Site Menu:
This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below: |
HorseAdvice.com » Training, Behavior, & Conditioning Horses » Tips and Tricks » |
Discussion on 2000 Tips | |
Author | Message |
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 12, 2000 - 6:58 pm: I used to think it was "bad" when a horse anticipated or did something before I asked for it and would try to correct the horse.Now, though, I look at it a bit differently. I have to look at what the horse is offering in the context of what I am asking and sometimes it is okay, other times I need to anticipate and compensate so I don't have to correct. Suppose you are working on trying to improve canter transitions on a 20 m. circle. Ask for your transition at the same spot each time for a few requests. Your horse will anticipate the request, and half-halt himself in preparation, improving his depart. Once your cues are light and understood and the horse responds nicely, without tension try asking on different areas of the circle. In the same token, if your horse falls out of the canter in spot (near the gate?) each time you go by, it is your turn to anticipate the horse and urge him on slightly. You can also do your up transition just prior to the falling out spot so your momentum is up and not down. Sometimes a green horse will swap leads - well, we want this someday so praise a little, but fairly quickly go back to trot and work on a circle - this will encourage him to stay on the lead, and he won't have an aversion from an old punishment when you do go to teach a change much later. Horses can be contextual learners - meaning they learn something in a context. The trick is to realize the context and take advantage of it when you are working on something new, and anticipate it when you are working through an issue. Animals (especially dogs) often associate a location with an action/behavior. If it is a behavior you want, in your training you must "proof" (test & work on) the training in other areas of the ring, other areas of the farm and other farms/venues. So, as team member with brains, use all the horse's behaviors to your advantage, while letting him think he is doing a good job. Cheers. |
|
Posted on Thursday, Jan 13, 2000 - 4:04 am: Hi Chris,I liked your tips very much, and will find them very useful, as I am just starting to school my new green horse. This is obviously with the help of my instructor, but she only comes once a week, so the rest of the time I need tips and tricks so that Bellini and I don't get bored! And as my instructor says, he is currently working through the "Every Horse's Check List to Confound and Confuse Riders" that he recently purchased, to keep me on my toes! Cheers, Alexa |
|
Posted on Friday, Jan 28, 2000 - 11:13 am: I have a bad hip and find it very difficult to mount my horse without using the trailer or a stump or someting. Someone told me that I can teach the horse to bow down to allow me to mount.My horse is 9 years old and very gentle. I am not a really big person (around 170 lbs). My question is: Can this be done and will it hurt my horse? |
|
Posted on Thursday, Feb 17, 2000 - 1:07 pm: These are exercises which, carried out on a daily basis, accustom the horse to relaxing parts of his back and limbs which he might otherwise try to guard, and they help to counteract any tensions and stiffness that might creep in. They can be performed before and after exercise, and used as a valuable form of therapy for horses that have to be box-rested, or kept in their boxes for any reason.These exercises can be done effectively and correctly in about five minutes. In all cases, the stretches should not be forceful; the intention is not to manipulate but simply to increase the range of mobility. Wait until the horse is relaxed and balanced before carrying out any movements. Exercise 1 – This exercise helps to stretch the muscles along the side of the horse’s ribcage and behind the top of the shoulder-blades. · Stand in front of the horse. Lift the forelimb and extend it towards you – gently – as though you were freeing the girth area after putting on the saddle. · Wait until the horse has balanced himself over his quarters, then pull the limb towards you with a gentle but definite tug. Let the horse replace the leg on the floor. Repeat twice, with both fore legs. Exercise 2 - These rotations supple the joints, encourage the circulation, and help the production of joint fluid. They also have a relaxing effect on the pectoral muscles, which often become very tight in horses that go predominantly on the forehand. · Pick up the forelimb as if you were going to pick out the foot. Gently rotate the foot two or three times clockwise, then two or three times anti-clockwise. · Repeat these rotations GENTLY, making them a little larger each time to involve the joints higher up the leg: 1. pastern 2. fetlock 3. knee [carpal joint] 