Taking advantage of good weather!

Today was cold, but the sun was out and it wasn't raining or the wind blowing at 30 miles an hour, so I decided to take advantage of it after work.  The weather does not look good again for another five days, so can't let moss grow under our feet if we're going to accomplish challenges.

I decided on seeing how Corky would do with walking on the tarp and if that went well, I would lay a log down and see if we could get a directed jump over it, thought that's not very tall, but it's a jump.  We all know Corky likes to jump puddles, so that shouldn't be too hard.  I knew we had worked with a tarp over Corky's back, but never walking on it.

As he walked up to it, he noticed it right away and the look on his face told me he hadn't done this before.  Because of the snow on the ground, the tarp was making more of a crunchy sound than if it would if it was on grass.  I couldn't get him to follow me, so we walked around it a couple of times, and then he sniffed it.  Then I asked him again to walk over a corner, which he did.  Then we walked across it ..... well, maybe trot so it didn't bite him too bad, and then we did it again and he stopped in the middle and pawed it.

We did that a couple more times and I knew he had it down, so we proceeded to try to step over the post and when he understood that, we started trotting like while lunging and I asked him to hop over the post while lunging.

Good boy, Corky!  About this time I had run out of treats and I wanted to go get some more, but they're in the barn/garage and the car was parked in there and that would be a tight squeeze....wait a minute, there's the squeeze game challenge!  Well, Corky we're going to accomplish that today too.....or at least try.  The thought did occur to me that my car could get banged up doing this, but I thought he would be able to do it.  And sure enough he followed me through the aisle, up to the treat bin, and then I turned him around in about a five foot space in front of the car and we left.

This could have been very dangerous I realized afterwards, but that's the confidence I have in Corky.  As I tell the gal that tried to teach me all sorts of things on different horses before I got Corky, "I can do anything on Corky!"  Ms. Willow has big shoes to fill!

Speaking of Ms. Willow, I thought I'd see what she would do with the tarp, that it would be good training.  So I got her out and was brushing her next to the tarp so she would be pretty for pictures, when she leaves me, walks onto the tarp -- "Wait, Willow!  I don't have the camera out!" -- around the tarp, smells the things that are holding the corners down.  Well, I guess whoever did her training earlier this year did an excellent job!  She is very curious and wasn't afraid at all.

Ms.  Willow showing Corky up

After she showed up Corky with the tarp, I decided to do some lunging, because I haven't done that with her and I have to start to get her attention on me.  She knows that too, of course!  She did fine at the walk, but at the trot, she shook her head, thought about rearing and bucking, but she was corrected.  I laughed!  She's such a teenage girl!  While I enjoy Corky's no nonsense attitude toward learning, I'm going to enjoy Willow's playfulness and sassy attitude.  She's such a girl!  After I corrected her, she would turn her head away from me as if to say, "I AM NOT WORKING!  YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"  Such a girl.  lol!

Because of the upcoming weather, I ordered a new tape so I can get some more points on bad weather days!

Until next time,

Janeen, Corky and Willow in the UP of Michigan