Yankee
Yankee is a 3yo, ~14.1h red roan gelding gathered from Wassuk HMA. This unique gelding is in training as part of the Trainer Incetive Program. He will lead, load and pick up all four feet before he goes home. He is NOT trained to ride but should make an excellent trail horse with additional training. 
August 15, 2015
Here is a short clip of Yankee trailer loading on his big day! Going home!
August 10, 2015
Yankee has spent the last week out in the 50×50 pen with my mare Butterfly. Today I finally had time to go see how he would be to halter in the larger area. I took my mare out because she is very people oriented and follows me everywhere and generally gets in the way. First I started with approach and retreat. Yankee has been doing so well with taking at least a few steps towards me when I go to halter him I want to make sure I try and continue to build on that. At the same time, he can’t learn that walking away from me gives him any relief. I used approach and retreat to walk up and rub him a few times before haltering. Then we practised picking up all four feet. He was really heavy on his left hind but that was my fault for not positioning him squarely before asking him to pick up his feet. Full length video below.
July 13, 2015
Yankee made his first trip to the obstacle course and was exceptional. He handled all of the obstacles with ease. He is a super smart horse and very quickly figured out hot to navigate each obstacle we presented. Here are some pictures and video 😀
May 22, 2015 – Update
Yankee is doing great. He can be haltered and picks up both front feet. We hope to take pictures of him on the obstacle course soon!
March 24, 2015
I worked with Yankee on petting both sides all the way to his hip. We also worked on leading and standing still while the rope is tossed over his back from either side. He was great!
March 17, 2015
This video below shows all but the last four or five minutes of a full training session with Yankee. We were working on continuing to reinforce the basics. He has to settle to the stick and string touching him and once that does I work on touching him with my hands. He’s making great progress!
March 15, 2015 – Worked today on leading and touch. He’s doing pretty good leading to both sides. He is very reasonable, doesn’t really bolt off or panic at anything but will move off if he feels overly pressured. I worked with him lots on touching his face, forehead, cheeks and the left side of his neck. He is doing really well and starting to gain confidence with me being in close proximity to him.
March 14, 2015 – Worked on approach and retreat with Yankee and was finally able to gain his confidence enough to start petting around his muzzle and chin. With a little bit of practice I was able to get the lead rope snapped on. He’ll wear a drag line now so I can start teaching him to lead. Once he is comfortable with me approaching him I’ll take it off again.
March 12, 2015 – I brought Yankee up this evening back into a training pen so that we can continue with his training.
March 9-11, 2015 – Yankee is out in the big pen for now.
March 8, 2015
Had another trainer work with Yankee today, again he practiced moving around his pen in a circle without turning unless asked. He worked on turns to the inside and feeling comfortable while keeping two eyes on the human in his pen.
March 7, 2015
Worked with Yankee today just on turning to the inside and being able to feel comfortable looking at me with both eyes. He has really settled in his pen now. He also had some turnout time and I was able to get some new pictures of him.
March 5, 2015 – Day 2
I isolated Yankee in his own 24 x 24 stall this evening. At first he was super worried about being in the stall alone and didn’t want to focus on me at all. After a few minutes he started to settle down and focus on what I was asking him to do. We got lots of nice, very consistent turns to the inside and worked on lots of approach and retreat. By the time I was done with him he was accepting me approaching him and rubbing him with the end of my training stick pretty easily. Still wary about me any closer than stick length but standing still and allowing himself to be rubbed on the neck and should with the stick.
Later after feeding I went in to clean his stall and he was MUCH less worried about me. HE walked up to me and reached out to touch my outstretched hand with his nose. I think with a few days in the pen he’ll be a lot less worried about where his friends are and a lot more happy about making friends with me.
March 4, 2015 – Arrival Day
Did not get a chance to work one on one with Yankee yet. He did, however, express curiosity. A few times while watering horses in the arena he came up and stood about 10 feet away checking us out. Great sign that he wanted to come see us instead of us having to seek him out!
