Mouthing Sonny

Sounds like a movie title!

But no, its the name of the next stage of education for young Sonny. This stage starts with the introduction of the "bit" to his mouth for the first time and goes all the way to the point where Sonny is responding perfectly to the reins. Yeah, i simplified this all a lot.

Well mouthed horses know exactly where to go when asked, so long as the riders are consistent in their application of the "signals" the horse is trained to respond to. It is vitally important to the next stage of his education where he gets broken in.

You can watch a video with a a bit about it here. Love the accent there!

Sonny has responded well, and Clive has him now in his hands. This week Clive will possibly start him on the long reins in the larger paddock. This step introduces Sonny to being instructed what to do via long reins whilst walking/trotting in a wide circle. This technique is called longing.

All going well....