All training All the time

It often appears I'm enjoying a simple pony ride around the property with my L. But the fact is we're *always* training. I started doing this many years ago with my thoroughbred. We'd be out in the fields and I'd make imaginary obstacle courses around distinctive rocks and brush. We'd run those courses and I practiced making the decisions. I decided where he'd put his feet, when and how he'd bend, when he'd turn and when he'd halt.

I've taken it just a little further with L by making obstacle courses around the property. Here I call this one our Hill Climb trail. The reason is obvious:

And this is our Bridge Trail. Bridge Trail because there's a "bridge" in there. A pallet with plywood nailed on top.

This is a favorite. It's a continuing challenge for both of us! I call it the Bank Trail. It's hard to see but there's a very short steep bank in the brush. It's tight quarters and it's a little tricky with that tree in the way. We go up the bank but I can't let her hop up because she has to twist and make a tight turn at the top. And I have to duck under the low branches.

Coming out from here can be a challenge too!
We work our way through the brush. Make no mistake - this can be dicey. There's thorns all over the place out here!

Even along some old paddocks abandoned ages ago. The biggest challenge here is to have her focus and ignore all that yummy looking grass!

The idea is to find something to challenge us. L needs some mental challenge to stay engaged. She needs some physical challenge to use muscles she might not otherwise use. I need to stay in charge. To decide where we go and when we go there. For me to have her putting her feet where she'd rather not is all it takes for us to stay tuned up.

She's become so good at going through these obstacle courses last year I started putting her through them backwards! Try doing figure 8s around a pair of pine trees out in the brush backwards! It takes a lot of patience. It's such a crazy thing to do from her point of view it wasn't at all clear to her what I was asking. Now all I have to do is point her butt where I want her to go and she goes through these things backwards as freely and easily as she goes through them forwards. Have I mentioned lately Canadian Horses are known for being smart? Finding things to challenge her is a challenge!

Today I'll go put some scary things out there. I have a whole shed full of stuff. Pool noodles. Flags. Wind socks. Plastic ducks. Those spinny things on sticks. I have dozens of those. We pole bend through them on windy days.

We're always training. It doesn't always look that way.