Finally A Real-ish Ride

By Neversummer November 10, 2018 Harvey No Comments
The weather was/is still cold and windy. Everything we’ve been doing has been aimed at keeping calm. Settling own. Controlling our wilder impulses. It’s a difficult lesson.
Harvey chose once again to let me on from the right side. I don’t care which side we use and like that he changes it up. Once on he spent lots of time backing up. He’s mostly looking for treats I think. He can turn that long elegant neck of his nearly clear around and look me in the eye. It gets a little scary even though he doesn’t mean anything by it.
We’re working on giving to the rein each direction. That means some spinning in circles. It was better than backing up though. The ground wasn’t as slick but with the windy cold I was in no rush to add forward. We don’t need to do that until he’s calm about everything else.
It might be different if our “arena” was better suited. There are fence posts facing in to catch knees on, sharp corners, and a chunk of cement in one corner. With all the pens on this place there’s not one of them that doesn’t have at least one of these wonderful attributes or a water tank. Slow is better than hurt.

Halter Breaking Amarillo

By Neversummer November 9, 2018 Amarillo, Clicker training No Comments

I’m trying to break up the endless videos of me sitting on Harvey not doing anything interesting. Here, instead, is a story about Amarillo.
I had been letting him out in the yard to graze. He got to stay there, by himself or with another horse, for a few hours before going back into their pen. Not an entirely bad thing in its self. They have a few acres, unlimited hay, and other horses to hang out with. No grass though. he was good about following me back in or another horse. He has not let me catch him since he came though. I haven’t tried real hard. There hasn’t been a need.
The first day after the time change we spent the day cleaning up the garden. It was hard. dirty, tiring work. Coyote and Rusty had been out most of the afternoon while we worked. As I put them away Amarillo and Harvey begged so piteously that I gave in. It was only four after all. They would have plenty of time to graze before it got late. As I let them out it began to drizzle. Night was coming fast. I hadn’t taken the time change into account. Oh well they could sty out for a little while.
The only problem was that when I went to put them away Amarillo wasn’t ready to come in. I tried targeting. I tried putting Harvey away. He had gotten to stay out at first to be a good influence. I tried leaving the gate open and running him in. He stood in the gate and looked at me. I could see him thinking. Then he turned and came back out.
It was getting dark. It was raining. Amarillo was not letting me close. I snapped a picture to commemorate the day.
I am very often happy that this place is set up to run cattle. Lots of gates and lanes. He thought he was being all smart going down one of them. It dead ended in a gate. Unfortunately I had to get the gate open somehow. I thought maybe I could just catch him in the dead end. He nearly ran over me. I was able to move the horses on the other side of it and once open he came back and through it. He was in.
That whole thing made me not like him very much. he was NEVER going out again.
It was time to change my criteria. He has been getting clicked and treated for coming up and saying hi. Now I needed to ask for more. He gets one for coming up, but no more than that. Now he has to let me touch him. Pet his neck. Put a lead rope over his neck. Or even let me put a halter on.
I was able to sneak out the other day and have an actual session just with him. Almost. He had been standing at the gate. It was going to be easy. He wasn’t. It wasn’t. Oh well. Coyote can play too. I don’t care what I click him for. Coyote is perfect in every way. What ever he’s doing when I click is bound to be good 😉 It was a fun group session with horses, goats, and bulls.

 

