08/01/2023
Little Roo had her intro to guns yesterday, and did better than expected. She may not have been a "shooting from her back on day one showoff" like her two half sisters, but she walked mostly relaxed around the pen while shots went off in the center. We take it slow and start by shooting farther away from the pen and rider on foot, then have the shooter come closer, and if that is still ok, enter the pen, then I get on. Next step once she is more relaxed will be for the shooter to walk along side us and shoot, then finally for the rider to shoot.
This is a good reminder that if you want to make a great horse, being able to read the horse is the most invaluable skill you can have. While some may have seen her reactions and not think anything of it bc she wasn't freaking out, we could tell she still needed more time to relax by the way she was playing with the bit, the occassional stop of forward motion, and occassional speed up. Does this mean the others will be better than her in the end? Heck no! Every horse, every dog, every human has their own journey and way of getting from point A to point B. It's our job as trainers to aknowledge that to be able to find the best and most enjoyable path for the individual.
