On Monday, I took Ozzy (for me) and Joker (for a student) to a friend's farm for some schooling. Traveling with horses can be interesting and is never something that should be done without preparation. Trailering itself can be dangerous (1,000 lb. claustrophobic animal in a dark metal box traveling at high rates of speed, at the mercy of other drivers), not to mention that horses tend to behave differently when away from their home environment. Safety is always my highest priority, and I am a bit of an over-thinker, so I typically over prepare, but I like to think that this is beneficial especially when dealing with horses.
I'm happy to say that our trip off the farm went extremely smoothly (maybe due to my need for over preparing). I'll let my videos of Ozzy's schooling speak for themselves, for the most part, but I did want to summarize a few of the highlights.
Wins: 1) Ozzy was extremely well behaved. I've not traveled a whole lot with him, but I am seeing that he really isn't extremely reactive when off the farm, as some horses can be. He gets more confident about trailering each time and once at our destination he settles pretty quickly. He rode just as well there as he does a home, with no tension. 2) He was much more supple to the left. I can tell our continuous work on this is making a big difference in him not bracing. I think this is also making a big difference in his balance and evenness of stride.
Things to continue working on: We need to add stretch and mobility without falling on the forehand. I believe this will come as we continue to work on lifting the back and engaging the haunches. I think this will also help with our jog rhythm and clarity.
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