Training Journal Week 7

Session 18 - March 6

This session started with some quite sloppy circles as it was a very windy day and Anna was running turnout so there were plenty of distractions outside the round pen.  I started off with some repeated reverse switches and was having trouble smoothly switching eyes/circles.  There were a couple of times she even just turned away from me in the reverse switch as opposed to drawing onto the new circle.  I decided to get more adamant about her shifting off the outside shoulder and away from the whips in the changes of direction so I used the carriage whip more firmly on her shoulder.  After that correction I continued to repeat the reverse switches and they improved significantly.

After that I continued on to front switches and then progressed to working on circle size.  I was really happy with this session in regards to my circle size and speed control.  I would alternate between a large circle more around the perimeter of the round pen and a small circle around me in the walk.  When that was solid in both directions I started having her walk the small circle and trot the large circle.  I alternated in this way between circle sizes and walk and trot in both directions.  

Next Terral recommended I work on shoulder switches and see if that helped improve some of this hesitancy in the changes of direction on the circle.  I worked on getting a quicker switch behind me and a more confident draw up to the other shoulder in both walk and trot in the following at the shoulder position.  Then I revisited the changes of direction on the circle and felt like they did improve.  

Then I reviewed backing up, yielding the shoulders, and yielding the hindquarters went beautifully in both directions.  Some of the best moments in these exercises I have seen to date. 

Then the exciting and new stuff started!  Our dear friend and intern Abbi was there to assist us and help us begin the process of introducing the use of two people to the training.  When we start young horses we always do it as a team where we have a ground person that offers the horse guidance and reassurance.  That way the rider can simply be a neutral passenger in the beginning.  Overtime we transfer the cues and control from the ground person to the rider.  Of course this was our first time applying this concept to a bridleless start.  

Limra jumped abit when Abbi hopped down into the pen and was clearly abit suprised that there was another person in there with us.  Our main challenge was helping Limra figure out which of us she was supposed to be listening to and following.  She ran off the first time Abbi started jumping up and down next to her but I was able to pretty immediately draw her back in between my whips.  That said she gained confidence quickly with Abbi jumping up and down on both sides as if she was going to mount up.  There were moments of confusion, for example, one of the times Abbi moved away to switch sides Limra wanted to follow Abbi instead of staying with me.  Overall, I was impressed with how quickly she figured out that she was supposed to respond to my cues and body language while becoming desensitized to Abbi’s movements.   

We tried having Abbi stand in the riding position while I attempted the hind quarter yield.  This was abit messy - especially initially as I think it was genuinely confusing for all of us.  But we all got to figuring it out.  I ended up being able to draw her towards me and have her yield her hindquarters with Abbi standing next to her with her arms draped over her back in a “riding position.”  Often her response was to suck back and away from me when she became unsure but she got better and better about drawing back towards me in between the whips.  

I also had Abbi begin to jump and belly up as I had practiced by myself but of course this time with me standing in front of her.  She quivered a couple of times when Abbit was bellied up on her and rubbing with the arm hanging over the other side but overall she seemed pretty relaxed.  So then I proceeded to have her take her first couple of steps with Abbi’s weight on her back.  I did this within the context of the hind quarter yield exercise to encourage her to stay soft and supple with the rider and cross her hind legs. We then also practiced walking several steps straight forward towards me with Abbi hanging over her back. 

What I liked about introducing a rider in this liberty start is that without a rope holding her still she had more room to express her feelings.  I really feel like so far this introduction of the rider in the liberty start really helps ensure that the horse isn’t going over threshold.  Because the horse's emotions are easily expressed and shown you have to fix the little things before they become big things and truly progress at the horse's pace.  

Session 19 - March 9

We started the session in the following at the shoulder position.  I began by connecting with her through matching steps at the walk.  Then I worked on figure 8s with Limra both on the outside and the inside shoulder first at walk and then at trot.  When I am on the outside of the circle and she is on my inside shoulder she was intermittently tense and had trouble staying slow enough for me to run and keep up in trot.  I had to work on maintaining the draw while also keeping her slow enough with the carriage whip as a half halting cue so I could keep up.   

Then I saddled her up and we began with a series of reverse switches at walk.  I think it’s really important for her to be confident carrying the saddle through lots of changes of direction because it is often in the transition between circles that horses can react to the saddle or the rider.  Then we progressed to front switches and trot circles in both directions.  

