I missed the last part of office hours today! Will it be posted so I can catch what I missed?

I have a pony who I am working with on target training. She’s 100% at touching the target and now we are working on following the target for in-hand walks where I’m able to get her to stretch out and follow it. I only do it for a few seconds at a time and just intermittently during our 2 mile walks. However, I notice that she gets pretty stimulated, so I’m looking for ways to incorporate relaxation or reduce where she’s hunting for the target because she wants more treats. Or is the nature of this training unfair since it’s intermittent? In our last training session she grabbed the pole with her teeth, I assume because she was expecting a treat for a click and she didn’t get one. I thought intermittent rewards were okay, but now I worry it unproductively frustrates her. How can I do better?

Was the freestyle finale accomplished through shaping? I noticed you doing progressively more leg movements over his hind end as the competition went on and getting off and back on. Was there one particular moment where you realized you had a good chance of him being fine with you standing on his back? Or was it more like he was fine with 6 specific things so I’m going to give it a try? Did you go into the competition knowing that’s the movement you wanted to do and then worked backwards?

Amazing work! Amazing partnership! So well deserved!

Earned trust

Their co-regulation is beautiful to watch

That’s so special! Sending my best wishes to your husband and you.

Sending everybody good vibes for today 🧘

Okay, I’m definitely watching live tomorrow because I want to share in this excitement in real time. This is just so cool. Tik’s timing is incredible and there’s so much to learn just by watching I know I can’t possibly take it all in watching once. There are the most magical moments where the typical response would be to push, but he’s so present and in tune. He knows when to be patient and breathe through and when to encourage. 😮‍💨 ❤️🦄

What a beautiful demonstration. I loved to see his conversation with Tom Cat. I hope that his approach inspires others to utilize new techniques. ❤️🦄