JaniceH
30th Oct 2004, 04:27 PM
Well it went really well :D
I had sent the RA (Recommended Associate) a very long brief history of both Ben and I so she could see what had happened and where I was coming from. We went down to the field to bring him in as Bonita (the RA) wanted to see his reaction to being caught. Ben as normal trotted over and stuck his nose in the headcollar - good boy. We took him to the stable and she checked him over while he was tied up, he had no ouchy bits on his spine or anywhere else. She said she wasnt a qualified back person, but she said that she wanted to make sure he didnt flinch or react badly to if she touched anywhere.
Bonita and I (and her partner who videoed everything) then went alone into the school. She asked me to be the horse, and she was the leader/owner. We went through scenarios of Ben planting and going on ahead/lagging behind and what I should do. Then she laid out some poles in a pattern leaving an L shaped walk through path.
We got Ben out, and the Dually halter in the smallest size didnt fit him. She explained that my rope halter would only pull on his nose and not tighten and release. She said that it needed rings on the side to work him, rather than just one underneath. So for today's lesson we just clipped the lunge line/long line to the side of the nose band.
She worked Ben backing him up with the long line and making him come to her, she walked him around and everytime he didnt stop she bought him round to her and then backed him up until he was in the right place. If he tried to chew the long line she hissed at him and waggled the rope. Then she walked him through the L shape and then backed him up. It obviously took a lot longer than I have just explained it, but then she passed the long line over to me and we went through the whole thing with me doing it. Bonita took the time and effort with me to make sure that I was doing it correctly and making sure that I had totally understood everthing before we went onto the next thing.
She felt that Ben was very green with leading and how to behave around people and that he had just probably been backed without any groundwork to begin with. She felt that even if he didnt make a driving pony then at least I would have been able to fill in some holes with his groundwork and I would be selling him because he didnt like driving rather than because I was frightened of him.
So now I can:
Lead him and know what to do when he walks off ahead.
Lead him and know what to do when he wont turn in the same direction as me.
Lead him and know what to do when he plants. YAY!
Lead him and get him to respect my space.
Get Ben to back up out of my space.
Get Ben to move him bottom out of the way - I was right in that he had never been told to do that.
And making sure that I reward him after every little effort to make sure he knows that he has done something right.
I have got to find a way of altering a normal headcollar to make it a small dually - I have looked at it closely and I can alter a normal headcollar to make that works in exactly the same way.
Bonita is going to send me a copy of the video for me to refer to and is going to keep in contact and come again in a couple of weeks to see how we are getting on.
All in all a very good day with lots of things to work on - and I dont need anyone to be with me to do it.
Good boy Ben - he may be a complete fruit loop but we shall work on it :D
I had sent the RA (Recommended Associate) a very long brief history of both Ben and I so she could see what had happened and where I was coming from. We went down to the field to bring him in as Bonita (the RA) wanted to see his reaction to being caught. Ben as normal trotted over and stuck his nose in the headcollar - good boy. We took him to the stable and she checked him over while he was tied up, he had no ouchy bits on his spine or anywhere else. She said she wasnt a qualified back person, but she said that she wanted to make sure he didnt flinch or react badly to if she touched anywhere.
Bonita and I (and her partner who videoed everything) then went alone into the school. She asked me to be the horse, and she was the leader/owner. We went through scenarios of Ben planting and going on ahead/lagging behind and what I should do. Then she laid out some poles in a pattern leaving an L shaped walk through path.
We got Ben out, and the Dually halter in the smallest size didnt fit him. She explained that my rope halter would only pull on his nose and not tighten and release. She said that it needed rings on the side to work him, rather than just one underneath. So for today's lesson we just clipped the lunge line/long line to the side of the nose band.
She worked Ben backing him up with the long line and making him come to her, she walked him around and everytime he didnt stop she bought him round to her and then backed him up until he was in the right place. If he tried to chew the long line she hissed at him and waggled the rope. Then she walked him through the L shape and then backed him up. It obviously took a lot longer than I have just explained it, but then she passed the long line over to me and we went through the whole thing with me doing it. Bonita took the time and effort with me to make sure that I was doing it correctly and making sure that I had totally understood everthing before we went onto the next thing.
She felt that Ben was very green with leading and how to behave around people and that he had just probably been backed without any groundwork to begin with. She felt that even if he didnt make a driving pony then at least I would have been able to fill in some holes with his groundwork and I would be selling him because he didnt like driving rather than because I was frightened of him.
So now I can:
Lead him and know what to do when he walks off ahead.
Lead him and know what to do when he wont turn in the same direction as me.
Lead him and know what to do when he plants. YAY!
Lead him and get him to respect my space.
Get Ben to back up out of my space.
Get Ben to move him bottom out of the way - I was right in that he had never been told to do that.
And making sure that I reward him after every little effort to make sure he knows that he has done something right.
I have got to find a way of altering a normal headcollar to make it a small dually - I have looked at it closely and I can alter a normal headcollar to make that works in exactly the same way.
Bonita is going to send me a copy of the video for me to refer to and is going to keep in contact and come again in a couple of weeks to see how we are getting on.
All in all a very good day with lots of things to work on - and I dont need anyone to be with me to do it.
Good boy Ben - he may be a complete fruit loop but we shall work on it :D