Phenomenal example of two blended hearts and minds:
Friday, November 16, 2007
What Kind of Leader are YOU?
In her book Naked Liberty Amigo Publications,
Copyright 2005, Carolyn Resnick describes
leadership in horse herds. She observed three
kinds of leadership personalities; Dominant Leader, Submissive
Leader and True Leader. - WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU?
"Dominant horses
show no interest in leadership issues such as where
the herd should go for food or how to escape from
danger. Rather, they are interested in dominance
issues such as maintaining or raising their position in
the pecking order." Dominant leaders gain
respect but not love.
Submissive horses
appear sweet and gentle, yet
avoid the fight altogether and back up or back off at the
slightest push. Submissive horses are loved but
not respected.
A horse with true
leadership supports "the
needs of the whole community, from the strongest to
the weakest individual". She brings the herd to food
and looks out for safety. The true leader views the
purpose of leadership "to keep the herd together in a
unified manner for the common good" and "to
maintain peace and keep the horses focused." A
true leader is both respected and loved.
What kind of leader are you in your herd?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Is Your Horse Ready To Ride Today?
Received this note from "Andy" today and thought he put down in words something that I also advocate. I always have my students do a "preflight" test before getting on their horses for a ride.
"You ride what you lead."
Figured it would be helpful to many here.
------------------------------------------------------
Dear Gwen,
My friend and horse trainer Jim Rea
is big on making sure your horse says 'Yes'
to letting you ride him for the day.
How do you know your horse is saying
'Yes!'?
Essentially, your horse is saying yes
when he says he trusts you, that he's not feelin' spooky, and that you can stop him if you need to.
Now the next question is this.
How do you know he says he trusts you, he's not feelin' spooky, and that you can stop him?
Ahhh...that's the part we gotta know.
Although I can't explain it in detail in an email (my fingers would lock up from typing so much)...I'll give you a good summary.
First, bond with the horse when you first greet him for the day. Be sure you bond in a way that he knows you're the leader.
Second, do some take and give. Get your horse to yield in a couple quick exercises to make sure he willingly yields.
Third, use the intimacy technique. Basically, you will touch the horse in places that would normally be hard to do because being a prey animal makes him nervous.
But taught and done correctly, this is good test to see if you're in safe mode for riding. In other words, if your horse lets you handle him in this manner, he's saying he trusts you.
Fourth, you'll have him do a little dance. It's not 'really' a dance. But it kinda looks like it when you have him do this simple lunge.
After a couple easy circles, pull the lead rope to create a One-Rein Stop.
When doing it, you disengage his hindquarters and look for him to cross the inside rear leg in front of the outside leg as he disengages.
Once disengaged, ask for another bend of his neck in the One-Rein Stop fashion. When he gives, loop the rope around his butt. Gently pull and the pressure on his rear end creates a little discomfort. He'll move out and away from that.
Disengage hindquarters again. Ask for another neck bend.
Done.
Fifth, try a few things to check his sensitivity meter such as slapping a rope on the side of a metal wall while you and the horse are by it. (If you don't have a metal wall, do something that would pique his fear level and check his reaction - don't over do this)
See if he's extra skittish, fairly calm,...?
If he's pretty calm, you're doin' good. If not, it's a sign to you to be on your guard but not so much that your horse can read your body language as fear. That'll make him fearful.
Lastly, get in the saddle. Flex his neck to both sides. If does it well, you're in pretty good shape. If he doesn't, keep workin' at it some.
If he's never done it well, you need to work with him and get him doing it with very little pressure. ( four to six ounces tops)
After flexing the neck, have him step out and turn him to a direction you want to go. Check his turning and stopping.
Do it in a walk.
If he doesn't do it well in the walk he'll have even more trouble when moving faster - thus, beware.
Why do all this?
It tells you what you can more or less expect when you go for a ride.
It sounds like a lot to do, but it really doesn't take all that long and it's well worth the effort.
Besides, it'll show you where you need to work on your horse...if you need to, that is.
Jim Rea who showed me this is one of our pro trainers from Super Stars of Horse Training.
In his DVD, you'll see a very detailed instruction on how to do this. Click the following to know more:
http://www.SuperStarsOfHorseTraining.com/Rea
Adios until manana.
Sincerely,
Andy Curry
www.horsetrainingandtips.com
www.SuperStarsOfHorseTraining.com
"You ride what you lead."
Figured it would be helpful to many here.
------------------------------------------------------
Dear Gwen,
My friend and horse trainer Jim Rea
is big on making sure your horse says 'Yes'
to letting you ride him for the day.
How do you know your horse is saying
'Yes!'?
Essentially, your horse is saying yes
when he says he trusts you, that he's not feelin' spooky, and that you can stop him if you need to.
Now the next question is this.
How do you know he says he trusts you, he's not feelin' spooky, and that you can stop him?
Ahhh...that's the part we gotta know.
Although I can't explain it in detail in an email (my fingers would lock up from typing so much)...I'll give you a good summary.
First, bond with the horse when you first greet him for the day. Be sure you bond in a way that he knows you're the leader.
Second, do some take and give. Get your horse to yield in a couple quick exercises to make sure he willingly yields.
Third, use the intimacy technique. Basically, you will touch the horse in places that would normally be hard to do because being a prey animal makes him nervous.
But taught and done correctly, this is good test to see if you're in safe mode for riding. In other words, if your horse lets you handle him in this manner, he's saying he trusts you.
Fourth, you'll have him do a little dance. It's not 'really' a dance. But it kinda looks like it when you have him do this simple lunge.
After a couple easy circles, pull the lead rope to create a One-Rein Stop.
When doing it, you disengage his hindquarters and look for him to cross the inside rear leg in front of the outside leg as he disengages.
Once disengaged, ask for another bend of his neck in the One-Rein Stop fashion. When he gives, loop the rope around his butt. Gently pull and the pressure on his rear end creates a little discomfort. He'll move out and away from that.
Disengage hindquarters again. Ask for another neck bend.
Done.
Fifth, try a few things to check his sensitivity meter such as slapping a rope on the side of a metal wall while you and the horse are by it. (If you don't have a metal wall, do something that would pique his fear level and check his reaction - don't over do this)
See if he's extra skittish, fairly calm,...?
If he's pretty calm, you're doin' good. If not, it's a sign to you to be on your guard but not so much that your horse can read your body language as fear. That'll make him fearful.
Lastly, get in the saddle. Flex his neck to both sides. If does it well, you're in pretty good shape. If he doesn't, keep workin' at it some.
If he's never done it well, you need to work with him and get him doing it with very little pressure. ( four to six ounces tops)
After flexing the neck, have him step out and turn him to a direction you want to go. Check his turning and stopping.
Do it in a walk.
If he doesn't do it well in the walk he'll have even more trouble when moving faster - thus, beware.
Why do all this?
It tells you what you can more or less expect when you go for a ride.
It sounds like a lot to do, but it really doesn't take all that long and it's well worth the effort.
Besides, it'll show you where you need to work on your horse...if you need to, that is.
Jim Rea who showed me this is one of our pro trainers from Super Stars of Horse Training.
In his DVD, you'll see a very detailed instruction on how to do this. Click the following to know more:
http://www.SuperStarsOfHorseTraining.com/Rea
Adios until manana.
Sincerely,
Andy Curry
www.horsetrainingandtips.com
www.SuperStarsOfHorseTraining.com
Monday, August 13, 2007
Building a Healthy Trust Relationship
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
