Harley is doing great! I was concerned that he would go back to fighting contact, tossing his head, and other habits from the past, but he has surprised me. He is keeping rein contact at the walk and trot, through transitions, and even from halt to walk. He will occasionally toss his head for a few seconds in walk to trot transitions, but then drops his head and accepts contact without a fuss. He seems to especially enjoy the leg yield exercises we do, when he isn't tripping over his own feet because he is rushing. The key to these exercises is to go very, very slow so that each step is deliberate and he can organize his feet properly and perform the exercise correctly. Harley has a tendency to anticipate and will often try to do what he thinks I'm going to ask next, and he gets it right about half of the time. Slow and steady is the key to keeping him relaxed and focused.
It still works like magic to bend, turn, change direction when he begins to get anxious or distracted. We will continue to work on bending right, which was difficult for him in the past, but has improved a lot with bending exercises, and with the help of his chiropractor, Dr. Jenny Johnson. He received the best report ever after his last treatment, with the issues in his poll and neck dramatically improved. He is now almost straight tracking right, but we will continue to do the exercises to support his development and keep those left side muscles long and supple. We are also walking over ground poles, and a few days ago, Harley walked calmly over 3 poles without touching any of them. Good boy, Harley!!
