Where has the time gone?? It seems like yesterday Party Barn arrived on the farm fresh off the track and full of himself! And in 6 days we will perform in front of a live audience then leave for KY!! The Retired Racehorse Makeover is almost here! We are putting the finishing touches on our freestyle adding a few things that will wow the audience and be fun to perform!
This horse has transformed so much in the last 9 months! Some days it is hard to believe he is only 4 years old and a year ago was still a stud colt in full race training! I have learned soooo much during this process. I made a commitment to not "make" this horse do anything, simply to ask and allow. What I have found is that the softer I get, the softer he gives. There are times where he checks out and says "no thanks" and I honor that by slowing down, asking less or making things simpler with a bigger reward. I have learned a ton about positive reinforcement training as I decided to see how that might help our process move along more quickly. And I can say that is has helped, to make sure that bonding step is strong and means much to Party Barn.
We have done lots of short sessions, even 5 minutes and taken a break. That is always a great way to build things quickly. He seemed to appreciate that as I think for him, it was a huge change in life to do such a variety of things! We have had struggles and days where it seemed we were going backwards, but somehow, by always ending on a positive note, things have progressed very well. We are strong in our bridle-less riding, we have a great bond between us, and we both still love learning together!
We are excited and will enjoy this week, wrapping our skills up and having a little fun! Then it's off to KY! Where we would love to be crowned "America's Favorite Thoroughbred!"