Parallel Parking, AKA Standing Square

With under two months until fair, it finally struck me that I can't just focus on riding. I realized that Ypke really wasn't familiar with certain showmanship maneuvers, and it is time for that to change!  She can walk/trot in hand, halt, back, and do forehand turns well... but squaring her feet, haunch turns, and leading from the off-side?  Not so much.

Today I brought out the clicker and treats and decided to teach her how to square.

Look at that square

At first she was quite confused and seemed surprised whenever she would get a click and a treat. I could really tell that she was deep in thought and gradually the time it took her to square got smaller and smaller. Yay Ypke! I would give her a treat once every ten seconds that she was still standing square, but once she moved I made her square up again.  She finally took the hint and stood there quietly.

In the beginning it really was a complete fail. She would stop almost square, but then a struggle ensued as she alternated between taking a whole bunch of tiny steps slightly forward and slightly backward to square just right. It was just like someone who can't parallel park: backwards, forward, WAIT STOP, nope a little forward, STOP, backwards, no that is too far back, forward, NOT THAT FAR FORWARD. The problem with Ypke is that she has no concept of small. She thinks bigger is better, so it took me awhile to get her to take smaller steps. I think it is more of me getting the cue with the lead just right — it is a delicate balance between not using too much or too little pressure.

We are on our way and I am pleased with how the session went! :)