Today when Kai came to catch me I decided to do a little test, so instead of haltering him I asked him to follow at liberty to the gate. We were very close to the gate when Kai took off back to the hay. He turned and watched me run back to the hay net.

He caught me again and this time, he followed me to the gate and let me halter him without leaving. How interesting. I wonder how it will go the next time we play this game.

In the indoor arena we played with seeking the jump at liberty. Kai tried to go around the barrel and go in the 6' gap between the wall and the barrel instead of jumping once. I blocked him with my stick and backed him up and then guided him over the jump with the halter and then asked him again at liberty right away. When he did I gave him a cookie and groomed and tacked him up.

I sent him over the jump while wearing the bareback pad to make sure he was all good before mounting. Then we did lateral flexion. Kai was noticeably softer to the right than he has ever been. I think Kai had finally softened mentally to me and that is why he is flexing easier now. I had always waited as long as it took for him to soften but he always took a little while to warm up when flexing laterally. He is finally finding the softness right away.

Kai leaned forward in anticipation for me to ask him to walk on. So I waited for him to relax and then backed him up instead. I backed him to the middle of the arena and then started working on yields. I asked him to yield his HQ and Kai walked forward instead of thinking about what I was asking him. I bumped him on the nose and he yielded.

We did both sides making sure he did not go forward when I stopped asking him. Then we did FQ yields. I would ask him for a quarter of a circle and then back him up and we kept doing this until he stopped assuming that we would go forward right after finishing the yield.

Then I asked him to yield his FQ faster for a few steps for fun. I did some "hurry up and wait" and then went on the rail to quickly work on walk to trot transitions. When he did some nice ones we quit so it wouldn't become a drill.

Next we did some bending circles focusing on soft changes of direction at the trot. I can get Kai soft on the circle but when we change directions he tends to get super bracy.

Kai was not trying to be soft so I gave him some bumps in the beginning but he very quickly softened. I also worked on pushing his ribs out and getting him responsive to my leg as well.

We quit pretty quickly as he gave me everything I asked him almost right away for the entire ride. After untacking him I allowed him to roll and I gave him lots of treats when he was on his side.

Today I decided we could take catching game a step further and see if Kai could come at a trot. I stoped about 30' away and asked him to draw in. Kai slowly turned his head away from the hay to look at me while methodically chewing. I waited, smiling at him until he looked away. Then I crept up behind him and tagged his bum (making sure I was well out of the kick zone). Kai leapt sideways bumping into Shane and both of them started trotting around, Shane looked pretty alarmed while Kai had a funny smug look on his face.

He was obviously trying to get to the opposite side of the hay bale so that I couldn't reach him. I ran around the hay and the other horses who were still eating to block him from reaching the hay. He sassily tossed his mane and ran the other way. Then he slowed to a walk and started to carefully consider how he could outsmart me.

He tried stopping and walking away before darting back and a couple of other things. Soon he came and caught me but he still had a cheeky look on his face. I rubbed him and checked his legs so he knew I was not in any hurry. Then we even started to walk away from the gate. Kai was intrigued. Then he made a split decision to take off as fast as he could go. Unfortunately for him it wasn't fast enough and I tagged him as hard as I could on his bum.

Kai galloped two or three strides and then, as he made a sharp turn (towards the hay lol) he slipped on the ice under the snow and fell flat on his butt. A split second after he fell I fell down as well. Kai jumped up and trotted to the hay while I dusted the snow off my hands and knees and ran to keep him from getting a release. Then Kai connected and trotted over to catch me. I haltered him and gave him a cookie. I love to play catching game! It is very fun when the horse is not fearful and both of us are playing.

Kai licked and chewed and we went to the inside arena. I set up a single barrel away from the wall so we could practice seeking the jump. We have not done this in a long time and I was excited to see what Kai would do. He tried to go around once so I backed him up and sent him again. Kai jumped but a little sideways. I told him he was a good boy for trying but did not bring him in. Instead I sent him again and Kai jumped perfectly! He was light, willing, had a smile in the rope, and he didn't hit the barrel with his hind legs. I gave him a rest and a cookie before asking him to jump the other way. When he did I made a huge fuss over him and gave him more cookies.

