Cob Jockey

So much has changed! Because Shae's legs still go in every which direction, his body is changing so much, and I can't find anyone to be at the barn with me after work so that I can ride, Shae has gotten most of the summer off from riding. My time with him has been spent caring for his (mostly healed!) spider bites and doing ground work with him.

We've been doing trick training via clicker for several reasons. His baby brain is still all over the place, and the clicker gives him a single stimulus on which to focus. With the trick training, I'm getting him used to responding successfully to cues, and I'm also learning about his learning style. He's not especially bright, but extremely eager, and so happy when he thinks he knows what I want. Whether he's right or not is a toss-up, but at least he tries! So far he can give kisses and hugs on command and we're working on head nodding now.

The biggest news is that it seems that Chris keeps discussing selling him to me! I never thought she would part with him, and she still wouldn't sell him to anyone except me.

So what now? I (could) own a baby. Holy crap. I never thought I would own a baby. Yeah, he turned three last month, but his breeder says his aunt grew two inches between her 5th and 6th year, so he's still going to be a baby for a long time. (Makes buying a saddle challenging...) How do I know what he'll be good at? Will he grow out of this "feet going in every direction" stage? When will his mind start going in one direction instead of fourteen?

The good news? We're going to be living 10 minutes from the Hoosier Horse Park within a year, and my fiancee works for Cummins. Helloooooo cheap show season!