When Jazz first arrived, she presented a unique set of challenges. She was a mare with no ‘stop’ and an imbalanced gait, heavily favoring her front end. This imbalance combined with years of bad habits from previous owners led to some actions that were going to be a problem for her new job as a family horse to be ridden by adults and growing children. In the video, No Stop and No Steering, you can see what she was like when she came to me.
Training Goals
The training aimed at a transformation of Jazz, focusing on:
- Leadership and Trust: Establishing a clear leadership dynamic was essential to gain Jazz’s trust and respect.
- Physical Reconditioning: Strengthening Jazz’s backend muscles was critical to correct her balance and movement.
- Behavioral Adjustments: Training Jazz to respond to cues, control her speed, and move in a balanced manner was a key goal.
Transformation Journey
Jazz’s training journey has been marked by notable transformations:
- From Tension to Cooperation: Initially, Jazz showed discomfort and tension during saddling, possibly indicative of past issues. Over time, she learned to respond positively to the saddling process, reflecting growing trust and comfort.
- Leadership Acknowledgement: Initially struggling with leadership, Jazz began to understand and accept the handler’s leadership through consistent ground work.
- Responsive Riding: Jazz’s responsiveness while riding improved significantly. She learned to wait for commands before moving, a departure from her previous habit of moving impulsively.
- Improved Movement: The most significant change was in her movement. Jazz gradually started to engage her back end and lift her shoulders, resulting in a more balanced gait.
Current Status and Future Plans
Currently, Jazz is in a much better place, both physically and behaviorally. The plan is to continue enhancing her physical fitness and responsiveness, focusing on riding aspects like speed control and precise steering with different members of the family. In the video, Learning to Control Her Impulsiveness, you can see the progress she has made.
Conclusion
Jazz’s journey from a mare with significant challenges to a responsive and balanced horse is a testament to the power of patience and targeted training. Her transformation is a source of inspiration and a reminder of the potential for change with the right approach. One big key to getting the result that I wanted was to get her to Focus on me and what I was asking her to do instead of just doing what she had previously done. In the video, Teaching a Distracted Busy Minded Horse to Focus, I go into detail discussing specifically what I did and how it works.
My horse training journey has brought me from winning world titles to now trying to make every horse the best they can be. In the blog category, Horse Training Journeys, I share more stories like this of horses that were transformed using the training articles and videos shown in this website.