Good Evening Reader.
Bittmore is proud to announce a new guy in training.
Santiago is a 7 year old rescue, Thoroughbred Racehorse.
He is a beautiful Bay.
Standing at 17.2hh he had over 30 starts out of the gate, obviously he was a winner!
Due to injury he found himself no longer running for his life, but in the loving and tender care of his present owners.
Last year he went into “gotta run, gotta run FAST!” mode whilst in turnout and pulled ligaments in both front legs.
His vet recommended hand walking daily, which his owner persued vigilantly for 10 months.
A few weeks ago, the vet gave the all clear for Santiago to be walked and trotted daily on line or under saddle, YAY! That’s when Bittmore became involved.
He’s been walking for months! He’s young! He’s ( in his mind) “the Alpha”.
Santiago is a L Brain introvert with R Brain extrovert traits, which in rehab makes him “the challenge”.
When he flips R Brain, which he did ( because a squirrel farted in a bush? ) and exploded, taking off like , oh ,yeah,, like a Racehorse?!! To keep him as safe as possible we have been playing with him in the round corral, no corners to do “reining” sliding stops in, so that if he does go R Brain he won’t cause himself MORE injury.
We have had a few sessions and he is proving to be quite the horsenality!
He is learning the 7 games, some “working on it” some “getting better”
As his mind is being challenged, each day he is more readily in a learning frame of mind.
I want to share a wee part of todays training session.
Circle Game : Walk around me 3 times, disengage hind quarters,stop.
Santiago’s Circle game : all good until stop, then “can I come in and put my head on your chest?? Ehmmm NO!
Me-You can back up, square up ( disengage hind quarters) and go again.
(Let’s make the right thing easy and the wrong thing more difficult.)
Me – stop
S – and come in?
Me – fair question but sorry, wrong answer! back up, disengage HQ
Fourth time was the charm!
Circle, 3 times, stop.
Santiago -Ok I’ll stop and do ya want me to back up a few steps????
His owner and I laughed fit to bust.
What a conversation!He was licking and chewing, blinking and yawning, just beautiful…
Bittmore 