Pollys training regime has become very important as she had ulcers already I am fully aware to keep training as relaxed and stress free as possible.
So easing her back into work slowly and as gently as I can is first and foremost. When I have sensitive souls in, I always que and teach them with hand signals. I find picking up a lunge whip can sometimes stress a horse before you have even asked anything. I'm not bashing lunge whips they can be one of the best aids to clarify communication ๐
Polly picked this up just from our session today and was able to stay calm and relaxed the whole time.
#liberty #horse #horsetraining #backing #horseriding
Apple cider vinegar benefits ๐ ๐
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Something occurred to me,I never really post what I have done or do with my own horses, this was a clip taken a few years ago practicing a performance we had to do for a show in the cotswolds. This is Vulcan my beautiful gentle friesian stallion.
This was one reason I came away from performing and went back to working with problem horse, sometimes people have high demands that I wasn't prepared to put on my horses, but through leaving that part of my life I have built a wonderful business helping you guys with your horses ๐
Here's is your reminder, you can be LEADER without having to be "THE BOSS " or the " ALPHA"
๐๐๐๐๏ธI LOVE BLOCK TRAINING๐๐๐๐
First day of mounting block training ๐
As you can see,at first she is frustrated as she does not understand what I wanted from her,and was sure as hell she was not going to stand by the block ๐
but as our session progressed by given her clear signals she finally got it and really relaxed with me.
I use a whip ( I call this my guider it's not there as a weapon but as a extension of my arm )to give her clear signals she can understand, something I see alot is, people talking to their horses and sometimes we can do to much of it and confuse them further. So the way I train is by giving them something visual that they can clearly see and understand ๐
As you can see by the end of the session she was happy to stand by the block after I walk away, keeping in mind this mare has not had anything done with her at all.
She has only been here two days and I much prefer to work them just in a head collar ,as free as possible in the beginning of training so I can form a good bond to build on. I see so many young inexperienced horses being strapped down in beginning of their training journey,its something I firmly disagree with. If they can do it free ( or with minimal tack they can do it with tack) that's my of thinking ๐
#horsetrainer #backing #Arab #horse
To say he is a 2 year old colt you would never believe it , such a level head for a young man ๐
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๏ธA TOUGH LITTLE MARE โ
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(with a kind soul)
This is a lovley little mare I recently got in for backing, however when she came she was very nervous it took the owner and I 1 hour to load her and then a further 30 minutes to try and get her into the stable when she arrived. This mare has not seen a great deal at all, she has only seen the field she has lived in,getting close to her to even work with her was a challenge in its self.
There was times I questioned if she was ready, which i voiced to her owner on many occasions as she was just so nervous and sometimes dangerous. We have to remember they are not machine's and be aware of the pressures that we put on them.
For me it's imperative that they are happy to work with me, I refuse to train with huge amounts of pressure on the horse and unreasonable expectations of them. It's not just the actually backing it's the preparing them for the world around them that also requires time.
With this is mind I spent hours of my day sunrise to sunset working with this mare to earn her trust before anything else, she slowly started to let her guard down and let me in.
Unfortunately I don't have any videos of when she first came , because as you can appreciate letting go to grab my phone or taking a eye of her for a moment was not in my first thoughts. That being said this is the beginning of week 4 and I think she has done fantastic ๐ every horse has its own journey and we MUST remember not to put time lines on them , trust takes time once that is achieved everything will come together โ
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Over the moon with this boy day 2 into his training and he is doing ever so well ๐ not once has he over stepped my boundaries. Super star ๐
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๏ธBOLSHY COLT
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๏ธDay 1.
Any horse that I get in that is crossing their boundaries I work totally free. I use my guider ( whip ) to give clear signals while given them the choice to leave me or stay, so I am not restricting anything they feel they want to do , in most cases because they have no reason to fight me , they are happy to work with me in turn the bolshy attitude seems to fade away ( over time).
This was he first day working with me and working free ,he was totally with me the whole time and never once crossed into my space ๐ so in essence we created a boundary without him even really knowing he was doing so ๐ no stress no drama and a happy boy.
Also this boys owners wanted him to have a job so we have started long reining to keep his young brain busy while he is still maturing.
I do NOT belive in harsh training methods and using force against fire, colts will be colts and understanding this first and foremost is key ๐
I have long held the belief that problem behaviour is only an expression or symptom of a deeper-rooted problem. The challenge for us is to correctly diagnose what is actually going on so we can truly help the horse overcome it. I believe that too many horses are unfairly labeled as problems when really they are just misunderstood and in pain.
While I appreciate her behaviour Is not explosive the expressions are there ! How many people would put this down to behaviour and proceed to put them through more stressful training when they are already telling us the best way they can?
Iv had so many clients been told by a professional their horse isn't in pain and just needs a firmer rider/is lazy/taking the mickey/trying it on/just weak, and it turns out their horse is in fact in pain on further investigation.
Training should never look like a battle I cannot understand why we are watching these horses struggle with training only to be shocked further down the line when we find pathology.
You know your horse best. You know what is normal and that little voice telling you that your horse is not ok, is probably right. I donโt know why so many people try to convince you otherwise. Remember many people, including a lot of equine professionals have never studied horse behaviour in any capacity, so to suggest that a behaviour definitely means X, Y and Z without backing it up with evidence is dangerous and pushing a horse that has already given you the warnings will only end in a accident so please stop and listen.
This girl was lucky her owner knew her ๐
#horsetraining #problemhorse #equestrian #backing
Leo enjoying a lead from Vulcan today , Leo is really laid back and keeping things different and fun is a massive part of his training plan.
Leo gets board easily in the school so working out in the open really helps to keep him stimulated ๐
ULCERS โ๏ธ ULCERS โ๏ธ ULCERS โ๏ธ
This is why it's so important we listen to them whisper before it becomes a scream.
Because polly is still young and uneducated ,her signs could of been mistaken or taken as being naughty and pushed through it in the wrong hands I'm pleased we have found the answers to help this little girl ๐
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