Leading and Foot Handling
Well we seem to be getting along ok now and he has pretty much quit biting. I'm guessing that I'll see the behavior again given that he is such a baby but I do believe we have the respect issue pretty much worked out.
I really like the way Kitty Lauman presents teaching a horse to lead. It's very low key so it really gets right to a learning frame of mind for the horse but it's set within a framework of respect and safety for the handler. Don't get me wrong, I can indeed be a Clinton Anderson groupie but for our summers in the desert, his methods can get a horse sweated up such that they can become overheated and dehydrated quickly out here. So I will generally use Clinton's methods that require energetic exercise in the winter time. I love his Longing for Respect exercises and although they are not intended to tire a horse, sometimes they do just as a by product of moving a horse forward, backward, left and right with energy ; ) So Phantom will go through this phase of his training this Fall. Then I will work on sending/squeeze exercises and trailer loading. He should be ready to start handwalking by then too.
He is learning to let me handle his feet. Of course he doesn't like it but he also doesn't hate it or resent it so that is good. I was having a problem with him wanting to start to go down on his knee and telling him "no, stand" was getting the job done but it was suggested to me that I let him go down but don't let him loose, so I tried that as a cure. Granted, it is quite the opposite of "if you think he'll try to move in 4 seconds then let him go in 3". I'm not yet convinced that holding on to him cured him and I think I'm more likely to stay on the longer road of getting him to stand for seconds. I think my biggest problem so far in training is I'm not yet sure of myself on when to push for just a little bit more. So I push periodically just to see how it goes over. I got his front feet picked out yesterday and could tap just a bit on those fronts as well as started getting the rears picked up.
I need to push a bit- those feet are getting long and I need to take a rasp to them very soon. The ground where he is boarded is super soft so there is no natural wear from it.
I really like the way Kitty Lauman presents teaching a horse to lead. It's very low key so it really gets right to a learning frame of mind for the horse but it's set within a framework of respect and safety for the handler. Don't get me wrong, I can indeed be a Clinton Anderson groupie but for our summers in the desert, his methods can get a horse sweated up such that they can become overheated and dehydrated quickly out here. So I will generally use Clinton's methods that require energetic exercise in the winter time. I love his Longing for Respect exercises and although they are not intended to tire a horse, sometimes they do just as a by product of moving a horse forward, backward, left and right with energy ; ) So Phantom will go through this phase of his training this Fall. Then I will work on sending/squeeze exercises and trailer loading. He should be ready to start handwalking by then too.
He is learning to let me handle his feet. Of course he doesn't like it but he also doesn't hate it or resent it so that is good. I was having a problem with him wanting to start to go down on his knee and telling him "no, stand" was getting the job done but it was suggested to me that I let him go down but don't let him loose, so I tried that as a cure. Granted, it is quite the opposite of "if you think he'll try to move in 4 seconds then let him go in 3". I'm not yet convinced that holding on to him cured him and I think I'm more likely to stay on the longer road of getting him to stand for seconds. I think my biggest problem so far in training is I'm not yet sure of myself on when to push for just a little bit more. So I push periodically just to see how it goes over. I got his front feet picked out yesterday and could tap just a bit on those fronts as well as started getting the rears picked up.
I need to push a bit- those feet are getting long and I need to take a rasp to them very soon. The ground where he is boarded is super soft so there is no natural wear from it.
posted by borderbratz | 10:44 AM
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