Freya- first time in the round pen!

A little more obedient? You decide…

This is why you need to fix this problem early!

Beginning Teaching  – The responsibility of accepting a beautiful baby untrained horse is quite intimidating. Because Freya is Belgian Draft cross, even as a 9-month-old foal, she is as big as many full-grown horses. More to the point, she has the good sense that God has given horses, but none of the learning that allows her to interact safely with her human trainers. Getting her started in the right direction takes a lot of know-how.

To assist in getting her started, Katy Pistole, of Beautiful Brokenness Ministries came to start building the foundation of her learning. She consulted with our Barn and Wrangler staff in the dos and do-nots of teaching a weanling. Mostly, it’s about being safe and not letting Freya develop any bad habits while still young. Freya will not be ridden during her first couple years, but there are still many lessons to learn.

One of the initial problems we had with Freya was bolting. As we moved her to her winter lot, she was so excited and scared by her unfamiliar environment and unknown pasture mates, that she took off running, pulling away from our staff. This is called bolting, and until she stops trying to run away from us, it is going to be a big problem. The problem is pressure. Her not knowing us well enough to know that she is safe. She is a prey animal, and God has engrained it in her to run from danger. We need to teach her what is correct danger (like a mountain lion) and what is NOT a danger (like wranglers, plastic bags, sparkly objects, umbrellas, etc. 🙂

But try stopping a 900 pound animal from running away and you will quickly find you are out of luck. But, praise God, He has given us all that we need for life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3 Through the right mind and using the right tools, Freya can be taught that staying with us is a better idea than striking out on her own. Principally, it’s about keeping her head and tail in the right place.

Take a look at the two videos and see if you can tell the difference in the demeanor. That’s what good teaching will do. Keep following this blog to see how this whole adventure turns out!

Our horses are a community affair. Would you consider donating for hay, farrier care, repairs to tack, medication, or even sponsoring Freya or your favorite horse? Please join us on the the horse adventure!