Then today we went solo hacking, he had one moment where he thought he didn't want to go and just kept bananaing a slightly different direction. But C/T for going the right way soon swung him! He did the hills really well, marching up and down but not trying to jog. We had two canters, one in the field and one up a ride. He feels loads better.
Around the cones and we get really nice canter, and excellent trot, but apparently trot has a limit on it - there is a spot on the circle on the right rein where he downs tools! So we have a training hole still there, but generally forwards is not a problem like it was.
We got back to the yard and started to train stand on the mat - then I can use go to his mat to help forwards. He got it in two attempts, and was then standing almost on his own feet to be stood on the mat!
Magic - I had a great talk to Hannah Dawson (http://www.hannahdawsonequine.co.uk/) at YHL about motivating horses you know well and have trained for a long time. It gave me loads to think about and made me even more determined to strip things back further and try to make the +R bigger than the previous -R.
Saturday I didn't have time to do anything with him - but he was standing at the gate trying to get my attention as I left for YHL! Sunday, he was determined it was his go, so he came to be ridden with P and Dan, even though the plan had been to take Merlot. He was very forward and let out and into the wood, and took the furthest path along the boundary. Then we saw people walking in the next wood and he went into plant mode, with his heart beating so hard it was MOVING me. Dan took over, and we did a lap of the wood and took him home to collect Merlot instead. So I definitely still need a way to get calm when he believes there is danger.... me telling him there is no danger is as much use as a chocolate teapot. He has to believe it himself. So more softly softly solo hacking where we can get off and head lower if necessary is probably on the cards.
Yesterday, he came through and I tacked up, and went and stood on mounting block and waited. As soon as he looked my way, C/T. By the end he was capturing the saddle nicely. If I had led him to the mounting block, he would have done capture the saddle with me as that's how I trained it. Now I am training that once I am on the mounting block with my hands out, wherever he is, he should come and join me.
So today, I tacked up and went to the mounting block. He was facing the other way right by the gate, and he turned and brought the saddle all the way to me in one go! I got on, my goal to literally C/T any forward step that took us away from home. I wasn't expecting much, but we got to the cones having done a lap of the farmyard sniffing all the goblins first. We saw a runner in the other wood in the distance, and his head came up, but he was not stressed and walked on again fine.
So more of the same this week I think, increasing his motivation without me having to "do" anything to get it.
Remus - C/T for targetting rug in my hand. Then put rug on floor and C/T for any look towards it. Very quickly he was able to walk around it closely. I then picked rug back up and its still ok. Then did more lift the feet... which is going well, he has realised he needs to stabilise himself on the other three before giving me the 4th. Leading is really good, and don't mug me seems to have got fixed (although it doesn't apply to P so have told her she may have to play don't mug me with him too!)
Aero - Simon did some head lowering, and some cleaning up the food delivery loop, as well as starting the whole graze/don't graze work. Then yesterday he was desperate for a session as the mat was out, so he got a first go on the podium, which is good for him as it means we can get an extra inch or so of head lower with his front feet off the floor but his nose still reaching to the floor.
Finally I moved the electric fence yesterday so they have loads more grass. And this is the sight from our kitchen window this morning!
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