But in the last > month, he has just really settled and I felt ready to do it.
I think you are going to have a lot of fun times with him for years to come and he'll just keep getting better I do notice he does not want to be left behind > so plan to practice alot of "leapfrog" riding with my neighbors. I went up to Moses Cone Park last week with my neighbor that is boarding Doppa and we did a lot of this type of trail exercise because it was the middle of the week and we were the only ones on the trails. We leap frogged and we did an exercise where the horses would ride in opposite directions until well out of sight, then we both would turn around and pass each other going in the opposite direction until out of sight; then one of us would turn around- kick it up a gear and pass the other from behind at a trot or canter or tolt until out of sight. We did this only a few times because Little Miss Doppa, who is very smart, figured out quickly it was a game and quit worrying about it. For the first few times, though, both the horses were hesitant about leaving each other - it was a great exercise. The other horse also wanted to get fast whenever we were headed in the direction of the trailer so whenever he got quick, we just turned around and went in the opposite direction until he learned that trying to rush wasn't going to get him home any quicker. It was a great day - We rode for about 5 hours and accomplished a lot - training was a pleasure that day. -- Laree
