When I got to the barn, I said Gunny's nickname (Ponyta) and she whinnied and ran up to me. I suppose she missed me a little. :P
I decided to groom her and then test her basic control work. Still at where I left off, fantastic. I've decided to start working on various ground exercises until I'm confident and she is too. I worked with her slowly, keeping her calm, and got her to step both front feet on a box/block, and down again. Rewarding her with a snippet of grain every time she did what I wanted. It was fun to watch her stay in the "green zone" and be interested in pleasing me. I think the more we're successful together, the more we can have a partnership. I have to get her feet trimmed and up to date. She got her teeth floated over the summer while I was away...and she's put on a lot of weight. Fabulous. She was a bit thin (for my liking) when I left in the spring. Perhaps the teeth issue was what was causing her problems there.
Anyway, I'm just going to work slowly on ground work and basic control for a while. Maybe working on bridle work, but for now, just the halter. I want to keep things interesting, and I want to train MYSELF to be more patient and not expect too much from her. I want to observe her behaviors and reactions to different stimulus. She's a good girl and I'm glad to be back home and "horsin' around"!
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