Training Day

Let’s see. Monday was supposed to be Whisper’s first training session. Unfortunately his trainer got hung up trying to find transport for an 18.2 hand warmblood. Seems he is too long to fit in most trailers. She did get it resolved and we rescheduled for Wednesday. So, we just did a kind of refresher on a lunge line. He did much better at turning. We were able to convince him to go all the way into the wash rack and did his grooming in there. My mother has started doing some of his grooming as I want him to be comfortable with different handlers. So far he’s taking it pretty much in stride although he does insist on being introduced to and checking out new people. He is a character.

Yesterday was a true day off. We fed all the horses, rubbed them a little and headed for Bend for our monthly shopping trip. Note to self: Costco is not the place to shop a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

Finally, this morning Whisper had his first training session. It's amazing how well he did. His turns are now quiet and almost perfect. He no longer takes off at a trot but walks calmly and slows to a walk when cued. He is learning leg yields and sidepassing – I can’t remember what it’s called in the English world – along the rail. He’s not great at those but he has the idea. She is impressed by how quickly he picks things up and said several times he is very smart. I was very impressed by Whisper’s demeanor. Give this horse a task, make sure he understands it, and he proceeds calmly and thoughtfully. He was relaxed and just looked happy. The video below is dramatic for its lack of drama. This was about the middle of the lesson when he was just learning leg yields. Please forgive the poor quality and occasional intrusion of my hand. People who know Whisper will realize how far he has come in a very short time i.e. a few weeks ago he never would have just stood there while his handler talked and gesticulated.



You can tell I am really excited by his progress. Samantha (trainer) was talking about buying him and training him as an event horse – we are going to introduce him to jumping. Now she most likely will not buy him but she sees his potential and feels once he has training it will be no problem to place him with someone who will appreciate him and put him to work. And that’s exactly what I want for him.