Posted in Advice on Aug 3rd, 2010
Today I am sharing another question from my Insider Circle program. This is a common beginning experience. The student writes:
Three times I have attempted the circle game with my horse. The first time he behaved liked he invented the game. I thought, “This is easy.”
The second day with the circle game when I moved him off his hay he would walk a few steps forward then circle to my side and stand there looking at me. I would have felt bad chasing him off after he faced up to me, so I rewarded him instead. But, I worried that he thought that is what I wanted.
Then today when we were going to play the circle game I attempted to move him off his hay, he walked off in the opposite direction of the hay piles and stood about fifty feet from me, looking at me.
Looked to me like he didn’t want to play. So, I fed him carrots instead. I fed him carrots when he came up to me, then I chased him away and fed him carrots for moving away.
So, what do you think?
So let me first explain what the circle game… Read more
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Posted in Advice on Feb 19th, 2009
I have never spent much time bomb proofing horses because with the Waterhole Rituals I provide a horse a feeling of safety in my charge and to follow my lead without question from the relationship I can establish with them. Before you consider bomb proofing a horse I would advise that you to get the go and stop buttons on your horse first at liberty, as well as teaching a horse to be polite, respectful and willing to work with you creatively in any given moment. What your horse is lacking is an understanding in how to respond creatively and with interest.
It is a good idea while bomb proofing your horse to ask your horse to leave the area at a quick trot as well as to stand still, working between these two requests. Horses are capable of giving many different responses to the same thing if you train them through a combination of routines and creative spontaneous interactions.
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Posted in Advice on Jan 1st, 2009
Hi and I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s Eve. Isn’t it wonderful standing here at the dawn of a new year? It so exciting to think of all the possibilies that lie ahead of us, isn’t it? All the surprises and delights that await us may be just around the corner. We just have to be present in each moment and whilst focused on our goals, not get too tied up with expectation.
I’d like to start off the new year with an interesting game I thought up. When you are training your horse, you shouldn’t be too interested in his performance. Instead of developing the bond to be able to train your horse, you should use the training to deepen the bond you have with him.
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Posted in Q&A on Jun 20th, 2008
Hi. Today’s question comes from Danny in Alabama, who is faced with a challenge perhaps many of you experience with new horses. The way to deal with it is similar to the way you might deal with a child that is upset, you change their focus. Read on to see what Danny is asks and what I recommend. Hope it helps!
I have acquired a couple of horses because their owner could not feed them. I have ridden all my life and never had this problem. You have to fight these horses away from the barn, I mean it is a rodeo every time. What can be done? Thanks.
Danny
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Posted in Advice on May 21st, 2008
Hello. Today’s lesson follows nicely on from Victoria’s question on Monday as I like to tie my horses to a post because I think it is a fabulous way to develop a more dependable horse. Before I tie a horse, I prepare the horse how to stand still at liberty on command using the Waterhole Rituals. If it is a foal, I make certain that foal would be happy being separated from its mother and vice versa. From being tied, a horse learns that when I leave him he is responsible for standing still and not fussing.
At the beginning of the training, I tie him with a knot that I can pull loose immediately he might suggest he would try to pull back. The theory is that in early training if a horse never experiences pulling back, he will not choose it as an option later on when he is fully trained.
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