How do you handle it?

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Jess P

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How can you guys handle it? I am sending my gelding off to get driving training, and I am already bawling my eyes out. The poor boy will be so confused, we have had him since he was two (now 7) and Im afraid he will be so scared thinking we abandoned him.

However, the good part is that after he is trained, my mom and I can enjoy trail driving together, and competing together. Dusty is going to make one kick butt driving gelding.
 
Totally understand your feelings.

We've sent off horses that I considered "my babies" and it was hard. One way to think of it that helped me was that I was sending them to "school". And as long as I felt comfortable with the trainer it made it easier.

MA
 
Just think, in two or three(or how ever long it takes) months you'll have him back, and you'll say, i was I so worried!

It will be a nice little vacation for him:)

-Gage-
 
I am sending my yearling Arabian off to school sometime this winter or within the next couple weeks. He is going to be about 250 miles away to michigan for ground manners and the guy is going to work with showing him in halter a little. I am going to be sad as heck!. I know that when he comes back to me he is going to be a good lil boy but he will be gone for a couple month. Way i see it, the long wait is worth it.

We had a Tennese Walker a couple years ago we went off for some training in Flordia (like 5 states away!!!!). I know how your feeling. But beleive me its well worth the wait. We had him trained for driving as well, he came back a pro!. I just rely on pictures.

When i took coco to the fair, he was in the fair barn for a week and i think he thought he was at a horse auction w/ the loud speakers, all the horses, weird stalls. lol, he wasnt to ahppy the first two days!
 
I solve the problem by not sending them. Training is done at home and we do it daily with the ability to take all the time the animal requires to learn its trade. I have found it to be a very rewarding aspect of having horses around. One thing that amazes me is that with only a few exceptions is that horses for the most part learn the basics at virtually the same rate. I fully expect an animal to be capable of leading, lunging along with appropriate voice commands, standing tied and to stand for the farrier before it starts driving training.
 
We have sent 7 horses off to the trainers in the last several years. First we have trust in our trainer and we keep in touch by phone and email. We have not been dissappointed in any of the horses that have returned home to us.
 
I try to do a lot of the groundwork at home. Ground driving, side passing, backing, left, right etc. for a few months first.

I am lucky to have a friend who helps train who is only 45 minutes away. They stay at her barn during the winter and I get down at least twice a week to drive them myself while she can lunge and work a day or two.

We come to an agreement on their feeding schedule and I try to keep it the same at home so no sudden changes.

If I am getting a horse trained, I need to know how they are driving them so I won't fail later to work them properly myself.
 
It was so hard at first! I'm used to doing it all myself, and having my horses around me. Even though Catch me was just 30 minutes away, it was quite an adjustment for me.

It became a lot easier when I saw how well he was doing and everytime I went there he had made SO much progress. I still wish I could see him every day, but I've kind of resigned myself to that just not being possible.

Ask if your trainer will send you a short video or at least pictures every other week or so just so you can see how it's going.
smile.gif
 
I am going through the same thing so I totally understand....sending off a horse we are very attached to and worrying that he won't understand what is going on and will get depressed. Also though he gets along with all our horses, he has one special buddy that I know he will also miss. He went to Nationals this year and he is one of the horses I had Bonnie Fogg do a reading on and I knew this would be happening and asked Bonnie how to handle it. She advised talking to him and explaining to him that he is going off to school to learn how to drive and pull a cart and that he will be coming back home. I felt a lot better after I "talked" to him about it and I swear he seems to understand. This is a horse that has won National and Reserve National Championships in Hunter and Jumper and yet told Bonnie he doesn't feel "special" like our two other minis that are driving and he is ready and anxious to learn himself. I think he will be very eager and have a great attitude about it and I can't wait to see how he does.

Get Dusty alone and talk to him heart to heart like you would talk to a child going off to camp to learn stuff and how much fun you will have together later, etc. You will feel better and trust me, he will understand what you are saying.
 

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