Gale has been a dedicated member of the Connection Training community for over two and a half years. Her bond with her 16-year-old Rocky Mountain mare, Madison, has deepened during this time, and 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. Gale first met Madison while working on a certification program and immediately knew they were meant to be a team. Since then, Gale has spent countless hours working with Madison through daily walks and consistent training.
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. Despite Gale’s commitment and experience, this behavior had become a source of frustration. Wanting to maintain their strong bond and improve their training experience, Gale reached out to me for help.
Together, we discovered that 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲. I suggested turning grooming sessions into a fun, playful activity, incorporating a game of fetch—something Gale had already taught Madison. Along with this, we introduced enrichment exercises and moments of relaxation to help Madison become calmer and more focused during their sessions.
Over time, Gale noticed significant improvements. 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞. Instead of biting, she started paying attention to their connection, and their time together became more harmonious. 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, and it was wonderful to see their progress through the videos Gale shared, with Madison calmly standing by the targets and fully focused on their work together.
𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. Their bond goes beyond just training—it’s about the joy of spending time together, creating a relationship built on mutual understanding and fun. Gale and Madison’s story is a beautiful example of what can be achieved when we truly listen to our horses and prioritize their emotional well-being.