Rescuing Rusty

For a talent show!

We did it! The talent show is over and done, we are all still alive, no injuries, serious or otherwise, and I don’t think we did an awful job. I wont go as far as to say we did a great job either though. I was very proud of Rusty. We hauled in very early, in time for lunch ten an hour at the park with my daughters class for their end of year field trip/party. Then back to the school and unloaded Rusty. All the horses got to come for the ride. I loaded them up with hay and they got to hang out. You’d think they’d have been happier about it
Rusty hopped out of the trailer and went to grazing. He wasn’t hardly concerned at all. I grabbed my bags of cookies and we went for a walk. I let him lead and we meandered down the sidewalk, up and down curbs, into the lawn for some more eating. The only time he spooked was when I very deliberately woke the neighbors dogs who had been sleeping in their kennel right across the street. I wanted their obnoxious yipping to be experienced while we were expecting it. One of the kids was roaring around the parking lot on his very loud dirtbike, in and out of the shop building. Rusty tensed up but wasn’t terribly upset. he took the cars and the bus going by completely in stride. The other thing, other than the yippy dogs, that bothered him was cheering. Mostly just the first time. He performed wonderfully, our only issues being him deciding he was done and heading back to his buddies in the trailer when I got on and not doing a good job of handing me my hat. He did such a good job with the strange place and all the people. Such a good boy!
I could have improved many things that I did though. When I sat my mat out to practice ahead of time I just threw it out there. I guess I had “planned” to move it beforehand. I was not centered, one side of the group got preformed to far more than the other. I spoke nice and loud and clear. For the first minute. After that I think I may have spoken to myself. I forgot to open my paint ahead of time. I kept telling myself to do that, then forgot. There was probably more but I am too exhausted to remember it now. And I’m busy being proud of my pony for being SO good! Carrots for everyone!

In our last video we worked on our mat training. Now we are moving on to the next step.
After improving on our mat training I show him where I want him to come stand when I finally get around to calling him. I reward him for stepping up onto the wooden platform. Then I stand him back on the mat… and reward him for coming before I call. I’m a terrible trainer. But. Well. Anyway.
He was where I wanted him so we went to work on the next step. Sitting down on the platform I ask him to target the bit again. After rewarding him a few times for dropping his head clear down and mouthing the bit I start to ask for more. Until he takes the bit all the way in. Soon he’ll be putting it on all by himself!

Here is another bridling method we have been working on. Eventually the hope is that he’ll come up behind me, stand on the bridge and put his head down in my lap to take his bridle. It is a little easier than having him fetch his bridle and bring it to me. There are lots of little pieces to improve upon and string together. First he needs to be very good with his mat training so he will stay until called. Here we are working on staying for longer periods and while I walk away. Then he needs to come when called.
In these videos he’s wearing a halter and lead rope. We don’t usually wear them when working but the fresh spring grass is more than he can handle. Standing around eating, something besides grass, is his job, when it’s time to work he needs to pat attention. This way I can remind him that it’s me time not grass time if I need to. I don’t like having the halter on him, I notice a strong tendency to grab it even though he does just fine without it the rest of the time. It is there though so I reach for it. It’s a hard habit to break. I am looking forward to summer and the grass drying down, turning brown, for this one purpose at least.

When we did our little mounting challenge I mostly skipped to the end. There were quite a few requests for a how to though. So this time around I’ll start from the beginning and show as we go through all the little steps and put them together.
Trying to come up with different ways to put a bridle on has a few limitations. The bridle has to end up on his head. But, I guess mounting has the same problem, I have to end up on his back.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your horse could just bring you his bridle?

The mounting challenge was fun. But once it was finished I needed to think of something else to work on. I contemplated the Spanish walk or bowing and all the variations of those we could do. In the end though it all came down to doing something practical. So we are working on biting.

Here is our first step. Teaching him to target the bit. Once he’s touching the bit with his nose then we start asking for a little bit more. Just to open his mouth and bite the bit a little with his teeth is plenty. Of course he already takes a bit fine. He drops his head and lets me touch his ears. But fine is not good enough for this challenge. By the time we are done I want a self bridling horse!

Good bridling manners are so important. Nobody wants a horse with its head stuck way in the air trying to reach way up over the ears. It wont be as exciting I don’t think as the mounting one, then again, thinking about it. it could include mounting. Hmmm. Interesting. I have about three ideas to start working and shaping. I would appreciate any ideas anyone else comes up with and if you have a video of you putting a bridle on in some weird and unusual way please share them!!