4. elbow and shoulder combined · Do one set with each front leg. Exercise 3 - Many horses find this the most difficult part of the exercises. Do once each side. · Stand alongside the horse, facing the tail, and pick up the hind foot, flexing the hind limb. Then bring the leg towards you, and place the toe on the ground as far forwards under the belly as the horse is able to reach. This stretches the muscles down the back of the leg. Let him put the foot back to his chosen position. · Pick up the foot again and direct the limb outwards, again placing the toe on the ground as far to the side as the horse finds comfortable. This stretches the muscles in the groin. · Pick up the hindlimb again, and extend it as far backwards as possible, until the horse can just touch the ground with his toe. This stretches the muscles down the front of the hindlimb. Exercise 4 - You will need carrots or small wads of super-nice hay! · To begin with, stand the horse alongside a wall, which will prevent him from swinging his whole body round. Stand at the horse’s hip, and offer him the carrot. He must bend his neck round to the carrot. As he takes it, give a short pull, so that the base of the neck on the opposite side has to gently stretch a degree more than it is already doing. If there is a restriction anywhere in the neck, the exercise can be carried out with changes to the height of the carrot to increase the mobility and range of movement. · Turn the horse round so that his opposite side is parallel with the wall, then repeat the exercise from this side of the horse. · Sometimes the horse doesn’t understand that he can flex his neck like this, especially on his “bad/stiff” side. You have to very gently persevere and teach him that he actually can do this and stretch a little. Exercise 5 - This is a wonderful exercise for stretching the whole topline, particularly the muscles of the loins and over the sacro-iliac junction. · Take another carrot. Stand at the horse’s side, facing his head. · Offer the carrot to the horse from a point between his front legs, on or near to the ground underneath the mid-line of the chest, approximately where the girth would be. · Here again, many horses at first think this is a lot of effort to go to in order to receive a titbit, and they need to be taught that their heads and necks really do go in this direction. · Repeat the exercise while standing on the other side of the horse, in case he is inclined to cheat by DrOpping a foreleg. Exercise 6 · Take the dock of the tail in both hands. Wait until the horse relaxes, then give the tail two short but firm pulls towards you. There should be a small ripple in the gluteal muscles of the quarters, that is in the large muscle bulk between the point of the hip and the highest point of the spine [as seen from behind the horse]. If you do these exercises regularly, you will find a remarkable difference in the suppleness of your horse. Remember – no force, always gentleness. |
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 14, 2000 - 2:00 pm: Does your horse speed up when crossing the diagonal line?? THis is the trick that worked with my horse. We did a figure 8 pattern of trot with a halt everytime at X. THat way he began to anticipate a halt signal rather then thinking oh, let's get over there. Worked like a charm.TeresaA |
|
Posted on Tuesday, Mar 21, 2000 - 11:49 am: How to pick an instructor coach:I wrote this in answer to a post and then thought that I would try it out here: begin looking around for coaches, instructors in your area. THen make contact, tell them what you are looking for. Go and watch a few lessons and then try one out yourself. Do not feel that you have to take the first one you find, this is an important relationship and you need to make sure it's good for you and your horse. Things to look for in an instructor (my own opinion): 1. check out qualifications: are they certified, what training have they had? 2. Ask around, usually the horse world is pretty small but take the info with a grain of salt. 3. watch the lessons carefully: is there a plan, does he/she give clear instructions and feedback (e.g., 'that was wrong' is not very helpful but 'you need more weight in your heels' is). 4. Does the instructor use positive or negative reinforcement? I prefer positive but there are some out there that only let you know when you're wrong. 5. Does he/she encourage questions and give good answers? 6. Can they commit to a semi-regular schedule for lessons? 7. How much do they charge and how do they want to be paid? 8. Do you two get along? Sometimes personality differences can come into play and make an interaction difficult. It's not anyone's fault, you wouldn't marry just anyone would you? |
|
