I've been working with lovely Raven for about six months. When I first met him, he was quite reactive and unable to really centre himself. Standing still was hard for him. Alongside his owner, we have worked on helping him find stillness in his mind, through lots of slow exercises. Obviously, at some point, he does need to learn to move his feet and bring his energy up without getting emotional about it. So it's important that when I'm working with him, if I bring his energy up, I need to make sure it comes down again. I cannot leave him 'Up' - otherwise he would go back to his herd in that state.
Today, Raven did some changes of direction whilst maintaining trot and when he did the first one well, I praised him and slowed him to a walk and a halt. He stood next to me and yawned a few times (this is huge!!) and then rested his head on my shoulder. I find this kind of acceptance from horses so humbling. I am always trying to learn from them about how they feel in a particular moment and how I can make that the best experience for them.
Comments