QUESTION: What are the most important aspects of building an initial healthy trust relationship?
ANSWER: Consistency/congruency in attitude and consideration of the horse. Consistency of your attitude in such that the pony will know that you will NEVER cause it to fear you or feel threatened by you or when with you - that you will always be there for him. Congruency in not trying to "hide" your inner self from the horse. The pony KNOWS what's in your heart; pay attention to how you USE whats' really in your heart. You just can't fool 'em! *grin* Be HONEST with the horse. NO LIES! Not in your heart - not in your actions. Say/ask what you mean and mean what you say/ask.
Consideration ... Always, always remember that ponies and horses have good and bad days just as we do. They don't, as a species, change their "moods" or "behaviors" without GOOD reasons. In other words, they don't go along fine for months and months and then decide one day NOT to go along with you. If so, then that pony/horse has an immediate issue that needs attention from you. Pay attention to what they try to "say" to you ... And they DO try to tell us things. They can't change the way they communicate so its up to the US to change the way WE communicate to the pony/horse. That's just simple consideration. THINK of the animal's comfort level ... Mentally and physically. Don't ask them to do things that are beyond their capabilities thereby frustrating them. Always keep things on the side of pleasant and safe -- don't cause them to "shout" at you (buck, rear, bite, bolt or other aversive behaviors) ... Try to listen carefully to what they are saying and in doing so you may well be able to avoid a very unpleasant situation for both of you.
Horses and ponies have social laws that state they HAVE to have a leader ... One who is safe, encouraging, thoughtful, considerate yet assertively strong and calm. CALM. :) Even in the face of the most dire circumstances one needs to assure the horse/pony with calmness. Those are some attributes of a good leader. Be good leaders. If the human does not step up to the plate for leadership, the equine MUST ... By design ... Step up and take over the position of leader. Good leaders determine that which is beneficial for the TEAM ... The HERD; not just for him/herself individually (as a "boss" or "alpha" would do). Think in terms like these and your ponies will look to you for guidance and safety in almost every situation.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Difference Between Fear and Wariness
QUESTION: How do you determine the difference between a fear reaction and a wary display?
ANSWER: This is fairly easy to tell. The overall body language and the mental/emotional state will reveal a lot. A fear reaction is going to elicit a white-eyed panic response to instant, getting-out-of-town response without regard for surrounding environment. A horse that is in a panicked state will be thinking of just ONE thing and that's SURVIVAL .. To stay alive. That horse/pony is going to back up and try to RUN and run FAST! A wary response may bring on a white eyed response but less panicky movements and response. Both instances will present with a "head up" response as horses react physiologically from that position. In other words, head up equals alert/flight/survival and instantly sets off the adrenalin needed to run. Head down equals relaxation and content/comfort/calm and stops the adrenalin flow. Take, for instance, the horse that has been "punished" with extreme pressure to the front end (for example, in response to a bite many people will punch the horse with a very angry, forward reaction to the bite or nip. NOT the response that is going to teach the pony that biting is not acceptable. A more appropriate response would be to make yourself as big as possible in body and mind and strongly "banish" or chase the pony/horse off or quickly and firmly cause him to move his feet ... Fast and furiously!) ... A human who aggressively goes after the pony will scare the pants off the critter! If repeated many times, the pony is going to begin to present with the extreme flight/fear response of white-eyed panic all the time and it will take awhile for that pony to trust humans again. Any pony or horse that has met with extreme aggression from humans is going to respond with a fear response.
A "wary" response is a horse/pony that is going to respond to the human with an alert, Yes, Ma'am! Or Yes, Sir! Attitude. There may be a little bit of white showing in the eye but the body language is not going to be as dramatic as a fear-based response. The horse/pony may turn head away from the handler or move body away but its just not going to be an extreme movement. The behavior is offered with an attitude of caution from the horse or pony but not down and out fright.
Sometimes we WANT an instant, extreme movement from the horse and its OK to be a bit more ASSERTIVE than usual but unless one feels he/she is in imminent danger of losing one's life then the aggressiveness should be packed away in the netherlands somewhere when working with horses and ponies. Notice, please, I used the word "assertive" and not "aggressive". Both words are expressions of the state of mind of the presenter/handler ... Aggression is always born of fear and anger/frustration whereas assertiveness is a state of leadership, confidence, comfort, strength and nuturing all at the same time. ASSERTIVE is the attitude we, as human leaders for our horses and ponies, should always exude when teaching or correcting.
Equine sense our ATTITUDES more than our voices or even our body language. Our attittudes exude energy as our cells change in our thinking, feeling, etc. The horse/pony is designed to FEEL and respond to those attitudes with exactness. They "read" or discern their environment as part of their innate survival system.
Something else to remember, too, is that horses and ponies will reprimand/correct each other within an instant of the offending behavior and the correction lasts for just a few seconds then all return to their normal routine of grazing or whatever. They do not REPEATEDLY go after one another for extended periods of time and certainly not 5 or 10 mins. or even a minute after the offensive behavior. They correct INSTANTLY.
With this knowledge in hand, now, it would be recommended that we all check our attitudes when around our horses and ponies. A confident, strong, compassionate LEADER is going to help the horse become a brave, confident, willing partner or companion. A mean-spirited, angry, frustrated, fearful handler attitude is going to create a nervous, fearful equine; one that wants nothing to do with humans.
QUESTION: What are the obvious differences to observe between a healthy trusting relationship and a relationship based from fear?
ANSWER: A healthy, trusting relationship between horse and human is one where it is obvious that the horse/pony WANTS to be with his human! A horse that willingly comes when called with excitement and eagerness tells me that the horse is excited that his human is nearby and wants to be with him. The horse will choose to stay with the human when not restrained and will stick by the human, even when grazing in the paddocks with other horses. The horse responds favorably to requests from the human without any signs of fear or intrepidation (tense body, ears back, tail stiff or switching, whites of eyes displayed, nostrils flared, mouth tense ... Horse ready for flight at any moment). A trusting horse may nicker or whinney at the sound of his human's voice or presence in familiar "greetings". A general air/attitude of excitement, contentment and peace will pervade the horse's being.
