Sometimes there are disadvantages to having done some NH!!

[Bronya]

Like when you're lungeing, turn around to look at something as the horse comes past your right hand side, the horse momentarily sees your back and thinks, 'oh goodie, I'm allowed in!' and the next thing you know has trotted up to your back and is standing there ready to follow!

Realised what I'd done as soon as I saw her turn in, then let her carry on because, after all, she was being a good girl, it was me who'd made the mistake - d'oh!!

[Yann]

LOL! On the odd occasion I lunge Tess I actually ask her in when I want to change direction :)

[Joyscarer]

Yes NH does keep you on your toes but this only helps to teach that it is quality not quantity that counts.

I used to only do liberty work with Joy but have taken to lunging in preparation for long reining so I can encourage her to work in an out line once she has her balance sorted out :rolleyes:

[mayoguinness]

Yeah I know, I always do this with Mayo :D, have to give him a stroke and then ask him to carry on but its not so much because I turn my back on him as when I ask him to circle round me I pass the rope behind my back, its more that for a second I lose my concentration, and emegitly he recognizes that my energys dropped and comes on in :)

[LodgeRopes]

Bronya,
i see it a little different. This is a big issue that should be addressed. The horse is taking advantage of the situation. You should be able to look around, riverdance or recondition a caravan and the horse should stay out on the circle without changing gait. OK, perhaps forget using power tools on a caravan, but I hope you enjoyed the mental image :)
There is a problem, the horse is not getting it. Go back in the training to a place where the mare is 100% complient, relaxed and on the ball, then you build up from that point. Break it down into individual achievable goals. Seperat ethe work out on the circle from the turn and come in, make them completely seperate issues.(as they do have diferent cues)
If that means you have to keep a little pressure on to keep the horse moving out on the circle as it passes, so be it, but work on clarifying the go cue, then once that is 100% reliable, then work on the turn and come in cues. Most riders tend to meld these 2 seperate actions into one, the willing horse may seek to please by short cutting one in favour of the reward at the end of the 2nd. It only takes one instance of a thought process that says " oh, my timing/position/cue was wrong, so i will let her come in as she was doing it so well",,,,and you have re enforced an incorrect response and it is learnt by the horse. Horses learn from our mistakes really quickly. When i make a mistake, i gently (as I always assume it was my fault/inexperience that caused the mistake, so dont take it out on the horse) put the horse back out on the circle and repeat the exercise correctly three times in each direction. Sometimes a horse will still come in when not asked, i tend to make eye contact and push it back out onto the circle with emotional pressure not physical pressure. This seems to make more of an impact and enforces the correct response and makes the wrong response uncomfortable for the horse, all without a raised vioce, violent action or animated movement. It keeps the horse in the correct sphere of the brain for thought and reasoning, it does not trigger a reactive response based on instinctual flight responses that may cause the training to be interupted while the horse is settled. I dont belive in the technique often used that tends to chase or drive the horse back out onto the circle, as it was a part of a learning process that needs to have correct responses rewarded and incorrect responses repeated till the process of elimination arrives at the desired response which can be rewarded.

I'm still laid up with broken ribs and a puncturerd lung after a training accident with a young gelding, so take my advice with a grain of salt..make that 2 grains of salt..lol
I did learn that in future, I plan to be where the horse aint!

But i do believe the horse needs to get past this issue, and it is an indication of a thought process that is not an ideal situation to foster.,
best of luck

Rob
LodgeRopes

[LodgeRopes]

oooops...forgot one thing,(a little excited at being able to type again..lol)

When we have a horse that comes in unasked, we send them out on a circle as usual, but if the horse anticipates the cue and starts to come in, we send it off in the opposite direction and then change directions more frequently.
This tends to get the horse listening not anticipating.