Prince: Yielding to pressure.

March 23, 2011

Prince and I played with just the 45ft line looped around his neck. The last time we did this it went really well and Prince responded to the pressure very well. Today though he had more trouble doing that so we slowed it down and played with some changes of directions to help Prince learn to come off that pressure, he was leaning on it while circling. This worked a little but I still felt that Prince wasn’t really getting it yet as he was still leaning quite a bit.

So I decided to do the Backward "S" pattern. I moved the rope a little farther back towards his withers also and then we started. At first, like before, Prince was leaning and didn’t know what to do with the pressure and who to respond. He tried several different things until he figured it out. I kept it slow and simple and I knew Prince got it when we got the nicest, lightest, backward "S" pattern, I had my hand open the whole time and Prince was coming off of the slightest pressure.

Prince did really well with bridling today also. He took the bit nicely again and he didn’t try to get it out or even chew at it nearly as much. After he got the honey off of it he kept his mouth quiet and didn’t seemed at all bothered by it!! Which was really great progress!

Then I climbed up bareback and rode around a little. I can’t say it was bridleless because I had the bridle on… but there were no reins attached ;) I had my savvy string around his neck and a carrot stick and off we went! First we played with refining out indirect and direct rein, backing up, and sideways and then we played with backing up between the tire (which is planted standing up) and the fence and then touching, without knocking down, a pole that was set up from the fence to the tire. Prince did well but first we had to play with backing up with straightness, something that Prince and I have always had a hard time doing.


Prince was SUPER light though and once we got he straightness we got everything else quickly. The first two tries we knocked the pole down but then the next try we got it and Prince got so in tune with me that when I relaxed and stopped asking for he back up he stopped immediately, before he would back up one more step which caused us to knock the pole down. It was pretty fun!!

Unbridling Prince was a breeze. Prince lowered his head, kept it nice and low while I took it off and then I just slid the bit out of his mouth and Prince didn’t even raise his head! It was the best one yet!! After a little UDT we went down to the corral.

Naturally,
~Keri