Taking it up a notch with Kholo

Tonight Kholo and I played with more vertical flexion. I want to make sure he understands a soft feel. This, I believe, is critical to bit work. There is a place he can hold his head and hold the bit and we can "hold hands" while I ask for nothing else. He has made an assumption that this feel means to back and although his backing is soft and light now, I don't really want that assumption in play. Amazingly, I was able to help him tell the difference in just a few tries. He's come to really understand my intentions and asks. He's a smart, pliable horse who is incredibly easy to train.

We played with canter transitions, lateral work with isolated ends, sideways, and vertical flexion. I still need to trim the hinds, but I was pressed for time due to rain and an impending date with my 12 yr old. :-)

It was a very productive session, though! He has a week left with me and I've very proud of the changes we've made in 3 weeks. He's shown his comfort with our work and he's bonded to me nicely. Tonight, I tied him in the barn aisle while I grabbed something from my trailer and even thought my sister was sitting in the barn, he called and got anxious when I left. He got calm as soon as I returned. I'm glad he finds comfort with me. It tells me I've been able to build communication AND trust. What a pleasurable horse to spend time with.