Broadening Quattro's Horizons.

Well, it's kind of hard to teach a young horse not to run with the herd if the herd don' run! Silly mares wouldn't budge. Too hot. Too lazy. So much for that plan. Another time...

Quattro did, however, get his horizons broadened quite considerably today - and took it all so calmly that, to be honest, I was pretty shocked. The 70-acre pasture we explored today has plenty of scary sights and things to get a young horse all excited. Cows; two herds of horses in adjacent pastures; the Scary Ditch with the bridge to be crossed; the outdoor arena which is used for barrel racing and has, um, barrels in it, as well as a judge's booth and bleachers. And of course ALL those wide open spaces, which surely must tempt a keen young horse whose motto is "Go. Mo'. Faster!"

Luckily we were able to take one of his girlfrens along for the first few minutes and Quattro was focused on that. It was his first up-close-and-personal with a horse who has a rider on his back, and apparently he is now over his terror of same; he stood right by while the rider mounted, and didn't even flinch!

I took the precaution of leading him down to the outdoor rather than ground driving (I'm only rash, not stupid!) and led him around to explore in there while his girlfren waited patiently. Once he was calm and focused (at least, calm and focused for Quattro) I put the long lines on him and away we went. It was a total non-event. He worked REALLY well out there. We did some circle work at the trot and canter and then his girlfren had to leave. He got a little worried at that point but not so much that a Dumor was insufficient consolation prize.

I then ground-drove him next to the barren mare herd. They came over to visit but absolutely would NOT run, darn it. I had spent an hour beforehand mentally Preparing For War and was SO loaded for bear. But there warn't no bear there. So I ground drove him up and down the dividing fence between us and the mares, and even worked him in circles at a trot and canter right next to them. They STILL wouldn't run! The upside of which was that Quattro was absolutely letter perfect.

I also worked to make sure that he will turn away from home. That's an important skill for any horse who is ever going to see the trails; you don't want them to think that they can head on home any time they want. So I would drive him toward home, make him stop, make him turn, and head back out into the Wild Blue Yonder. We did this several times without incident.

He crossed the scary bridge four times and only blinked once. This is going to be a good horse some day, honest.

He was doing so well that I thought I might as well introduce him to ground driving way out in the field and go visit the cows. So we went back across the scary bridge and climbed the hill until the cattle were in sight. We didn't go too close, because the one time I drove Avery out there, they came to visit, and I don't think Quattro is quite THAT sanguine yet. But he saw them, he knows they're there, and it was no big deal.

Came back, gave him his first Vetrolin bath, let him have a hand graze, and put him to bed with his fan and his alfalfa cubes. Then I came home and fell asleep!!!

The adventure continues. In the wide open spaces.