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May 15, 2021: Mid-Month

And doing mid-month sorts of things. Last month I got a bit discouraged about agility – it seemed like the mares and I were taking one step forward and two steps back. Vanessa Bee, who is the originator of the International Agility League, commented on my rounds, saying nothing substantial. I very nicely said that I needed specific feedback and she said that this is about competition, not training.

Ah ha, I thought – this is where I went wrong. I have been focusing on training my horses to make causal connections. The pole work for instance, has been most useful. For example, the horses, when out on the trails, now pick their way around the questionable areas, bogs, tree roots, and muddy areas included. I would like to think that I have trained them to think about where to put their feet.

An example, early yesterday I took Hrimmi down by Moose Creek. We had to thread our way around a vehicle, several campers hanging out next to their fire, and a dilapidated tent. Hrimmi stopped and took this all in. I knew that she wasn’t going to go past it all with me on her back just because this is not the way Hrimmi does things. So we walked past the quasi-camp and checked out the creek. Water was low, we could have crossed it. It was, altogether, an uneventful outing.


Alys and Tyra going through the May Arch

 

Yep, I thought, my very smart and sometimes opinionated mares ARE making causal connections. And yes, this is to a large part due to their ongoing agility TRAINING.

I returned home, printed up the May course, and then set it up. As always, I had a good time working in the playground of higher learning. Pete provided me with added incentive to resume working with the horses by building the May Pole trellis. It did take him considerable time.

Today I first walked the course several times and then did it with the horses. Amazingly, this is our kind of course. The horses have to walk in front of me, up, over, and under the ten obstacles. This and the layout are (I thought) perfect for target use. Hrimmi did the best, again indicating to me that she has the makings of an incredible cart horse. Tyra also did well. Raudi and I need to work on doing a figure eight while pulling rattling plastic containers. She had a hard time with the turn.

So we are back at it again, and will do the May course, with me having decided that scores be damned, that the end goal is not to be the world’s best agility horse, but rather, to be the world’s best trail horse. Actually, the term world’s best trail horse is a misnomer because it implies that this too is a competitive venture. I just want us all to feel confident about one another’s judgement while out on the trails. And I think we are there; although, there is always room for improvement.

Finally, I have four horses that are trustworthy on the roads and trails. I don’t have aspirations to train any others to be this way.

Next: 135. 5/16/21: See? Kayaking

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