Once she was warmed up with the saddle I worked on the introduction to mounting and dismounting with the saddle.  I began by simply practicing lifting my foot as if I was gonna put it in the stirrup.  Then I continued the work we have been doing getting her desensitized to jumping up and down next to her, patting the saddle, and moving/snapping the stirrup leathers.  Then I bellied up on her and practiced rubbing her body with my legs and arms.  Terral and I developed a protocol several years ago when starting young horses where we always slide down when bellying up if the horse touches you with their nose.  It seems to help the horse feel like they have a degree of influence on the situation and gives them abit of a “stop” button.  This helps youngsters feel more in control and confident as we introduce the weight of the rider.  I decided to use the same concept with Limra and always slide down when she bent her neck around and touched me with her nose.  I felt like it really helped empower her to explore the rider and stay soft in her posture.  

Then Abbi came in the pen again to help.  She hung over Limra’s back and I had her walk forward in between the whips on a larger circle.  We had several amusing moments because the saddle was slipping occasionally but Abbi did a great job.  We also had her move on a smaller circle around me with Abbi hanging over her with Abbi’s feet to the inside of the circle.  The benefit to this position of course is that if Limra had been nervous or sensitive Abbi could easily slide off safely.  All of these exercises really helped her feel weight while moving forward at walk and getting used to movement and sounds on her back.  Some of the circles were abit sloppy but I could not be more proud of Limra and how quickly she is progressing with these concepts. 

Session 20 - March 14

As I began to introduce a rider I felt a piece was missing from our training sessions.  That piece was desensitization work.  Training should always be split into teaching the horse what to respond to and what not to respond to.  Part of learning to be ridden is learning what are cues from the rider versus just the rider being on your back.  I started to feel strongly that Limra and I needed to get to know each other better through problem solving a variety of obstacles.  The purpose of desensitization work is not to get our horses used to everything so much as being able to troubleshoot together as a team.  The idea is that we can never introduce our horses to everything scary in the world but we can practice learning to process scary things.  A lot of this is learning to be curious with the guidance of the handler and learning to down regulate more intense emotions when they come out. 

I began by introducing the quintessential horsemanship obstacle - the tarp.  I began by setting it up in such a way that Limra could circle around me and either go in-between the tarp and the wall of the round pen or stay closer to me and go over the tarp.  I drew her onto the tarp and when she had her front feet on it I immediately went to her and rubbed her to reward her for her bravery.  Then I started to ask her to circle me and walk over the tarp as well as change directions and go back and forth over it.   I slowly unfolded the tarp so that it became bigger.  Limra handled this like a pro!

Limra was quite curious and definitely wanted to sniff and paw the tarp so I always allowed her moments to explore it while also asking her to not get too distracted and stay tuned in to me and keep moving forward over the object.  

I then went ahead and picked up the tarp and started dragging it away and letting her follow it.  Limra immediately took to following it and although she was at times apprehensive.  She seemed to quickly start to enjoy the idea of chasing the tarp.  Then I started to introduce her to the idea of touching her with the tarp.  I was too aggressive with it in the beginning and Terral really pushed me to go more slowly and start at the shoulder with gentle pressure and then retreat instantly if she showed any acceptance.  After she was ok with it at the shoulder I started to work my way back.  She ended up allowing me to touch her down the length of her body with it.  

Since the tarp obstacle went so well I decided to go ahead and introduce the gym mat.  We use this gym mat as a proprioception training tool so I thought it would be both a good obstacle to try but also a potential training tool from a physiological perspective in the future.  Limra decided to explore it right away and without me really asking she began sniffing and pawing it.  She was less willing to walk over it and did drift out several times but I just kept her changing directions and circling and then tried stepping back more and driving her over it.  She did start walking over it but I think the instability of the mat was making her insecure (it makes them wobbly which can be disconcerting for young horses).  I wanted to find a moment where she would stop on top of the mat but I had trouble getting to her quick enough before she would walk off.  I ended up splitting my whips to draw her and funnel her to a stop.  In the end Limra did end up standing on it calmly both crosswise and lengthwise.

I finished off the session by working further on the introduction of the rider.  I began by bellying up from both sides and hanging over her back.  Limra got slightly irritated with me and Terral and I guessed it might be because of the way I was banging on her back when I was trying to jump up on her.  I went and got a small stool so that I didn’t have to jump and she seemed much happier.  Using the stool I was also able to swing my leg over her back more and practice laying my body more lengthwise across her back.  

I think one thing I find very curious is that Limra seems to have a different reaction to new things inside the round pen in the context of our sessions versus outside the round pen.   Outside the round pen I’ve seen her have some pretty big spooks/reactions to new objects simply when we are leading her in and out to pasture.  I expected more of that type of reaction in this session so I find it very interesting that she was so calm and curious.