Chetak Horses

Yearling Chronicles: March 2019

This month Basilio and I are working on getting him to move off of pressure.  We started the basics of it when he was younger but I haven’t dedicated the time to defining it in a more specific manner with him.  This week I started I started asking for a small step of him yielding his hind quarters away from me and the pressure from the whip.  I repeat the process in both directions, my end goal and hope is that this will set him for a turn on the forehand and eventually yielding away from leg pressure.  So far he’s getting the hang of it but as with anything I know it’ll be a process that takes time to perfect.

The other thing we’ve been tackling this month is free lunging.  With the ground being frozen, it’s been the best outlet for him.  He can get his wiggles out and blow off some steam in a safe environment.  The next challenge for us will be getting him to work on a line.  We’ve played around with it a bit and he’s pretty laid back about it.  What we need to work on is getting him to recenter quicker when he has a minor explosion.  He’s a naturally tense horse when he’s unclear about his job so getting him more confident is always my main focus and concern.

Looking forward to what’s coming next with this guy.  It’s hard work but so worth it!