Success!

[cowgirlup237]

Hi all I just wanted to sare my good news with everyone! I rode my 2 year old today. For the first time. BAREBACK! He didn't even flinch! I am so excited! Monty Roberts Join-up really does work!

[ridehorses]

ooo! details!! that's great. i love bare-back but i'm no good at it! :D well done though.

[cowgirlup237]

it was great! I was so scared of riding bareback. I always like the closesness of the saddle. But my "trainer" trained her horses bareback so I thought what the heck. First we lunged him not knowing that i was going to get on him that day. I started out like I always do with Join- up. He did everything perfectly. So when we were done my "trainer" said she thought i could probably get on him soon. And was kidding around and said why don't you do it now! well i looked at my mom and asked her what she thought and said "go ahead but I'm not paying for the emergency bill!" I said Ok! I went and got a mounting block and stood right next to him. I leaned on him, put all my weight on him and everything. He didn't even care. Just stood there. So then I carefully jumped up on him. He didn't flinch at all. Just tried to look back to see what the heck I was doing. We walked around their arena for awhile. Practicing stop and walk. It was so much fun and very exciting! I LOVE bareback now! lol The reason why I put "trainer" is because she is the lady that just owns the barn and gives me a little advice here and there but I was mostly doing to work with him. It was fun and I would recommend Join Up for anyone! It really does work!

[ridehorses]

wow! that's great! i too have tried join-up and its amazing! i was really interested in Monty Roberts methods, and read his autobiography. then i had natural-horsemanship lessons for a while, and thats when i learned & first tried join up. i agree, it does work!:D

[Showjumper]

Fantastic - that's what I did with my 2 year old a few weeks ago - she's now 3 and I'm just waiting for a saddle :D Although Dolly is great bareback in walk and trot, I'd rather have a saddle so I can take her out with her friends :)

[ridehorses]

just curious what breed your boy is?

[cowgirlup237]

he is a Breeding Stock paint

[ilovemisty]

Hey cowgirl... what are your techniques i would love to try!

[cowgirlup237]

Hi. here is what I did!:
I used the Monty Roberts Join-up. (I was in a small indoor arena. About the size of a standard roudpen. If you don't have a roundpen you can use a lunge line.) I sent my horse away from me. Making him run around the round pen until he put his head down, started to chew and his ear started to flick in towards me. I stayed about 10ft. away from his hip. When I saw these signals I squared my shoulders with him. I looked down on the ground and waited for him to walk up next to me. I did not look him in the eye. Just petted him on the neck then I walked around, stopped, turned, walked some more. I also do ALOT of ground work with him. Teaching him to Walk, Trot, Stop, Back etc etc on the ground. Touched him all over. Then I got a friend and aksed her to hold him. While I got a stool, climbed up on the stool and leaned over him. Putting all of my weight on him. I kept talking to him the entire time. Then I just climbed up on his back. It was amazing. No saddle or saddle pad just me and my horse. It was fun. I only rode him for about 10 min. Then I got off. I didn't want to stress him out to much!

[ilovemisty]

wow thanks! did it improve your bond together or was it already really strong? by the way congradulations it sounds amazing!

[western]

Thats great. Im still getting used to the balance . I like to bareback but now i have to build my confidence level back up after my bareback accident of falling off.

[cowgirlup237]

ooo ouch. I rode bareback when I was younger. I am just starting to get back into it to gain some new sense of balence. lol. Our bond was not very strong when I started. He was always testing me alot. Biting, kikcing out etc. But now he sticks next to me like glue. I always start out every session with Join-Up now.It seems to increase the bond even more.

[western]

How do you do join up? And what is it ?

[ilovemisty]

cowgirl: thats great i'm so happy for you! reading what you have said made me so excited for a horse of my own.