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While we're just talking, I've got some pictures for you of a breaking rig that my trainer/breeder has had built and says it the greatest thing since sliced bread. He saw it in a 100yr old book on training and had some guy build it from those drawings. I took these pictures when I took Truly up there for breeding this past Wednesday. This is what it looks like...

Of course the original was made of wood. He just got it finished in the last week or so and has used it on several regular sized horses already. He’s got a couple of Hackney Ponies that he’s had in there too, so there's hope for Pony if you could get her down there. ;o) The shafts are a little high for them, but he fixed something up to keep them from ducking under. He says it’s virtually impossible for a horse to act up at all while in this rig. They can’t buck, rear up, lay down, kick or run off. They are strapped in and all they can do is go around and around. It has hydraulic brakes so he can increase the drag to make them work harder or stop them completely. He says that is works better than anything he’s ever used, including a ground slide and a wagon. He seems to think that the monotony of just going around and around makes their mind more open to training and makes them listen better. He can even sit on them while they are between the shafts so that they are used to that too.

BTW - We've got a busy day planned here, if I disappear at various points. Our horse shoer is coming this morning.... usually around 10 but who knows.

We're gonna go on a short trail ride tonight after ecurbh gets off work... Trailer them to a trailhead that has a wide water crossing within a mile or so to get to, and work Cyn on both the water crossing and bridges... We thought it'd be a good short jaunt and good lesson to do all on it's own, instead of rushing it because we have a whole trail ride to get on with. We'll got there and spend as much time in the water as we need... or until dark, whichever comes first ;~D

I expect after the first hesitation she'll go right in, and I suspect she'll have no qualms about the bridge. She just isn't timid about spooky things at all. We may have blown up her water-resistance from the first trail ride... It was a very narrow creek, many horses will jump such things if they can... and even Bay won't walk in a puddle if he has a choice.