01/05/2023 – Our Fourth Ride. – In the beginning of the ride I begin gentle neck suppling. Racehorses are almost always very tight in their neck and their poll as Stevie is. Throughout the ride, I do not care where he puts his head. I don’t want to restrict his movement or his body. I also introduce slight leg yielding, more to see where he is than to work him. He is much stiffer leg yielding to the left, no surprise there. When I leave the arena it is clear he is alert, but not defensive. I am just “sticking our toe in the water” to see how he’s going to feel about hacks around the farm. I think you can see in his posture and expression, he was happy when we headed “home.”
Our Fifth Ride – This ride took place on Monday, January 9, 2023 after having 3 days off. I kept it short and easy which is something I do with all my horses, even those with substantial training. Sure I do more than this, but I do much less than I will the next day. I consider the first day after a day off, the welcome back day. Just like me, the horse needs to get his mojo back. More importantly, is I know I don’t really know Stevie yet, or how he feels after a day off so short and sweet makes for a great first day back of training.