1.28.2013

Going to the Beach: Part 1

Lots of smiles that day!
Well, I finally got to the beach and it was super fun and a great experience for Mercury and I!

If you didn't know, I have had Mercury since he was a yearling and there was time when he would not set foot in water. Not even a puddle. Working with water can be an important element to any discipline, even the casual trail rider may have to cross a puddle or small creek. It's also important in that it's a good trust exercise and horses sometimes need to be hosed or stand in water for medical reasons.

When I approach anything more challenging with any horse I have to keep a close watch on it being a Trust making or Trust taking exercise. I have seen many approaches that look a lot like bullying under the guise of "Training". This video was inspired by many things but one was a video I saw a while ago on getting a horse to go in the water at the beach. It looked neither fun nor a good experience for either horse or rider. It got me thinking. Here is Part 1 of the videos of our beach experience. Enjoy!
http://www.fdhorsemanship.com/
http://fdhvirtualclinic.com 
Click here to go to Beach video link

2 comments:

  1. Loved to see his energy, your energy, the pauses, the courage, the playfulness, the approach/retreat...really helpful. Thanks!

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