A relationship based on fear will be exhibited with the horse/pony's obvious stiffness in body and displeasure at being haltered, groomed, handled or even ... "caught". Obvious mistrust is evident in the horse's or pony's attitude. The horse will constantly turn its head away from the human or lean away; even try to "get away".
It is important, also, to be able to distinguish a horse or pony that has "checked out" mentally from a horse that is alert and right there at the "scene" mentally. A horse that has had repeated unfavorable situations with humans or one that has been forced to "submit" to humans will check out mentally just as a survival mechanism. When "flooding", a method of training horses and ponies to accept foreign objects or situations (ie. Bathing with water) is utilized the horse or pony may initially run away from the offending object but then all of a sudden stop running and stand frozen in its place. Eyes frozen wide open, nostrils flaring and respirations highly increased, whole body is tense - This is a blatant example of a horse checking out. Giving up its flight instinct to survive. The horse may then become "obedient" to the handler but the mind of the horse is not all there. It is like he's operating on remote. This is a dangerous place to be ... For both the horse and the handler. The trusting horse is going to be able to be encouraged to explore a foreign object or situation in its own time, being allowed to move its feet away if needed and when needed, but will exhibit curiosity and increasing relaxation with the final outcome being that the horse becomes 100% OK with whatever the situation is and is relaxed and "thinking" about it. A blinking horse is a thinking horse. Or, a thinking horse is a blinking horse.
Horses and ponies are naturally curious and the more time we spend in encouraging them to explore their environments and to be able to feel safe with us, their human partners, the stronger and more pleasureable the relationship between the horse and human will be. When we think and act in terms of TEACHING our ponies rather than training them then we will begin to set down a relationship that is based on TRUST and mutual RESPECT. This type of relationship can only flourish with time.
ANSWER: This is fairly easy to tell. The overall body language and the mental/emotional state will reveal a lot. A fear reaction is going to elicit a white-eyed panic response to instant, getting-out-of-town response without regard for surrounding environment. A horse that is in a panicked state will be thinking of just ONE thing and that's SURVIVAL .. To stay alive. That horse/pony is going to back up and try to RUN and run FAST! A wary response may bring on a white eyed response but less panicky movements and response. Both instances will present with a "head up" response as horses react physiologically from that position. In other words, head up equals alert/flight/survival and instantly sets off the adrenalin needed to run. Head down equals relaxation and content/comfort/calm and stops the adrenalin flow. Take, for instance, the horse that has been "punished" with extreme pressure to the front end (for example, in response to a bite many people will punch the horse with a very angry, forward reaction to the bite or nip. NOT the response that is going to teach the pony that biting is not acceptable. A more appropriate response would be to make yourself as big as possible in body and mind and strongly "banish" or chase the pony/horse off or quickly and firmly cause him to move his feet ... Fast and furiously!) ... A human who aggressively goes after the pony will scare the pants off the critter! If repeated many times, the pony is going to begin to present with the extreme flight/fear response of white-eyed panic all the time and it will take awhile for that pony to trust humans again. Any pony or horse that has met with extreme aggression from humans is going to respond with a fear response.
A "wary" response is a horse/pony that is going to respond to the human with an alert, Yes, Ma'am! Or Yes, Sir! Attitude. There may be a little bit of white showing in the eye but the body language is not going to be as dramatic as a fear-based response. The horse/pony may turn head away from the handler or move body away but its just not going to be an extreme movement. The behavior is offered with an attitude of caution from the horse or pony but not down and out fright.
Sometimes we WANT an instant, extreme movement from the horse and its OK to be a bit more ASSERTIVE than usual but unless one feels he/she is in imminent danger of losing one's life then the aggressiveness should be packed away in the netherlands somewhere when working with horses and ponies. Notice, please, I used the word "assertive" and not "aggressive". Both words are expressions of the state of mind of the presenter/handler ... Aggression is always born of fear and anger/frustration whereas assertiveness is a state of leadership, confidence, comfort, strength and nuturing all at the same time. ASSERTIVE is the attitude we, as human leaders for our horses and ponies, should always exude when teaching or correcting.
Equine sense our ATTITUDES more than our voices or even our body language. Our attittudes exude energy as our cells change in our thinking, feeling, etc. The horse/pony is designed to FEEL and respond to those attitudes with exactness. They "read" or discern their environment as part of their innate survival system.
Something else to remember, too, is that horses and ponies will reprimand/correct each other within an instant of the offending behavior and the correction lasts for just a few seconds then all return to their normal routine of grazing or whatever. They do not REPEATEDLY go after one another for extended periods of time and certainly not 5 or 10 mins. or even a minute after the offensive behavior. They correct INSTANTLY.
With this knowledge in hand, now, it would be recommended that we all check our attitudes when around our horses and ponies. A confident, strong, compassionate LEADER is going to help the horse become a brave, confident, willing partner or companion. A mean-spirited, angry, frustrated, fearful handler attitude is going to create a nervous, fearful equine; one that wants nothing to do with humans.
QUESTION: What are the obvious differences to observe between a healthy trusting relationship and a relationship based from fear?
ANSWER: A healthy, trusting relationship between horse and human is one where it is obvious that the horse/pony WANTS to be with his human! A horse that willingly comes when called with excitement and eagerness tells me that the horse is excited that his human is nearby and wants to be with him. The horse will choose to stay with the human when not restrained and will stick by the human, even when grazing in the paddocks with other horses. The horse responds favorably to requests from the human without any signs of fear or intrepidation (tense body, ears back, tail stiff or switching, whites of eyes displayed, nostrils flared, mouth tense ... Horse ready for flight at any moment). A trusting horse may nicker or whinney at the sound of his human's voice or presence in familiar "greetings". A general air/attitude of excitement, contentment and peace will pervade the horse's being.
A relationship based on fear will be exhibited with the horse/pony's obvious stiffness in body and displeasure at being haltered, groomed, handled or even ... "caught". Obvious mistrust is evident in the horse's or pony's attitude. The horse will constantly turn its head away from the human or lean away; even try to "get away".
