So I have recently ended up in a free lease (completely by accident) on this amazing quarter horse cross gelding. He is a six year old palomino with a puppy dog personality. He is super curious and very intelligent and very hard to spook (though leaves in the wind are simply not ok). Really, my trainer was holding a dressage whip and he walked up and sniffed it and let her rub it all over his face and in his nostrils and all over his legs and all that and he is simply a doll. I gave him is first bath and he was 100% ok with the water on him, plastic bags aren't much of an issue as long as he can see them, pretty bomb proof compared to the 12 year old TB I work with every now and then.

Thing is, he has minimal under saddle work. He was started a couple years ago and has basic walk trot canter, always ends up on the correct lead, has super smooth gaits and the whole nine yards. He'll make a beautiful hunter in a couple years. He doesn't have anything I am trying to correct like a bucking habit or that sort of thing, I just have never worked with a young horse before and I was wondering if anyone had any tips? I know my trainer said to take it slow and not to push too hard and to take a break if things start getting frustrating, which is usually a given, but if anyone had any other tips I'm all ears.

The biggest thing we are working on right now is under standing leg aids. Right now I use both leg and vocal aids (clucking for walk to trot transitions and kissy noises for canter transitions) but he doesn't respond to them well. I don't know if its because he doesn't know them or because he ignores them, so I don't really know how to proceed with this.

If you could help that would be greatly appreciated or if you needed more information to help come up with an answer please PM me and I would be happy to go into more detail or what ever you need!