Val 4/18

Val just did some quick, quiet work today. He has issues with backing when the bit gets put into his mouth (Fran is getting his teeth done when he heads back home for a month) and has issues trying to knock into you with his jawbone while haltering. So, I took a halter and bridle down to his paddock and just worked with him on putting it on and taking it off about 100 times. Also worked with letting me handle his ears and just general head-handling work while in the open. It's different when the horse is in a stall or confined area, but when you're at a show and you realize you've never put a bridle on your horse out in the open, it's an eye opening experience! Some horses just stand there, but Val likes to try to back out of it or walk away. So, we worked on "bridleing" and "haltering" in the open. It also gives him a chance to retreat to a larger distance and then get more and more comfortable with the experience as well.