Fliss - Hurrah!

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If there is one thing I think I've learned over the last year or so it's the value of standing still. I call it "mind still" as opposed to "body still". At the moment, if I could teach every horse owner in the world one thing, it would be that.

One thing that we get asked a lot is on the timing of a release. Especially with people who know a bit about P&R, they know they should release the horse for doing the right thing. The human perception is that not moving is good, so that's what they release. If, though, your horse is still trying to think of a way out of the situation other than just accepting what you ask, then that (in my view) is what you are actually reinforcing. Yes, you can give recognition to the feet being still, but it's only when you see the horse is no longer bracing muscles and no longer working with his head to look for an out that you should give the big "yes, that's it".

Especially with worried horses, there's an even bigger benefit than just the understanding of what to do. I feel that while the horse is still looking for a way out of something, he's actually in low level flight and is not focussing on the fact that standing still is ok, and that he can in fact cope with whatever worries him. Once you can get the horse to stand still in their mind as well as with their feet, they can then start to relax.

I can't think of a better example than Fliss. I was initially called to meet Fliss because of ridden problems. She has great difficulty going forwards under saddle and, if pressed, her behaviour can become quite extreme. Her owner, Karon, has hit the deck on more than on occasion and, not surprisingly, her confidence has hit the deck too.

Fliss was in a stable when I met her, with her friend Millie next to her. Millie was relax, Fliss was on high alert. I could see that, without even having got within 10 metres of this horse, that she was so wound up that there was no way I was going to achieve much by looking at her under saddle. We had to start right at the beginning.

I popped her Dually on, just in case, and went and stood in the stable with Fliss. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. She didn't even want to bring her head in my direction. Using the standing still exercise (video on Mr Fox's thread), I explained to her that I just wanted her to stand still, pay attention to me, and relax. She was, I have to say, very reluctant. Fliss is a young horse but she's the clear leader of her herd, in her eyes at least. The other 3 are old or just too chilled to worry, so Fliss sees that to be her role, gold plated. Having her understand that we could do the worrying for her, that she could switch off, was vital.

And when she did, it was just wonderful. Her lead lowered, she softened and she turned into a meek little lamb. We expanded our working area to include a safe place just outside the stable and kept on asking for her attention, even when something grabbed her eye, back to me, please, stick with me, please... and she did.

I should at this point mention that one of the first questions Karon had asked me on this first session was "is there a number to call in case of an emergency for you?" Previous attempts to teach her to lead had been so full of fireworks, I don't think Karon knew her horse could be like this.

That was all we did that day, and Karon kept up the good work till session 2 which really just expanded on the same theme, but in a sectioned off area of the paddock.

Now, there are other things we're exploring with Fliss to see why her ridden work is such a problem for her. It might just be as simple as leadership but we think there is more to it. One clear issue for me is her bit - her current one is too thick. Karon is also uncertain about her saddle but we're not to the point of putting that back on just yet. And there is also a question about possible ulcers. Her vet is offering a free scope, and you don't turn that down!

So, in preparation for that, Karon asked if I could make sure Fliss would load ok. She's not been travelled since Karon bought her. That, then, was the plan for today. Fliss had other ideas. She would not be caught and we had a very high energy session in a large field with a free view of Fliss's hind feet being offered every so often. This was not going according to plan...

We managed to get her in by bringing everyone in - not ideal but I wasn't there to solve catching problems, we needed to make sure she would load by Sunday!

In her stable, Fliss was back to her previous agitated self. She was on guard, stress levels high, not wanting to give to me. Once or twice there was a thought in her mind about maybe putting in a little rear or so... If I had met her stress with pressure, we would have had a fight on our hands. So, we did this...



and more standing still, and more standing still, until I felt her head accept me. That was the absolute key. If she had still been on guard, even with her feet standing still, I would have achieved nothing. As it was, she dropped her energy level right down and that was that.

Good enough for today, we agreed. With the trailer parked right next to the stable area, Karon and I agreed that we wouldn't even try and load Fliss - with all her faffing we hadn't even got as far as putting boots and poll guard on - but we'd just continue with the relaxation at the foot of the ramp, then call it a day. I would then come back tomorrow and we could do loading then.

Fliss had other thoughts...



Oh. Right. We'll load then, shall we? She explored, she had a munch, she had a think. The 2nd time she was a little hesitant but we continued just relaxing, then with very light pressure to walk fowards she came on again, back off, then on a 3rd time easily. End of session. Fab.

