Increasingly, I'm filled with an attitude of gratitude. I'm grateful for the many folks who help me learn how to train and work with the young and green horses here at the ranch. Centered Riding instructor Toni Beattie is one of those folks. Toni gives Centered Riding lessons and runs a successful boarding barn, Destiny Farms. She can be reached by dialing 503-647-2191.
Yesterday, I took my filly, Jetblue, to see Toni. It was time to start ground driving, an exercise that teaches forward motion and introduces direct reins. Toni took one look at my equipment, loaned me her prized lunging cavesson, and taught Jetblue and me the fine points of successful ground driving.
Today, it was my turn to pass that knowledge along to Lorenzo, my ace helper. We warmed the filly up with some lunging on the long line before graduating to a "paired" ground drive, where Lorenzo stood in front of me and held the reins as I drove Jetblue. It was my way of helping Lorenzo develop a feel for Jetblue pushing into the cavesson and the level of "contact" between horse and driver. It looked like this...
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| "Paired" Ground Driving of Jetblue, photo by Nick Schoeppner
For the most part, the filly was quiet. Two or three times, she did her best to impersonate a rodeo horse.
In short order, Lorenzo and Jetblue were ground driving like pros.
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| Lorenzo Ground Drives Jetblue, photo by Nick Schoeppner |
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