Next, I asked him to approach the jump at a trot in each direction and then at a canter. I brought him in after every jump so that when we do this at liberty the first thing he thinks about will be to connect and come back to me. Kai sometimes disconnects after jumping at liberty so I think this is a good default for him to have.

Next we worked on a relaxed canter for a short while. I followed him on the circle because I just began to teach him to slow down. He is beginning to relax and fall into a rhythm but I sometimes need to remind him.

We had to leave the indoor because there was going to be a lesson. So I groomed Kai outside and tacked him up. I put my western pad under the bareback pad because I think that Kai likes the extra support for longer rides. I did not use the saddle today because I am much more comfortable and used to riding bareback and I wanted to focus the ride on teaching Kai rather than getting used to the saddle.

When we got to the arena we found that the footing was only good for walking so we got his lateral flexion extra extra good because we could practice that while standing.

He was always stiff on one side when I asked him for flexion. Almost every single time I ride I need to ask him repeatedly on one side to get it as soft as the other. One neat thing that I discovered is that teaching him vertical flexion helped him with his stiff side so much! It sort of gave him a way to flex in between the left flex and the right flex. For example he used to flex really soft to the left and then when I asked him to straighten his head he would become stiff to the right, and if I worked on the right side to get that soft he would stiffen on the left.

It would usually take a few corrections before he was soft both ways so we could continue. Today, however he was super soft right away. I only gave him a few bumps. It felt great to feel how soft an light and giving he could be both ways.

We then walked all around the arena to warm up and get moving and also to check the footing to see if it was any better at the other end of the arena. Turns out it was a little worse.  So we headed back the other way working on vertical flexion. Kai wanted to impersonate a giraffe and stare at the other horses when they started goofing around but he quickly connected and found the sweet spot, keeping his head at withers level. I could feel his back relax under me.

Kai had the same problem with circles, he would always be soft left and not right. He was also more bracy the faster we went. It took a little while but he soon softened both ways and it felt wonderful, Kai was beginning to find relaxation and harmony on the bend. Then we worked on a soft change of bend which he understood for the first time. By then the lesson in the indoor arena was over so I dismounted and Kai and I trotted to the indoor.

I then mounted again and we played follow the rail working on soft vertical flexion and finding the sweet spot in relaxation and a soft back. Kai is discovering that carrying me is much more comfortable when he relaxes and settles into a rhythm. We also played a bit with downward transitions.

When Kai was feeling very good I decided that I could do some rider exercises while he trotted. I set the reins down and started to rotate my arms in backward circles then forward circles and then also just the inside arm and then just the outside. I also put both hands on my helmet and folded them and did all the things I used to do on the lunge line with my old instructor. I steered Kai in a giant figure eight to practice changing directions for me and to practice steering with legs for Kai.

It feels good for me as a rider to do these movements. I feel immediately more balanced. It helps me find the right movement with my core and helps me so much. I used to only trust Kai to do this at the walk and it was a breakthrough to do this at the trot. I can't wait until he is good enough that I can trust him for this at the canter.

I then pulled up the crash test dummy I made for Kaila on Kai's back. I draped "Caramba" over Kai's withers and asked him to walk forward and even trot a little. As I was putting Caramba down his leg caught on Kai's rein so Kai was giving to the pressure and very quickly backing up until I unhooked the dummy. I told Kai he was good and we carried on with our ride.

Then Kai did the most amazing thing! He did the smoothest transition into a trot ever! And when I asked him to slow down to a walk he did a perfect and relaxed transition.

Kai had some trouble going from trot to walk because he always stopped dead. This was because he used to ignore my cues to stop so I corrected him pretty hard. Now, the moment he feels / thinks I need him to stop he stops right away. This made it hard for him to transition into a walk without stopping. I was very happy with him so I dropped the reins and we walked a few laps to cool off before dismounting.

