Training of Fandor- 3 year old Morgan Stallion COMPLETE
Fandor is a beautiful stallion with wonderful gaits and temperament. His owner Angelica Vogel, his breeder, started his training this spring. Due to unforeseen circumstances she did not have the time to continue his training.
He has been on break all through summer and she sent him to us to pick up his training. She did some extensive Dressage work, he has a nice lateral bending and should be able to balance him self and rider under saddle - minus the loss of muscle mass during the summer.
She has high expectations of him to become a Fine Harness star. She would like us to teach him how to gait under saddle and start him in Fine Harness.
He will stay with us a few month, since Angelica doesn't want to rush his training. She explicitly said she would rather spend too much time in the first stages and have Fandor live a long happy life, than rush things and have him broke a decade later.
He has been on break all through summer and she sent him to us to pick up his training. She did some extensive Dressage work, he has a nice lateral bending and should be able to balance him self and rider under saddle - minus the loss of muscle mass during the summer.
She has high expectations of him to become a Fine Harness star. She would like us to teach him how to gait under saddle and start him in Fine Harness.
He will stay with us a few month, since Angelica doesn't want to rush his training. She explicitly said she would rather spend too much time in the first stages and have Fandor live a long happy life, than rush things and have him broke a decade later.
Anna took personal interest in him since it is Stormhaven's first experiences with this wonderful breed. As expected of a Morgan he is dream, easy to handle, polite with lots of expression.
His training was started as usual with Dressage. We repeated everything he had learned and used this work to build muscle, stamina and suppleness.
Once he seemed balanced with his own and the rider's weight it was time to start his gait training.
The dressage work had conditioned him to choose trot over his ambling gait, so Anna had to help him find it again under saddle.
Anna used the opportunity of the warm spell Stormhaven had, when the snow started to melt and some fields were clear. Early in the morning, when the ground was still hard and not moist and slippery she rode out to the hills and used the decent to coax him into a gait. Riding down hill made it easier to slip into gait. A few steps were all she was looking for. Once he found his pace she marked it by clucking her tongue and rewarded him. Being an intelligent horse who was reward driven he picked up what was expected of him. He was quickly finding his rhythm. Soon he was starting to gait on his own when they started going downhill. Anna would then have him slow to a walk a few steps later and reward him. She was not bothered by him initiating the faster speed, because the goal was for him to find his gait, also there would be no issue with this particular horse of running off and could easily be retrained later on to walk down hills again. For now however she enjoyed his initiative.
Since it was unusual to have snow free patches during the winter he had three training sessions a day, until the snow covered the ground again.
Fandor was becoming more secure in his gait.
Since it was unusual to have snow free patches during the winter he had three training sessions a day, until the snow covered the ground again.
Fandor was becoming more secure in his gait.
The second part of his training was concerned with Fine Harness.
He was tacked up and lunged for a bit. Since he did not show the slightest bit of resistance Anna tried to introduce him to the cart he would be pulling.
Fear overcame him when he was backed up. The blinders were prohibiting him from checking his surroundings and it made him weary. He reared and resisted against any pressure.
Anna calmed him down and took the blinders off straight away. Pulling one of the reins of his neck in a loop he was lead back to his stall. He did not seem upset anymore, but Anna would have to take a few steps back in his training.
The next day Anna put the harness back on, used however a regular bridle. Then the stallions was tied to an old tire which he would learn to pull behind him.
Once a routine had set in, he was transitioned to the fine harness cart, without a rider's weight, though. She would jog next to the cart and work on his responsiveness. Pulling a cart felt weird to him at first and he walked rather awkwardly finding a way to balance himself properly.
Given the time Fandor found his joy in Fine Harness. He made huge improvements every day and gained in speed and confidence. Being an elegant horse it was fun to drive him and one could not help but feel fancy being pulled by such a beauty.
Anna routinely switched between a regular bridle and the one with blinders. He has now become accustomed to it and it does not bother him anymore.
He has become a strong and powerful horse who is light footed and responsive. There is nothing standing in the way of his Fine Harness career now.
Anna routinely switched between a regular bridle and the one with blinders. He has now become accustomed to it and it does not bother him anymore.
He has become a strong and powerful horse who is light footed and responsive. There is nothing standing in the way of his Fine Harness career now.