It is important, also, to be able to distinguish a horse or pony that has "checked out" mentally from a horse that is alert and right there at the "scene" mentally. A horse that has had repeated unfavorable situations with humans or one that has been forced to "submit" to humans will check out mentally just as a survival mechanism. When "flooding", a method of training horses and ponies to accept foreign objects or situations (ie. Bathing with water) is utilized the horse or pony may initially run away from the offending object but then all of a sudden stop running and stand frozen in its place. Eyes frozen wide open, nostrils flaring and respirations highly increased, whole body is tense - This is a blatant example of a horse checking out. Giving up its flight instinct to survive. The horse may then become "obedient" to the handler but the mind of the horse is not all there. It is like he's operating on remote. This is a dangerous place to be ... For both the horse and the handler. The trusting horse is going to be able to be encouraged to explore a foreign object or situation in its own time, being allowed to move its feet away if needed and when needed, but will exhibit curiosity and increasing relaxation with the final outcome being that the horse becomes 100% OK with whatever the situation is and is relaxed and "thinking" about it. A blinking horse is a thinking horse. Or, a thinking horse is a blinking horse.
Horses and ponies are naturally curious and the more time we spend in encouraging them to explore their environments and to be able to feel safe with us, their human partners, the stronger and more pleasureable the relationship between the horse and human will be. When we think and act in terms of TEACHING our ponies rather than training them then we will begin to set down a relationship that is based on TRUST and mutual RESPECT. This type of relationship can only flourish with time.
Getting Ready for a Parade
QUESTION: What do you suggest for getting ponies ready for a parade? Our little one is pretty bold, I’d still like to get him ready. Also he walks up onto our back porch pretty well and into the feed shed and garage, any pointers in getting them ready for inside visits? THANKS M
ANSWER: Groundwork and more groundwork ... Exposing him to everything and anything that you can think of that he might encounter in a parade ... Stollers, carriages, balloons, flags, horns, bull horns, pops, bangs, dogs, vehicles of all sorts making all sorts of noises (think backfires), music, drums, tambourines, big huge blowups like gigantic pool toy blowups, cans being kicked and bags of cans being dragged, dragging tarps, walking over boards or through "noodle pits" (pool noodles scattered in a "box" laid out on the ground), pom-poms being waved about, balloons bursting, kids running around (especially on all 4's) ... Flower containers, trash flying around, whatever you can possible imagine. I use LOTS of positive reinforcement (clicker training specifically) teaching the ponies to "target" a scary object. I'd also teach the ponies to "self calm" ... That is to put their heads down to the ground when feeling anxious or threatened.
If you have means to get the ponies out and about, take them everywhere you can including horse shows, fairs, parades, in town and around neighborhoods ... Just exposing them to as many different situations as you can think of. But do you're +R first and most importantly, the self-calming and the targeting.
Even before the self-calming and targeting, though, you want to be sure your ponies trust you implicitly as their leader. The first week's Q&A discussed this. Please review it.
Hope this helps. It's a pretty general answer but applies to ALL horse training/teaching! The first is to establish YOURSELF as leader; Second to teach the animal to self-calm; Third to target object; Fourth to expand the situations.
ANSWER: Groundwork and more groundwork ... Exposing him to everything and anything that you can think of that he might encounter in a parade ... Stollers, carriages, balloons, flags, horns, bull horns, pops, bangs, dogs, vehicles of all sorts making all sorts of noises (think backfires), music, drums, tambourines, big huge blowups like gigantic pool toy blowups, cans being kicked and bags of cans being dragged, dragging tarps, walking over boards or through "noodle pits" (pool noodles scattered in a "box" laid out on the ground), pom-poms being waved about, balloons bursting, kids running around (especially on all 4's) ... Flower containers, trash flying around, whatever you can possible imagine. I use LOTS of positive reinforcement (clicker training specifically) teaching the ponies to "target" a scary object. I'd also teach the ponies to "self calm" ... That is to put their heads down to the ground when feeling anxious or threatened.
If you have means to get the ponies out and about, take them everywhere you can including horse shows, fairs, parades, in town and around neighborhoods ... Just exposing them to as many different situations as you can think of. But do you're +R first and most importantly, the self-calming and the targeting.
Even before the self-calming and targeting, though, you want to be sure your ponies trust you implicitly as their leader. The first week's Q&A discussed this. Please review it.
Hope this helps. It's a pretty general answer but applies to ALL horse training/teaching! The first is to establish YOURSELF as leader; Second to teach the animal to self-calm; Third to target object; Fourth to expand the situations.
Pony that won't Stop
Q: Hi Gwen!
Oopsie is still not Perfect! I just wanted to give others a chance to get some answers before requesting more help with her! (hahahah!!!) But... since the group is quiet....here goes! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLP!!!! Perhaps I did not understand your directions to get her from stopping while I'm leading her on a lead. It's not all of the time, mind you. It is keeping her from working with most of the kids though. I see a lot of differently abled children daily and she is not first on my list because of this problem. Usually it's myself or Rebecca my daughter working with her as we don't take her bratiness personally! Can you explain the exercise again...I printed it to see if reading it as I worked with her would help. I guess I'm just not "getting it"
A: One of the first Q&A's was about leadership, I think. That's the crux of any relationship between human and equine. The horse or pony HAS to have a leader and if there is ANY doubt at all as to who that leader is, the horse or pony WILL take over that position. So ... Any time a horse or pony does not do what we ask we have to be sure we're asking in a clear, concise manner that is easily understood by the horse and then look to see if perhaps our leadership attention is slipping a wee bit. You must know how kids will start running rampant the second you answer the phone? They can be 3 rooms away, quietly playing or whatever but the SECOND you get on the phone, man - they're RIGHT THERE IN YOUR FACE! I've found horses and ponies are much the same. It's like they have radar that senses when your attention is taken away from them. And, actually, they do in a sense. Where horses and ponies are minute to minute critters in their thoughts and beings, if we let our attention wander we drop the leadership ball in their eyes. That leaves them with a feeling of, "Hey! Where'd she go? What am I supposed to do now? Hey! Come back! OK, fine ... I'll be the leader now!." Now, of course your kids can't understand this but you can ... And Oopsie sure can! So, its back to the drawing board and working with Oopsie so she'll KNOW to stand or walk with a child no matter what! That she is to FOLLOW the LEADER .. And the human is always the leader. Even when the kids "can't" be the leader. Clicker Training works for this, too (it works for just about anything and everything! Especially with ponies!)
