The Genius of Zephyr

This kid blows me away. Day after day after day, she just knocks my socks off. I have said it before, aand I will say it again, I cannot wait for this girly to grow up for riding!  I love her so much playing on the ground, but WOW she is gonna be a fun ride too!

Zephyrs latest moment of genius came via Mo. Of course. My little musketeers. I was playing with Mo at liverty just around the barn, asking her to circle a little, and as always, Zephyr had to be int he middle of things, so I started asking Mo to Spanish Walk across the paddock a little, after getting the little stinker out of the way. Mo rocked it and got facefulls of cookies. And then Zephyr came over. And demonstrated HER Spanish Walk to a step or two!!!

I about died laughing. What a GOOBER! This pony LOVES food. I was on the fence for a while on whether she was motivated/oriented, but I am going to sit with MOTIVATED for now. She saw Mo getting cookies for lifting her legs up high. Ergo, Zephyr walks over and lifts her legs up high and then looks at me all bright eyed and bushy-tailed 'Wheres MY cookie???" She was met with laughter though, and a cookie :D Cant make her feel bad for trying!

We spent the next little while playing with *asking* for this, since it could get dangerous pretty quick. But I did think it was hysterical that she taught herself, pretty much, to spanish walk via literal osmosis. Smart kid.

The next smartest thing she has learned is BRIDLING! I will never have to fight this horse to bridle, I am sure! She is to the point where I can pull out the bridle and walk AWAY and she follows me to get the bit and then of course the cookie. I LOVE IT! Patterns! I have done it maybe five times, just a few minutes, a few tries each time and poof. Insta-bridling-superstar. GO ZEPHYR!

Mo did some genius of her own last night, I must say. I have been toying with the idea of teaching her to bring me her bowl since last fall. At the time I had no idea how to even start teaching her because its not her inclincation to teeth on something, just lick it. So last night when she started nibbling on her food bowl, I got really excited and stuffed her fulll of cookies. She then stopped and I just left her bowl in front of her and left her alone. Every time she started nibbling on the bowl I gave her cookies. And then she handed me her bowl! HA! Go figure, Im not looking for it, Im not trying for it, and voila, it happens, all on her own... YEY!
... now how long until Zephyr walks over with HER bowl?! HAHA!
:D
S