I had two useful reminders this weekend. Only the nicest people live on the Isle of Wight and good groundwork and leadership really do have an influence on ridden work. Yesterday I worked with Annie and Kate and their two horses, Magnus and Willow. Magnus has been a very successful dressage pony (let me say that again, very very successful dressage pony with a stack of rosettes) and yet was nervous about being hacked out. Following just one groundwork session where we worked on leadership techniques, Magnus is now being ridden out by both sisters. This time round, we worked on desensitisation techniques. We were all astonished when Willow positively stomped on the tarpaulin and showed us all just how brave she is.
