Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2010 21:42:05 GMT 1
Remember this thread by zacksmum about temper tantrums?
ihdg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=help&action=display&thread=102909
Zacksmum and I met at K8's coffee morning a couple of weeks ago and I think my charm must have won her over... or we'd laced her coffee! I went over and spent a lovely hour with her and Zack today and things have become a little clearer.
Zack is a very gorgeous boy. He's not, though, super confident or laid back, so needs a leader. Our work today was to give his mum the tools to be that leader.
I led him up to the school, partly because I wanted to get the feel of him and partly because it was a bit snowy and slippy in places - not ideal but it wasn't hard ice underneath and there was just enough traction to be safe.
Although I'd done a little work getting him to listen to me in the field, as soon as we started up the track, he switched into high alert mode, head right up, eyes seeking out any sign of danger, paying not the blindest bit of attention to me. Normally I would do more work while leading but because of the conditions we went straight to the school where the footing was better.
I did a little leading, got him listening, then handed over to zacksmum.
We worked on loosening that leading hand to reduce the tension on the line, while keeping it there softly to react when needed. We also worked on reacting to Zack's first questions - "can I get ahead?", no!; "can I let my attention go from you to that horse over there?", no!. Keeping him in the right place, ear at your shoulder, and keeping the conversation going with him worked well and he was soon leading really nicely.
To back that up, I taught zacksmum the L shape. I have to say, Zack was really good at it and his mum picked it up quickly too. It's a great exercise not only for moving the horse around, it's also great for improving your timing.
With Zack now listening much more, I left his mum to lead him back down to the yard:
As you can see, he was still inclined to fall back on his old habit of keeping guard but each time he did this he was asked to concentrate on his leader again and they got back to the yard, not only without incident but without breaking the relaxation.
So, thought Zack, that's finished, I can take over again now... Wrong! Back on the yard, he became distracted by other horses, and when zacksmum asked him to stick with her he got cross. It's easy to see how things could spiral down in this sort of situation, but by keeping calm, backing him out of her space, keeping control of his head (which controls the rest of the horse), and by slowing things down to control each and every step, we ended with Zack accepting leadership even when he'd tested it.
There are a few habits to break but I'm fairly sure that with concentration and intent they will break without too much difficulty.
Sorry, I have to end with another gratuitous photo, just 'cause he's so gorgeous!
ihdg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=help&action=display&thread=102909
Zacksmum and I met at K8's coffee morning a couple of weeks ago and I think my charm must have won her over... or we'd laced her coffee! I went over and spent a lovely hour with her and Zack today and things have become a little clearer.
Zack is a very gorgeous boy. He's not, though, super confident or laid back, so needs a leader. Our work today was to give his mum the tools to be that leader.
I led him up to the school, partly because I wanted to get the feel of him and partly because it was a bit snowy and slippy in places - not ideal but it wasn't hard ice underneath and there was just enough traction to be safe.
Although I'd done a little work getting him to listen to me in the field, as soon as we started up the track, he switched into high alert mode, head right up, eyes seeking out any sign of danger, paying not the blindest bit of attention to me. Normally I would do more work while leading but because of the conditions we went straight to the school where the footing was better.
I did a little leading, got him listening, then handed over to zacksmum.
We worked on loosening that leading hand to reduce the tension on the line, while keeping it there softly to react when needed. We also worked on reacting to Zack's first questions - "can I get ahead?", no!; "can I let my attention go from you to that horse over there?", no!. Keeping him in the right place, ear at your shoulder, and keeping the conversation going with him worked well and he was soon leading really nicely.
To back that up, I taught zacksmum the L shape. I have to say, Zack was really good at it and his mum picked it up quickly too. It's a great exercise not only for moving the horse around, it's also great for improving your timing.
With Zack now listening much more, I left his mum to lead him back down to the yard:
As you can see, he was still inclined to fall back on his old habit of keeping guard but each time he did this he was asked to concentrate on his leader again and they got back to the yard, not only without incident but without breaking the relaxation.
So, thought Zack, that's finished, I can take over again now... Wrong! Back on the yard, he became distracted by other horses, and when zacksmum asked him to stick with her he got cross. It's easy to see how things could spiral down in this sort of situation, but by keeping calm, backing him out of her space, keeping control of his head (which controls the rest of the horse), and by slowing things down to control each and every step, we ended with Zack accepting leadership even when he'd tested it.
There are a few habits to break but I'm fairly sure that with concentration and intent they will break without too much difficulty.
Sorry, I have to end with another gratuitous photo, just 'cause he's so gorgeous!