I put his cooler on and tied him in the corner because there was another lesson in the indoor. As Kai was in the corner I thought I could teach him hind leg lifts to help him strengthen his HQ. I took a little while with the tickler on the end of the stick and taught Kai to lift his foot when I touched it. Then I quickly progressed to keeping asking him until he stopped stomping his foot down and was setting it down gently. I soon required him to hold it up for a few seconds before setting it down. Kai understood on his right hind leg but not his left. I quit asking when he held it up a bit longer.

Before putting him back in the paddock I allowed him to roll because I knew he wanted to. As he was rolling I started feeding him bits of apple just before he got up. I lured him back on his side with the apple and slowly fed him all of it while he was on his side. Kai was thoughtfully chewing the apple while assessing the situation. When the apple was done I moved my energy up to tell him he could get up now. After that he was completely done so I put him back in the paddock.

Today we entered the arena and I  picked up the flag to play with. We have played with the flag before but I thought we should still do friendly game. Kai began to throw his head and when he saw that I didn't stop waving the flag he started to pull back hard. I made sure I did not loose leverage on his nose and persisted with the flag waving. Then Kai did something I did not expect him to do, he reared. He wasn't panicked so I corrected him by yanking his nose back down and sent him to do many quick changes of direction, all at the same time as waving the flag. Kai licked his lips and settled down and asked a question. I stopped waving the flag and rubbed his withers with it. I did lots more friendly game until he was relaxed with the flag in all zones, underneath his belly an everywhere else I could think of.

I am not particularly sure why he behaved this way, as I was relaxed and happy and we were alone in the arena so there were not many distractions. Also he is very familiar with the flag and we played with it many times before. Anyway, he was calm when we finished and that is what matters.

Next we practiced forward down from Straightness Training at the halt. (We were also not alone in the arena anymore) Kai got the head down when going forward very quickly but it was pretty hard for him when standing still.  At first he braced and did not want to lower his head and when he did he was very fidgety. He was being unusually mouthy as well. I think he was feeling a bit unsettled  so he tried to walk forward many times. I waited for him to find comfort and relaxation with his head down. He started to yawn and yawn and when he was done he could stay relaxed for longer without getting distracted.

I quit asking him when he was pretty soft and quiet. Next we practiced taking the bit in and out a few times and then I left it on. Kai gaped his mouth wide open and moved his tongue back and forth. I sent him out on the circle to work on relaxed transitions to take his mind off the bit. We did a million transitions focusing on walk to canter transitions most.

Kai usually takes trot steps before making the transition to canter.  He kept trotting faster before cantering so we kept trying. Soon I realized that I needed to change the way I was asking him. I needed to make a clear difference between the cue to trot or walk faster and making a transition.

The cue for canter is to bring my energy up and to put my weight on my "hindquarters" to signal Kai that he needs to put his weight on his HQ so he can make a clean transition. The cue for going faster within the gait is to just bring my energy up. I tried the canter transition again and even though he still took some trot steps he made a beautiful transition to canter, and looked like he was prepared for it instead of scrambling to make the transition. On top of that he kept the smile in the line and seemed more relaxed.

Next, I asked him to stop and come sideways toward me. I was delighted with the fact that Kai understood what I wanted without hesitation and he came sideways eagerly and stopped at  respectful distance. We also did sideways from zone 1 without a pole. Kai was super light and he moved off with me just shifting my weight. We played with more transitions and sideways and before we knew it Kai forgot about fussing with the bit so I brought him in and took the bridle off.

Next we did some bowing while he cooled down. He is staying down a lot longer and is thinking through it instead of bouncing right back up after his knee touched the ground. I groomed him and ended the session.

Today on the way to the barn I was wondering whether Kai would be challenging my leadership because I have not seen him for a week.

When I got to the gate Kai was looking at me with both eyes from behind the round hay bale. I called him and he took a few steps forward, stopping right on the edge of the ice.

I went into the paddock and disengaged his HQ and he came right over. I held out the bit and he reached and took it without my help. I took it out and gave him a cookie.
 
When I took him to the arena Kai began to prance around and was wanting to roll. I asked him to take the bit again and then let him loose so that he could roll and prance for a little while. He bucked and ran and lay down to roll and then bucked and ran some more.

