Bey Dazzled!

R-C Bey Dazzler

The lovely Bey Dazzler. I never get tired of looking at this filly. 

I am Bey Dazzled!

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil 4:8

Short Training Sessions for Momma and Baby

   Today's lesson plan: Lady is working on groundwork fundamentals as well as learning to leave baby to work with me. So I am trying to have more frequent but shorter training sessions with Lady outside the round pen without baby. Eventually, I will be taking baby out on her own for short lessons. My goal for Lady today is to improve upon "Lungeing for Respect Stage One."
    Our goal for Baby Dazz today was just wearing the halter and getting her legs sprayed. I started with her in the roundpen with momma. She accepts the halter without a blink. So before that I played a little approach and retreat and teaching her to back up off my hand pressure on her nose. That went very well and after I put the halter on I repeated the lesson and taught her take three steps back when I applied pressure on the halter. In addition, I introduced direction. I did get her leg sprayed but it did not go as pretty as I had hoped. We ended the lesson with some desensitizing. I know there is a lot of controversy over desensitizing Arabians before their halter class training because they loose sensitivity and don't move out well.  I confirmed with Lady after her lesson that she can still do some very nice at Liberty after I gain her respect on the halter. Both she and Dazz were moving beautifully together around the round pen to my cues. I have a trainer coming in this month to teach us all how to do Halter classes.
    I took Lady to the arena today while baby stayed in the round pen. She was not very happy about it but I made our lesson short so she would get the idea that we are going to come out and work everyday and then she will go back to her baby. My intention is to make each lesson a little longer each day until we are working in full sessions. Actually Lady was fine until Baby Dazz decided to throw a fit and start screaming at her. We were able to work in a short session of lungeing for respect and for the most part it went well. She was a little hot and tugging at the end of the lead line when Baby Dazz starting yelling for her. Since Beau was a little bit the same way, although without the my baby is crying mania, I reviewed the Clinton Anderson DVD on Lunging for Respect Stage 1 and we now have tools for tomorrow's lesson. We'll work on that and hopefully get a little more slack in the lead rope.
   At the end of Lady's lesson, I let her graze outside the roundpen to give Dazz more time alone and to settle down before I put them back together. That went really well until the chickens showed up. Apparently, roosters really spook Lady and she ran off backwards like a cartoon bullet. I just watched her and thought, "Hmmm... if she doesn't come back I can use the chicken method for weaning," but she came right back even with the chickens hanging out by the roundpen. Her attention quickly turned to attempts to get the treats out of her training bag and didn't bother with trying to get back in the roundpen with Dazz.
  Other than the neighbor shooting his gun off like a maniac, it was a pretty great session. If it doesn't rain, we will try to squeeze in a second short training session tonight.

Proverbs 22:6 

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Training Sessions

     When my first horse came home to the stable, my sister backed her off the trailer and handed me the reins. I stood there, reins in hand, for a few seconds and asked, "What do I do now?"
      My sister replied, "Whatever you want."
      Twelve years later I have learned to never take the reins of the horse until I have planned what to do with them. It's good to have a plan A and a plan B.
     If training is the goal, have a lesson plan. What is the goal of the session? What tack or training tools will you need? Is your lesson area prepared? Is your horse ready?
     It's also good idea to make your lesson plan flexible. I always include more exercises than I intend to cover in case she zooms past them. I also include exercises she is good at in case we have difficulty with a new exercise we can go back to a successful place.
      If you follow the Fundamentals, which I highly recommend, Here are some tips from Clinton Anderson. Training Tips: Approach Training Sessions Smartly 

1. Begin and End each session with Desensitizing 
2. If he is fresh coming out to play, start with roundpenning or lungeing to gain his respect. 
3. Desensitize between sensitizing exercises.

     Today, we had a great session with momma and baby. My plan was to run Lady through more of

the Fundamentals. Conveniently, Clinton Anderson has made lesson planning easy. With Lady, I just work through each exercise in the order that Clinton has laid out. I use review exercises to warm up, teach her a few new ones each day, and repeat successful exercises if things aren't going well. Baby Dazz is getting desensitized to halter pressure and learning to move off my cues. 

     Lady's lessons went well. Refined our Yielding the Forequarters and Lungeing for Respect. Baby Dazz seemed to accept momma working outside her pen much better than previous. She is accepting the halter and moving off pressure. Lady started trying to cut us off and herd baby away from me. I didn't anticipate that because she has in past not been concerned.  

    After our lesson, I made some notes and planned some revisions. Tomorrow I am definitely going to work with Baby Dazz while momma is outside the pen.  It will be nice to have baby all to myself for a change. 

Proverbs 22:6 

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Baby Dazz Blooming Bey Dazzler!

  Our baby Dazz is growing like a weed, She'll be 5 months old September 9th and won't be long and it will be time to wean. She is such a sweetie and when you come up to see her you can't help but be Bey Dazzled! She moves like a charm and is growing into quite the beauty with lean lines, graceful movements, and a personality to match.
   Bey Dazzler loves human attention and enjoys her lessons. Not real happy when mommy leaves for her lessons but is getting used to the idea of having her own grain bucket (one of the perks of growing up) while mommy works with us.
   Lady, momma mare, seems to love the time on her own. The good news is she is not as worried about leaving baby as much as she used to be so we are able to take her out and work with her. She's completing a comprehensive review of the fundamental ground work, Next week we start Lady under saddle while Baby Dazz continues her halter training.