Above Threshold

By Neversummer November 8, 2018 Clicker training, Harvey No Comments
It turned cold. The wind has been blowing. The temps getting up into the thirties. Maybe forties. It had rained the night before leaving the ground muddy and slick and the horses chilly. Harvey has been energetic to say the least. The sum and total of our efforts has been trying to keep him calm.
While not purposely bringing a horse above threshold is a grand plan in horse training it is not always possible. Often we have nothing to do with making them nervous, they do it all on their own. Ether by feeling really good like Rusty has been lately, or just up, spooky, jumpy, and energetic, like Harvey for this go.
This is where all our work on being calm, head lowering and the like, comes in. Can I say it was completely successful? No, not entirely. He didn’t magically become a calm steady horse in these cold windy conditions. On the other hand nobody died! I always consider that to be a success. Really though it was a pretty good session. He left calmer than he started. It wasn’t a day to leave the safety of the fence, instead we worked on giving to the reins and making sure he was ok with me moving all around and touching his hindquarters.
I have been working on getting up the courage to dismount on his right side. There’s no reason to think it wont be just fine. On the other hand it has never been just right to do so. I’m not as young as I used to be, I no longer bounce as well, I would prefer to get conditions just right for all these things. From getting off on a new side to riding there’s no reason not to take your time and make sure everyone is perfectly comfortable. Today besides the slick mud and energetic spooky horse we were not positioned just right. He was too close to the fence with his left side. I want a horse to have somewhere away from me to go if they spook. Once again I chickened out and got off the usual way. It’s as good for us and our saddles as it is for the horse to keep it mixed up. Our legs and the stirrup leathers need to get stretched out equally.
Unfortunately the video is too long to fit here. You can find it here though: https://www.facebook.com/309985332692651/videos/2215522075390884/

Harvey, Riding, Almost, Again

By Neversummer November 6, 2018 Clicker training, Harvey No Comments

I would call this Harvey’s first real ride. Almost. We are still taking it easy. Letting him hang out, enjoy having a person on his back. There is no rush. No time limit. No reason to do anything but make friends. The hard stuff will come.
The video is nearly impossible to see. I lightened it up the best I could. The phone was facing close enough to straight into the sun to drive it insane. It really wants to save me from bright videos and always does its best. Making most of my pictures or video during bright days almost this dark 🙄 Hopefully you are in a dark place to watch it.
The interesting thing about this session was our rate of reward, ROR. I started out with a very high ROR. I want him to know he’s doing good and to be excited about this riding thing. Once I got on the first time though it was a problem. He was to excited, looking too hard for his reward. It wasn’t possible to get food out and ready for him fast enough to keep him calm.
I got off and we worked on settling down and not expecting food so much. I asked him to drop his head and be calm, and hold it there awhile before I clicked/treated. Lowering our ROR greatly.
When I got back on he was calmer. I stroked his neck, he dropped his head and exhaled. He was actually calm this time. I let go of the fence and we took a few steps together staying calm. It was a very successful ride.
A high ROR is often recommended to keep horses calm and engaged. In theory this works. In reality, we are back to letting the horse decide. Every animal is different and we have to look to them to see what is going to work instead of going by what we think ought to.

Choice?

By Neversummer November 5, 2018 Clicker training, Harvey No Comments

Speaking of Harvey preferring his right side for things…
Here is the speedy version of saddling him. Please watch with the sound off! I forgot to remove that and with it sped up it sounds ridiculous. Harvey is loose for the whole thing and chooses to come stand for the saddle. He also chooses to have the saddle put on from the right. As soon as I got the big heavy thing switched around to be put on from the left. Dang horse.
He is also free to leave if he wants. Granted not very far. For the sake of all of us concerned smaller distances make life easier, and closed gates keep the other horses away. He can still leave though and although I could go get him it would be a sign to me that he wasn’t happy with what was going on. A sign that I need to do things differently.
I had a discussion recently with a horsewoman and trainer that I always enjoy and respect. She was discussing her ideas on choice. She felt that choice is the greatest motivator of all. By using +R we are giving the horse a choice. He can choose to do the trick / behavior and get the treat or not. At liberty he can choose to walk away if he doesn’t want to play with us. But … Doesn’t -R also give them a choice? The horse can choose to back away from the pressure or stay. The horse’s choice / behavior decides the outcome. As long as the pressure is released the instant he makes the decision to back then he has created a situation where the pressure is released. He has been given a choice. It is when the horse has ‘no choice’ – no way out of the situation – no relief eg with flooding, that creates a terrifying and confusing situation for the horse.
I would sure like to think that in my use of -R I am listening to what my horse has to say, without flooding and terrifying the horse. After all we are doing -R at liberty leaving him free to go any time he wants.
While I feel a horse should be given choices in training and in life I think we offer them the same choices we do small children. Both if free to make any choices they wanted would make terrible ones. A horse would happily eat alfalfa or corn until foundered. A child would stay up all night eating candy until foundered. They would be happy, in the short term, but life isn’t about being happy all the time. There is no fulfillment in that. True happiness, contentment, self satisfaction, comes from the hard things we accomplish, the difficult choices, practicing restraint. While I’m not sure horses are able to process things that deeply, that doesn’t mean immediate gratification is the answer to all their problems either.
It is up to us as the adults in the relationship to offer horses choices to make. The same way I offer a child a choice between broccoli or carrots, of going to bed now and getting a book read to them or staying up a little later and giving up the story, I offer a horse the choice of moving away from a stirrup touching his side and getting a cookie or standing there and not getting a cookie. As long as we don’t poison that deal by escalating pressure the horse is free to choose.
When we take away the choice we can poison the cue. When we force a child to sit at the table until they eat their cauliflower that child may never touch cauliflower again for their entire life, sorry mom 😉 If we force a horse to stand while we strap a saddle to their back they may never happily accept a rider.
Instead of concentrating on the method we use to teach a horse perhaps the important thing is in offering them a choice. Letting them take a roll in deciding if they are ready or willing to continue with the next step in training. Watching and listening for our cues from them. When a horse is working with you, ready and willing to take that next step it is possible to happily face challenges and take those difficult steps and even practice restraint. The hard things in life that make it all the better in the end.

