Baker - training session 4 - Repetition and patience

When I worked with Baker yesterday, we worked for about 16, doing a lot of the same stuff that I had done the day before (that's how training goes, after all, lots of repetition).  He seemed a bit more curious to see me, and less afraid, and he was easier to catch.  He definitely seemed to enjoy me touching him all over, and really got in to it when I rubbed his favorite spots - his neck and rump.  He was in to it so much that he started leaning all over me, catching me off guard, and almost knocking me down!  I thought it was just a one time thing for him, but I discovered throughout the session, that this is another little quirk of his.  He tried to lean against me several more times, and I caught him trying to lean against his mom too.  And it's not a gentle affectionate type of leaning, it's more of a I'm-going-to-lean-on-you-because-I-can't-stand-on-my-own-four-feet type of leaning.  Most people think these little things that horses do when they are babies are cute, like rearing, turning around to bump you with their butt, nipping, etc.  However, imagine if a very large, adult horse did those things.  Because that is what this little guy will become eventually - a very large, adult horse.  And if he is not taught now that those things are not cute and not acceptable, then he will become an UNMANAGEABLE, very large, adult horse.  Personally, I would prefer not to work with a 1500 pound animal that thinks it's ok to lean all his weight against me, so I worked with Baker on how to behave more properly.  Every time he would lean against me throughout our session, I would shove him back away from me until he was standing on his own.  Horses are pretty smart, smarter than some people give them credit, and he figured out very quickly that I was not going to allow him to do this.  Will that stop him from trying it again in our next session?  Probably not.  I will probably have to remind him of the rules again when I work with him today and for several more sessions after that too.  However, if I remain consistent - by correcting him EVERY SINGLE TIME he tries to lean on me, in the EXACT SAME WAY, he will eventually get it.  After that, he may try it every now and then, but as long as I (see the last sentence), then we should be good.  I think this is where a lot of folks get frustrated, and believe me, I do too sometimes!  But we have to keep reminding ourselves that repetition and consistency do work in the end.  Sometimes the horse learns what you are trying to teach quickly, but sometimes it seems to take FOREVER!  People are like that too, and horses put up with us.  When you were first learning to ride (assuming you were fortunate enough to learn on a well taught, patient school horse), how long did it take you to figure out how to post, or canter, or trot over a single pole, or sit the trot?  How many times did you lose your balance, land too hard on your horse's back, pull on his mouth?  Did he get pissed and frustrated with you and quit on you?  He probably just gave a big, deep sigh, and kept plodding along, waiting for you to finally get it, hours or days or months later.  Or like my first horse, Shasta - every time I would fall off - she wouldn't take off running for home, glad to be free of this little brat bouncing all over her.  She would take a deep breath, roll her eyes, turn around and look at me like "what are you doing on the ground AGAIN?  Can't you ever learn to stay on??" We need to have the same patience when training a horse as they have when training us.  And the good ones are full of infinite patience.