"Join Up"

[Shazza]

Okay, we pegged out a nice 16 yard square at the bottom of the paddock.

Read all the books, lead horse into square, first things first, shooe horse away.

Nope - he just stood there looking at me.

Okay spin lead rope and whoop.

Nope - he just ate the grass.

My horse is not frightened of me, I stood face to face, made myself look big and growled at him and he just stood there and looked at me. ( I can throw plastic bags around, do star jumps and shout, help).

How do you get him to back off, before he can submit and then allow him to come to you.

Waiting on advise.

Regards Sharon

[floppy]

hehe soudn sliek its yoru horse trying to ge tyou to join up with him/her nto the other way around!
could if be the fact tha tyou doing it grass or doesnt this matter? i know my haflinger will only eat grass and if you try and get her to move she gets annoye dbut maintains munching her grass..

[Bootyfulcobs]

yeah, you could try her in a sand school or something - or cover the grass in a bed of straw...she might munch on that tho! does she ignore you like this when you're handling her generally or is she boisterous round you?- Carolyn :)

[Outrider]

"Join Up" is used with a horse that is unwilling to do what is asked of it or is in the early stages of initial training. It is used with a horse that doesn't care to be around humans that much and hasn't learned to respect or feel a desire to "need" the human. It isn't necessary for a horse already saddle broken and it isn't surprising that your horse won't move off. Think about it. You are wanting him to move away from you so he will come back to you and join up? He already HAS joined up and thinks of you as the dominant. If you can throw plastic bags around and all the other things, I would say you have a very gentle animal. It isn't join up you need to be doing. He is past that. If you persist in trying to get him to be afraid of you, he may come to resent you and then you have a real problem that will take more than "join up" to fix. Move on to training him to do something specific. Good luck and Happy Trails!

[Wally]

Sounds like Fat Cob!

[Shazza]

I agree entirely with you, but you know what its like, you read all these things and think yea I have a go at that.

Henry is really very good when I am around him. I call him when I go to the field to feed him, and once he sees me, he canters from one end of the field to me to be feed. He will generally move over when I tell him and in the stable he will wait until I tell him he can have his feed (this is only possible with a very short delay - but it is a delay).

When he is feeding in the field, I can lift all his legs and clean all his hoofs, put on and take off his rug and generally he stands still.

He loves being massaged and before I tried to join up, I had spent 20 minutes just running my fingers over him, he actually moved along the bank that I was standing on, to show me which area he wanted scratching.

I think that maybe he has joined up, but I think he thinks he is still boss sometimes.

Regards

Shazza, (totally enjoying learning about my new friend Henry)

[Outrider]

Needing join up is one thing. Thinking HE is the boss is something else and doesn't require join up, it just requires you to be firm, look him in the eye and let him know what you will and won't tolerate. He has already joined up with you by evidence of his actions. When he does things you don't like, then disipline him appropriately. Happy Trails!

[fionahogg]

You could try doing some Parelli Natural Horsemanship and some TTouch if you want to strengthen the bond you seem to have formed with him? The PNH would also encourage him to see you as boss!

Fiona