 

Biting

By Neversummer November 4, 2018 Clicker training, Harvey No Comments

Harvey is willing to take the bit but isn’t enthusiastic about it. Could this mean he doesn’t like this bit or that it hurts him in some way? Possibly. Since it has done nothing but sit in his mouth it seems unlikely. What seems more likely to me is that he has had unpleasant experiences or even that he’s used to having it pulled on instead of taking it the way my horses do. I can hold him still and put it on. That doesn’t mean I want to.
Here he is learning position and how to come get his bridle. We are targeting the bit with his mouth. Eventually we will be targeting the inside of his mouth. In the end everything comes down to targeting 🙂
Once he is taking the bit I will watch to make sure there isn’t anything about the bit itself that is bothering him. He will get a say in what he gets ridden in.

Sitting On Harvey

By Neversummer November 3, 2018 Clicker training, Harvey No Comments

Harvey’s second “ride” about a week ago. Maybe sitting on would be more appropriate? Just chillin’ and making it a fun thing to do until he gets comfortable with the whole idea. Spent the whole time, ten, fifteen minutes or there abouts, getting on and off and petting and feeding. Sometimes he wants to swing around and let me on from the right side. I don’t care which side I mount from, whatever he’s comfortable with.
It’s interesting though, him preferring the right side. There was no way he was letting me on his right side when I first started playing with him. I think his former people only ever did anything from his left. Some people don’t agree about the importance of getting horses used to things from both sides. It’s kind of good that they didn’t. He is fresh on that side with no bad memories to overcome.

 