I really do wish we had taken some photos of her before we started, with her charging round the field flicking her heels at us. I can promise you it didn't look like the horse we turned out after loading



That wasn't so bad, was it?

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I tell you, this is one good girl! Not only was she fab with our 2nd loading practice session - a little hesitation but nothing worse - not only did she load and travel brilliantly for her mum yesterday, not only did she then come off the trailer and lead brilliantly to her stable at the vets, she did all this with severe ulcers! Bless her heart. How good is she going to be when she's feeling better?

Fliss will now be on R&R for the next month (I was going to say chill out time, but given the temperature this morning that might be too appropriate). It'll then be a question of gradually working her back in, keeping stress down, making things just nice and easy...

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We're getting there!

Fliss has now be cleared of ulcers ;D. Time to start work again, then!

The first thing Fliss needs to understand is that work is no longer painful. Her remembered pain needs to be replaced by good experiences so that she can relax and avoid anticipating nasties.

Karon has been having a helping hand from the lovely laurac and both Fliss and Karon have learned to longline in walk. Yesterday it was time to up the tempo and see how she reacted. I have handed the reins over to Bridget Hughes for the time being so the following is her working, not me.

Before longlining, Bridget had a bit of separation anxiety to deal with. During the time Fliss has been off, she's built up a very strong bond with Karon's elderly (33 year old!) mare Milli. Fliss was not all that keen on the idea of being taken away from her friend.



We decided that it was actually too much to ask Fliss to deal with the separation anxiety and work nicely on the lines and move up to trot for the first time since the ulcers. The gorgeous Homer came and kept her company, and Fliss was able to relax. She then lead beautifully and her work on the lines in walk was great.



Then came trot. As expected, she tensed and got a bit upset. Bridget was soon able to settle her again and Fliss did some lovely work. She did try to get closer to Homer a few times and Bridget was able to use this as a reward for her working well - relax and listen and you'll get what you want, throw a strop and you won't.



It was, in all, a very good session, the start of Fliss learning that work doesn't hurt and that her previous coping method (rearing, bucking, etc) was no longer what worked best.

Karon now has lots of homework. Fliss needs desensitising to the saddle and girth, and she then needs to do plenty of work in walk first, then introducing trot in short spells. She also needs to start work prizing the bond between the two mares apart so that Fliss can work on her own. Yesterday was very encouraging, though, and fingers crossed the coming weeks will prove as positive.

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;D ;D ;D

I popped over to watch Karon and Fliss longlining today, with the help of the lovely laurac. We're waiting for Karon to have my pen before asking too much of Fliss, so at the moment it's all about relaxation, confidence, just making it nice and easy.

Karon started with some pretty nice leading



I just love where that horse's head is. Whereas before it would have been above Karon's head, accompanied by a pair of hooves, now it's low, soft, gentle. Ahhhhhh.... lovely.

Laura then started Fliss off on the lines as she has more experience longlining, and longlining the more difficult horse. Fliss was just great. Responsive, willing and, still, relaxed. Then Karon took over. Bearing in mind that both of them are relatively new to longlining, I think we can say they did pretty well, can't we?



I just love it! Again, that fantastic low head, listening, relaxed. More loveliness. And the sun was out. Who could ask more than that?

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I've been very slack in updating Fliss's thread. Lots has been happening, some good, some not so.

With the pen, we got Fliss longlining nicely in walk and trot. She did have a few moments in trot which is exactly what we were expecting. Last time she did any trot in work mode she would have had dreadful pain from her ulcers. She settled well, though, and we were soon working on the lines very nicely not only in the pen but in a taped off area outside as well.

Then came the big test - riding! With her heart in her mouth, Karon started riding. At first all seemed to be going well, pottering round the field. She hacked out with Fliss's field mate, Homer, and all went well. The problems started to crop up. Probably due to a combination of past experiences and habits, Fliss started to get tense when asked out of her comfort zone. Equally due to past experiences (Fliss has dumped Karon several times), Karon found herself tensing and unable to relax. The situation has now started to spiral downhill.

For personal reasons that I quite understand, Karon has now decided that Fliss is not the horse for her. In truth, Karon is also now probably not the owner for Fliss. She's a horse who, at the moment at least, worries quickly and worries big. I think we have proved that she can learn to work well - on the ground and on the lines she's now good - so I would say the indications are that she's got huge potential. My feeling is also that ulcers aren't the problem now. She was scoped clear and has coped with a lot of things that would previously have been impossible for her. We can't be certain, of course, but my feeling is that we are now suffering from anticipation & anxiety of part of both horse and rider, and what Fliss needs is calm and confident person to give her the leadership and support to get her through this stage in her rehabilitation.