Think of this as a GOAL. GOAL is you want Oopsie to stop ANYTIME a human stops. Period. Start working that Goal in small steps ... Break it down. Think "what is the opposite" behavior of walking forward? And set upon teaching that. In this case I think it would help to teach Oopsie to stop and BACK UP 2 steps after stopping. So now you've got a couple other steps to accomplish with your goal ... Teaching her to stop when the human stops and then to back up 2 steps and wait. Oops, now we have 3 steps ... STOP, BACK UP, WAIT. So, you'll need to teach each step separately then put them together to form the GOAL - STOP anytime the HUMAN STOPS. Stop, back up 2 steps and Wait. All are "opposite" from "walking forward".
Anytime we have an unwanted behavior with a horse or pony we need to think in terms of a "replacement" behavior that is OPPOSITE to the one we DON'T want and set about teaching that. Once we set about teaching the "opposite behavior" with CT the old, unwanted behavior will become extinct - it will "go away" with no further ado. Horses and ponies are just like humans in the respect of doing what feels good. Utilizing Clicker Training (positive reinforcement) teaches that a behavior "feels good" so the pony or horse will keep on wanting to DO what makes them feel good!
So, set about working on your "opposite behavior" with Oopsie. Make her feel like the BEST PONY EVER when she stops and waits. Make her FEEL GOOD about stopping and waiting! :) Keep us posted.
Oopsie is still not Perfect! I just wanted to give others a chance to get some answers before requesting more help with her! (hahahah!!!) But... since the group is quiet....here goes! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLP!!!! Perhaps I did not understand your directions to get her from stopping while I'm leading her on a lead. It's not all of the time, mind you. It is keeping her from working with most of the kids though. I see a lot of differently abled children daily and she is not first on my list because of this problem. Usually it's myself or Rebecca my daughter working with her as we don't take her bratiness personally! Can you explain the exercise again...I printed it to see if reading it as I worked with her would help. I guess I'm just not "getting it"
A: One of the first Q&A's was about leadership, I think. That's the crux of any relationship between human and equine. The horse or pony HAS to have a leader and if there is ANY doubt at all as to who that leader is, the horse or pony WILL take over that position. So ... Any time a horse or pony does not do what we ask we have to be sure we're asking in a clear, concise manner that is easily understood by the horse and then look to see if perhaps our leadership attention is slipping a wee bit. You must know how kids will start running rampant the second you answer the phone? They can be 3 rooms away, quietly playing or whatever but the SECOND you get on the phone, man - they're RIGHT THERE IN YOUR FACE! I've found horses and ponies are much the same. It's like they have radar that senses when your attention is taken away from them. And, actually, they do in a sense. Where horses and ponies are minute to minute critters in their thoughts and beings, if we let our attention wander we drop the leadership ball in their eyes. That leaves them with a feeling of, "Hey! Where'd she go? What am I supposed to do now? Hey! Come back! OK, fine ... I'll be the leader now!." Now, of course your kids can't understand this but you can ... And Oopsie sure can! So, its back to the drawing board and working with Oopsie so she'll KNOW to stand or walk with a child no matter what! That she is to FOLLOW the LEADER .. And the human is always the leader. Even when the kids "can't" be the leader. Clicker Training works for this, too (it works for just about anything and everything! Especially with ponies!)
Think of this as a GOAL. GOAL is you want Oopsie to stop ANYTIME a human stops. Period. Start working that Goal in small steps ... Break it down. Think "what is the opposite" behavior of walking forward? And set upon teaching that. In this case I think it would help to teach Oopsie to stop and BACK UP 2 steps after stopping. So now you've got a couple other steps to accomplish with your goal ... Teaching her to stop when the human stops and then to back up 2 steps and wait. Oops, now we have 3 steps ... STOP, BACK UP, WAIT. So, you'll need to teach each step separately then put them together to form the GOAL - STOP anytime the HUMAN STOPS. Stop, back up 2 steps and Wait. All are "opposite" from "walking forward".
Anytime we have an unwanted behavior with a horse or pony we need to think in terms of a "replacement" behavior that is OPPOSITE to the one we DON'T want and set about teaching that. Once we set about teaching the "opposite behavior" with CT the old, unwanted behavior will become extinct - it will "go away" with no further ado. Horses and ponies are just like humans in the respect of doing what feels good. Utilizing Clicker Training (positive reinforcement) teaches that a behavior "feels good" so the pony or horse will keep on wanting to DO what makes them feel good!
So, set about working on your "opposite behavior" with Oopsie. Make her feel like the BEST PONY EVER when she stops and waits. Make her FEEL GOOD about stopping and waiting! :) Keep us posted.
Teaching Ponies Tricks
QUESTION: I've seen horses that will "bow" for their owners when asked. I think this is cute. How can I teach my pony to bow?
ANSWER: This is an easy trick to teach if done in steps. Also, I use clicker training to achieve this. For you need to teach your horse what a "click" is and that it’s a promise of a treat-to-come. Simply "clicking" (you don't need a mechanical clicker to do this - just a click of your tongue will do nicely) Very easy steps to do this ...
1. "Click" and give your horse a treat. (a couple of bits of grain or a Cheerio work well as treats) Repeat several times.
2. When you think he/she "has it down" then have a friend distract your pony (or wait until he's distracted) and then CLICK ... See if he turns his attention right back to you expecting a treat. If so, he's learned to associate the "click" with the treat.
3. NOW ... You can teach the horse to "target" an object. A small, Walmart orange soccer cone does well for this or some other easy to see object that is safe and won't cause harm to the pony. Hold the cone about 3 feet out from the pony's nose and wait for the pony to "investigate" and touch with his nose. Tell him "Touch!" At the INSTANT he touches the cone with his nose, CLICK then give a Cheerio or piece of grain. Repeat ... 3 - 4 times. At first you may have to "help" him touch the cone ... Wait to see if he reaches his head out towards the cone then touch his nose with the cone and CLICK! Then hand a treat. Once the pony has successfully touched the cone upon request 3 - 4 times he's got is down.
