The day when Obelix had to see the vet and it was impossible to touch him for examination or treatment, his owners followed the advice of their vet contacted me for help. The horse was pulling around their the two daughters, an age of 10 and 13, and it started to become more and more difficult to prepare him for riding. Grooming, placing the saddle and the bridle had become a big drama each time.
Chevrenne is a 4-year-old Draft Horse mare of the breed Bretonne. She joined me to be started under saddle. With her almost 900 kg she is an impressive horse and as she can sometimes lack a bit of respect, I will pay special attention to lightness. What does it take to get a heavy horse like this to respond with lightness?
This little story is about how easy young horses learn naturally by imitating their experienced role models.
When Irish Cob filly Eleven started to behave like a teenager it was time for her to join Gabi's Young Horse Education program. Eleven learnt the basic communication between human and horse, gained a lot of respect and discovered the joy of learning.
Dancing finished her colt start and went with success through my program of the first 8 rides. She has been on little trail rides, alone and with other horses, and is now ready to go home and have some holidays.
After 3 weeks, Dancing was ready and prepared to accept the rider on her back. I have a little checklist in my head, to make sure the horse is mentally and emotionally prepared to take this important step with full understanding.
After all the thorough preparations, Dancing is ready for the next step: accept the saddle. A horses reaction, when wearing for the first time this big floppy piece of leather, can never be underestimated.