Posted on Friday, Mar 31, 2000 - 10:24 pm: Someone wrote to me''One man's junk is another man's treasure''I wrote back how once there was a horse who was really wild, everyone told me to stay away from her, you couldn't even touch her. One night I slept in the pasture, and in the morning I woke up to find that Katy was sleeping at my feet. Katy and I have been best friends ever since! She is going for training very soon! I love her! To everyone she was junk but to me she is real treasure! |
|
Posted on Friday, Mar 31, 2000 - 3:03 pm: Is your horse "dead to the leg," reluctant to move forward or just generally pokey?Here is a good way to wake him up at the beginning of a ride. You will need a crop or dressage whip. When you first come out, work on a 20 m. circle with light contact. First ask your horse to move forward (from walk to trot) by squeezing with your legs - subtlely. If there isn't a prompt response, then give a more insistent nudge, if there is no response, tap with the crop/whip behind your lower leg, if still no response, give him a small smack - by this point, I think you'll have a response. In any case, the moment he trots off, be sure to verbally praise and pet him with your inside hand - don't worry about him going off fast, etc. Praise for moving off. Be sure not to restrict him at any time with the reins. Then slow him down to a walk and repeat. After several repetitions, your horse will be "in front of your leg" and responding to lighter leg aids. Now you can trot briskly at a working gait and begin your workout. I recently used this technique on Lucy with great success. Lucy is an enormous mule, who carried me in and out of the Grand Canyon. At the start of the ride, we were given "mule motivators" - stiff, wire whips with leather around them. MMs are applied, hard to the mule's rump ... because we were traveling down the canyon, they INSISTED the mules keep up with one another and the human had to motivate the mule to do so. Lucy, bless her heart, was smart enough to figure out that I gave her fair, consistent warning - squeeze, boot, motivate. I only motivated her twice at the beginning of the ride. Althought the trip was scarey (don't do this if you are afraid of heights), I knew Lucy and I would make it - we also were carrying everyone's lunch. :O) Cheers. |
|
Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2000 - 2:13 pm: Mark Rashid's web site has a link to a couple of years of recordings of a weekly radio program on horses (some NPR stations carry the program). You need "Real Player" to listen, which can be downloaded free from their site. The neat thing is that you can listen to all the programs - topics include interviews with lots of interesting people on varied topics.For example, Dr. Joyce Harman covered Homeopathy! Mark Rashid is interviewed in another. There is an index by date so you can select your favorite topic or person. Here is Mark's url: https://www.frii.com/~rockin5r/index.html In the lower right corner there is an icon that gets you to the radio program list. Have fun. |
|
Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2000 - 12:57 am: One of the best training tips I ever learned was how to become alpha to the horse. John Lyons and other great trainers know this. Before I learned to become alpha all procedures where fights. I see so many people struggling w/simple tasks because they are not alpha to the horse. When you become alpha tricks to accomplish things such as trailer loading aren't needed. What is amazing about becomming alpha is that the horse doesn't view you as being dominate only, he trusts you to guide him. Also any horse you handle knows you know, not just the horses you handle frequently. In the same capacity, when you do not know alpha so does your horse and any horse you handle. |
|
Posted on Tuesday, May 30, 2000 - 11:06 am: To correct a horse leaning on the inside rein bend them to the outside for one or two strides and then ask for the correct bend (i.e., bent around the corner and straight along the sides of the arena). This will shift his/her weight and move them off the rein he/she is leaning on to a more balanced position.TeresaA |
|
Posted on Monday, Jun 5, 2000 - 3:04 pm: Sometimes I get frustrated (duh - who doesn't?) with my horse. When I catch myself here is what works to deflate my emotions and become a thinking rider again:1) first invoke the "deep breath rule." This is where you take a deep breath and exhale slowly as you count to 10. Of course, allow your horse to walk with a long rein when you invoke this. 2) then, translate "my horse does this when I do that" to "I do this when my horse does that" to analyze the problem. A good example is - my horse pulls on the reins when I take them up. Then change it to I pull on the reins when my horse takes them up .... hmmm the lesson here may be it takes 2 to pull?? This works in a lot of cases to highlight were there is a miscommunication or placement of blame. 