Waterhole Rituals question 2
Sep 19th, 2008 by Carolyn Resnick Method
A few weeks ago, Nicole from Canada wrote in with a couple of questions and this second one ties up nicely with this weeks post on Unconditional love. Nicole wrote:
The other question I have is with regards to ’round penning’. I use quotes for this term because I seldom put a horse into a round pen for this work, more often it’s in a 2 acre paddock with 3-4 horses. When I have a horse that does not come when called or leaves when I’m haltering, I will drive them off and separate them from their herd. I used to do this with a lot of energy and make them go at least at a trot, if not more. There would be lots of directional changes, both inward and outward turns. Then I would ask them to come back to me and most of the time they come running in.
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I appreciate your point: don’t ever think of anything you do as a way to “punish” your horse. I work to lead my horse to make the choice I want him to make… but he needs to know he always has a choice. It’s my job to guide him to that choice. Check out my blog at http://www.horsetrainingquestions.com for training tips and stories about my Quarter Horse, Foster.
Right on! It is amazing how such little things matter. Doolie knows you love him no matter what and at the end of the day, that’s what caused it to be just another day between friends.
Thanks, Carolyn. As always, you are right. Our bond runs deep, so the whole thing was over before we even left the arena. Hopefully it was a lesson learned by both of us that day. Doolie’s whizzing hooves reminded me that it’s not always what you ask for that’s important, it’s how you ask for it that counts.
Dear Carol,
Yes it is. But the reason Doolie kicked out at you was when you drove him away your aid to drive did not match his ability to fit with your request. You need more sweetness. He learned that his behavior was over the top but your lesson is that your respose to him was over the top too.
It all turned out fine and that’s great that it did, because I know you and how much you love your horses. Remember, everyone should be very careful do not to get kicked by your horses. When you ask for go trot, be sure you do not run up close enough behind to get kicked. All horses can kick.
Carol, when you are shaping a horse’s behavior, try not to point out that you are punishing your horse. You are only directing your horse. It is just a small shift in energy, it may seem crazy but it all matters. If you are personal it can damage the bond but remember it can always be rebuilt and made even stronger.
Thank you for your support
Carolyn
Hi Nicole,
I have had similar issues with my horse. Each time I would enter the stall to put a halter on my horse Doolie, he would turn and give me his butt. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing more infuriating when you’re really looking forward to spending time together! Rather than starting our sessions out poorly, Carolyn suggested that each time your horse moves away from you, immediately turn around and walk away. Not being a terribly patient person by nature, it was hard for me to adopt this attitude at first, but now I do it automatically. By using this strategy and by following the Waterhole Rituals, Doolie’s attitude has completely changed, and I can’t even remember the last time I received that unpleasant reception from him. I’m still working on other respect issues, but at least he’s now curious to come out and see what we’ll be working on together each day.
And Carolyn, here’s a related question for you. A couple of weeks ago when I was working on “go trot” with Doolie, I became too firm with him following several of his lackluster responses, and he let me know by kicking out at me toward my chest. I fortunately was far enough away to remain safe, but I felt that his blatant disrespect needed to be addressed. I immediately drove him out of my herd and began working with my other horse. Any time Doolie would try to join us, I drove him away again. After several attempts, Doolie stopped and watched us patiently, so I invited him back with us, and then I loved him up for awhile before we left the arena. I wanted him to know it was the behavior I was disagreeing with, not him. Was this correct, and is that what you meant when you wrote about correcting a broken law in your response to Nicole?
Hi Nicole and Carolyn,
I was reading about Nicole’s situation with her horses. It sound like Nicole is rushing when it is time to halter the horses. The moment her horse start to turn its head away from her it is already in the process of leaving town. At that point the horse is reacting to her as he would a predator, driving the horse off is only confirming his opinion. I think that Nicole should focus on when the horse first starts to turn his head away from her (this has to be before he heads for the hills) and then acually move away from the horse. One “trick” that I have used successfully is to approach the horse walking backwards. It takes the pressure off of them and most of the time you will approach them successfully..none of my horses were ever difficult to catch because I used Carolyn’s technique but I used that method on other people’s horses that didn’t like to be caught.
Libby
Dear Devony,
When schooling if I do not have the gas peddle of my dreams or the focus or the willingness or the desire and understanding, I stop training and build these qualities on the ground using the Waterhole Rituals along with my other methods.
A reed is the whip that I use on the ground. It is fluid and natual and will break if one tries to hit a horse with it reminding us to use our body langage enough to get our point across to the horse. When I rode because of the work I did with the Waterwhole Rituals, I did not ride a horse with a reed or spurs because the horse performed in complete unity with me. You can feel before you get on a horse if your horse is ready to dance or not.
Carolyn
hi carol,
this is the difference between you and parelli. i left parelli b/c i drove my horse into a state of introvertness (if that is a word). with your suggestions, i have made much progress with him and am still doing so. thank you for your waterhole rituals. i am purchasing another to send to friend.
stephani cessario
Carolyn, I thought this a wise and beautiful answer. I really appreciate your suggestion to make a clear distinction in our minds (and actions) between control and training. It’s funny, my horses almost seem to invite me to control them when we’re hanging out in their paddock, but they’re not particularly thrilled about being “trained” (e.g. having me riding them in my rough “arena” trying to ask for a better bend, more forward movement, etc.) If you’re so inclined, I’d welcome a comment about that difference in engagement with me. Also, what do you mean by using a “reed.” (And what I want is a TAIL to swish around!)
I can’t wait to learn the Waterhole Rituals, I bet it will help in making the distinction you speak of in your answer,