Horse training takes time… or does it?
Jul 21st, 2008 by Carolyn
Hello, hope you had a good weekend. Well, I have just got back in today from training a horse by the name of Marchadero (not Panadero – see comment 6 below). I was thinking about him after our session and I could not believe how far we have come together.
It has been so exciting working with him through the Waterhole Rituals. Today, we were working on the last Ritual, which is Go Trot and Come Up. What you want here is that you send your horse off and he runs away at top speed and then you call him back and he turns around and runs back as fast as he left. This is what I got today with Marchador. It was absolutely brilliant. He did it three times straight on his own. I did not ask for a fourth time. I was thrilled where his at this time in his life and the training he has done so far.
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I can’t believe how much value just doing nothing has. The time is well spent and the trust built up comes in handy at horse shows and everywhere else in the training process. Plus I get to know my horse and his habits, and I have become very familiar with his health. Its great!
Hi Libby
I’ve just read your message and would like to know more about your dog sitting experience, please tell us more….
Thanks!
Carolyn
The greatest part of just hanging out with your horse is that it is never the wrong thing to do. When in doubt, just hang out. Right now I am using Carolyn’s technique with a dog that I will be adopting. The dog had a strong connection with her previous owner who passed away recently. The trainer was impressed that I have been willing to show up and just sit with the dog and not force the relationship. I will keep you posted on our progress.
In an email I sent you July 9 I included 2 pages from my sketchbook that speaks of how invaluable “doing nothing” has proven to be for my horse Oreo and me. I did those drawings/writings while sharing territory with him. One of the closing lines speaks from my heart to his each time we’re together: “To be chosen as a partner leaves me speechless!”
Well, I had spoken to Carolyn just the day before this was posted and had a good idea that it was Marchadero -although I had heard Matadero!
I am glad that Panadero is returned to his formal Majesty.
In any case Carolyn, I think that on his return from vacation, Mark owes us some photos of Marchadero as retribution!
Helene
Hi, this is Mark, Carolyn´s (in)famous Tech Guy. Looks like it has been too much sun and Sangria here on vacation for me! I thought Carolyn had said Panadero not Marchadero. So apologies to Carolyn and the rest of you, especially Tracy, for the confusion.
Thanks
Mark
good post, when i first got in contact with carolyn, she advised me to just sit around the horses and read a book. i was very surprised of the advice and learned a new approach to work with horses.
i had got some wild horses and the previous experience i had just did not work at all
good post too mikey, sounds like you are into a bunch of rescue horses as well, isn’t that rewarding, i got my horses for a 100 usd each….
and i tell you they are good!
br stina
Hi Carolyn
I would never have guessed Panadero’s backkround was as you said. I have both your dvd’s and he is absolutely fabulous the relationship between you both is incredible.
Mikey, I hold my hands up to you. Firstly for having the heart to go and rescue an animal like you did and secondly for perservering with her.
One of my horses is very similar. He comes for a racing background and is very angry. He bullies all the other horses, he rips the rugs from their backs whilst chasing them around the field. He rears on me, bites etc. The strange thing is, he wants to be around you but doesn’t know how to behave himself. I started working with Carolyn’s method and progress has shown the problem is that now the horses are turned out other owners are scared of Mitch as he does have an overpowering presence and they are resorting to hitting him. This has sent him backwards in his training. Also with Mitch, if you sit with him he will bite you after a while. I will get there in the end he is 100% better now then when he first arrived 3 years ago it’s just going to be a long journey.
Any advise on stopping his biting would be greatly appreciated.
Great post Carolyn!
And Mickey, I love your post too. It would be lovely to see Smokey’s picture on Carolyn’s photo gallery one of these day…
Helene
Hi Carolyn, This is really interesting to hear how Panadero was when he first arrived. Whilst you were sitting in the paddock with him, were there any other horses about? How big was the paddock? I am curious.
sincerely,
Marion,
Canberra, Australia
Good post! I love that you encourage people to just hang out with their horses. Yes, I do hang out. I spent at least a few minutes a day going through the herd, rubbing bellies, fussing with forelocks, scratching butts. Sometimes it turns into a few hours.
Pandero reminds me of Smokey. I went to a meat auction in Sept 01 to buy horses meant for dog food. I deliberately picked the UGLIEST thing I could find. For $75 I got Smokey.
Smokey then was a 15 yr old (the vet’s guess) Bar N branded Navajo mare. Ugly as could possibly be. Jug head, roman nose, skinny starved body. Same attitude. Would come after you if you went in the pen, teeth bared, mouth open, eyes as angry as I’ve ever seen, ears pinned tight. Freshly branded with HUGE brands. Hot brands. No wonder she was angry. Saddle marks, but let me tell you, they didn’t get that saddle on easily. I couldn’t get near her. Haltering, HAH! Only if I had a death wish.
She also dropped a fetus 10 days after she got here. She was so skinny, I didn’t know she was 5 months along in a pregnancy.
It took lots of work, Carolyn. Lots and lots of time spent being kind. I took some abuse. She bit another farrier badly enough to leave a scar. I became her farrier, and used her to as my guinea pig/teacher. We learned a lot together.
Cut to today, 7 yrs later. You’d never recognize the personality change. A kind eye, big freckle lips hang over the fence looking for a treat. She trail rides once a year, sometimes more. Her “job” is to be the boss mare of the herd. She’s perfect. She also stands ground tied for apprentice farriers to learn on.
Recently I had to teach her how to load in a new big slant load trailer (before it was always stock trailers) for a trip to the vet. She trusted me, but once on, she put her head down and shook like a leaf. After a few “test runs” (I started a week before the appt), I made a sandwich of her between 2 steady horses and off we went. Proof – you can still teach an old horse new tricks.
When the change happens to horses like these, it’s such a beautiful thing to see. I will never let Smokey go to anyone else. She will never know anything other than kindness and senior feed.
Keep up the good posts, I love what you’re saying.