3) another trick is to do the opposite of what you think. For example, if your horse has a tendancy to open its mouth and try to get a tongue over the bit, one idea to try may be to lower the bit in the mouth a hole or two, or try a MILDER bit. A small change may be a big difference in comfort. Another example may be the horse that leans on the reins. Rather than gripping harder and shortening reins, escalating into a pulling contest, try #1 above for a few minutes and then take up the reins with a lighter feel - the LESS is MORE attitude to riding. You have to be careful that if the horse leans/dives you don't reward it with a "give" as you'll train the wrong thing. Doing the opposite works well for horses, too. A horse that wants to rush off should be asked to slow down ... a horse that wants to go slow and lack energy should be sent on. 4) A recent book on dog training I read asked us to think about how someone like St. Francis, Jesus, Ghandi, etc. would train dogs. This easily carries to all animal training. Imagine one of these people with your animal - would they smack it around and dominate it into a frame, submission, saying "Thou shalt"? Or would they think about how to build a bridge of communications, enabling the animal to say yes to our request without losing its joy of life. 5) finally, none of us has a great day every day. It is unreasonable to think our animal does, too. Break up the training so you are doing different things on successive days. Reward "tries." Sometimes if you have a very very good ride one day, it may show up in sore muscles the next day or two. Don't be upset if perfection is not there every day. A few days off may let the soreness heal and the muscles will be better able to perform. Just some idle thoughts that help me out. When all else fails and I continue to be impatient or angry, without useful ideas, I go for a trail ride or get off and find something else to do. Will your horse be glad to see you the next time you go out? Will it allow itself to be caught up or even meet you at the gate or come running? Is it "out of sorts" if it doesn't see you for a few days? Does it put its nose in the corner of the stall, or whinney for you when it hears your voice? Our horse do speak to us. What do we hear? Cheers. |
|
Posted on Monday, Jun 12, 2000 - 4:28 am: This "tip" was recently taught to me by my instructor. I was dubious at first, as it kind of went against everything I had previously been taught, but the difference in my horse, and me, is amazing.I jump defensively, as I have a horse who is a stopper, and as a result, I am often left behind the movement. I also tend to "grip" with my calves in my approach to the jump, hence my horse "stands off". To correct this, my instructor has me doing the following: I do sitting trot into a small (2 foot) cross. I have to keep my upper body very relaxed, because I am doing sitting trot and can't grip with my calves because otherwise the horse breaks into canter or I bounce around. When I am in the correct spot (which is easier to see as I am approaching in a nice rhythm) I ask with my legs and can "give with my hands and upper body. My position is perfect! The nice thing about this is that I can feel when the horse is about to take off, so I don't get left behind, and my horse does not stand off. We have slowly started raising the jump, and I am now jumping 1 metre from a relaxed, forward-going sitting trot. One thing : don't do this until you have spent some time on the lunge improving your seat for the sitting trot, as otherwise you'll bounce around and put your horse off his stride. |
|
Posted on Saturday, Jul 15, 2000 - 7:44 pm: Lead ChangesI saw a post with a question about lead changes and thought that I would post my ideas here. The basics before a good flying lead change occur are: 1. a good half-halt to balance the horse and signal the change 2. good responses to requests for lateral movements. In other words the horse should move away from the leg lightly when you ask. 3. good simple lead changes. A trick to get a good flying lead change is to do a half-circle away and back to the track, here's the example moving from a left lead to right lead: pick up the left lead and canter down the long side of the arena. As you go around the turn bring your horse off the trail and head back to the path that you were just on (it's essentially a "reverse") making a shape like a tear-DrOp. As you leg yield back to the rail, half-halt right before you return to the track, change the bend and ask the horse to strike off. Keep a strong outside rein to keep the horse from popping out his/her shoulder. If this doesn't work add a ground pole directly in your path a few strides before you'll return to the rail. As the horse goes over it, ask for the change in bend and lead so that he'll land on the lead you want. Sometimes horses won't change because they are used to always being on the correct lead and are not always in agreement with the rider that a lead change is necessary. Practising lots of counter-canter will help the horse to develop the idea that you're the one to decide. TeresaA |
