Training of Freyja - 4 year old Icelandic mare
Freyja is an import from Iceland. Like most other horses in Iceland she has lived the past 4 years in a herd. She spent her summers free in the highlands and was only driven down and kept on pastures during the winter months. She has been halter trained but that is the only handling she has experienced. She is temperamental, curious and brave, a mare who likes to lead. Her owner, Isabelle Lavaux has not had her long, Freyja was brought to us shortly after she arrived in the States. Isabelle was told Freyja could be an excellent 5-gaited mare suited for competitions. We have been hired to start this mare and see if she is all the breeders said she would be.
Aaron has had his eye on this mare ever since she arrived. She has a good, strong foundation and is solid of body and mind. After leading her around in the lunging circle a bit and pushing on her to test her reaction he found her to be responsive and polite. She is alert and reacts fast but does not seem over the top. Taking the leading rope off he demanded more space and drove her away through his body language. Freyja had a strong reaction and made a big leap at first, but when Aaron repeated this with less dominance in his stance using only his upper body her reaction too simmered down to an obedient backing away. Aaron continued his game of distance until Freyja started to understand it was a dialog and not a dance of pray and predator. He not only sent the mare away but also invited her in. Then asking her to step back again a few steps. The more awake and responsive she became the more subtle his body language became. This mare did not need a whip or rope to drive. She just needed someone to communicate with.
After a good basis of communication and trust had been achieved Aaron started lunging her. Adding the lunge was easy, all he had to do was point his finger out and she trotted along. She would often lower her head and chew. He lunged her in different places to get her used to other environments and surroundings. The sessions were kept short, not overreaching the 15 minute mark. She had a lot of power and he didn't want to add stamina to an unfinished horse.
Getting her used to saddle and bridle went very easy. Trust had already been established and when Aaron requested something of her she was ready to comply. It took her some getting used to moving with an object on her. Rebalancing her steps was difficult and her trot turned into a mish mash of gaits. To ease her steps Nolan adjusted her shoes. Her back hooves were shoed normally, while the hooves in the front received plastic, light weight shoes.
Having a rider on her back later on did not phase the mare at all. It went perfectly from day one. She had already been used to rein and pressure aids and did not feel insecure when her trainer was on her instead of beside her. It took less than a week for Aaron to feel comfortable enough to ride her without a handler. He did nothing other than repeat the exercises he practiced with her on the lunge and it was something she recognized and knew how to perform. If Aaron didn't know better he could have sworn the mare was rather proud of herself.
Getting her used to saddle and bridle went very easy. Trust had already been established and when Aaron requested something of her she was ready to comply. It took her some getting used to moving with an object on her. Rebalancing her steps was difficult and her trot turned into a mish mash of gaits. To ease her steps Nolan adjusted her shoes. Her back hooves were shoed normally, while the hooves in the front received plastic, light weight shoes.
Having a rider on her back later on did not phase the mare at all. It went perfectly from day one. She had already been used to rein and pressure aids and did not feel insecure when her trainer was on her instead of beside her. It took less than a week for Aaron to feel comfortable enough to ride her without a handler. He did nothing other than repeat the exercises he practiced with her on the lunge and it was something she recognized and knew how to perform. If Aaron didn't know better he could have sworn the mare was rather proud of herself.
Aaron took to the track fairly early, she seemed to be a horse that loved showing off. He practiced walk, trot, tölt and canter including transitions. Her canter is rather flat but the more muscle and collection she builds the better it should become. Her tölt is easy to ride and flowing. She has an excellent levitation and extension, but tends to toss her head high leading to her back becoming hollow. Aaron worked against this by giving half halts and loosening the rein to have her stretch forward and not up. She has the stamina and speed for flying pace and Aaron checked it out twice. It is definitely there, but in his opinion she is still too young for it to be trained. Aaron does hope she becomes a competition horse. 'It would be a shame not to show off this beauty', he laughed.