So Much Progress!

I have been working on a lot of different skills in the past week with Oak and Gray and they have both been awesome. Not sure what I want to write about so I think I'll just make a list:

Oak

Confidence with obstacles
Working with walking, trotting, and backing over the tarp and between barrels.

Desensitization
Milk jugs! He was cool with trotting around with them attached to the saddle on our first session. Did not expect that! Got the idea from this video
 
Back Massager. My vet actually recommended this one as a precursor to clippers. Glad I am putting in the time on this one because Oak was uber skeptical of the vibrating noise at first.

Following a feel on the lead line
Remember I was failing at getting him to trot behind me? I watched this video by Stacey Westfall and tried out her technique. It worked! He was starting to trot behind me on the first

Increasing speed at the trot on the lunge line.
This is a precursor to cantering. Haflingers (and other drafty horses) can have a hard time cantering. From previous experience it takes a lot of patience and conditioning to get it right.

Catching Game
Had success in the pasture - our largest area yet!

Grayson

 We have worked on lunging (he is now trotting almost an entire rotation which is great progress) and desensitization -he is getting pretty comfortable with the massager, but is pretty unsure of those milk jugs hanging off him! We have also played the catching game. Gray has caught on quickly to this as well.


What other skills do you think are essential before moving on to riding work? I have some thinking to do on what I think our next month is going to look like. I think Oak is communicating to me he is ready to progress, but I need to decide what that looks like.

Oak Training Log

Duration: 5/15 - 30 mins, 5/16 - 30 mins, 5/19 - 30 mins, 5/21 - 15 mins, 5/22 - 20 mins

Location: Arena, pasture, roundpen

Activities: See post

Observations: See post