|
Posted on Saturday, Jul 15, 2000 - 11:04 pm: At the Anky Von Grunsven Clinic, she taught horses to do lead changes in the least stressful and most successful way I've ever seen. She would have the rider ask for counter canter and follow the track. Then to get the lead change, she would have the rider change legs. If the horse didn't change, she would have the rider tap gently just behind the new outside leg with every stride until the horse did change, and at the change to stop the tapping and praise the horse heartily. Then they'd go back to counter canter and the tap-tap-tapping until the horse changed. The first time took maybe 40 strides. The second time maybe 30, and by the end of 15 minutes, it was only a stride or two. You could see that it wouldn't be long until the horse changed immediately. The neatest thing was that the rider didn't have to mess with the reins and unbalance the horse in order to get the change so the change was straight, and the changes ALWAYS came from behind. The horse also remained quite calm through the learning process.After discussing the method with my trainer, and trying it out on a horse or two, we decided we'd never teach the change the old way again (no more ground poles, big changes in bend, etc.). |
|
Posted on Saturday, Jul 22, 2000 - 12:36 pm: I can't find the tip about using Listerine on your horses coat to make it shine. Could you repeat that tip please. |
|
Posted on Sunday, Jul 23, 2000 - 12:10 pm: Hi Barbara, I found that tip in "care of the horse" then go to" summer 2000 post new tips" it is the second to the last post..I do believe that is the one you are looking for :) |
|
Posted on Wednesday, Aug 16, 2000 - 11:09 am: Hello Barbara and Linda,You can run a keyword search on Listerine also. |
|
Posted on Thursday, Sep 21, 2000 - 11:04 am: This could be a product review, too. However, since it was resulting in a training issue, I put it here.Over the years, I've often had trouble with "rein slippage." In English riding, this is where you would like a nice, soft, steady contact with the horse's mouth and you can't seem to keep it. Rein length creeps longer and longer until you have your hands in your lap and you hear, again and again, "Shorten your reins." My mare tends to be a bit, uh, of a "tester." She will every so often give a bit of a pull on one rein or the other, gradually getting more and more rein length ... so, as a consequence, I am often checking rein length and adjusting and the horse is always testing with a tug or even a yank. I cannot count the number of different reins I've tried over the years - braided, laced, woven with rubber in them, cotton, leather ones with knobs, rubber, leather with rubber lining - you name it, I've tried it and hated it. The least offensive rein (to me) is leather lined with rubber. I've also reworked my hands - thumbs up, holding reins against pointer finger, soft, but "there" ring fingers ... and totally reworked my position ... but still my horse can noodle a rein loose. UNTIL ... I was touring the local tack store and jealously admired a set of western reins that were woven material that was coated with sticky goo. I was envious ... The "AH HA" came later ... I looked in my tack kit and saw something call Saddle-Tite which is sticky stuff for your saddle to keep you from sliding around. I rubbed this over the leather of my riding gloves on the index finger, thumb and ring finger ... VOILA - much to my horse's shock (I've had her 12 years) she could noodle nary a rein. And, believe me, she did try and try. TA DA! Riding problem solved. (A friend of my tells me she always cleans her reins with Goop for the stickiness. Haven't tried that, but sounds similarly promising on the reins or gloves.) Cheers. |
|
Posted on Thursday, Sep 21, 2000 - 2:52 pm: Doesn't this ruin the leather? |
|
Posted on Thursday, Sep 21, 2000 - 3:51 pm: Nope. Saddle-tite is made for saddles.Can't say if Goop ruins the leather - I am told it is okay. |
|
Posted on Sunday, Sep 24, 2000 - 9:38 pm: Chris, you are BRILLIANT. I'm running out to the tack shop tomorrow. My daughter's horse has this habit--obviously not for much longer. |
|
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 8, 2000 - 10:24 am: Chris, I moved the headshaking discussion to Behavorial Problems: Forum. I thought it might do more good but will consider it when I do tips winners this month.DrO |
|
