Look at this! Today we were working on cone-to-cone walking and he started walking slower and look how low he put his head down! It was amazing!
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I should follow unless you are offering to help pay for training.
โข This is a WILD horse. He may look calm because I work to keep him under threshold, but he is NOT a tame horse! He only accepts touch on his body in certain places and on certain days.
โข I do not own the property and am limited to changes that I can make to the space.
โข I am working with a professional and am a professional myself.
โข I welcome ideas and suggestions from people who have followed our progress in its entirety (since May
Swagger is doing really well with his cone-to-cone leading! It's helping him be confident where we are going next! He's starting to match steps with me, on his good side!
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I should follow unless you are offering to help pay for training.
โข This is a WILD horse. He may look calm because I work to keep him under threshold, but he is NOT a tame horse! He only accepts touch on his body in certain places and on certain days.
โข I do not own the property and am limited to changes that I can make to the space.
โข I am working with a professional and am a professional myself.
โข I welcome ideas and suggestions from people who have followed our progress i
Everyone talks about needing to build topline, but no one really says how. I think a horse walking and moving forward like this, is one way to start!
In this video, I show Khaleesi putting her head down low on the lunge line and then Khaleesi putting her head down under saddle.
I used clicker training and very gentle pressure and release to train this on the ground first.
This horse is extremely careful about his feet. This is from yesterday, right when I started doing pedestal work with Swagger. I haven't done pedestal stuff with Swagger since February.
Watch as he tries to figure out how to lift his hind feet high enough to get them on the pedestal.
Notice how he looks around behind himself to see where his feet are.
I make sure to keep feeding him, to make sure he doesn't get frustrated with the process. You can see him working through the puzzle, even though he has food he is chewing.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I should follow unless you are offering to help pay for training.
โข This is a WILD horse. He may look calm because I work
Don't blink, or you'll miss it!
Check out my newly painted pedestal! I haven't done pedestal work with Swagger since February this year. I needed to repaint it and reattach the top, so we haven't done any work with the pedestal until today. Look at how much control he has of his body!
He's very comfortable putting his front legs on the pedestal and resting the 3rd on the top, but isn't quite confident enough to put all 4 feet on until today.
Swagger is so brave and careful!
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I should follow unless you are offering to help pay for training.
โข This is a WILD horse. He may look calm because I work to keep him under threshold, but he is NOT a
Magic...
Magic is...
Magic is trust
Trust is allowing touch
Magic is morning light
Making everything beautiful
Magic...
Magic is...
Magic is Swagger
Swagger waiting for me to walk up
Magic is gentle touches
I'm the morning light
Magic...
There is magic here
No matter how long this takes
No matter how many hours
No matter where we end up
These moments are magic
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I should follow unless you are offering to help pay for training.
โข This is a WILD horse. He may look calm because I work to keep him under threshold, but he is NOT a tame horse! He only accepts touch on his body in certain places and on certain days.
โข I do not own the property and am limi
Why I use sweet feed in my training
High and low value food reinforcers.
Also known as "Ivy explains, again, why she uses sweet feed when training Swagger".
In this video (audio on), I show you why one horse needs high value food (sweet feed mix) and another horse needs low value food reinforcers (timothy pellets).
In the same day, I worked with Swagger who disengages from training if the food is too low value and then worked with my mare who gets over aroused/excited when I use too high value food.
Both horses are being trained with Positive Reinforcement (Clicker training) and both need very different food reinforcers to have the best training session possible.
Feel free to reach out to Michelle at Essential Animal Training for virtual lessons!
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following
Swagger - August 14
Moving from station to station
This was during a lesson with Essential Animal Training . Leslie McDevitt uses similar patterns.
TURN ON AUDIO; I explain what I am working on with Swagger.
The goal is to move from station to station. Each station has varying degrees of difficulty. This is only the 3rd day working on this with Swagger, so nothing was very difficult. The goal is to be able to make the circle wider and wider and have Swagger walk with me from one station to the next.
The stations are the easy parts for him, which is why I spend so much time at stations. The walking and moving with me is the hard part.
---
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I shou
Some more great moments from Khaleesi!
She is a 20 year old Tennessee walking horse mare who is VERY pacey! I have been slowly rehabbing her to help her build good muscles and learn to gait. Part of that process has been gradually training her to lower her head at the walk on the lunge line and while leading. We have been doing great at the walk, but going faster than the walk has been eluding us.
Today she started to get it! She started lowering her head and moving faster than a walk! I am using a lot of Positive Reinforcement training to help her be confident about head down.
The goal is to be able to have her move at walk/trot/canter with her head low. For horses like her, it can take a long time to change the movement from high head and pacey to head down and gaiting/trotting.
#hopteammcswagger
๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐?
๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐?
๐ด๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
๐ด๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
๐ด๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,
๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ'๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
Follow me to watch Swagger's training progress.
More head down work with Khaleesi. If you have a pacey horse, your goal is to be able to get them to walk with the head down like this while leading and lunging.
Another BREAKTHROUGH!
This video is after an hour of training/virtual lesson with Michelle Martiya. At then end of this normal speed video is the sped up version of the full lesson, so you can see how hesitant Swagger is at the beginning.
The goal was to get Swagger to follow me from one "station" to the next. Today we change a ton of things in Swagger's pen. I added obstacles he's familiar with, but never used in this pen. I set up his carpet, two cones, mat for standing on, and ball (which we didn't really use because the baby next door moved it around.
In this video, you see me feeding at the different stations, and offering the target to give him something to do at each station. I would then walk to the next station and repeat. At the beginning, he was too worried to move smoothly from one station to the next, but in this segment, he finally got! It was amazing!
----
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the
Sound on, as I explain the process of what I'm doing.
