Why I haven't been doing groundwork with the 15 month old colt

Why I haven't been doing groundwork with the 15 month old colt.

Yes, you read the title right.

At 15 months of age I haven't done any Anderson/Parelli/Anyone Else style groundwork with Mozzie.  He hasn't been lunged or schooled in any games or published exercises.

To be quite frank at 15 months of age I don't NEED him to do any of those things.  The month before I start him under saddle when his knees have closed is when I will really hunker down and teach him all that.  But until then I have tried my best to grow his mind in other ways.

Instead of groundwork he has...

Tied- Tied to the trailer, the fence (secure of course), trees, on a high line, etc and at multiple locations.

Lived in the herd-  Mozzie has been in over 5 different herds (horse combinations).  As a result he has learned equine language, herd dynamic, and all around horsey (grumpy mare) etiquette.

Traveled-  He has hauled numerous times in 3 different trailers to multiple locations.

Learned basic life skills- Leading respectfully, bathing, blanketing, fly spraying, clipping, hoof trimming, grooming, etc.

Learned to respect people- Both when in hand and loose in the pasture.  He yields to pressure and is very respectful of space.

Ponied-  He has been ponied off several horses in different groups of horses, crossed multiple bodies of water, and numerous hills and other varied terrain where he has learned the value of watching his step and watched countless good role models tackle those same feats.

Desensitized-  He has been in plastic bottle boxes, cowboy curtains, pool noodle car washes, and experienced countless other spooks.
 

The 80/20 Rule- Handling Foals

At nearly 11 months of age Mozzie is one of the nicest mannered horses I know.

He isn't pushy, nippy, or obnoxious.  He is easy to handle and down right respectful, and I have the 80/20 rule to thank for it.

You see I am indifferent, correcting his behavior, or making him do something about 80% of the time and am affectionate and for lack of a better term nice to him (butt scratches, grooming etc) about 20% of the time give or take a few percent.

If you observe young horses in a herd setting you will notice that their dams and mature herd mates naturally follow this same pattern.

The herd does not tolerate pushy, nippy, and obnoxious behavior.  Youngsters are told what to do and where to do it all day long.  

The creation and enforcement of boundaries and rules by the herd is paramount to raising a solid citizen.

And the creation and enforcement of these same boundaries and rules are equally important in your own daily interactions with any horse.

Remember you do not have a foal, you have a grown horse in a pint size body and they should be treated accordingly.

My New Long Term Project

For the time in a few years I finally have something new to train for myself.  This is Mozzie.  He is currently 3 and a half months old and is the newest member of the KnP team.  Just like his dam Pie he is already proving to be quite the horse and character.  I am excited to be able to document his training progress here on the blog so stay tuned.