One of my favorite horse agility obstacles is the noodle walk. It’s a fun obstacle, but also a practical obstacle. This obstacle can help a horse learn to be calm and confident if something unexpectedly touches their side or bushes up against them. In these types of situations, may horses are quick to spook, panic, […]
Chewie and I have been exploring a new (potential) training location. This area is a small paddock that is attached to her pasture. It’s next to the run where we often do our training sessions. The horse who used to live in this run has moved to another barn. So, at least for now, the […]
Recently, Chewie and I have been playing with a rainbow exercise mat. I like to set up sessions in which Chewie can investigate and explore new objects on her own terms. I call these exploration sessions. My goal is to create an environment in which Chewie will want to interact with the objects we use […]
Recently, Chewie and I played with a tarp! As part of Chewie’s training, I have been gradually introducing her to new objects and new experiences. I wrote previously about some of our adventures with mats. Horses are often scared of tarps. They look funny. They feel funny when you step on them. They blow around […]
We’ve been playing with mats! I have structured these sessions so that they are exploratory in nature. I don’t have a concrete goal in mind, other than to provide an interesting, enriching experience while allowing Chewie to interact with something new. Chewie steps on the mats while sniffing them. Here’s how the session works. I […]