4. Now, you can try moving the cone around a bit so he has to reach down or up or around to touch it. Again, 3 or 4 times of touching it successfully and he's got it.
5. Try a different object. Repeat the steps above.
6. Once you are sure the horse is understanding the cue "TOUCH" you can now begin to take an object and holding it down and between the ponies legs, encourage him to "touch" the object there.
7. OK, now you've got the pony stretching down and back to touch the object ... Time to teach him to lift his leg at the same time. Do this step by step as you did with the "touch". ...
--Ask the pony to lift its hoof. CLICK the INSTANT his hoof is coming UP. Treat.
--Once pony is responding to just a touch to his shoulder to lift his hoof, start to teach him to HOLD his hoof up by using an "intermediate" click (intermediate bridge signal) ...
--Once you have the "hoof in hand" ask the pony to "Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!" (int. bridge) and then CLICK (terminal bridge meaning the task is done)! TREAT. When the pony has held his hoof up "long enough" (as per your own judgement for time) ...
8. Now put the two behaviors together ... Ask the pony to bring his head down then while his head is down ask for his hoof. I use the cue for this combined behavior of "Can you bow, please?".
Doesn't take long for the pony to learn this. Ponies and horses are SMART!
Clicker Training can be utilized to teach a horse or pony all sorts of behaviors ... Its not just for "tricks"! The concept is to use POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT training ... That is, marking (clicking) and rewarding the pony for executing a favorable behavior (requested behavior).
DO NOT PUNISH the horse for a "wrong" answer ... There IS NO WRONG ANSWER! The pony/horse will only be trying to understand your cue and reacting accordingly. It's a LEARNING process for the pony and a TEACHING process for you. Not a "demand" to do something.
Remember, the pony or horse only need repeat a behavior 3 or 4 times perfectly and its forever embedded in their memory. They may, at one time or another, choose NOT to comply with you for whatever reason. And that's OK ... And they may not adapt quickly to something new because YOU are not being clear to them with your cues. So always be sure YOU are correct with your cues and REWARD THE TRY!
This is a wonderful, FUN way to help ponies and horses face spooky things, too ... simply encourage them to "touch" a scary object and it soon becomes a "game" for them!
ANSWER: This is an easy trick to teach if done in steps. Also, I use clicker training to achieve this. For you need to teach your horse what a "click" is and that it’s a promise of a treat-to-come. Simply "clicking" (you don't need a mechanical clicker to do this - just a click of your tongue will do nicely) Very easy steps to do this ...
1. "Click" and give your horse a treat. (a couple of bits of grain or a Cheerio work well as treats) Repeat several times.
2. When you think he/she "has it down" then have a friend distract your pony (or wait until he's distracted) and then CLICK ... See if he turns his attention right back to you expecting a treat. If so, he's learned to associate the "click" with the treat.
3. NOW ... You can teach the horse to "target" an object. A small, Walmart orange soccer cone does well for this or some other easy to see object that is safe and won't cause harm to the pony. Hold the cone about 3 feet out from the pony's nose and wait for the pony to "investigate" and touch with his nose. Tell him "Touch!" At the INSTANT he touches the cone with his nose, CLICK then give a Cheerio or piece of grain. Repeat ... 3 - 4 times. At first you may have to "help" him touch the cone ... Wait to see if he reaches his head out towards the cone then touch his nose with the cone and CLICK! Then hand a treat. Once the pony has successfully touched the cone upon request 3 - 4 times he's got is down.
4. Now, you can try moving the cone around a bit so he has to reach down or up or around to touch it. Again, 3 or 4 times of touching it successfully and he's got it.
5. Try a different object. Repeat the steps above.
6. Once you are sure the horse is understanding the cue "TOUCH" you can now begin to take an object and holding it down and between the ponies legs, encourage him to "touch" the object there.
7. OK, now you've got the pony stretching down and back to touch the object ... Time to teach him to lift his leg at the same time. Do this step by step as you did with the "touch". ...
--Ask the pony to lift its hoof. CLICK the INSTANT his hoof is coming UP. Treat.
--Once pony is responding to just a touch to his shoulder to lift his hoof, start to teach him to HOLD his hoof up by using an "intermediate" click (intermediate bridge signal) ...
--Once you have the "hoof in hand" ask the pony to "Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!" (int. bridge) and then CLICK (terminal bridge meaning the task is done)! TREAT. When the pony has held his hoof up "long enough" (as per your own judgement for time) ...
8. Now put the two behaviors together ... Ask the pony to bring his head down then while his head is down ask for his hoof. I use the cue for this combined behavior of "Can you bow, please?".
Doesn't take long for the pony to learn this. Ponies and horses are SMART!
Clicker Training can be utilized to teach a horse or pony all sorts of behaviors ... Its not just for "tricks"! The concept is to use POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT training ... That is, marking (clicking) and rewarding the pony for executing a favorable behavior (requested behavior).
DO NOT PUNISH the horse for a "wrong" answer ... There IS NO WRONG ANSWER! The pony/horse will only be trying to understand your cue and reacting accordingly. It's a LEARNING process for the pony and a TEACHING process for you. Not a "demand" to do something.
Remember, the pony or horse only need repeat a behavior 3 or 4 times perfectly and its forever embedded in their memory. They may, at one time or another, choose NOT to comply with you for whatever reason. And that's OK ... And they may not adapt quickly to something new because YOU are not being clear to them with your cues. So always be sure YOU are correct with your cues and REWARD THE TRY!
This is a wonderful, FUN way to help ponies and horses face spooky things, too ... simply encourage them to "touch" a scary object and it soon becomes a "game" for them!
Personal Space & Safety
I have a yearling - Glory... we did a great job in imprinting...but I would like to know what kind of exercises we can do with her to teach her about her space.vs ours... not being pushy, bumping into us...and curbing typical toddler behavior...
Little traumas maybe... sometimes she just drops and rolls when she doesnt get her way...that seems to be curbing more now...but I dont know if it was an early age thing that she's just growing out of...
