Boot Camp Results

I had planned on putting this post up later but I am so proud of Dickie I will share it now. Posts of our last three weeks will be forthcoming so you are kind of getting the final product then going in reverse :)

I have had the YHG (young horse guy) ride Dickie three times so he wasn't sitting around during my work stretches. Normally I think it is just find for a young horse to be lightly worked. However, at this stage he really needed some steady work for things to stick in his brain. Between YHG rides I was getting on him every day so for two weeks he had five rides a week. The results are fantastic. Dickie starts a ride ready to go. He seems happy and relaxed. He is even being a big well behaved puppy dog when I am not out there.


Here is a video of just before I decided we needed to get it together. He was very much protesting trotting or any leg whatsoever. He was also very offended at not being allowed to gaze at himself in the mirrors. I wasn't riding him in a bit yet because he was acting like he had a sore tooth. I had the vet out a little over two weeks ago and his teeth are just fine. All of his 3.5 yo teeth are in so we are in a clear until Spring when I do the big teeth float.

YHG came out on Tuesday and I was excited to watch him ride. I hadn''t seen him ride Dickie yet because my main reason for using him was to increase under saddle time. If I was at the barn I was doing the riding. He has been feeling great but is is hard to get photos and ride at the same time.Very forward (I actually ride him more forward with less circles than YHG) an is even starting to give to the bridle. Now that we have come to an agreement and I am allowed to use my leg he is actually really light off the leg. It only took a few times reinforcing with voice to help him understand seat cues for walk.

Here is video evidence of post boot camp: Dickie walking from first warm up  and Dickie from the first trot of ride