Posted on Saturday, Nov 11, 2000 - 11:08 pm: Hello,I have a tip suggestion. In the winter time I find that my horses mane and tail can get very dry. I have tried products like Show Sheen but have found after a few applications that these products do indeed continue to produce a shine but make the mane and tail brittle and even more dry. Well, a few months ago I was shopping in the local petstore and talked to a dog groomer. She recommended I try this product that is a leave on conditioner used to condition dog coats. This product is called Pro-Gro manufactured by Pro-line. I purchased this cream product and diluted some of the cream with water and used it as a spray on leave in conditioner. The product is actually designed to be used as a diluted spray or full strength cream product. This product cost me $10 dollars for a 16 fl oz. bottle and I still have half a bottle left of the undiluted cream portion. It takes a very little amount and it conditions so well. It leaves my horses mane and tail really soft and well conditioned. Since then I have found several more products that are designed for dogs but work very well as grooming products for horses. The bonus is I have found that most products designed for dogs are less expensive than most equine products...I have found shine products, shampoos etc. You may be interested in having a look in the dog grooming isle at your local petstore the next time you are out shopping. Cheers, Julie D. |
|
Posted on Monday, Nov 13, 2000 - 5:47 pm: My daughter's horse has a very long mane. It is constantly getting tangled into a big mess. Even with detanglers it can be very difficult to undo. Any suggestions on a product that not only detangles but helps prevent tangles.Lawana |
|
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2000 - 5:25 pm: Show Sheen. However, due to the silicon, it can be very drying when used too often. |
|
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2000 - 9:28 pm: Cowboy Magic. I have a very hairy Friesian and this is the only thing that works. It also keeps the mane and tail tangle free for several days. This mare has a thick mane down past her shoulder. It is a gel that requires very little to be used. An amount the size of a quarter is enough to completely comb out her mane. Same for the tail. |
|
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 29, 2000 - 11:38 am: Whenever you encounter a problem in your training regime go back to the basics. Not to say that you have missed covering the basics before trying a more advanced move but usually a difficulty with a particular maneuvar has to do with a more basic one. For me the three basics in riding for the horse are: forward, rhythm and straight (I don't take credit for this, BTW).Forward: the horse is moving forward freely with no feeling that they want to stop. Rhythm: the pace is steady with no variations Straight: the back legs follow the front legs on a straight line and a curve. The three basics for the rider are: balanced, consistent and relaxed. Balanced: the weight is distributed evenly on both sides so that if the horse were to be pulled out form underneath you would land on your feet. Consistent: you give the cue using consistent aids not conflicting ones or vary them everytime. For example, always half-halting before asking for a change in gait to prepare the horse. Relaxed: the riders body is relaxed and does not have excessive tension in the legs, knees, pelvis, back, shoulders, neck, arms, hands. A tense rider will make a tense horse or a numb horse. It will also tire the rider much sooner. Often difficulties in the horse can be traced back to the rider so be sure to review the basics in yourself too! A few rides reviewing the basics again will help with the new skill you are trying to develop. TeresaA |
|
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 20, 2000 - 6:15 pm: I tend to prefer rectangular shaped saddle pads/blankets. I'm always annoyed when one slides backwards, under the saddle when I ride.Usually, I turn up the front edge in front of the saddle blanket while tacking up. This bump can discourage the pad from sliding back - but it isn't a cure all. Recently, I wondered what to do with the trimmed parts of the "no slip" mesh I put under a hall rug and a light bulb went off ... So I cut a rectangle and put it between my saddle and pad ... no slipping! Easily rinsed and very cheap, too. |
|
Posted on Friday, Dec 22, 2000 - 3:41 pm: And you could put another square directly on the horse's back, under the saddle pad, and the whole shebang would be velcroed together...Do you think that mesh stuff would be okay next to skin? |
|
Posted on Thursday, Dec 28, 2000 - 3:14 pm: Hi Zoe,I've been traveling and not checking in. I'd probably do a "test spot" for short periods until I was comfortable with it next to the horse. I don't know why it would be a problem, unless it was the middle of summer and very hot/sweaty. Cheers. |
|
Posted on Monday, Aug 13, 2001 - 5:15 pm: For anyone out there who hasn't tried Healthy HairCare Moisterizer concentrate (needs to be diluted with water), try it. Your horse's coat, mane and tail will not dry out and the product smells great too. I've been using it for years and love it. |
|