Pivoting and following me. Swagger had another breakthrough day. The day started out with Swagger seeming to not want to try harder at anything, but once I really increased the rate of reinforcement, he got more relaxed.
Near the end of the session, he offered a new behavior! As I "called" him off the carpet and then returned to the carpet, he started to offer to pivot with me rather than do his usual circle and come back!
This is amazing for Swagger! In all of the training, following me and/or walking with me has been something that Swagger is very afraid of.
Thanks, Michelle, for a great lesson!
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommen
Khaleesi - day 7
This is the 7th day working on Khaleesi's gait using the four poles in a pinwheel patter, both riding and lunging.
I'm blown away with her progress! This is a mare who is/was very, very, VERY pacey! She is now starting to gait with out having to go over the poles!
Notice how often I stop. Notice how short this session is. Notice how I keep each gait movement short, rather than asking for too much! These are key things about training any horse to gait.
I'm training Khaleesi to do a smooth saddle rack.
Protected contact
Swagger is unique. I say this all the time.
Many wild horses are very comfortable with protected contact (barrier between horse and human). Often the fence makes the horse feel more safe and you can do a lot of training this way.
Swagger has always been very scared of training through fences and in fact, it took months and months before he would even take food from my hand through a fence.
He is still wary of working through a fence, so I started yesterday's training session by sitting and feeding. You see me offer my hand for Swagger to touch? That is just continuing his target training.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 200 hours over the 15 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT recommend a trainer I should follow unless you are offering to
Hoof care when you can't handle a horse's hooves: With Swagger needing extra time and me not wanting to rush him to get his hooves trimmed, how I manage his hooves is a big concern of mine.
I got lots of suggestions of putting down rocks and making areas muddy, but both are not feasible for our situation. Water is $$$ by the gallon and I am boarding at a barn and unable to change his environment much.
However, I want to thank Deb Carlson and Kayti Curtis for their suggestion of using a carpet that has been wetted down!!! When read this suggestion, I knew I was going to do this with Swagger!
Summers are hot and dry here in Texas and hooves get too hard to break off (or self trim). Michelle Martiya is often telling me that it is the wet/dry cycle that will help Swagger's hooves chip off.
Over the last week, I have been working with Swagger to get him comfortable standing on the carpet, which he did really well at.
Today, during my lesson with Michelle Martiya, I decided we would wet the carpet down and see how he did. He didn't mind the water at all! I got him to stand on the wet carpet for at least 30 minutes today!
Not only will this allow his hooves to naturally chip on their own, but it will help his front hooves to be softer when I trim them (which I can do already).
I'm excited to see how this new "tool", combined with the hoof marvel, will help our hoof care. I am also training in a "new" area of the pen, making Swagger more nervous than he usually is. You can see this at work near the end, when we change directions, which is a huge change in criteria for him.
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๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐
Look closely or you might miss it!
Swagger learns a new behavior. During a lesson with Michelle Martiya , she directed me to place my hand on his withers and, through gradual repetition, give a slight traction pull toward me and then away from me. This took about 15 minutes and Swagger was actually totally fine with the feel of my fingers gently pulling and gently pushing.
You can see him leaning with my gentle pressure on his withers.
The goal is body awareness, balance, and, eventually, helping him stand square.
Also, notice the carpet he is standing on? We are training that behavior to be able to have him stand in the wet carpet to help his hooves soften.
-๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
โขSwagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 180 hours over the 14 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please do NOT rec
Why should you go slowly? Because some horses need you to.
In this video from August 3rd, you can see Swagger do two big spooks, seemingly out of nowhere.
Swagger is a horse that is very wary and can move very quickly! When he spooks, this floods his body with adrenaline and more cortisol, which make it hard for him to relax. There is no benefit to his training in trying to make him spook.
Because of this, when working on new or harder things, I move slower rather than faster. As movements become easier for him, I move closer to normal speed.
The goal is to build resilience through trust and repetition. Many domestic horses and some wild ones learn this VERY fast. Swagger has little reason to trust people and reacts according to his need to feel safe.
The goal is not to always be tentative around him, but to keep him under threshold. The goal is to grow his threshold so we can do more and more with him.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง-๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ $๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐: https://gofund.me/909cd1ad
๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐.
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โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
Rhythm... patience... kindness...
Positive reinforcement/R+/clicker training
A lot of people see me feeding Swagger food and all they see is someone feeding a horse treats. What they don't see is the training and bonding that is happening when I am using food reinforcers.
I am not just feeding food for fun, but to build Swagger's trust and train behaviors.
One of the methods to training with R+ is to use rhythm to build resilience. Here you see me working on Swagger's left side. This is the hard side, by far. He struggles with me even standing on his left and has only recently allow touches on his left side.
He is very sensitive to any touches farther up on his neck, towards his poll. This is the farthest up on his neck on the left side I have touched.
The goal is to start where it's easy and do many easy repetitions and then one slightly harder repetition and then easy and then harder until the slightly harder one becomes easy.
This method lets the horse stay calm and under threshold. I learned this method from Michelle Martiya .
In the horse training world, we are used to seeing horses pushed over threshold, pushed until they move their feet. I am trying to train Swagger in a way that pushes his comfort zone, but never puts him over threshold, where he feels he has to move. Of course, I don't do it perfectly and Swagger might lean away or ever spook away, but he is getting braver and braver and stands his ground more and more.
These moments are beautiful to me.
โข Swagger is a very unique, feral horse.
โข Please resist the urge to offer suggestions. I know there are many techniques that work well for wild/feral horses, but this is the path I have chosen for myself and Swagger.
I have worked with Swagger for 180 hours over the 14 months I've had him.
โข I am NOT looking for help, unless you are willing to come to Fort Worth and work with me in person and/or you have been following our journey since Summer 2023.
โข Please d
