Change of Bend at Liberty
Very far from perfect. Just asking some questions and seeing what he says. Tao struggles a lot crossing his hind legs - always has. Really pleased with his effort here and calm response. This is very much a work in progress and the first time in many months I’ve asked the question. It’s a lot for them at liberty, real brain work as well as bodywork and I’m only asking for little bits as he’s still coming back into work. #liberty #libertytraining #horsemanship #horsetraining #clickertraining
Wait and Push
Love this happy video of Nikki and Pudz today 🤩 Starting to put together chains of behaviour. Wait, walk forwards & push 😂 Nikki is already preparing for next years client Halloween video. Again, it may seem like a pointless trick to some, but it’s cognitively enriching for Pudsy as well as being very useful to teach them to wait (at roads, the mounting block, on the yard, on the lorry, opening gates etc). The push is less useful, more fun 😂 Thanks for letting me share, Nikki. #clickertraining #liberty #libertytraining #horsemanship #horsetraining #horse
Happy Halloween 🎃
Happy Halloween! 👻 🎃 Imagine opening your door to Tao 😂.
This may seem like a ‘silly trick’ and some people might wonder what the benefit of teaching it is?
Firstly, it’s fun and cute! (No-one can disagree with this 😂).
Secondly, if we break it down, it’s not just one behaviour. It’s a chain. ‘Stand, wait, walk forward, pick up bucket, hold bucket, put bucket down’ - CLICK and reward. There are many useful and practical behaviours there that make more sense to a horse when you give them purpose and it makes it easier for them to generalise.
Thirdly, it’s enriching and confidence building for horses to do things like this and relationship building too. Tao really seems to enjoy this type of thing.
#halloweenvideo #horse #horsetraining #clickertraining #spooky #cleverhorse #funnyanimalvideo #horse
Lucy & Burley Archery
Lucy was told this couldn’t be done with positive reinforcement 💁♀️. It took time and hard work on Lucy’s part. We started in March. Burley is a very sensitive pony and can have big fear reactions so we knew it was a big ask, but Lucy also knew he would love horseback archery and I think she’s right. I can’t wait to see them proving everyone wrong! Good training (for the horse) should be boring - no big reactions, no drama. Thinly sliced in chunks they can cope with. This not only builds confidence, but the relationship too as they associate you with nice experiences. I absolutely love working on new things like this and having clients who put the work in and are willing to put their horse first, taking time to reach the end goal at the horse’s pace. Well worth the wait. Burley listens intently to Lucy’s ‘ready’ cue, which tells him what is about to happen, so it isn’t a shock. Love this partnership. A huge well done, Lucy. So happy for you, you deserve it and have worked really hard. (SD - systematic desensitisation. CC - counter conditioning) #horsebackarchery #horsemanship #horsetraining #clickertraining #kindtraining #evidencedbasedtraining #newforestpony #rewardbasedtraining
Bill Spanish Walk
Spanish horse or Welsh D? 🤔🤩 I just love Bill’s confidence and clear enjoyment of this movement 💥💪🏻 If Emma even vaguely makes a suggestion he gives a big YES. Such an impressive and expressive Spanish walk (especially compared to Tao’s 😂) but even more so when Bill has PSSM. Well done Emma and Bill. It’s been amazing to watch this develop. #spanishwalk #horsetraining #horsemanship #bitless #bitlessriding #joyinmovement #welshd
Christmas Events🎄
CHRISTMAS EVENTS! 🎄
Hi All,
I’m thinking of hiring an indoor arena for a day in December, where I can set up Christmas themed obstacles. So you can put all you have learnt into practise and have a fun/ relaxed trip out. Would this be of interest 😃? Pairs and groups an option too, but if you want to do liberty or bridleless work, it would have to be a private (could potentially do a 30 minute slot).
My next question is, can anyone suggest an indoor arena for hire, please? 🙏🏻 Location doesn’t matter too much as could potentially do a couple of these in different areas if there is the demand. Doesn’t need to be a big/ flashy arena but ideally under cover as if it’s wet or windy the obstacles will be flapping around/ falling over. Much nicer to be indoors too 😅🎄 I have my agility arch now and some new obstacles that will only be used for clinics/ camps or days like these as they take so long to set up.
On another note: Save the date - Tuesday 10th December, Liz has kindly offered to host a Christmas meet up for my clients. Come for drinks and nibbles at her place in Churt. 6.30pm-8pm. No charge, just a chance to catch up with like-minded people 😊 all welcome! More info nearer the time.
