Magic and I worked on our exercises this morning. I have been lucky to achieve success in my efforts training bird dogs. It did not come easy. It took close to 30 years. My definition of bird dog training success is that they will point and hold birds. I worked at it with plenty of good dogs for 20 years but I never was certain that they would not bust birds. And they very often did. In my last years of bird hunting Roger Harness and I had from 10 to 14 very good dogs. They all would hold birds. We usually got a pup or two each year and at the end of the first year of hunting, they would be trustworthy. And it was no trouble at all, just fun. Since success was so difficult to obtain, I reflected a lot on what made success happen. (I learned a lot from friends that were good trainers and we finally found a place with enough birds.) I never identified the key to our success but I did recognize one huge difference. We expected the dogs to point. The doubt was gone.
Magic and I have not gotten there yet but we’re on our way. Magic stood perfectly still when I mounted this morning. (!?) The bending of the neck has improved. He often would turn but stop sooner. Once or twice I was able to ask for the bend and he gave it without moving his feet. We’ll see what happens tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to it.
I worked him in a halter this morning rather than the snaffle bridle both on the ground and while riding. I was surprised that he seemed to be more responsive to the halter. It is a rope halter with two knots on the noseband. I tried to ride bareback but he is a little too tall for me to mount without stirrups even with the mounting block. I want to train him to position himself for mounting when I climb up on something. I did that with Glory just to get my foot high enough to find the stirrup.