Pal starts out high headed and distracted. His tail, while relaxed is starting to elevate to a yee haw, game on position. With correct body position and awareness of the challenges presented the horse starts to relax.
His head is lower and so is his tail which is now in a soft curled frame. When the horse lowers his head towards the ground he is showing submission by presenting a vulnerable area, his poll. Frame of mind is frame of body, when a horse is relaxed and submissive it will show in the way he carries himself. Frame of body is also frame of mind. If we put his body in to a head down, correctly bent position, he will relax.
Today we had a ground work clinic and 5 participants each worked with 2 horse to learn basic groundwork and communication. Some people had prior experience and so in addition to everyone learning round penning, some people also started on lunging and in hand leading. Everyone got to observe everyone else's position and corrections which helped them understand their errors before they had their second lesson.
You can see Partner is relaxed and starting to show submission while his ears are happy and he has one focused on Molly in case she wants something.
Everyone bundled up to stay warm and occasionally stood out in the sun which was warm if you stayed out of the wind.
The next demo is March 6 which will be a short refresher of round penning and body language then we will have a look at lunging and ground driving, discussing the benefits to be obtained and the pitfalls to avoid.
A follow-up clinic on March 13 will give participants a chance to try these techniques for themselves. There are still 2 spots available. I hope you will consider joining us.
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