Autumn Charm Sport Horses

09/04/2024

Clinic

My friend and mentor, Richard Malmgren , came today for a Long Lining Clinic.
I think his first clinics at my farm were around 2011 ish. He continues to bring classical riding and training as well as his detailed eye to South central PA. Here are a few pics of our day spent with Richard. ( I missed taking pics of a few of today's participants)

09/03/2024

Today's Project

Hosing the walls of the indoor.
It takes so many hours a day just to care for the horses. Then, us barn owners , have these lists. Mine floats around in the sky and is everywhere I look.....as I check things off, more is added. Never ending rolodex ( I guess that dates me 🤣🤣🤣) of things that need to be done.

There is always more to do.

09/01/2024

Are You Still Dreaming ?

I am.
I still dream about what I want in my life . In fact I bred a horse to hopefully realize my dreams on. So....gotta wait and watch what shapes from that, and yet the dream is in motion.

Did you stop dreaming ?!? Why ?

I think dreams are what keeps us young, motivated, excited about life and adventure. Dreams sure do change over time. 17 yr old Jenn wanted to go to the Olympics in Dressage. 18 yr old Jenn wanted to be a successful horse trainer, ride horses all day, win the Congress reining and go to the Olympics in Dressage. Dreams change. They modify with life and experiences and path changes. It never makes me feel like a failure, more like finding the next path. On the next adventure.

48 yr old Jenn Dreams of LESS. Less business. Less hectic. Less responsibility. Less stress.

And also MORE . More time for relationships with family, friends and that special someone. More time to BUILD relationships with my horses . Remember 17 yr old Jenn ?! She spent so much TIME with her horses. More freedom to enjoy life. More time for peace at my farm.

And yes....I do dream of riding my reiner , and my dressage horses for a good pattern . Their names are Lemynade, Qrush On Me and Royalty In Me . And maybe a blue or two too.

Dreams are in motion. I'm placing the foundations for them now. How about you ?

08/22/2024

Horse Shows

Kelly Myers and her boy Waylon have had several successful shows recently. They did the August IEO Dressage Show at Diamond 7 Arena at Training 1 and 2 scoring a 67 and 69 % !
And they just did Blue Goose Schooling Show with a pair of 65 % at training 1 and 2 for a Blue and a red ribbon.

Kelly has done all the training with Waylon. He has been quite the project ! The success you are now seeing is due to grit, determination, many tears and frustration ....and 2 steps forward, one step back. Waylon is quite the trail horse but has a massive fear of poles in the arena ( which also includes dressage fence ) . He used to do all his tests spooking at the fence, counter bent !
This fear was ...a feral sort of fear. You couldn't lead him over a pole. While he is much better, it still is a work in progress.

I am so proud if Kelly. Her smile shows how much she loves her horse, her partnership with him and that she is conquering things that seemed out of reach.

Keep reaching for the stars! 🌟 ⭐ 🌠

08/17/2024

Young Horses Check In

My young horses are progressing. We keep taking our time, letting them grow and develop with little dollops of training mixed in. Nothing stressful, keeping it fun and interesting.

Costanza ( George ) is a 4 yr old by Coromino out of My Town. He is currently 16.2 hands. I still expect him to grown 2 more inches. Cory kids are notoriously slow growers so best to give them extra time. The main focus is just forward and steering. It was so fun seeing him come full circle and my working student Campbell got to take a spin on him. Campbell was so instrumental in his foal care ❤. George is the sweetest dude. So great to see how happy and content he is. He enjoys playing in water ( just like his dam did ) , napping in the stall and being with people . He says yes to all the things and his curiosity is an asset. He has front shoes on.

Royalty In Me ( Sploot ) is by Rubinero out of Fein By Me ( Hoot ) by Feiner Stern. She is about 15.2 hands and I expect her to finish 15. 3 ish, like her dam. She is super sweet and calm. She takes everything in, learns really fast and stays very low key while learning. Campbell started her under saddle this summer. She has been walk trot and cantered with a rider and just did her first solo ride yesterday. Sploot is straight forward,smart, and confident. She has front shoes on. She has been to Dressage at Lexington in hand show.

