Lots of new experiences

Jet's training has taken another giant leap forward.  On Tuesday, G loaded Jet into the second stall of the trailer and took him to a 4-H ride night.  Now she didn't ride him of course but she wanted him to have the experience of trailering and being in a new environment.  It was a great idea and Jet did fantastic.  He took the new place and indoor arena all in stride.  The there were 5 other horses and riders at the meeting and they all rode around working on their own things with help from an adult.  G worked on walking him around and checking out typically scary corners filled with wooden cows and other objects.  Jet never once objected to anything he saw.  The adult had G work on trotting circles to help build up his back muscles and to pull up his baby belly.  During the competition G will have a chance to do some freestyle work to impress the judges and she is still trying to figure out what to do.  She asked the adult for help in teaching Jet to bow and in almost no time at all, Jet was half way to bowing just by using his curious nature and placing an object directly under him.  Wow!!!!  He is such a good boy. 

Yesterday was another big day as Jet was loaded up again and taken to horse camp.  This week at horse camp we are focusing on play and the 10 children and their horses are working on horsemanship, trail obstacles and then balls, flags, tarps, swim noodles etc.  Jet was wonderful!!!!  There was lots of commotion as you can imagine with 10 kids ages 9 - 13 scurry about with their horses.  The only thing that seemed to catch Jet's eye was the blue outhouse.  He walked over a mattress, through unfilled water boxes, under a cowboy curtain, through a tarp tunnel and over logs.  NO PROBLEM.  Then in the arena he walked over tarps, played with balls, and was rubbed all over with swim noodles.  Again NO PROBLEM.  He stayed the night in a stall and run next to a miniature horse and that was funny; a few times I saw him running up and down the fence next to the mini seemingly wanting to play.  The mini wasn't impressed; he stood and watched. 

We are headed back to camp today and I will post pictures tonight.
Here are the pictures from today at camp. 

G and Jet walk calmly through the tarp tunnel.  He didn't even rush the exit.  :-)

The wind helped by having the cowboy curtain or car wash strings up a little so Jet could see through. 

This was the first time G got Jet up on the tire.  As you can see she was thrilled.

G really wanted to do it again, so I got to take pictures the whole way through. 

The bond is unmistakable.  I am almost certain that Jet would follow her almost anywhere.

He was even graceful in his dismount. 

So I found the one place he is not quite ready to follow.  G did get him to go through twice but a third time was just too much to ask.  

He did dip one toe in just for me. 

The famous, amazing, awesome Buck Brannaman.  G rode in his clinic last year and we went back and watched again this year.  We ALL want to ride next year.