Many thanks! Patty
Hi Patty ... Well, I'm sure you did a good job in imprinting and I'm sure Glory is just being a normal yearling. They all, just like human toddlers, have to test to see what they can get away with and what's safe and what's not. PLUS ... Increase the attention span and focus so she'll know just where YOU are and she needs to watch out for you! *grin*
There is a simple exercise that is very effective and non-aggressive at all. Understand, however, that until the pony reaches about 3 or 4 years old that she will be testing you on a regular basis! \
Stand on the near side of the pony (left side) and face the opposite direction from the pony. Hold the lead rope in an overhand hold in your LEFT hand while the right hand either holds near the end of the lead (I like to work with a 10 - 15' lead) to swing towards the hip as "pressure" or hold a crop with a tassle on the end (also to use as "pressure"). While you walk back towards the pony's hip (focus your eyes and your own hips on the pony's hip) bring your left hand up towards the withers so the pony's head has to go around back and up a bit. As you do this you are walking towards the pony's hip, focusing on the hip and putting pressure on the hip with your presence/energy or swinging the end of the lead rope. (or tapping on the hip with the crop lightly, annoyingly.) You're asking the pony to step his inside leg (one closest to you) in FRONT of the outside leg and pivot right around on her front hooves. You don't want the pony to go in small circles .. You want the pony to do what's called a "hind-end disengagement" ... Or, turn on the forehand. A quick one. Once the pony steps over, RELEASE THE PRESSURE and praise her! Give her a little treat (A Cheerio or piece of grain)and tell her what a GOOD pony she is! Then, ask again ... Repeat this several times until you've made a complete 360 then switch sides and ask her the same from her off side (right side). You'll notice as you do this with assertiveness and kindness that she will begin to blink her eyes. This is good. This is what you want. A blinking horse is a thinking horse.
Now, you've completed a 360 from both sides of the pony, now, ask her to step back. Give a gentle pressure backwards on the lead rope while you focus your hips on her chest ... Putting pressure into her chest so she'll step back. One step back, release the pressure and praise her/treat her! Good! Next ask for another step back. Release and praise/treat again. Next ask her to step back 4 steps ... Release/praise/treat. You're not only exhibiting YOUR higher rank by getting her to step backwards but you are also praising her for the "right" answer/"right" behavior. Don't be afraid to escalate the pressure if she, instead of stepping back the first time, pushes into you. With an ASSERTIVE demeanor, increase the pressure but at the same time make yourself a bit bigger and say, "ExCUSE me! I think I asked you to step back. Now ... Step back!" EXPECT her to step back. Your demeanor will send out a "feel" to her that will either say "I'M YOUR LEADER and you must follow" or, "I'M THE BOSS NOW GET MOVING!" or ... "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to step back but I'm asking you to so you have to! Please?" You want to assume an ASSERTIVE ... "ExCUSE me! I believe I asked you to step back, Young Lady ... Now move those peanut hooves!" rather than a demanding, dictorial "I'm the boss now MOVE!" or the insecure, unsure, "Awww, please step back?!" By stepping back when YOU ask her to, she'll understand, through design, that YOU are higher ranking than she is and she must do what you request. You want to be fair and considerate at all times ... Never aggressive (VERY few instances where one needs aggression with horses) but ASSERTIVE ... *** expecting *** her to move just because you're her leader and you asked her to do so. Horses and ponies will not move backwards or sideways or spin around to face any other horse UNLESS that horse is higher ranking in the herd. If the horse is not higher ranking then that horse will risk getting kicked if encroaching on a higher ranking horse. Make sense?
Our attitudes/demeanors mean more to our ponies and horses than our voices or tools or even body language. They can sense our demeanors and sense our expectations as part of their survival instincts. So, be considerate yet assertively firm. As the "Dog Whisperer" would say ... "Use calm assertiveness." *grin*
Hope that helps a bit.
Little traumas maybe... sometimes she just drops and rolls when she doesnt get her way...that seems to be curbing more now...but I dont know if it was an early age thing that she's just growing out of...
Many thanks! Patty
Hi Patty ... Well, I'm sure you did a good job in imprinting and I'm sure Glory is just being a normal yearling. They all, just like human toddlers, have to test to see what they can get away with and what's safe and what's not. PLUS ... Increase the attention span and focus so she'll know just where YOU are and she needs to watch out for you! *grin*
There is a simple exercise that is very effective and non-aggressive at all. Understand, however, that until the pony reaches about 3 or 4 years old that she will be testing you on a regular basis! \
Stand on the near side of the pony (left side) and face the opposite direction from the pony. Hold the lead rope in an overhand hold in your LEFT hand while the right hand either holds near the end of the lead (I like to work with a 10 - 15' lead) to swing towards the hip as "pressure" or hold a crop with a tassle on the end (also to use as "pressure"). While you walk back towards the pony's hip (focus your eyes and your own hips on the pony's hip) bring your left hand up towards the withers so the pony's head has to go around back and up a bit. As you do this you are walking towards the pony's hip, focusing on the hip and putting pressure on the hip with your presence/energy or swinging the end of the lead rope. (or tapping on the hip with the crop lightly, annoyingly.) You're asking the pony to step his inside leg (one closest to you) in FRONT of the outside leg and pivot right around on her front hooves. You don't want the pony to go in small circles .. You want the pony to do what's called a "hind-end disengagement" ... Or, turn on the forehand. A quick one. Once the pony steps over, RELEASE THE PRESSURE and praise her! Give her a little treat (A Cheerio or piece of grain)and tell her what a GOOD pony she is! Then, ask again ... Repeat this several times until you've made a complete 360 then switch sides and ask her the same from her off side (right side). You'll notice as you do this with assertiveness and kindness that she will begin to blink her eyes. This is good. This is what you want. A blinking horse is a thinking horse.