Liberated ( Shrimpin ) by Louisville HTF out of Ravi Sutra by Rousseau is 2 this year and 15.3 hands. He is a very sensative and expressive boy. His lips are where he shows all emotion.... he is cross tieing, bathes, and shows well in hand. He did Dressage at Jericho in hand show. He bridles. He learned to lunge and that is going well. He struggled with any sort of pressure being applied ...so I really backed off,let him mature a bit and revisited that here in August and wala....his baby brain is ready. Now when I apply pressure he thinks and yields. Sometimes letting them grow up is the answer. These are things experience has taught me. He is barefoot, trimmed regularly . He also was in a mixed herd and started becoming pretty mare obsessed so he is now solo in turnout, surrounded by horses, for a bit as he sorts that out. He is easily one of the sweetest horses I have ever been around.

And that's how our summer is going, playing with young horses.

08/15/2024

Pastures

We had a strange year in south central Pennsylvania. It was a very wet spring and then no rain for over a month. 6 to 8 weeks of almost no rain...and add to that it was super hot. We usually get short heat waves....2 to 5 days. Well, the heat this summer was non stop.
Brutal summer....really took the wind out of our sails ( burn out, breaks, no motivation ) . We also have super high humidity in this area....and despite the dry conditions, the humidity was unrelenting.

So my pastures took a beating. I pulled horses off of them end of june. The pastures were dust. Fast forward to August...and we have had several weeks of good rain and the rest has allowed them to come back. I am prepping the pastures for good fall use. They are starting to look green and vibrant. Horses will be reintroduced an hour at a time , just like in the spring.

We are the custodian of our land. Preserving it from over grazing and erosion is our responsibility.

08/14/2024

Trailer Prep Kit

I have been hauling students to horse shows for 24 yrs...and I have learned to just keep certain things in the trailer. Well. Today I used the human first aid kit I have had in the trailer for....who knows how long. I had actually forgotten about it. Went hunting and...there it was !

Rider got a pretty good gash on her arm from a standard when the horse refused a jump.

08/11/2024

Breeder Update #2

Lieutenant by Louisville HTF ( Lord Leatherdale x Negro x Fruhling) out of Ravi Sutra ( Rousseau x Riverman x Davignon x Garibaldi) . Lt Dan is 3 yrs old and this is his 10th ride under saddle.
He is owned and trained by Sarah Fulton Smith

Can you say " Born On The Bit " ?!?!

Lt Dan has 2 full Siblings - Liberated ( Shrimpin) , who is 2 , and Legitimate ( Jenneigh) , is a yearling and just went to her new home in Ohio !

08/11/2024

Breeder Update

Here are some FUN videos of horses I have bred. Nothing gets a breeder more excited than new video of horses we poured our heart and soul into !

Both of these horses are out of my Broodmare Ravi Sutra ( Rousseau x Riverman x Davignon x Garibaldi) . She has been a stellar producer for me over the years. This year she foaled her last one and is now retired.

Finiver is by Finery ( Furstenball) and is ridden/ trained by Diana Snyder and owned by Diana and Deirdre Reilly

So share some of my excitement and joy in checking out these beautiful "kids ". Im so proud of them ! ( it will only let me post 1 video at a time so....I'll post the next one ..)

08/01/2024

Could you drive an Indy Car?

I mean....I can drive a car. I can drive most cars on the market today, both automatic and manual. Heck, I even like to drive fast....but could I drive an Indy car ? No. I doubt it. The feel for the steering, different position in relation to the ground, sensitivity , torque, and all the other forces against me...nope. I couldn't.

So could you ride an Olympic horse ?

Nope. You couldn't.
Most olympic horses are highly flexible / supple from nature. That alone makes them tricky to ride. Then there is the power . I mean....let's face it, most riders struggle to sit trot on a normal , small moving horse... then sensitivity both to your aids and to emotions. Many top horses require a real connection / confidence in their rider. They have fragile egos, require delicate management for their highly sensative natures.

Then add to that an electric environment. What is more electric than the Olympic Games ?!?! Pressure, both good and bad, putting your self out there in front of the world....whew. That is a lot.

These horses love to compete. A top performance vet in my area told me years ago " the reason a horse gets to Grand prix is because it WANTS to." Wow. What a statement. In other words , he sees crooked legs, return from injuries, imperfections that may sideline another animal but ....for some reason this GP horse doesn't quit.
I read about an Olympic horse they took along to shows years into his retirement because when the trailer would go to a show he would scream and scream. ....and then get depressed.

What happens when these horses get a bit tense ? They still stay on the aids.....they are connected to their riders, after all, in such a deep way. But. They may, for instance, over use their suppleness. What does that mean ? Well, one example might be more leg flinging. Another might be they over arch their neck like a swan.