Bringing Home The Cows

By Neversummer November 2, 2018 Coyote, Rusty No Comments

We woke up at dark thirty this morning to go help move cows. The guys hauled their 4wheelers over and we rushed to get saddled up and try to get to the highway in time to help them cross. Coyote was not in a hurry. He was plodding slowly along behind as rusty zipped along in the front. I didn’t think there was anyway we could make it.
Occasionally I would take his lead rope and prod him along a little. We’d trot until my daughter would declare trotting not be fun any more but instead too bouncy and we’d slow to a walk.
As we went the sun started to show over the hills we were riding towards. First a pink and orange glow, then peaking brightly over the pastures bathing us in it’s orange glow. She asked me to take a picture. I was thrilled to. Our horses glowed.
We beat them to the highway! We stopped to say hi to the rest of the help, then continued down the road to meet the cows. Rusty was worried about the cars passing on the road, then the buildings we had to go through, but mostly about the cows coming over the hills in the distance. Coyote was wanting to turn around and go home. Rusty was tense and looking worriedly ahead. Thinking of the worst possible outcomes, as I like to do, I thought about what would happen if Rusty spooked and caused Coyote to take off back across the highway. I got off and held onto the reins.
Rusty settled down once the cows got close and he could see what was going on for sure. I got back on, keeping a hold of the lead line, and we were sent ahead of the cows to keep them out of one of the yards. We trotted to the yard but couldn’t get through the ditch. So we kept going looking for a way through. The cows followed us beautifully. Instead of darting off through the trees the cows ran across the road right where they were supposed to go. We stepped to the side letting them pass.
From then on both sides were mostly fenced. We followed along in the field in case they found an open gate. They were in the usual hurry to get home, trotting all the way. We trotted a little too. My daughter kept wanting to know if she was running yet. So I decided we would try. I let Rusty go and for once instead of trotting that supper fast Morgan trot Coyote broke in to a lope. She laughed and giggled until she said it was time to WALK!
Back home in the alfalfa I set her and Coyote free again. They did a wonderful job of helping push the cattle across. Coyote took her slow and easy like the perfect pony he is.
Rusty did a great job on his first time with grown up responsibilities. He was overly energetic but not bolting. He was worried about the highway, buildings, barking dogs, and cows but never offered to do anything but look. It was a great ride with a wonderful companion. I hope we get to do it more often!

Threshold

By Neversummer November 2, 2018 Clicker training, Coyote, Rusty No Comments

In +R training reaching, or avoiding a horse reaching, its threshold is often talked about. Threshold is the point where a horse is very emotional, it has reached a point of fear and reaction where it is no longer capable of thinking and learning, only reacting.
I was thinking about this today while we brought cows home. We got to the highway, a little scary by itself. He wasn’t spooking. Rusty was looking, stopping, ears pointed to stare at the vehicals as they passed. I clicked and treated a few times. Coyote wasn’t worried. We made it across no problem.
But that was only the first of the triggers we were stacking all at once there.
Across the highway were two houses. One right on the corner with barking dogs in the yard. There were vehicals of the people who were there to help get the cows across the road. Rusty was still taking it well. We were able to stop and let them hang out for a few minutes while we talked to Cowboy Bill who scratched and loved on them both a little. Treats all around of course.
Then we met the cows. They were coming over the hill in the distance. Not close enough to smell or see clearly. We had about reached threshold. The triggers had been stacked to the point that he was tense and tight, ears up, frozen in place, staring towards this new threat. I got off and held onto him, no treats, he was past that. He settled down as they got closer and he saw what they were.
As we rode home behind the cows I had time to think. How do we prepare a horse ahead of time for those moments in life when reaching threshold is unavoidable? It’s going to happen no matter how much we avoid it in training. Life happens. I thought about training children, or raising as some people call it.
Some people say that raising children with only, mostly, kindness will not prepare them for the real world. Life is unkind, they say, children should get used to it.
On the other hand you have the people who feel that is unnessicary. That children raised with love and support are better equipt to handle the tough knocks of life because of the love and support they’ve recieved.
So what about horses? Do we get them used to reaching threshold by bringing them up to it? Let them get scared while we train and get used to it so it’s not a big deal?
As I rode and thought, I decided that this was like children. The more love and support they have the better equiped they are to deal with the difficulties. They don’t need to face the hard things to be prepared for them. Nothing really prepares us for the difficulties in life. I’m not saying horses wont ever be scared durring training or that the most loved of children wont face difficulties, but by not bringing them above threshold purposely as we train we teach them to trust us, that we are their safe place and will not hurt them. When they know that training, working, with a person will be a positive experience it is easier for them to settle back down and come back below threshold. We can offer reassurance and comfort, instead of getting after them for getting upset and pushing them further yet above. Rusty had certianly come back easy enough.
We didn’t encounter anything else upsetting on the rest of the ride. Rusty did a wonderful job on his first day doing grown up work. He moved the cows, worked alongside zipping 4wheelers, ponied Coyote, and did plenty of those walk trot transitions we’ve been fighting with so much. I think training him well below threshold helped greatly with that.