A Splendid Present

There are so many big milestones in the raising and training of a horse and each breakthrough is incredibly rewarding. This afternoon, during a training session in our arena, my two year-old blue roan filly, Jetblue, dazzled us yet again.

First, we got to observe Jetblue's "spook" when Lorenzo's toe caught the rail, making a noise that shot the filly forward a few steps. With Lorenzo's guidance, Jetblue readily settled. Amazing.

Second, the filly demonstrated her ability to aptly transfer ground work to saddle time. When I asked Jetblue to "fast walk" and then to "slow walk," I was thrilled with her rapid response. Jetblue continued to wow Lorenzo and me -- she listened to my every cue as I asked for turns and a couple of tight circles.

Sometimes, when working with a filly or colt, all you need is a bit of trust and a leap of faith...

At the end of our work session, Lorenzo and I traded places and I threw open the gate. Lorenzo rode Jetblue back to the barn and I walked along beside the duo. All the way, Jetblue was steady as she was calm.

I could wax on and on about Jetblue's future or I can say today was a splendid present, a successful horse human dialog.