Our first attempts at leading were chaotic, hurried and perilous for my toes. You can see the defensive, braced posture I’ve taken as we race around for a brief photo op.
Steering was not much of an option and Jillie seemed certain the only safe piece of ground was the one I was occupying and she was determined to share that space with me.
So many things to improve!
For Phase One of our time together, I set goals of encouraging the seeking/telescoping response in her neck and lowering her head to start replacing the high headed, bracing posture she has learned.
Connected Groundwork Shoulder Delineation, used to release tightness in shoulders and encourages telescoping the neck, Cheek Delineation, used to improve mobility, balance and flexibility in the area of the poll, Caterpillar used to promote telescoping of the neck and release in the poll
Gentle side-to-side rocking from withers to dock of tail. This, which is an expanded version of withers rocking, provides valuable neurological input to the CNS while relaxing the horse and breaking up chronic patterns of hypertonic muscle tension.
Since Jalila first set foot on my place, she has been extremely affectionate and friendly toward me. She greets me whenever I arrive near her pen and follows me around, so catching her is no problem. It will be interesting to see how we can transpose the affection she has for me to trusting humans in general. I do believe she has some misplaced associations with halters, so I’ve been using a catch rope instead of walking up to her and aiming the offender at her face. She appreciates this and I don’t foresee any problems arising as long as I make the transition to a regular halter slowly.
Steering was not much of an option and Jillie seemed certain the only safe piece of ground was the one I was occupying and she was determined to share that space with me.
So many things to improve!
For Phase One of our time together, I set goals of encouraging the seeking/telescoping response in her neck and lowering her head to start replacing the high headed, bracing posture she has learned.
Connected Groundwork Shoulder Delineation, used to release tightness in shoulders and encourages telescoping the neck, Cheek Delineation, used to improve mobility, balance and flexibility in the area of the poll, Caterpillar used to promote telescoping of the neck and release in the poll
Gentle side-to-side rocking from withers to dock of tail. This, which is an expanded version of withers rocking, provides valuable neurological input to the CNS while relaxing the horse and breaking up chronic patterns of hypertonic muscle tension.
Since Jalila first set foot on my place, she has been extremely affectionate and friendly toward me. She greets me whenever I arrive near her pen and follows me around, so catching her is no problem. It will be interesting to see how we can transpose the affection she has for me to trusting humans in general. I do believe she has some misplaced associations with halters, so I’ve been using a catch rope instead of walking up to her and aiming the offender at her face. She appreciates this and I don’t foresee any problems arising as long as I make the transition to a regular halter slowly.
RSS Feed