Porcipine Game #2 - Hardest Game

[Ashleymac87]

i have been doing the porcipine game with my horse but am not getting anywhere fast.
when i am moving him backwards with the carrot stick via his chest, he uses his nose to knock the stick so i can't keep it on his chest. i have been able to get a couple of backwards steps out of him but then the next time he will knock the stick. his other trick is to walk sideways of of the stick instead of backwards.

do you think its ok to move on and to move the forequarters and hinquarters and just keep doing a little bit of each or do i need to get the backwards movement right first?

and also would moving on to the next games be the wrong thing to do?

[Carmen]

No, moving onto the next games isn't the wrong thing to do.

Sounds like your horse is a lovely cheeky sod who loves games! So moving on would be fine. You'll probably find that the more games you play, the better he'll become at game 2.

Tip: Try standing him parallel againts a fence and have a jump the other side of his body - parallel to him aswell, then ask for him to go backwards. If he moves one way he hits the jump or the otherway and he'll hit the fence. You'll also find that your playing the squeeze game too!

Your horse is just playing games with you. Don't panic or get frustrated by it. Learn by it. All he's doing is just wanted to have fun, play and smiling at you.

Good luck

[Ashleymac87]

Thankyou so much, wish i could of thought of it myself lol.
I will try what you said tonight and see how it goes.

thankyou!

[Carmen]

Thats ok. Let us know how it goes.

Jo

[Ashleymac87]

Hi again,

i tried the doing the game inbetween a jump and the wall i did get 2 packups but he didn't like standing in between the two.
so i took him away and continued with moving the forquarters and hindquaters and he was great.
i really felt like i made some progress today, so thankyou.
i will look at the next game now and keep trying to improve the porcipine game as i go along.

i guess it also helped that it was the first non-windy day we have had in weeks. i just hope that continues

[LodgeRopes]

Question: Does level one now suggest you start with the carrot stick on the chest for a back up in game#2 ???
Boy, that makes it a little harder for someone starting out, especially as most newbies jump ahead thru the games quickly without getting the previous game to an acceptable standard (I know we did :D)

To set ourselves up with a fair chance of success, we always started with the fingers tips on the nose , under the halters noseband, for the first attempts at getting the horse to give a desired response to a specific application of pressure. Most horses, even those that are still reacting to the friendly game, have had hands on their face at some stage, so you tend not to get a strong opposition reflex. To some extent your hand can be used to guide the horse, but remember the aim is to get get the horse to consistantly give to pressure, once this is is consistant, then ask for more and eventually ask for more with less pressure. If this goes well, it makes moving the horse with implied pressure much easier later on.

We are probably out of touch these days....Sharon did level one 12 years ago so much may have changed.

good luck
Rob

[Ashleymac87]

Question: Does level one now suggest you start with the carrot stick on the chest for a back up in game#2 ???

yes it says start with the chest to move backwards and use the carrot stick, than the forquarters, then hindquarters, then nose to move backwards .

It says you are only going to move zones 1,2,3 and 4 to begin with.

[shakey rider]

Hiya, my experience of this is that:
Its all about the try....
And the release.....

If your horse just even moves his leg a bit, then release the pressure straight a way, then a bit more next time and so on. Dont' try and ask too much straight away. Maybe just one step back and then move on to something else and come back to it later.

Also, I dont think that you have to use your carrot stick, I agree that it is much easier for them to get away from. If you feel safe enough to do so, I would try using your fingers in a porqupine shape. Go up through your phases and then hold at phase four (enough to make it uncomfortable). You might be waiting a while but eventually he will move and he thinks it is him who has released the pressure!
Hope this helps:)

[Ashleymac87]

hi shakey rider,

After he has tried everything else, my horse tends to raise his leg as an attempt to get the stick away, then he moves. so i would rather keep myself out of his way. but i will start to use my fingers for the other zones as he is responding pretty well to the porcupine game in thoses areas.

And yes I have been practising quick release, but its a hard thing to get used to doing. theres so much to remember when you first start.

thanks your your post
:)

[Ashleymac87]

I contacted a parelli instructor the other day and she said to move on and play all the games. And that I will find that game #2 will improve by playing the other games.

[shakey rider]

yes your right, it's like learning to drive a car again!!!

I find the smiling thing hardest to do. Its amazing that even a smile can just be a release to some horses.

I must look really doing the mother in law look!

You do right to stay safe.

[Ashleymac87]

i normally forget to smile and look like a mother in law. but when its going well its hard not to smile. lol

[kturner]

i have been at parelli 5 years now and have a very dominant pony. he REALLY voices his opinion about everything all the time. i con him into doing the games 24/7.

when i go in his stable, i (still use my voice), press gently in between his chest,

press his nose back gently if it is over the door before i go in,

chest again to move back from a haynet if adding another one on the same ring.

press his front away to get wheelbarrow past, (that is usually a look and "move away" head nod if i cant reach,

same going past his bum,

move him sometimes before each foot picking, just a little, as if i am telling him move up a bit i cant reach, (what a con artist i am)

going through gates and stable doors gives you plenty of opportunity

when going out the stable we do a large half circle game to close the door, (no reason to o this of course)


You see, I find when I do the games in a proper session, he get very "i dont want to". He is a small pony, and still nips,bushes me out the way if he cant reach a haynet etc, I have to put my foot down with him quite a bit. So when we play the games, no matter how hard i try to make it fun, he just keeps saying, you have been pushing me around for 5 years, in the same direction and i am fed, or not that again,

we are doing level 2, he loves doing everything at liberty, he really comes alive and plays then,changing direction on circles, and we have a play and chase, wth me pressing him around front, back and rear.

there are lots of opportunities to do these things out of a lesson.

my favourite is because i am disabled, when i get off, i press his neck and say head down, because i put my left leg over his head and slide down his right shoulder. so far i have not been knocked off with him putting his head up. i think this gives PURPOSE to the head down etc. and everything else we do in the games should have a PURPOSE then he doesnt mind!

i would love comments of overcoming his opposition reflexes if anyone can, he was feral and gelded at 4 . 9 now (Might be the probllem, although it is probably me)

[kturner]

just a funny story about quick release. besides putting your hand on a hot stove to find out how quick it should be.......

after about an hour of brushing with a body brush in the head last year, i touched him with my hand and we both got an electric shock!!! (like you get from your car door in summer sometimes)


he shot away to the back of the stable, i went flat against the wall, and we just stared at each other

it took quite a while for either of us to feel relaxed again, i was too scared in case the electricicty was not out my body or his coat, he was scared of my hands. it is funny now of course.

so theirs quick release for you!