Katie and Barney
So proud of these two! Katie has done amazingly well with Barney who is a very sensitive boy and had some anxiety in the school and also with learning. You wouldn’t have known it in our session yesterday. So impressed by his progress and what he is able to cope with now 🤩 We introduced the hip target in our last session and I was blown away by the progress Katie had made. The first time we asked him for haunches in using the hip target cue, he just got it 💡 clever boy! No whip, stick or extension of the arm needed - especially for an anxious horse, it means he can be confident about what he’s being asked because he understands to move his bottom towards Katie’s hand, rather than trying to move away from a stick. The emotional response is completely different. He wants to do it and knows no pressure will be added or escalated if he gets it wrong, which has built his confidence to try 💪🏻. He’s such a sensitive boy. Truly a pleasure to watch his self- confidence grow and also his skills, he’s very talented. Well done, Katie!! #cob #liberty #horsemanship #horsetraining #clickertraining #clickertrainingwithhorses
This is how subtle signs of discomfort can be. Tao knows how to lunge. I wanted to get some footage for my vet last Thursday as I felt he still wasn't OK. Tao enjoys lunging because I don't do it very often, and when I do, I make it very rewarding. He was happy to move on the left rein, but when I came to ask on the right, he walked off to the mirror. This is a very clear 'no'. I asked him to walk on as it's not very helpful for my vet if he can't see him move. Tao did the same thing at the arena door, walking away rather than out onto a circle. He knows there is no punishment or repercussions for saying no, so he does. For so many horses, 'no' is not an option.
Today, Tao had his vet visit and guess what? On ultrasound, his right stifle was inflamed again. No wonder he didn't want to go on the right rein! Behaviour means something. He wasn't being naughty or rude or lazy (not that anyone suggested he was, but how many people would look at this and think that?). He was politely telling me that he would rather not, because it's uncomfortable. It is SO easy to force horses - they are prey animals. I did insist that Tao went on the right rein because it was necessary. His facial expression made it clear he was not happy about it and I took a big withdrawal out of our relationship account to do it. Behaviour and body language are the only way a horse can tell us something is wrong before it's obvious enough to see or compensation has occurred (tightness in muscles), so it can be felt.
If there is a behaviour change, it means something. A lot of the time our intuition tells us this and yet we allow other people to convince us otherwise. I see it all the time and it has happened to me in the past. To me, this is listening to the horse. It is so clear when you know what to look for.
Edit: Just to add, Tao had arthramid in the right stifle today so fingers crossed he is feeling much better soon. Thanks to Tao's vet, Jack for always listening when I say something is wr
New trick for Denni on Saturday ⭐️👏 Love his facial expression and how he calmly waits for his treat, rather than going immediately to Charlotte when she clicks. Training ‘food manners’ is important for success with clicker training. The horse learns that the food comes to them after a click, so they don’t get frustrated or anxious about it. It should be calm and civilised 🥕 This takes work and it’s not always easy initially, but it is so worth it. Denni is the biggest foodie I’ve ever met. So this is particularly impressive. Go, Charlotte 👏 @denni_the_pony #clickertraining #horsemanship #liberty #tricktraining #horsetrainer #cob #cobscan #libertytraining
First Lay Down
So proud 🥰 Amanda and Romeo have been through so much together over the last few years and now it’s all coming together and their progress is insane 🤩 So proud of them. Romeo was so unsettled in this arena a few months ago - it was all new for him and now he’s so chilled. First ever lay down ❤️ he was down for quite a while too and I took some nice photos. This was a clip from the end. Highlight of my job is being able to celebrate these firsts with clients. So happy for you, Amanda. You deserve it so much. #horsemanship #clickertraining #liberty #libertytraining #horsetraining #horsetrainer
Poor Tao is in the wars. On top of still not being quite right behind, he was incredibly lame this morning - not wanting to walk at all and spending most of the morning resting his toe. We suspected an abscess, but wanted to double check and also try and make him more comfortable. Big thanks to Kerry from Equivet for advice over the phone and Rebecca for squeezing us in (and the office for making it happen!). Rebecca found a small hole and cavity (photo in comments), which she opened up enough to try and encourage the abscess to drain. Hopefully it does. He's more comfortable now and happier to walk, but still lame, so is on painkillers. Lots of tubbing and poulticing is on the cards for the next week or so. I'm hoping his next vet visit is the one planned on the 27th (please no more in the meantime, Tao!!). Equivet Mobile Horse Veterinary Services
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