Now, you've completed a 360 from both sides of the pony, now, ask her to step back. Give a gentle pressure backwards on the lead rope while you focus your hips on her chest ... Putting pressure into her chest so she'll step back. One step back, release the pressure and praise her/treat her! Good! Next ask for another step back. Release and praise/treat again. Next ask her to step back 4 steps ... Release/praise/treat. You're not only exhibiting YOUR higher rank by getting her to step backwards but you are also praising her for the "right" answer/"right" behavior. Don't be afraid to escalate the pressure if she, instead of stepping back the first time, pushes into you. With an ASSERTIVE demeanor, increase the pressure but at the same time make yourself a bit bigger and say, "ExCUSE me! I think I asked you to step back. Now ... Step back!" EXPECT her to step back. Your demeanor will send out a "feel" to her that will either say "I'M YOUR LEADER and you must follow" or, "I'M THE BOSS NOW GET MOVING!" or ... "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to step back but I'm asking you to so you have to! Please?" You want to assume an ASSERTIVE ... "ExCUSE me! I believe I asked you to step back, Young Lady ... Now move those peanut hooves!" rather than a demanding, dictorial "I'm the boss now MOVE!" or the insecure, unsure, "Awww, please step back?!" By stepping back when YOU ask her to, she'll understand, through design, that YOU are higher ranking than she is and she must do what you request. You want to be fair and considerate at all times ... Never aggressive (VERY few instances where one needs aggression with horses) but ASSERTIVE ... *** expecting *** her to move just because you're her leader and you asked her to do so. Horses and ponies will not move backwards or sideways or spin around to face any other horse UNLESS that horse is higher ranking in the herd. If the horse is not higher ranking then that horse will risk getting kicked if encroaching on a higher ranking horse. Make sense?
Our attitudes/demeanors mean more to our ponies and horses than our voices or tools or even body language. They can sense our demeanors and sense our expectations as part of their survival instincts. So, be considerate yet assertively firm. As the "Dog Whisperer" would say ... "Use calm assertiveness." *grin*
Hope that helps a bit.
Terrified of Trailer
Q: Hi Gwen,
I was with a friend, and she stopped at one of her aquaintances house. There was a lady there with a small trailer, and a two yr old horse. The horse was there to be trimmed, when we were there the man had already finished with her, and you could tell her feet were sore by the way she was holding them. They were trying to load her onto the trailer, and you could tell she was just terrified. She jerked back, flipped over backwards, and they kept on trying to force her in. There ended up being 3 big men trying to force this poor girl in, they had a rope under her belly, one around her neck, and one behind her butt, plus they were hitting her with the ropes, swinging very very hard. I tried to intervene, it made me sick just to see it, but they refused any help. In an instance like that, IF you can get the owners to stop and let you have a go, what is the best way to get a scared horse in so that they will stop abusing it?
A: Well, actually, Angela gave a perfect example of how to do this without physical force in a situation where time is of the essence. But, depending on the time that everyone has, it all boils down to changing the horse's beliefs. People with ropes around the horse is serving one purpose only ... Scaring the pants off the horse! Absolutely embedding the fear of trailering (and of humans) into the horse and displaying a choreographed lesson in learning one cannot win a tug of war against a 1/2 ton animal.
Part of the foundation of teaching a scared horse onto a trailer (or anywhere else) is to learn to know/feel what an animal expects to happen next ... (horse's belief)... And then be able to teach the horse to change his beliefs. Neither you nor I nor anyone else can do that for him. The horse has to change his own beliefs and has to learn to actively override his choices to believe that the one choice that he's going to make is going to put him in a better place than the moment before. In this case, the horse was terrified and being asked to go into a small, cavern-like space with 3 huge men bullying him making him believe he's going to die. So, you can see that this cannot be done in any sort of humanely contrived time limit. But, with positive reinforcement, the time involved can be reduced considerably as each moment the horse is changing his beliefs is going to speed up the process for the next change. The first belief that needs to be changed is the belief the horse is going to die. That is a panic response that is autonomic. It's hardwired into the horse - the "flight" response. This is the strongest survival instinct the horse has. To override that one needs to catch the horse just the split second BEFORE it kicks into gear. Once its in gear then the horse HAS to move its feet and it ain't gonna be moving them towards the cave that's going to engulf him! So, let the horse move its feet. Let him move away from the trailer. Stay with the horse doing nothing ... Just staying with him. Once the horse starts to settle, mark that behavior (click) and reward him (treat). You mark the "settling", or the "relaxing". From there you can now get a foot in the door. Build up, step-by-step, figuratively and actually, to where you can begin to direct the horse's feet. You start with the head-down (relaxation) then work from there but only AFTER you've gotten the horse to stop moving its feet in fear. Don't FORCE anything ... Force is only going to undo all that you've already done and set you back gazillion steps. Remember to reward the try ... And once the horse has completed a task just 3 times perfectly, move onto the next step. Don't keep on repeating over and over and over. Again, know/feel what the horse believes is going to happen "next" and change that "belief" by asking the opposite. If the horse believes that you're going to ask for another step forward, ask for a step backwards or sideways and CT. Then ask for the step forward. That way you're interrupting the "stuck" belief and causing the horse to think. As he's thinking, he's changing his beliefs. So HE'S the one making the changes; you are not the one forcing them. It's important to allow horses to believe HE'S the one making the changes - everything your horse believes he's learned from his own interpretations and experiences. All beliefs are learned but not all are 'taught'.
I know this is a very general answer but it has to be cause each horse is an individual and has individual beliefs. But the concept is universal when working with horses at any time.
I was with a friend, and she stopped at one of her aquaintances house. There was a lady there with a small trailer, and a two yr old horse. The horse was there to be trimmed, when we were there the man had already finished with her, and you could tell her feet were sore by the way she was holding them. They were trying to load her onto the trailer, and you could tell she was just terrified. She jerked back, flipped over backwards, and they kept on trying to force her in. There ended up being 3 big men trying to force this poor girl in, they had a rope under her belly, one around her neck, and one behind her butt, plus they were hitting her with the ropes, swinging very very hard. I tried to intervene, it made me sick just to see it, but they refused any help. In an instance like that, IF you can get the owners to stop and let you have a go, what is the best way to get a scared horse in so that they will stop abusing it?
A: Well, actually, Angela gave a perfect example of how to do this without physical force in a situation where time is of the essence. But, depending on the time that everyone has, it all boils down to changing the horse's beliefs. People with ropes around the horse is serving one purpose only ... Scaring the pants off the horse! Absolutely embedding the fear of trailering (and of humans) into the horse and displaying a choreographed lesson in learning one cannot win a tug of war against a 1/2 ton animal.
