The last few weeks I’ve been working with Shadow to gently reinforce what he’s learned so far and to make sure that he’s happy, confident, and not falling back into old patterns or learned habits. We seemed to hit a bit of a wall after I’d got the numnah on him a few times and he started planting, refusing to walk and even walking away if he saw me approaching with tack. I’m a firm believer that education is fun, positive, and rewarding and should never be forced or made punishable if desired goals weren’t met. With Shadow’s history it’s even more important to ensure that he is happy, confident and in no way put into a position where he feared punishment if he refused to cooperate. Everything was taken at his speed.
After a week off training, I decided it was time to persist with the fleece saddle, girth, bridle, and lead rope and approached with a calm confidence as is we’d done this a thousand times. On went the bridle without a single issue. I picked up the saddle and he watched, I made sure it didn’t flap and straps didn’t slap him, so I gently lowered it onto his back and he was ok with it and trusting me implicitly. Next step was the girth. I was worried he’d react or feel trapped but he amazed me by giving me a kiss and licking, chewing, and releasing his anxiety. All before wandering around to show me he was happy with the saddle on his back.