If you see a rider, who has no history of riding a horses neck too short / round and suddenly has big peices of a test that are that way....maybe give her some slack. She will be back another day to show a beautiful harmonious test with less tension ( that shows up in over suppleness ) .

Years ago I got on a Grand Prix horse....and I am not ashamed to say, I literally couldn't make him walk. No joke. Me. A horse trainer with 20 yrs experience. The harder I tried, the more he wouldn't move. I had to let go of all the things, think walk and he walked.

Could you drive an Indy Car ?

Then please, stop with the negativity.

( Lemynade dreams of going fast. Indy car in the making ! Heidi Schlenker photo )

07/29/2024

Always Learning

A big THANKS to Hilltop Farm in Colora Maryland for the super educational event yesterday. They had a lineup of vets and nutritional PhD as well as a genetics expert talk about hot topics in sport horses. Some topics were ICSI, EDM, Vitanin e, kissing spines, genetic diversity, pre purchase exams etc.

I took 2 of my best friends, my working student Campbell and professional horseman Derik Snelbaker. There are not many opportunities like this available....and what a great chance to improve our knowledge as horseman.

07/19/2024

Schooling Fun
Toyah and Calamari ( Coromino x Amari x Silver Buck ) schooling over fences at Tranquility Manor Farm in Maryland. Beautiful day to enjoy your horse.

07/03/2024

Fantastic Heartfelt Truths

This is such a great read from a successful horsewoman.
I my self have moved in this direction. I used to have a barn full of boarders. Now I have 6 . And those 6 are special people who do not give me stress or negativity. They understand I run a private farm now. There are times the aisle is a mess. There are times the grass is too long. I care for the horses in a way that is good for the horses and not for the good of people. ( in other words the horses stay out 24/7 if the weather is nice ). Because now I am having a life. I do all the work myself for 3/4 of the year . Things have changed.
I travel a lot to do clinics and home needs to be as stress free as possible.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Xi8Litdp71e3NCv2/?mibextid=qi2Omg

This is a hard post to write. I thought about sharing this news in a purely positive way. But I think I’d rather be 100% honest. And I’m happy if this leads to a discussion on how our industry can change for the better?

I’ve decided to stop leasing the gorgeous farm where I’ve been for the past few years. I’m no longer going to have horses in full training (which for those who know me, you know that is my absolute love) and just be a freelance instructor teaching a couple days a week in the area.

I sat down and did the math on what my finances would be like if I just taught two days a week and had no expenses outside insurance, my car, memberships, etc. I would make MORE working that little than I do right now. And I run a pretty great program - my barn is always full with a wait list, about half super nice young horses and half FEI horses. My students and I compete a lot, very successfully. But the cost of running a program like this is so high, that even though I am “successful”, I barely make a living wage. I pay my wonderful assistant trainers more than I make (because they 100% deserve that salary and more!) And of course I could raise prices even more, but I think I charge an awful lot, and at the end of the day, I just feel awful about expecting people to pay SO much for a luxurious hobby.

Of course, people don’t go into this business with a dream of making a big profit each year. And that is a legitimate argument - you do this for the love of horses and riding. But when the costs and the stress of running a big barn start piling up, that argument gets pretty tired pretty quickly.

By far the biggest struggle I’ve had over the last few years is keeping good employees. And I know all my fellow barn owners and trainers are struggling as much as I am. I have a few AMAZING employees (endless thanks to Kate Tackett & Nicole Wilbur) and right now my best workers are 15, 16, and 22. So the argument that “kids these days are awful” is not true. But the instances of employees quitting with no notice, being offended at having to physically work hard, having incredibly low standards for the work they do, and outright lying have been more and more and more lately. It’s exhausting, and the fact that I’m paying $20/hour, run a great program, and am STILL getting these kind of workers makes me feel no optimism for the future. 😞

In the past I didn’t pay hardly anyone. I just had working students who worked off their housing, board and training. And that worked much better. But that seems to be a thing of the past? People now expect all that AND $600+ a week. And if my business made so much money that I could do that, I would love to. But the math just flat out doesn’t work.