Fliss is therefore up for sale. She is a cracking horse and Karon paid quite a lot for her. A good home and hopefully a quick conclusion for Karon are the main concerns at the moment, though, so she will not be asking a lot for her. If you are interested, pm me and I'll put you in touch with Karon. Fliss is on Mersea Island, North Essex.

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So, back in June, Fliss found a new home with the very lovely Kelly. Karon was sure at the time it would be a good match and her instinct has been proved right. Fliss is doing really well - she's hacking, schooling and even jumping. Kelly would now love to start taking her out to shows and sponsored rides but... Fliss won't load. That has come as a bit of a surprise, given how good she was to go to the vets. However, something has upset her and her last journey wasn't good - she wasn't banging about or anything but arrived dripping in sweat and not having touched her haynet, so clearly not a happy bunny.

I should say now that Kelly knows I'm hands off (apart from a bit of stroking and cuddling, of course). On the first visit, I made some changes to Kelly's timing and feel, and explained how to block Fliss's backwards sprint without being dragged off the ramp. We got Fliss loaded and happily munching in about and hour. Pleased, we agreed that Kelly would practice and let me know when they were ready to start putting the ramp up.

Fliss wasn't so sure though. She will now put her front feet on but go no further. There are some possible reasons that we're exploring. Firstly, is there any current pain? Her feet are gradually improving but still aren't well balanced, and that could be enough to cause discomfort loading and travelling. Is there anything secondary to the ulcers? We know she cluncked her head in one loading episode a while back, so fear of hitting her head again is still possible, even though we had got her through it. There might be an issue with the trailer, although the one she travelled badly in was a different one.

These are things we're keeping in mind and working on but in the meantime I thought it would be good to work on other things that will help towards the end goal. Yesterday, then, was tarp day. And, to completely change the mindset, we switched to using a clicker. Kelly hadn't done any clicker work before but she didn't half catch on quickly - great timing and a great ability to see Fliss's tries and reward them to encourage her to keep trying. I took place behind the camera, and this is how they got on.



What's THAT!!! You don't think I'm going any nearer, do you?



Ok, so I'll look at it...



... but then I'll run away. He he he.



Oh, we're just doing duster targetting are we? Well that's ok, I can do that!



Duster targetting by that horse-eating tarp? Hmmmm... let me think about it.



I tell you what, if I don't look at it, will it not be there anymore?



Oh, ok then. I'll stand on it. But just my toes, ok? No further.



I said NO FURTHER!



Oh my goodness! Look what I can do!!!



And I'll even learn not to have to rush over the last bit.

I am a very good girl, aren't I?

Want to know what I really thought about it though....

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Fliss is doing REALLY well with the tarp. Kelly has practiced during the week and Fliss is now even happy with it flapping round her legs. Today, with the tarp in a different place and the wind lifting it a bit, she just walked straight over it. Which shows that she can learn extremely quickly when she believes it's ok.

This does again make us ask ourselves if Fliss doesn't still have a physical issue that is leading her to find loading and travelling so stressful. I've had a chat with vet Donna Blinman who's initial thoughts - not a diagnosis as she hasn't examined Fliss - based on her behaviours and her past history is again ulcers, but this time further down the digestive tract in the duodenum. She suggesting trying a combination of green clay and coconut oil to see if that soothes, and then possibly a short stay with her to for treatment.

So, we didn't do loading today - that would be pointless and unfair if she does have discomfort. Instead, we did jumps. Well, sort of...

Kelly had previously mentioned that another area that Fliss is worried about is jumping. Yes, she'll go over but it's all in a dreadful rush - get it done as quickly as possible. Kelly walked her over some poles on the ground between wings and she seemed ok.



She then took her over a slightly raised pole - Fliss hopped over it but rushed away. After that, even the poles on the ground upset her - she's walk over but then rush off to the left, barging in front of Kelly to take control of the situation.



We first tried just repeating and she did seem to relax a little, going from this:



to this:



but always with the blast away at the end.

Time to slow things right down. Kelly walked Fliss up to a pole and stopped her, then took her over it step - by - step. The front end seemed happy enough, the back end didn't. She was happy to stand straddling the pole:



but the blast away didn't stop.

