Lloyd has been training Snow On Her using the same simple, and I emphasize simple, training philosophy that we use with all of our horses. We train with 51% control and 49% affection. She is in her fourth year. Her grandfather was Sundowner, the stallion famous in the spectacular picture, "Fierce Grace." (Go look up that picture. You will be glad that you did.)
My idea of an ideal horse disappoints those who invest their life savings in videos designed to teach the horses how to do cute tricks and the owners how to write checks. I want a horse that is easily caught and saddled, ridden as much as fifty miles in a day using only the lightest of pressure, who is happy to be caught and saddled the next day to do it all again. I want a horse to go where I want to go, but I want a horse that is smart enough and confident enough to tell me that the route that I have chosen might not be safe and perhaps we had better re think our route. I want a horse alert enough to let me know every possible danger ahead of us. After alerted I then evaluate that risk and take appropriate action.
I want a horse who is glad to see me.
That is what Lloyd is making with Snow On Her. She fell in behind us on the trail yesterday. It was not an ordinary woods ride. We twisted slowly though heavy timber and wild blue berry bushes. The trail was slightly wider than the horses.
Eventually I will breed her to Tradewind, producing an east/west cross of Colonial Spanish horse that might even be as good as those Tom Norush has been breeding for years.
Since last last Saturday, Snow has continued to amaze me..day before yesterday we took our first ride in the woods alone together..this is a huge deal for a horse..for her to have enough confidence and trust in me to let me ride her away from the herd and out amongst all the predators...the next day we started riding solo around and empty pasture..almost as if it were an arena..the first day was, you can go as fast or as slow as you like, but you must go the direction I want...that ended us up trotting, cantering, and loping in big figure eights..today we went the direction I want, and the speed I want, stopped when I want. Just like the fellow in Bull Durham said, "it is a simple game, you throw the ball, you hit the ball, and you catch the ball." She is one heck of a horse...
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