to him, I feel that there is going to be a positive transformation and he will excel quickly. We continued to repeat going through the tarp for another few more times and each time became better and better, where there was zero hesitation and his response from my leg to go forward was just a light touch.
I’ll be adding some short trot work into our lessons, again being careful to leg him up slowly since he isn’t in the best physical shape. I’m looking forward to reposting on his progress and continuing to track his fitness both mentally and physically.
See you at the finish line!
King arrived today from North Carolina to start his training work. He has come to the farm for a bit of ‘boot-camp’ and his owner will be traveling down throughout the month for lessons.