The paddock was all icy and it was too slippery for him to play so he was extra excited. I caught him and tied him in the corner for a little while so that I could help scoop the horses’ grain.

I came back and gave him his breakfast before playing some stick to me transitions. Kai does really good walk and trot transitions but he lags behind me during the canter transitions. I persisted until I got a good one each direction and then moved on to practicing walking and trotting with his head down.

Then Kaila offered to trim his feet. Kai pulled his foot away from Kaila several times and I corrected him with phase four right away. I drove him in a very tight and fast circle with lots of changes of directions and then got him back to trimming right away. He figured out that he needed to stand nicely and Kaila could finish the trim. I put the cooler on him and gave him permission to roll when he was done. We ended the session with some more bridling practice, asking him to hold the bit longer each time.

Today I had a session with Anna about teaching Kai to lift his shoulders during riding and to help me continue teaching him vertical flexion.

At first, I did some small circles on the ground to get him connected. Anna told me that I was happy with too little and that I should ask more of him. Also, she explained how I could help him by driving his ribs out with my core. This helped Kai step underneath himself. I kept asking him until he put in a bit more effort and then gave him a short break.

We began the ride by going on the rail and asking Kai to give his nose. He was doing what I wanted but he was a little bit distracted and I would have to get his attention back. He soon became more connected and would hold his nose the way I asked. Anna helped me get a feel for when he is flexing at the poll and when he is over-bending. As he began to understand what I wanted he started to over flex a lot less often than last time. Anna also showed me that I don't have to "throw away" all the contact when he gave to the pressure and was soft, I could release with my fingers. I can also put the fingers back on as a very light phase and then take the bottom fingers away again when he is soft.

Next she had me lightly put my inside leg on during the turns so that he didn't fall with his shoulders. It felt really great and balanced when Kai did a light turn without falling.

Next Anna set up a pattern for me to follow. It was a modified clover leaf, made out of five cones, four making a large square and one marking the middle. I would ride through the middle of the square and then turn left at a cone and turn left again to cut through the middle at the next cone. After I understood the pattern we did it to the left and to the right focusing on making nice balanced turns and making sure Kai stayed soft. I needed to focus on not lifting my hands up and on not leaning with my body. It was pretty easy when I was thinking about doing those things, but if I lost my focus and concentrated on something else I would start to lean again.  

We ended the lesson and I walked Kai on the rail to cool him off. I looped the reins on the saddle horn and started swinging my arms in big circles just like I used to do on the lunge line while directing Kai with my legs. Kai was a bit confused at first and asked a question but soon understood it was just more friendly game.

Also, I am glad he is learning how to find the sweet spot and is overflexing so much less now.


Later that day I visited Kai in the paddock and brought his new bit with me. Kai only had a bit in his mouth once or twice in his old home. At first we reviewed what he learned last session, to reach his nose in the bridle. When he did that three times I raised the expectation and held the bit to his lips.

At first, Kai tried to avoid it and was moving his head all over but I stayed with him until he realized that I wasn't going to shove it in his mouth. I gave him a cookie while the bit was touching his lips a few times before asking a bit more. This time, I gave him the bit with the cookie and let him spit it out before giving him another cookie. Kai licked his lips and asked a question. I held out the bridle again and asked him to reach his nose in like we did at the beginning and then held it to his lips waiting for him to take it. It took him a few moments but then he willingly opened his mouth and let me slide the bit in. I let him spit it out again and gave him two cookies for taking the bit so nicely. Then I began to hold the bit in his mouth for a few moments before giving him a cookie. We ended on a really good one when he reached his nose in and happily took the bit and held it for five whole seconds before I took it out. I gave him a muffin and then left.

All this took about 15 minutes! I am excited to see how he will respond to the bit next session!

Today Kai caught me in the paddock and we did some bowing before going to the arena. I groomed and tacked him up and began to do some circles so I could see him move with the saddle. Kai was hollowing his back something awful and was super distracted. I thought this was as good a time as any to teach him to stretch his head down.

I asked him to bring his head down at a stand still and then at the walk. Kai was resisting and bracing on the pressure but I kept on asking until he could relax. Then we repeated the same process a the trot. Kai eventually found the sweet spot and he kept his head level with the withers.

