Drive #5 & #6

Last week we worked in drive #5 and #6. Drive 5 we worked on walking and trotting, up & down transitions, stopping, go forward and then it happened. 

Since I always hitch and unhitch the carriage in one spot so the ponies all learn- when I'm put here, I. Do. Not. Move. until I'm asked to, when we came arount to that spot Casey stopped on her own. Um, no. That's not how it works. When I asked for forward movement, Casey balked and started backing up. I pushed a little harder and she offered to buck. Not cool. Not cool at all. 

I asked for a turn and got Casey moving again. Avoided the hitch spot and kept her going long enough to stop on a high point. 

Drive #6 I introduced a whip. We all have to carry one at some point so now is as good a time as any to introduce it. Because I have no backstory on this pony, I let her feel the whip on her back and legs, before putting her to the cart. No, I did not whip her, instead just bumped her legs and back and rump with the shaft of the whip tapping here and there. 

Once I put her to, she really started to work nicely. Until she didn't. We came around to the hitching spot where she tried to stop. Tap on her butt with the whip and she kept moving. Now with the whip in my hand and the thought of it reinforcing the idea of Move Forward.... We had forward. After we had a decent workout, I grabbed my phone for video. Mind you I'm holding the reins, whip and extra glove in my left hand so I can video with the right.

We almost hit the only cone in the arena at one point, but all things considered she finished well. She has learned to stick around once all 'undressed' of cart & harness because there's plenty of cookies and scratches to be had. She can still be a bit distant in feelings and doesn't seem to warm right up to people, but now that she has a job, a sense of purpose and something to be proud of herself for, she's coming around. She nickers a little louder, she comes to the fence first to come in and is always super respectful of my space. 

How can you not adore that face?