Eli did not show up as a green-as-grass sales prospect right off the track. He showed up with what we will call an unusual skill set colored by a strong distrust of people (and also a pretty nice jump). That was a few years ago. I have voluntarily (obsessively, even) worked through a lot with this horse, but haven’t taken the time to get it down on paper in one place just what all I have worked through. And when I say “worked through,” I mean I made something boring and routine until Eli agreed with me, or I stayed quiet in the tack until Eli settled, or I got veterinary care when called for. There is no magic in any of this, it’s just a lot of undoing his reactions learned from experiences I had nothing to do with, undoing by staying calm, patient, and consistent whenever I can and remember to. Inspired by posts from Tracy, Genny, and Nicole, as well as by the numerous and highly entertaining posts that were a part of the TRM honest sale ad blog hop, I decided to make a poorly-organized chart of stuff Eli used to do but doesn’t any more, or stuff Eli didn’t do but now does well, and of course the middle ground territory is heavily populated. So instead of paging through this blog, you can just get all our adventures into your imagination right here. Although not part of this chart, my biggest accomplishment is that I have not messed up his natural jumping talent. If that starts going wrong, we’ll go back to square one.
This is so neat! I bet it’s really nice to see the progress you and Eli are making together in black and white 🙂
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Once I got it all written down in one place, I definitely saw how far he has come, which is harder to see just day to day.
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“Bolts when turning north on the left lead” Now that’s a quirk I could get used to.
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Weirdest quirk I have ever encountered, lol, but it was pretty consistent there for a while, no matter where I rode him.
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I love the chart! Especially about bucking on the left lead when going north. lol!
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I am glad he pretty much stopped because I couldn’t figure out why anyway haha
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Oh, I like the chart! Smart 🙂
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Thanks!! 🙂
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That’s a handy little chart! Nice work! (on Eli, and also the chart)
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Thank you! 🙂
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I love this! Also is it not the worst when your horse spooks then expects you to basically carry him because he’s scared? Now I want to make an accomplishment!
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Yes! Eli goes hardcore into damsel in distress mode sometimes. How can I get mad at that?!
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I mean, I sometimes spook at birds too haha. They be scary !! Lol seriously tho he has come so far with you!
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Oh, my plan for his spooking at cows is I spook, too, and Eli’s my getaway car.
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Horses and cows man. Ries always distrusted them
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Cows eat horses. That must be it.
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Love this chart. What a great way to keep track of accomplishments and works in progress.
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I had a little too much fun with it, but having the visual aid really helped me to see our progress.
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