I thought we could take it a step further and teach him to give his nose. I began with the easiest movement, the back up, and kept asking him until he gave his nose in as well as backed up. Then I put his bum in the corner and practiced asking him to give that way. Then I tied the lead line into reins and put  contact on them. Then we walked at stick to me while holding pressure on his nose. It was hard for me to keep a steady feel so I held on to the saddle. Kai was very confused and he did not know what to do with the pressure for three laps around the arena. Then after thinking hard about it he gave to the pressure just a little bit. I released and praised him. Kai had a big lick and chew and gave his nose almost right away when I asked him again.

Soon he understood that he could give his nose instead of always stopping. We practiced a relaxed stop and back up and even some tiny trot steps on the ground. I then mounted up and asked him to give his nose the exact same way as I did on the ground.

Kai stood still and hesitated before giving his nose. I gave him a cookie and lots of praise so he knew he did the right thing. Soon we were walking around the rail while keeping a very light contact. We practiced stopping and backing up without getting tense. I dismounted to give him a little break.

I thought that we could play with the bridle for a little. I borrowed Kaila's because I left my bit at home as I did not expect to be needing it. I made sure Kai was comfortable with it before asking him to reach his nose in the head stall. Soon Kai was thinking about putting his nose in the head stall and I put the bridle away. This is meant to prime him a little for the next time we play with it. I like to plant little idea seeds in his head when introducing something new. This sets us up for success when we do it the next time.  I notice that he really gets new things a lot faster if I planted those seeds before.

I mounted again and we did some more flexion. Kai was over-bending in the beginning but I let him get away with it for the first time because he didn't know the sweet spot yet. However I did discourage it by giving little bumps upwards on the reins when he was over-flexing. He wasn't trying to avoid contact, he really thought that I wanted him to do it this way. I just slowly guided him to the sweet spot and he was already doing less over-flexing.


I then untacked him and put the cooler on. I let him loose so that he could go roll if he wanted to. He walked around and then came to hang out with me. I squeezed some orange juice on the mounting block so that he could lick it for an extra special treat. Kai really likes orange juice!

When Mom came I jumped on him again to show her and Kaila how he learned to flex. What a good boy!

Today I set up the obstacles for our level 3 online audition before getting Kai. We worked on not rushing the weave a and then began to practice our routine. Kai was doing an amazing job and did everything I asked him to do lightly. Next I set up the camera and we began our pattern but when I came to turn it off I discovered that the battery died. Kai did rush the weave a little so I wasn't too disappointed about it. I was actually feeling very happy because we were having a wonderful and connected session. Later I had some orange juice and I could see by Kai's expression that he really wanted to taste it. I decided to squirt some on my hand and let him lick it. I would have never guessed that Kai loves orange juice. I asked him for one more weave before ending the session.

Later that day Kai saw me coming with a halter to fetch another horse and he came from behind the hay net and left his herd to come greet me. I took a moment to give him cookies and scratches and even asked him to smile before moving on. I think it is good for him to see that just because I have a halter doesn't mean that we are going to have a session. Sometimes he only gets love and cookies.

Today Kai came to greet me by the gate when he saw me coming with the halter.

We started to play with backing up by the tail. I practiced making turns because Kai wants to keep turning to face me. I kept asking him until he was doing nice turns and was soft. Then I set up a pole by the rail so that he could trot over it on the circle. At first I just asked him to walk and trot over it and then I asked him to stop right before it. Kai asked a question and leaned forward, so I decided to encourage his idea of going forward and asked him to put both front feet over the pole. Kai licked and chewed and asked another question. I asked him to back up and then walk over it for another circle. I asked Kai to step over it all the way and then I asked him to back over it. Kai was asking lots of questions and was thinking hard about doing what I was asking him.

Then we moved on to putting only one foot over the pole. Soon he was putting one front foot over the pole without needing to put the other one over. We also did this with his back feet. I asked Kai to go on a circle at the trot and he asked a question every time he was approaching the pole. I brought him in and gave him a cookie before asking him to straddle the pole length wise. I carefully talked to each of his feet until he could straddle the pole. Kai got the front feet down but still put his back feet all the way over on either side before relaxing in that position.

