Claire has done an absolute AMAZING job training Jewel for SAFE. Our little palomino paint has transformed into a beautiful young riding mare with a TON of potential. Claire had a few things to tell us about the progress Jewel has made and riding her in last month’s Joel Conner clinic:

Jewel was a rock star in the clinic. She once again handled a very crowded and energetic situation with ease. We worked a lot on connecting the reins to her feet, which she caught on to quickly. We also had the chance to work on some cantering, and I got some great advice from Joel on how to be more effective with my reins, so there is less confusion for Jewel. As soon as I started playing around with this, Jewel became much more relaxed and confident. Joel also helped us with making sure Jewel is okay to have her sensitive cinch area touched, which improved greatly just in the few hours I was working on it at the clinic. Overall, I’m very happy with how Jewel is coming along.

Jewel also got to go out on the trails near Safe Harbor Stables this past weekend. She accompanied Anderson, Bean and Scarlett. Here is Claire’s report:

Jewel was absolutely fantastic on the first trail ride I took her on. She was calm and interested, but not spooky at all, just curious. And when another horse was scared or bothered, Jewel was a perfect support horse and helped the other horse feel secure. She walked on a loose rein and often flicked an ear back at me to “listen” to anything I had to tell her. I am so pleased with how she did!

Below are some photos of Claire and Jewel in the Joel Conner Clinic and photos of Jewel and Bean out for a trail ride. This was Bean’s 2nd trail ride and Jewel’s 3rd this spring. Both were very well behaved!