My social media feeds are FILLED with barns begging for good help. I don’t know what the answer is. But I know I’m at the point where I would like to have the time to look at what else life has to offer. I’ve done this professionally for 20 years (and for fun since I could walk.) It’s a huge deal for me to imagine that I won’t be riding every day here on out. But it’s also incredibly exciting to imagine my life without these stresses. What if I didn’t have to get up at 5:30 and feed and muck because the weekend worker quit at 10pm the night before? Maybe I’ll start a hobby. 🤪 Or maybe I’ll just hang out with my wonderful husband and beautiful kids and have a coffee at the table instead of racing down the road in my car…

06/27/2024

Baby Horses' First Shoes

Don't you love that day that they have grown enough, are starting to ride and ready to be adult horses? Some young horses I don't shoe until end of their 3 yr old or start of 4 yr old but this year has been so dry. The horses are stomping from flies a lot...and even though she is in during the day with a fan ( relief from flies, heat and stomping , plus on cushiony bedding), she looks a little foot sore and is moving a bit ground bound.

I want my horses to want to leave the ground. I never want them uncomfortable any time...but especially during the breaking process.

Royalty In Me aka Sploot , was super for her first front shoes. A good testament to her training. No sedation or holder needed.

06/27/2024

How Long Would It Take You To Do A Split ?

You read that right....so how long ? Can you say definitively in 3 months, stretching 2 hrs every single day, you could do a full split ? 6 months ? 11 months ? 18 months ? What about your brother, mother, bestie, aunt, 2nd cousin on your fathers side ? How long will it take them ?

Now factor in oddities like : when you were a kid you raced your friends, pulled something in your thigh and have some scar tissue you dont even know about ... or that you have a desk job that you sit at 8 to 10 hrs a day....

This is horse training !!! We cannot say " a horse will be able to do a canter pirouette after 3 yrs of riding 5 days a week by a competent rider." No one can say that.
I owned a horse that learned to piaffe in 1 month. Took me 3 yrs to teach her flying changes !

So the next time you feel like your horse isn't getting something on your timeline, try doing a split....and eat some humble pie....and keep showing up day in and day out to help that horse find that new thing one step at a time.

Splits, Piaffe....all things are possible.

06/25/2024

Please Do A Rain Dance

Yes....that is hay. I started haying some of my pastured horses. And they are eating it. We have had weeks without rain in south central PA. Not good. The earth is powder and dust.

Send rain!

06/22/2024

Qredentials update

Qredentials is a gelding I bred. He is by Qredit Hilltop and out of Ravi Sutra ( Rousseau x Riverman x Davignon) . Affectionately referred to as Ravioli, he is owned by Deirdre Reilly and trained by Diana Snyder of Quakertown PA.

Ravioli was just down at my farm for a long lining clinic with Richard Malmgren and my friend ( S. Vanecek) snapped a few photos. Just yesterday his sire Qredit won the Grand Prix at the Rhythm and Blues show. Love these pics side by side.

06/19/2024

I Love Good Lunging

All training is a work in progress. When you see a horse that lunges well ( balanced in all 3 gaits, responsive to aids, connected to bit, relaxed not forced ) you know that someone spent time training thay horse.

Lunging is an excellent and essential skill. How does a vet evaluate lameness ? On the straight and on the lunge

It is where I introduce contact to the bit.
It is an excellent way to learn to see the rhythm and tempo of the horse. Try to match your steps with the rhythm of the horse ( i call this the walk song, trot some and canter song . They play in my mind the entire time I work a horse ). Your aids should be applied and removed in this same rhythm !

For instance....trot is 1, 2 , 1 , 2. Aids are on, off, on , off or on, on, off , off, on , on, off , off. Or on/ off, on/ off , on / off . Most people hold aids on too long and don't ever release. The release is where the horse changes.

I'll repeat that.
The release is where the horse changes.

Here Katie is asking her horse to connect to the outside sidereal by yielding his ribcage and engaging inside hind leg. This is her first time doing this specific exercise. Listen along .

Warning : always have a professional start your horse in side reins, even extremely loose ones. Never attempt it on your own.

And yes, holding the line is a skill. Katie fixed her loops to a safer size .

06/18/2024

Dog Days Of Summer

We are in the beginning of a heat wave here in south central PA. We have high humidity a lot of the time, so when you add heat....you sweat a lot.

We worked horses early and kept sessions short. My working student is pretty adept with starting young horses. She has now officially started breaking her second one . She knows my system well .

Since I breed horses, they have to to learn " all the things : getting a halter on, being touched all over, leading ( first with a butt rope- i do a figure 8 over them , then a lead rope), and cross tieing and tieing , hosing, trotting in hand, setting up, lunging, surcingle, bridle etc.

