3 Areas to Work

This morning, as I was working Nikki, the three areas he needs work in became clear to me.

1. Physical conditioning - Nikki needs to lose some wieght and become more fit.  Right now, I don't think either of us would make it through an hour lesson with Jan.

2.  Mental stamina - After working for about 20 minutes or so, Nikki often decides he's done.  First, he just stops doing whatever I'm asking.  If that doesn't work and I ask him to continue, he spins, maybe rears or kicks a little and then heads towards the gate.  So I'm trying to slowly increase the time I spend with him, even if some of that time is grooming; he's still having to pay attention to me.  Nikki needs to learn that I decide when we're done, not him.

3.  Quiet in the arena.  He just needs to get over his spookiness and realize that the quail are not going to kill him.

This will give me a framework to help guide my time with Nikki.