the rail, then set to brushing Apache, so she could saddle him. The horse's markings really were beautiful , he was black and white and had a black face with a white blaze . When he was trained, he was going to be flashy in the rodeo arena, if that's where he wound up, and cowboys would pay big bucks for him .
After she had Apache tacked up, she held out her hand to Dixie , "Longe line, please assistant." The little girl put the rope in her hand and then Karlie told her, "You go out in front and hold that whip level to the ground, don't wiggle it around, or it'll scare him. We're going to the round pen. "
Dixie looked up at her with serious brown eyes and nodded. Good, Karlie thought, she was serious about what they were doing, what she was teaching her. That's the frame of mind she needed to be in so she didn't get hurt around the big animal. "Okay, sugar, you go into the pen and stand right in the center, and lay the whip on the ground."
With a nod, she opened the gate then walked inside and did what Karlie had told her to, then Karlie led Apache inside and latched the gate, and unclipped the lead rope to attach the longe line. She lifted the stirrups and clipped them to the saddle, so they bounce against Apache's sides and confuse him .
Raising her hands, she shooed the fiery horse and his eyes widened, then he reared a little before he took off in a circle around the pen. Feeding out the line, she walked to the center of the pen where Dixie was standing, then told her, "Now, you stay right there, and don't move, okay?" Picking up the whip , Karlie held it at waist level a nd pointed it at Apache's hindquarters, following him around the ring to urge him forward. His ears flicked back a little, but he didn't pin them to his skull, which meant he was listening to her, waiting for her to tell him what to do.
"See his ears, Dixie ?" Karlie said and Dixie nodded. "That means he's listening to see what I want him to do, he's paying attention...horses can't talk, but their body can. You just have to watch the signs they give you."
Karlie pushed the horse around the ring a few more rounds, then said, "Whoa," and he stopped on a dime, his ears perked forward now to listen. Walking over to him, she patted his neck and praised him, then turned him the other direction then moved back to the middle of the ring and repeated the process.
She dropped the whip and then replaced it with a click of her tongue to move him from a trot to a cantor, then stopped him again with a voice command and he stood patiently waiting for her to give him instructions. She walked over and praised him again then took off the longe line, and went back to the middle. She looked down at Dixie and told her, "Okay your turn assistant. Get him going with a click, when I say stop him, you say 'whoa' like I did. Think you can do that?"
Karlie saw her swallow and her eyes widen, but then Dixie smiled and nodded. She took a deep breath then let it out , and clicked to Apache. The horse hesitated a moment, but then started walking around the ring, right on the rail. "Good job, Dixie , now bring him up a notch, click again." She did and Apache moved into a faster walk trot on the rail. After he'd gone around a few times, she said, "Now move him to a trot."
Dixie 's click was more confident this time, and she held Apache's eyes when she did it and he responded immediately moving into a trot. She glanced up at Karlie with a smile then after he went a few rounds, she said in a mock deep voice, "Whoa!" and he stopped waiting for her next command .
"Wow, that was awesome..." the little girl said in an awe-filled voice. "What do we do next?"
"You're going to sit on the rail and I'm going to work with him a little now, then we're going to the outdoor arena and putting a calf in with him to see how he reacts ."
"How long is it going to take to train him?" Dixie
After she had Apache tacked up, she held out her hand to Dixie , "Longe line, please assistant." The little girl put the rope in her hand and then Karlie told her, "You go out in front and hold that whip level to the ground, don't wiggle it around, or it'll scare him. We're going to the round pen. "
Dixie looked up at her with serious brown eyes and nodded. Good, Karlie thought, she was serious about what they were doing, what she was teaching her. That's the frame of mind she needed to be in so she didn't get hurt around the big animal. "Okay, sugar, you go into the pen and stand right in the center, and lay the whip on the ground."
With a nod, she opened the gate then walked inside and did what Karlie had told her to, then Karlie led Apache inside and latched the gate, and unclipped the lead rope to attach the longe line. She lifted the stirrups and clipped them to the saddle, so they bounce against Apache's sides and confuse him .
Raising her hands, she shooed the fiery horse and his eyes widened, then he reared a little before he took off in a circle around the pen. Feeding out the line, she walked to the center of the pen where Dixie was standing, then told her, "Now, you stay right there, and don't move, okay?" Picking up the whip , Karlie held it at waist level a nd pointed it at Apache's hindquarters, following him around the ring to urge him forward. His ears flicked back a little, but he didn't pin them to his skull, which meant he was listening to her, waiting for her to tell him what to do.
"See his ears, Dixie ?" Karlie said and Dixie nodded. "That means he's listening to see what I want him to do, he's paying attention...horses can't talk, but their body can. You just have to watch the signs they give you."
Karlie pushed the horse around the ring a few more rounds, then said, "Whoa," and he stopped on a dime, his ears perked forward now to listen. Walking over to him, she patted his neck and praised him, then turned him the other direction then moved back to the middle of the ring and repeated the process.
She dropped the whip and then replaced it with a click of her tongue to move him from a trot to a cantor, then stopped him again with a voice command and he stood patiently waiting for her to give him instructions. She walked over and praised him again then took off the longe line, and went back to the middle. She looked down at Dixie and told her, "Okay your turn assistant. Get him going with a click, when I say stop him, you say 'whoa' like I did. Think you can do that?"
Karlie saw her swallow and her eyes widen, but then Dixie smiled and nodded. She took a deep breath then let it out , and clicked to Apache. The horse hesitated a moment, but then started walking around the ring, right on the rail. "Good job, Dixie , now bring him up a notch, click again." She did and Apache moved into a faster walk trot on the rail. After he'd gone around a few times, she said, "Now move him to a trot."
Dixie 's click was more confident this time, and she held Apache's eyes when she did it and he responded immediately moving into a trot. She glanced up at Karlie with a smile then after he went a few rounds, she said in a mock deep voice, "Whoa!" and he stopped waiting for her next command .
"Wow, that was awesome..." the little girl said in an awe-filled voice. "What do we do next?"
"You're going to sit on the rail and I'm going to work with him a little now, then we're going to the outdoor arena and putting a calf in with him to see how he reacts ."
"How long is it going to take to train him?" Dixie
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