My foals are well started in leading. In fact 2.5 month old Mynion ( Lemynade) puts his head in the halter. Day By Day still gets the butt rope. Yearling Legitimate got hosed this week for the first time, grooms and is leading well. 2 yr old Liberated is working on bettering his tieing skills and 3 yr old Royalty In Me is starting to be ridden.

We do this work little by little and rarely have major problems or even minor ones. It is a system. We recognize when the horse is stressed and step back a bit. Since the horses know us from birth, they already have trust built and know boundaries.

Having a systematic way of introducing horses to work is paramount to success.

06/10/2024

My Summer 2024 Long Lining Clinic Schedule

I have a few more clinics I will be adding...waiting on a few farms to get back to me, but here is June through August so far.
Reminder horses must lunge well ( careening around on the end of a rope is not lunging, also round penning is not lunging ) , be in a snaffle type bridle, no leverage bits....no reins, bring a saddle pad . 3 yrs of age and up. All levels of horses.

June 2024
3 Private Farm
4 Steeplechase horses in Manor md
11 Sally Lofting Dressage
12 Line It Up Farm, Coatsville PA
14 Daisy Lane Farm, Woodbine Md.
15 Ships Quarters Farm, Westminster md
19 Allterra / Torrey Wilkinson in Pottstown PA
24th Private Farm, Woodbine md
26th Sally Lofting Dressage
29th The Sippel Farm , Annville PA

July 2024
7th Robinson Equestrian, East Berlin PA
10th Sally Lofting Dressage
14 Horse Pen Hill Farm, Aviva Nebesky in Bowie Md
16th Private Faem, Fallston md
17 Line It Up Farm in Coatsville PA
24th Sally Lofting Dressage
25th Daisy Lane Farm in Woodbine Md
31st Sally Lofting Dressage

August 2024
2 Harvest View Stables in Manheim PA Contact Cindy Gilbert
6 private farm in Fallston md
7 Line It Up Farm in Coatsville PA Contact Mary Grace
10 Horse Pen Hill Farm in Bowie Md Contact Aviva Nebesky
17 The Sippel Farm in Annville PA Contact Leah Sippel
27th private farm in Fallston md
28th Alterra Farm / Torrey Wilkinson in Pottstown PA

06/10/2024

Horse Show !

I had a great time showing my 2 yr old gelding Liberated ( Louisville HTF x Ravi Sutra) Dressage at Jericho yesterday. Campbell Willoughby, my working student, showed him ( and did all the at home prep ) .

"Shrimpin" won the 2 yr old c**ts and geldings class with a 78.9 % . His walk scored an 8.0. He is growth and over built at the moment so the trot a bit flat.
He also won the GOV class.

I am most proud that he had a positive experience. This was his 2nd show ever . He showed much more emotional maturity than a year ago. He was willing and happy to do his job.
It was also over 2.5 hrs in the trailer each way and he hauled great. It was his first time solo . Good boy.

06/08/2024

I Get My "Ribbons " From Horses

It is prime time horse show season here in South Central PA. Things are in full swing. There are shows in every direction. When I was a teen , I showed in open shows mostly and some dressage shows....nearly every weekend from April to October. I got up at 4:30 am to braid my horse ( it is a HORSE show....show your horse off ! ) and I had packed the trailer the night before. Sometimes my dad would unhook the trailer at the show..and I was there for the day with my Thoroughbred, Autumn Charm. That was way before cell phones. The horse show people were my family.
Then I went to college. I showed some AQHA shows and Reinings. ( and some Draft Horse shows with friends too )
After college I showed hunters and dressage prospects in hand. Dressage horses, both local and rated etc...

And somewhere along the way, the ribbons stopped mattering to me.

Horses ( and their owners ) give me "ribbons". I few weeks ago I went to a new dressage facility to long line. After doing 6 horses, the highly respected trainer looked me in the eye and said " your horsemanship is exceptional " in a very genuine, sincere way.
That was my national championship ! I will never forget it.

When I see partnership, relaxation, acceptance and understanding in the horses I work....all blue ribbons. When the horses snort . Ribbon. When they blow out ( snorts in succession ), Neck Ribbon !

I'm not saying my horse show days are over...but the importance of them is. My wins come in the training, in seeing the horses excell, in the notes written to me from people I have helped, in the smiles gained through feel and connection.