One of the best techniques to stop this barge and blast is the right hand circle. Effectively, a horse who barges into you is getting in front of you and moving you out of the way to take control of the situation, so enabling her to run away. By instead getting there first and turning her right, you are saying no, you don't move me, I move you. I'm in control here just as elsewhere, so settle with me and all will be fine.

To get this in place, Kelly first worked away from the jumps. As you can see, even there Fliss was a little reluctant to cede that right hand circle.



One other little technicque to add in here, then, is to actually have contact with the head. By slipping your fingers loosely under the headcollar and onto the jaw, you create a feeling of really being there for the horse, and it also makes sure you are in the right place. I must stress that you are not holding onto the headcollar, the fingers must not go through any rings, and you must make sure your fingers can slip out easily.

At first, Fliss again resisted but only briefly before she accepted and settled



Kelly was then able to circle her with Fliss's head low, nose somewhere round her knees!

And the difference over the jump pole?



That would have been a great place to finish. The dreaded trailer, though, was parked outside the stables. So, feather duster in hand and with Fliss unclipped, Kelly just spent a few minutes targetting around the trailer (it wasn't hitched up so we didn't want her inside)



and just having a quick look inside through the jockey door



And there we ended.

So, loading on hold for the moment, we'll see what response there is if any to the supplements and take it from there.

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It's a couple of weeks since the last update and things have moved on a bit. Firstly, there's an added twist to the tale. I went to watch Fliss being ridden and she appeared unsound. It's not massively so, but she's clearly not right. Kelly said she'd noticed this before but then it seemed ok next time so she'd not worried. When showing lameness, she sticks her head in the air and I wonder if she's not trying to get her belly steady.

Fliss has also now been on the supplements for a week or so and Kelly has noticed a difference when grooming her. She appears less sensitive, which would seem to indicate that there is a problem that the clay and oil are soothing.

Because of this, as well as our existing concern, Kelly has decided to send Fliss to Donna's for a couple of weeks. But yes, we have to get her there!!!

Today, then, we went back to loading, hoping that Fliss would feel less badly about it if she's feeling a little better, and also that she would be in a different frame of mind with the clicker.

There was a difference straight away. Instead of pulling back from the idea of going near the trailer, she happily marched straight up to it. And stopped. Oh well, at least it was better the before.

Using the clicker to reward and encourage, Kelly worked to get her engaged and thinking forwards, so we did get from this



to this



but no further.

We gave her a break, then got out the trusty feather duster. With this, Kelly was able to encourage her head to go down and stay down, helping to promote a feeling of relaxation.



You can see how much more engaged she is when she is asked to do something she knows about, and knows how to respond to. It still took a little while but we ended up with this!



Ok, so she's not loaded, but she's got all 4 feet on, has half of her body in and her head down, and hasn't blasted back off. In fact, as Kelly worked her reversing got less and less, and by the end Fliss was able to stand on the ramp until backed off. We were going to call it a day after the first time but Fliss was so keen to get the grass in the bucket that we did it twice more.

That was something else to remember - get the right reward. She pretty well ignored the hay, gobbled a few Polos and had a passing interest in bits of carrot. But fresh grass! That was worth the effort.

Kelly is going to try and do this every day for the next 2 or 3 days, then we'll see where we are. The aim is that she's going to Donna's on Monday. We'll see, it might be Tuesday...

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Hopefully one final update on Fliss and loading.

Things didn't go quite to plan. Firstly, Fliss didn't get to Donna's as Kelly's insurance wouldn't cover it. They insisted that it would have to be with a referral from her registered vet, and some other stuff. Sadly, Kelly couldn't magic the money herself so it was cancelled.

With the supplements Fliss did become generally happier. It didn't, though, help her load. Kelly continued practising, including walking her through windbreak tunnels and under gazebos. She'd do everything fine, except the trailer.

In the end, Kelly did something she and I had talked about earlier but chose the clicker route instead of - panels. With side and rear exits removed, Fliss just walked on and settled down. Problem? What problem? She has since travelled calmly, loading there and back, and no major issues travelling either (she ate the whole time and didn't sweat up).

I know using panels can seem like a cop out fix, but Fliss has told us that it is actually not a problem for the horse and in fact can save the stress of trying to load otherwise, even with the clicker.

Here, then, is wishing Kelly and Fliss a summer of fun stuff at home and away from home.