05/21/2026
Mrs. Dawn back on her horse, Leoti.
Leoti has been a tough nut to crack, but we're moving in the right direction!
This is a complete 180 from the past where Leoti would'v been chomping at the bit to go and run, but now she's settling. Leoti is a horse that I would say had some decent training along the way but it didn't prepare her for the intended goal when it comes to under saddle. She probably would've been fine in any kind of speed event.
On the ground, it seems like they only used one method and they took it too far - if anything goes wrong, she thought she had to RUNNNN RUNNN RUNNN! While it is good to correct horses by moving their feet, overdoing anything has unintended consequences. Leoti would get pushy, crowd, rear, run at mach 7 while you only asked for a walk, and get vindictive (although thankfully there was not follow through on vindictiveness).
So, we've been doing the opposite and slowing everything down. Setting up ground drills that make it hard to go fast and easy to go slow (figure 8s around cones as one example), acting like mistakes are no big deal while still correcting, and showing her that sitting still is an acceptable answer (ground tying). Under saddle, we've done lots of circles, flex to stops (to stay out of mouth while her cues are being built), and putting steady rides on her where she just has to walk or trot at the same speed. It's nothing fancy, no tricks, just building confidence and patiently showing her the right answer.
We aren't done with her yet, but we are glad to see the progess and excited to keep moving her forward to be a well mannered trail horse. Also big Kudos to Mrs. Dawn, Leoti has been in our "Performance Package" where Leoti is worked by me 2x per week and Dawn has been taking 2 lessons per week to learn how to help Leoti. Dawn always comes with a great attitude and is willing to learn whatever she needs to for Leoti!
