DAY 110: The
weather has made training very difficult. Lots of groundwork when its isn’t
raining or snowing. We have gotten is some saddle time too. Still it doesn’t
feel like enough. Roscoe has gotten circle driving learned now and is really
reading the subtle body cues so much better. His personality is one of calm
acceptance and genuine willingness to show what he knows and to try new things.
He really understands that he has a place in the relationship and that we will
always ask as gently as possible first. As his confidence has grown so has
ours. We ride all over the place on a loose rein. We can use seat cues and
balanced equitation. His gait transitions are really nice and getting better
and better. We still have some work to do in the Fundamentals, especially under
saddle but the foundation of trust and respect is really solid and each new
exercise and experience just builds on that. With the winter forcing long
periods of “no work” we have to make the most of every session and do our best
to remember that every time we touch our horses we are training them. Being
creative and setting the expectation at achievable levels is the hardest part.
It has been one heck of a ride and Roscoe has proven to be one great little
horse.
DAY 115-120: We
had a goal to get Roscoe ready for his forever home. We wanted to challenge our
horsemanship skills a bit, pay it forward and be part of something that gave
back. We placed a simple ad on our local Craiglist page featuring Roscoe. We
had some folks contact us, make noises about wanting to see him and then flake
or simply not be a good fit. We were VERY clear about who he was, what his
current skill set was, what we knew of his history and what we have done
together. Some folks read the copy and some folks just looked at the pictures.
It is a frustrating process and we have no idea how the professionals do it.
Still, the pay it forward attitude pays off. We had an appointment with a
person who wanted to meet Roscoe. The lady seemed to have read our post and the
discussion made us think her family would be a good fit. We were going to
travel and meet closer to her location. As we were loading up we got a call
(which was nice) and we were told that for several reasons she had to back out
at the last minute and wanted to reschedule. Well since we were just about to
load up we figured that we should take advantage of the sort-of dry day (but it
was chilly and windy out)and go to the local arena. As we were shifting gears
we got a call from a gentleman who wanted to meet Roscoe and he was hoping to
do it today. Hmmmn. Okay. So we made plans to met a little later in the day at
our local arena. We arrived about fifteen minutes before our scheduled time and
so did he. Good sign! We got busy grooming the horses and he jumped in to help.
Then we went through our groundwork exercises. The fellow was impressed and
asked lots of questions about what we were doing and why we were doing it.
Again, this is a good sign. Then we saddled up Roscoe and I took him through is
skill set. He was a rock star. Smooth transitions, nice stop and easy steering.
As we were working under saddle and just having a good time together Laurie answered
questions and talked about our approach, our history and so on. Then the rain
started…just some tiny drops at first. So I did a little more with Roscoe and
then asked if he wanted to take hi for a test drive. He answered that he hurt
is back recently and need a few more days to heal up…but that he was really
impressed with what he saw. So, figuring he was just looking/shopping I turned
and took Roscoe for some cool down laps. I see the fellow smiling and Laurie is
smiling too. We finish our cool down and I suggest that the fellow walk Roscoe
a bit and just handle him some more. He does so and Laurie says to me “Roscoe
is sold. You need to take the ad down.” Boom, just like that! We make
arrangement to deliver Roscoe on December 24th, 2012 and to give a lesson
on our use of the Method to he and his granddaughters. A couple of days later
we get a call that he has purchased the Rope Halter, Lead Rope, Stick/String
and the Fundamentals kit! He even joined the No Worries Club! We were blown
away! Roscoe is going to a great home with people who will continue his journey
in the Method. He will have a pony for a pasture mate who is also going to get
a new attitude as he learns the Method from exercise one!
It just goes to show you that a pay it forward attitude and
the Method can do amazing things! Creating those relationships that are based
on safety, respect and trust is one the effects of training as we all do. It
creates a horse that stands out in the marketplace and speaks volumes without
saying a word. Roscoe’s future is so bright he gotta wear shades!
While he will be greatly missed we know that his journey is
far from over and that this forever home will be awesome for him!
No comments:
Post a Comment