Transitions And New Beginnings

It's been since October that my husband and I adopted Harry and Kenny, and many things have taken place since that time. The biggest transition for our Boys has been moving them from the Rescue to a training facility in Dacula. By far, this one move has dominoed into many new beginnings for us all.

Harry has always been a hand full and everybody knows it. He's a high energy TB Alpha, so it goes without saying you need to be a Leader to gain his respect and trust. Kenny on the other hand is low man on the totem pole, always trying to please .... truly polar opposites, but also good buddies. It became clear to me that I needed extra help with Harry, so in December I reached out to a gentle horsemanship trainer named Ed Dabney (www.eddabney.com) . My hope was that together Harry and I would finally get to where I knew we both could be in our partnership, and, with what we learned together I wanted to pass along to Kenny so we could also become great partners.

In mid December Ed came to the Rescue to give lessons and when those were done he took the Boys back with him to Dacula. They've been there since. Because of a scheduling conflict Ed wouldn't be able to begin working with Harry until mid January, so in the meantime I continued our workouts in a square pen Ed had set up just for training. Harry is truly become a different horse. He is much calmer, less stubborn, and more trusting. Things like picking his feet and grooming him were impossible at the Rescue. I do both on a daily basis and Harry just relaxes while I take my time. I routinely rub him all over, his legs, his hindquarters, his back, neck, and chest, and on warm, sunny winter days, Harry will fall asleep on me. I'm starting to see his sweet side and it is the most amazing thing to witness.

Training began last week and Harry is coming right along. I work with Harry first, then with Kenny, then groom both and luv on each like never before. I tell them both how Big and Handsome each is and how much they are loved and cared for.

Today, a friend and I took the Boys for a nice walk in the woods and along a lake. They were in Heaven !