Next job was to teach Rachael how to long rein IH style, which is very different from the BHS. Not only do we have our reins down, we tend to stay out on one side of the horse or other so that we can use body language to ask them to move forward and of course no voice commands.
There are pros and cons of both - a better feel on the reins without so much clutched in your hands, the desensitising effect of the reins running along the ground, and the use of energy to move the horse. However the reins can get filthy. Neither method is really safer than the other since in one you risk your hands if the horse leaves and in the other your feet. It's really being very aware of where your reins are and how your horse is feeling that matters.
Rachael did a great job here, taking the pressure off him so that he could go forward on to the see-saw without feeling pushed in any way. He took his time, worked out where his feet were, and walked across calmly.
Whilst Nettles was a working livery today, Indy had no intention of doing anything useful.
These two turned up in the hope of food and who am I to resist? The mare, who is till feeding her youngster, is a little bit poor so I don't mind giving her a bit of my horses' hay.
Once again Piglet proved to be very brave with things and was soon walking under the fly curtain.
However, it must have increased his adrenalin to some extent because the next thing that happened was that he bolted with the scarf. He came back to me fairly readily but ran off twice in quick succession after that.
The temptation is to go and fetch the smallest size Dually and a long lead rein to try to keep hold of him but I think this would undo everything we have built up so far. Not only would he continue to get away - he has a tried and tested technique and is stronger than me - but he would also be thwacked by the rope and jolted by the head-collar.
Instead, and with some courage I think, I removed his headcollar altogether and asked him to follow me, continuing with his clickered treats.This meant that we could leave everything on a good note again and try again another day having perhaps reached a bit of a limit. Lots of consolidation work now needed.