We repeated this a few times and Kai could understand really quickly what I wanted him to do.
Then we worked on perfecting sideways from zone one over the pole. My goal was to get him to go sideways with me without the stick. We played around with the phases until I did not need the stick anymore. He was leaving his bum behind a little so we worked on helping his HQ catch up to his front. Kai was doing both directions very lightly. However he found it more difficult to stop when we went sideways right on the edge of the pole, he went all the way off. We ended the session when he went both left and right and then left again without pausing to much and mirroring my speed all without me using the stick.

Today we did not do much in terms of working on our audition routine but we  strengthened  our relationship a lot. I went to visit with Kai in the paddock whenever I had a spare moment in between working and doing chores. The first time I went to see him he seemed pretty intrigued that I came to see him without taking him out of the paddock. I hung out with him and gave him a cookie before leaving. The second time I went to visit Kai came to catch me and we practiced some bowing.

Then Kai came to be by the gate to watch me walking around filling water buckets and cleaning up. I gave him a cookie whenever I walked by to encourage him to stay by the gate. This will be useful when it is mud season. Hopefully Kai will love to be by the gate and I will not have to walk through all that mud to play catching game. After lunch I went in paddock and Kai eagerly walked up to catch me and followed me at liberty to the shelters where the snow was all packed down and easy to walk on.

We practiced bowing on one knee and then I began to teach Kai how to bow with both leg stretched out. Then we worked on his Spanish walking. Kai did the most coordinated Spanish walk yet! He didn't miss a single step and he did not leave his hind legs behind! I asked him one more time before ending the mini session. Kai even followed me to the gate. Later I visited him one more time but we didn't do any tricks or games, we just spent some time together.

Sometimes, when I don't have a clear plan for the session, we end up having the most fun and growth.


Kai and I began the session by doing liberty stick to me and some trot and canter draws. I asked Kai to bow and let go off his leg while he was down and he didn’t bounce up right away, like he used to. I want to teach Kai to stay down without me holding his foot and eventually to go down on his own without my help.

I then asked him to smile for a longer period of time. My goal is to be able to ask Kai to smile from 22' away.

I then asked him to bow with both front legs extended. This stretches his legs and strengthens his core. Next we hung out together for a little. Sometimes it is nice to spend some time together without asking Kai to do anything.

I asked him on the circle at the trot. I decided to push my luck and ask him to canter. Kai used to leave when I asked him to canter at liberty but today he decided to stay. He didn't maintain gait but he made the transition and did not even think about leaving. I knew I couldn't be too picky. I needed to "expect a lot, accept a little and reward often" (Pat Parelli) to keep Kai motivated. I invited him in and gave him cookies every couple of circles.

I then decided to go for a little ride. I tied the lead rope into reins and then hopped on. I challenged Kai to a game of "don't make me use the reins!" I asked him for lateral flexion by tapping the side of his neck to tell him to flex and then gave him a cookie when he did. Then we practiced yields. Kai tends to go forward instead of yielding when I put my leg on.

Kai was doing lovely FQ yields and after a little bit of work he was  yielding his HQ. I then asked him to go on the rail and when he fell to the inside I directed him back with my leg.  In the past, when I used to put my leg on he would speed up and ignore my energy. Now he simply moved away from the pressure. I discovered that he responded to my hand movements even if I was not holding the reins. I thought we could practice this hand gesture steering because it will be useful when I am riding with a neck rope  and even when I teach him to steer by his mane.

I was thinking that if I am teaching him to do lead by the tail and lead by the mane, why not do lead by the mane while riding? I could eventually ask him to turn with his mane!

We did some turns and trot to halt to back up transitions. We quickly reviewed the yields and backing up with the leg before dismounting.

I then played around with asking Kai to do some flying lead changes. Kai was very light and did his best but he was having a little trouble with changing leads in the back legs. I still rewarded him for being so light. We ended the session on a good change.

I later messaged Marsha and she gave me some tips on how to help Kai change in the back legs as well.