It was lesson day. I been too easy on my client about her horse because I didn't want to lose one of the few customers I had. I wasn't doing her any favors. She isn't going to be able to have a good relationship with her horse if she keeps spoiling it the way she has. If she leaves me because I tell her the truth, so be it. Everyone goes through a couple of trainers anyway.
We had a brief conversation about how she would need to "require" her horse's respect while they were together. I would show her how to gain that respect by moving her horse's feet forward, backward, left, and right.
Her mare pinned her ears back when I asked her to lunge. When she didn't go, I swung the stick and string and BOOM, off she went. We did a lot of changes of direction. Every time I gave her a cue, the ears would go back, but then she would do what I asked.
The client is using her friends for advice and that's simply something we'll deal with for now. She needs information and knowledge and she only wants to use me an hour a week. I'll get as much done as I can.
By the end of the hour (really about 90 minutes) the mare was much less reactive and was moving off my cues without too much of an attitude. The ears would occasionally go back, but I could see she was improving. We did a lot of desensitizing too.
Before our time was up, I asked the owner to come in to the round pen and work her horse. It's one thing for me to work the horse, I want the owner to gain confidence from working her own horse on the ground. While she was hesitant at first, she quickly took charge. As I offered a few coaching tips, I could see her confidence start to grow. We ended the session on a good note. She is going to a friend's place to ride this weekend. We'll see what happens next.
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