ACTHA Monthly | July 2015 | 18
As time went by I realized that he was really game for “fun” learning , hence “reindeer games” were born. Reindeer games are “training disguised as fun” and “fun disguised as training”. You can get away with a lot by using song, laughter and over-all rewarding ridiculous behavior. Don't get me wrong, I am strict with him, at 2 years old he was already 15 hands and 1000 pounds. Whoa means whoa. Period. Since the “grow fairy” kept showing up in the night, bonking him in the head with her wand (suddenly halters wouldn't fit) having good manners was paramount. Finally he stopped growing at 16.1 hands and roughly 1500-1600
pounds wearing a size 5 shoe!
He's plenty big. Although
I've noticed at competitions
he looks a whole lot
bigger than he does
at home.
So like many “horse” Moms I wanted to get my baby out and about to help make him a “well rounded” little citizen. I am originally from the horse show world so I took him to our local all-breed show just for exposure. He was 3 years at the time and quite a bit bigger than the other horses in his class.He did really well in his baby classes, I was so proud of him.
Spring of his third year the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Mounted Unit put on a police horse obstacle challenge. My baby wasn't quite ready to ride in something like this so I led him through the course. All was
Lisa Marie and Navarre (continued)