Those are my most treasured ribbons.

06/07/2024

Not Bad for a Butt High Yearling

Yearlings are so awkward. As breeders we say "hide them behind the barn " because they are often sorta skinny, all leg, no body, the neck disappears, their head looks big and so forth.

Here is last year's foal Legitimate...and she is awkward....but she can still move ! And is as pretty as ever. She will look so different in a year !

05/21/2024

Breeding News

Big Congrats to one of the young horses I bred, Rumspringa ( Kramer) and his owner / trainer Jodi Van Sprang on their first Centerline together. They made their riding debut at a Dressage Schooling Show in South central PA. Jodi bought Kramer as a yearling and is enjoying her journey with this young horse that she calls baby Dino. Kramer is still the sweet trainable gelding we had here in his baby days. He loves naps and playing with friends.

Kramer is out of my special broodmare Ravi Sutra ( Rousseau x Riverman x Davignon x Garibaldi) and by Royal Prinz ( Royal Diamond ) . Ravi will be having her last foal in about 2 weeks.

I do have a few select warmbloods available at this time .

05/17/2024

Long Lining
I have been long lining more than ever. I love being part of the team training yoir horse ! Long Lining is so clear. It shows all the horses strengths and weaknesses. It helps guide you in your riding and training as it is a snapshot of what you have changed in the horse.

Here are some fun pics of myself Long Lining
Tami Glover's boy Peri. He is a Huge HUGE boy. He really offered to sit. Fun !

04/27/2024

Pitchforks and Skills

Funny story...I may have gotten myself hard in the leg about 2.5 weeks ago with a metal pitchfork. My shin bone may have stopped it from going further. Don't ask....hilarious story for future years to tell.
I went to urgent care ( after calling my good friend, my vet Dr. Penny Grove ). Everyone had a good laugh over my stupidity. When the doctor actually got to cleaning the wound (after a new tetanus shot of course ) , she saw the yellow staining on my shin. The Doc asked me " Did you clean this ? " My response " well ya...I scrubbed it hard with bedadine scrub and then put triple antibiotic and a bandaid on it " Her jaw dropped. She said " no one ever does that. People come in here with blood dripping etc . And I replied " Oh, well, I am a Horse Girl. We are our own ER department "

And we are, aren't we ?!? Just this year I handled a very scary arterial bleed ( not my first one either ). I have also pulled foals out, gotten foals out of shoulder lock, sat with horses as they died both naturally and with aid, delivered a red bag foal ( placenta previa) , dealt with various wounds, colics, stallion issues, wrapped human broken wrists ( where the doctor told the patient whoever wrapped this really knows what they are doing) etc.

When I took the job as horse farm owner, did I know I would have this roll as well as Human and Horse Psychologist, landscaper, equipment operator, horse trainer, riding instructor, trouble shooter, plumber, secretary, marketer, horse hauler, fence builder, mower, escavator, etc ?

It got me thinking about all my colleagues...amazing people, mostly women , who are both brave and courageous. Many times we are dealing with things we have never seen or done before. And we do it with calm, clear heads. Rock On ! You all are awesome.

( Just don't put a giant dead bullfrog near me....or have a praying mantis fly at me....IYKYK)

04/11/2024

He already slides, spins, rolls back and does his circles large and really fast !

The c**t I named Lemynade ( Volturi x Jynjer x Open For Suggestion) put on a show in his first turnout. Volturi's owner came to photograph him. What an athletic. And a looker. Absolutely love him.

Photos by Heidi Schlenker

04/06/2024

Long Lining Captain The Saddlebred

I have been Long Lining Captain for years now...probably 9 to 10 times a year. When his owner first brought him to me, he had been a 5 gaited horse, saddleseat lesson horse and an Amish horse. His eyes and brain were turned off to humans. His back had literal atrophy holes that you could put bird feed in....

He has changed so much. In every way. But one thing he just could get was that we want the hind leg to PUSH forward and cover ground. ( he always wants to invert and "crank " his legs upward , using his chest to pull him forward )
His owner, Katie, has been diligent with the work ( along with some local professionals )and he is more consistently reaching for the bit. Yesterday some light bulbs went off... and there was real hind leg push happening. It was also interesting to see him have his moments of panic and then seek out the comfort of rounding the back, lowering the neck that feels so good to the horse.

Training always takes as long as it takes. We just keep sculpting the clay into the shape we want.