Today I rode Kobee for close to two hours - he was pretty good, but he thought about reacting to a few things in the ring that I already know he likes to look at so we worked at getting him to focus, focus, focus on me and forget about those things. Now, I will say that I originally started Kobee under saddle myself and I did all the desensitizing on him and he is not afraid of a bag on a stick waving over his head and things like that, but he is quite often on the look out for things to react to and this is something that he simply has to get over. So, with most horses I will cut them some slack, allow them to look at something that is new, different or scary and work through it that way, but IMO for Kobee it is a form of resistance and so rather than play into it with him, I insist that his focus comes back to me and we WORK through it, rather than allowing him to check out every thing that comes along. This is how he will become an even more reliable riding partner and in the long run it will be good for him too - horses want a firm leader and Kobee is no exception.
So I definitely had a good ride and I was able to spend more time on him than just going back and forth to the indoor arena, so a very good day!
Oh ya - I got a picture of Tessa with the cowboy riding her LOL - here it is!
Shelly in Summerland, BC Canada
http://www.curlystandardplace.com
I am a little jealous to hear your snow is melted and mud is drying up. We still have a few feet of snow along with the start of a ton of mud.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about some horses looking around as a form of resistance. We have had a few that did that and I had to drive them forwarded their first few rides off the farm, after a few times they stopped looking so much and focused on their job.
Are you planning on doing any shows this year?
I am going to ditto what Zoe said.... JEALOUS and I so agree with your methods :) In my old age I find myself drifting toward being more tolerant and nicer (hey I like to look around too) -- but then of course... the horses merely find more excuses and take advantage... so I have to remind myself to stay MEAN :)
ReplyDeleteAwww, Betsy, it really isn't "mean" - you know that! It is about being a clear, calm leader and one that they horse can learn from and lean on if he/she is afraid or resistant of something. I had an old mare "Babe" who I learned SO much from. She was a BOSS mare, but she did it kindly, and she NEVER EVER gave up on a horse, she would stick with it until it learned the way of the herd. Sometimes she had to be very firm and it seemed mean, but it was not - it was to teach the horse to follow her cues and stay safe and happy within the the herd..... that is the what we have to do with these uncertain horses.....they need it from us!
ReplyDeleteNow, in Kobee's case, he has been allowed to do this looking around then then reacting to what he sees and it scares him that there is SO much for him to look at - so I have to be very very firm with him and make sure he keeps his focus on ME. Once he has learned to do this on a consistent basis then I can allow him to relax and look around - he has to earn that privilege first!
Tessa is WAY more of a lookie-loo than Kobee, but she has learned to do so safely - she looks but rarely ever reacts and is she feels that she must react, she always carries me with her and more importantly, she understands her training very well and reverts very quickly to what she has learned from me and it calms her down very well and easily.
:)
Shelly in Summerland, BC Canada
Thanks Zoe, Betsy and Shelly for your comments. It is all food for thought for me, because I deal with this issue with AhD, and it seems to come and go.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Susan - each horse has its own set of "things" that need to be worked on... some are too slow, some want to run everywhere, some seem stubborn about some things and some are afraid - they have not yet learned to put their confidence in the human - sometimes it works well on the ground, but they need a very confident and firm rider to help them translate that to being ridden rather than led.
ReplyDeleteWith consistent work, most horses work through it eventually. Time, effort from us, wet saddle blankets and maturity in a horse all play a part in getting them through this. Usually the best thing to do when a horse is looking at things too much is to put them to work, leg yield, shoulder-in, give their head and neck to pressure - the key is to get these movements firmly entrenched in the horse so that when they react and we put them to work, they can easily put their mind to the task rather than have the thing that is distracting them AND us trying to make them do something they might not be clear on!
Hope that makes sense!
Shelly in Summerland, BC Canada
Hi Shelly,
ReplyDeleteIt does make sense and thanks for the words of advice. You have also given me an idea. I have done leg yielding to get him to stop being Looky, but I have never tried dismounting and having him give his head and neck to pressure - something that he has down pat for groundwork and seems to love to do. Thank you!
Denise, I love this blog!
Awesome post Shelly...and great elaboration in the comments too! Loved it. It takes tremendous savvy to learn to work with so many different horse personalities. I admire you Shelly, Zoe and Betsy for your skill and flexibility in doing that so successfully!
ReplyDeletep.s. Susan, I am GLAD you love this blog! I do too!! Great job everyone posting so consistently...even though I haven't commented much, I am reading EVERY one! Life is slowing down so I hope to comment more often. =] Cheers to all!
Susan, he can give his head and neck while you are mounted too! This is also called a one rein stop - sometimes known as an emergency brake! Slide your hand along the rein, about half way to his mouth, pull the rein to your hip and wait until he gives his jaw softly to the pressure. Make sure not to release it too soon. This can be done first at a halt and once he give softly at the halt, try it at a walk, trot and eventually a canter.
ReplyDeleteShelly
Hi Shelly, yes, believe you me, I know the one-rein stop, he-he. The reason my plan is to dismount and do it from the ground is because that is AhD's favorite ground training game. That being said, I have not practiced it regularly from the saddle since last fall, so I can start incorporating this into my warm up, and then use it in the near future and avoid the dismount. Good idea!
ReplyDelete