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This is the first post in this new category I have named "news". Here I will give you news via monthly posts.
It is the 1st of December and I have been back from Switzerland for a week. I have to admit that it was hard to leave Michael, Claudia, the house that became my 2nd home, my new Swiss friends, the animals, the calm, the beauty of the Jura landscapes, ... But it was not a farewell, more like a "see you soon". I will go back! The return with Azzaro went well. He remained very calm during the whole trip. Going through Swiss customs was again quite an adventure, but we made it through. I could start a diary just to tell my stories with the customs officers.
Over there, November was pretty quiet. I was alone with Michael and Claudia most of the time. I did get a visit from some new Swiss friends before I left.
About horses, I mainly worked with Azzaro. We did a whole week of liberty in the round pen and I spent the rest of the time in the saddle.
A few days before I left, an 8-month-old Franches-Montagnes filly arrived at the farm to join the herd of mares. I had the opportunity to work with her for about ten days (morning & evening the first few days and only in the evening the last days). When she arrived, we could just lead her and she didn't accept to be touched everywhere. After these few sessions, she had made a serious leap forward in basic skills. She accepts to turn and face in liberty to be haltered without opposition reflex. She accepts to be touched everywhere with the carrot-stick, the flag at the end of the stick and then the hand. She can yield away from steady pressure to go forward, backward, right, left, up, down. She moves away from rhythmic pressure to move forward, backward, front and backhand separately and even together to go sideways, in front of a fence. She also gives her feet and is quite confident in narrow spaces (after a few days she was going through the plastic curtains that close off the entrances to the stall. The first few days she was a little impressed by the change of environment, but very quickly we could see the very confident filly she is. It was interesting to see how easy, quick and pleasant everything can be when the horse has not yet learned to go against the humans or ignore them. All we have to do is politely and patiently explain what we want. The foal can learn very quickly and we build, one day at a time, on a solid foundation. Focus - Feel - timing - balance.
I also did a few more sessions with a one and a half-year-old Arabian. I had handled him a bit when he arrived a few months ago. He is also a very confident colt who learns very quickly. With horses like him, the difficulty is that they don't forget that both (human and horse) have to do a part of the work in the partnership. A lack of discipline on our part is an opportunity for them to learn how to stay in their comfort zone and make us work more than they do. As Buck Brannaman says: when there is discipline, there is no need for punishment. And anyway, the punishment that humans consider and try to apply with horses is most of the time not effective. J'ai
Since I'm back in Belgium, I don't have many stories to tell yet. My new saddle Balance arrived home the same day as Azzaro and I. I have already been able to ride in it twice. This time there is no need for an adaptation time because I rode Azzaro with the same saddle in Switzerland for several months. I had the same feeling as when you come back home.
Colin
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