Part of the foundation of teaching a scared horse onto a trailer (or anywhere else) is to learn to know/feel what an animal expects to happen next ... (horse's belief)... And then be able to teach the horse to change his beliefs. Neither you nor I nor anyone else can do that for him. The horse has to change his own beliefs and has to learn to actively override his choices to believe that the one choice that he's going to make is going to put him in a better place than the moment before. In this case, the horse was terrified and being asked to go into a small, cavern-like space with 3 huge men bullying him making him believe he's going to die. So, you can see that this cannot be done in any sort of humanely contrived time limit. But, with positive reinforcement, the time involved can be reduced considerably as each moment the horse is changing his beliefs is going to speed up the process for the next change. The first belief that needs to be changed is the belief the horse is going to die. That is a panic response that is autonomic. It's hardwired into the horse - the "flight" response. This is the strongest survival instinct the horse has. To override that one needs to catch the horse just the split second BEFORE it kicks into gear. Once its in gear then the horse HAS to move its feet and it ain't gonna be moving them towards the cave that's going to engulf him! So, let the horse move its feet. Let him move away from the trailer. Stay with the horse doing nothing ... Just staying with him. Once the horse starts to settle, mark that behavior (click) and reward him (treat). You mark the "settling", or the "relaxing". From there you can now get a foot in the door. Build up, step-by-step, figuratively and actually, to where you can begin to direct the horse's feet. You start with the head-down (relaxation) then work from there but only AFTER you've gotten the horse to stop moving its feet in fear. Don't FORCE anything ... Force is only going to undo all that you've already done and set you back gazillion steps. Remember to reward the try ... And once the horse has completed a task just 3 times perfectly, move onto the next step. Don't keep on repeating over and over and over. Again, know/feel what the horse believes is going to happen "next" and change that "belief" by asking the opposite. If the horse believes that you're going to ask for another step forward, ask for a step backwards or sideways and CT. Then ask for the step forward. That way you're interrupting the "stuck" belief and causing the horse to think. As he's thinking, he's changing his beliefs. So HE'S the one making the changes; you are not the one forcing them. It's important to allow horses to believe HE'S the one making the changes - everything your horse believes he's learned from his own interpretations and experiences. All beliefs are learned but not all are 'taught'.
I know this is a very general answer but it has to be cause each horse is an individual and has individual beliefs. But the concept is universal when working with horses at any time.
The Nipping Pony
Q: I have a 3 yr old filly that is my daughters placement pony, now MacKenzie and Kayleigh get along GREAT most of the time, but Kenzie has this bad habit every now and then of reaching back and nipping whomever is touching her. And every time she has done it, it as been unprovoked, and very very random. Since there is no set trigger so far, I am not sure how to stop this behavior. Any suggestions?
A: 3 years old is still a baby BUT *should* be old enough to know that human critters aren't teething rings! Sounds like this is more of a way to cope with annoyance, however, than teething. Although remember, 3 year olds are still teething! At any rate ... I use Clicker Training to teach a horse not to bite or nip simply by allowing them to run into my finger on the side of the face and when the horse turns its head back forwards I click and reward. I also use the verbal cue "Face!" You can teach this separately from the nipping behavior and then when the pony goes to nip, tell her,"FACE!". Then be sure to CT her when she does "face".
I also will play with a nipping pony's or horse's mouth, A LOT! I will pretty much do so with the attitude of, "OH, so you want to get your teeth and mouth working? OK! Let's do it!" and I will vigorously massage the nostrils, the lips, the muzzle, stick my fingers (carefully) into the side of the mouth to "play piano" on the tongue and will keep doing it until the pony or horse starts to say, "Nooooooo! Stop it!!! You're making me crazy!!!!!" and then I'll keep doing it a bit more. *grin* So, everytime the horse or pony goes to "nip", I'll say, "EH! - FACE!" and then play with the mouth and tongue a bit. That being said, however, this is dependant upon the attitude of the horse or pony when nipping. A 3 year old is still going to be teething as I said. So *my* attitude is going to be different with a teething pony than with a deliberate nip out of annoyance. Your attitude will make all the difference in the world - more so than the actual "exercise" to face. With a pony that's nipping my attitude is more of a "teaching" attitude while with a bonafide biter or nipper I have an assertive attitude of authority. My attitude is directly corresponding to the attitude of the nipper/biter at this point. So, try teaching the "Face!" and using your click/bridge and treat to reinforce the lesson. Let us know how you do!
A: 3 years old is still a baby BUT *should* be old enough to know that human critters aren't teething rings! Sounds like this is more of a way to cope with annoyance, however, than teething. Although remember, 3 year olds are still teething! At any rate ... I use Clicker Training to teach a horse not to bite or nip simply by allowing them to run into my finger on the side of the face and when the horse turns its head back forwards I click and reward. I also use the verbal cue "Face!" You can teach this separately from the nipping behavior and then when the pony goes to nip, tell her,"FACE!". Then be sure to CT her when she does "face".
I also will play with a nipping pony's or horse's mouth, A LOT! I will pretty much do so with the attitude of, "OH, so you want to get your teeth and mouth working? OK! Let's do it!" and I will vigorously massage the nostrils, the lips, the muzzle, stick my fingers (carefully) into the side of the mouth to "play piano" on the tongue and will keep doing it until the pony or horse starts to say, "Nooooooo! Stop it!!! You're making me crazy!!!!!" and then I'll keep doing it a bit more. *grin* So, everytime the horse or pony goes to "nip", I'll say, "EH! - FACE!" and then play with the mouth and tongue a bit. That being said, however, this is dependant upon the attitude of the horse or pony when nipping. A 3 year old is still going to be teething as I said. So *my* attitude is going to be different with a teething pony than with a deliberate nip out of annoyance. Your attitude will make all the difference in the world - more so than the actual "exercise" to face. With a pony that's nipping my attitude is more of a "teaching" attitude while with a bonafide biter or nipper I have an assertive attitude of authority. My attitude is directly corresponding to the attitude of the nipper/biter at this point. So, try teaching the "Face!" and using your click/bridge and treat to reinforce the lesson. Let us know how you do!
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