Pepper's training part one!

[Sparklie]

Hopefully you've all met Pepper now if not this thread: http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80054 pretty much explains it all.

I'm sharing Pepper with my friend and we're hoping to get her to like humans again and to want to be ridden. Today was her first lesson...

Yesterday my friend caught Pepper in to check her wound. She caught fine but dragged poor Robin when she tried to bring her in and it took several attempts. She then stood happily while she checked her wound and then did the dragging thing again on the way back to the field. Poor Robin was just about dragged over and Pepper ended up running away with her leadrope attached :rolleyes: luckily she caught again no problem and looked rather guilty. Think it was fear making her run, I have a sneaking suspision that this pony has been belted a few times :(

So today I went and caught her in. I've ordered a pressure halter for her groundwork training but don't have it now she had to do with wrapping the leadrope over her nose to create a makeshift pressure halter. I walked her in asking her to halt every few steps and she was really good. I then asked her to stand while I talked to another livery, impaitient madame stamped her feet, attempted to rear and tried to drag me. One tug on the headcollar and she had second thoughts and stood quietly while I talked...well done Pepper, lots of pats.

Gave her a quick groom which she enjoyed and then took her in the indoor arena and attempted join up. I really didn't think that she'd go for it being a stubborn Welshy but I turned her away and chased her off with my body language and she pranced away snorting. Soon she asked to come back and as soon as I dropped my 'sending away' stance she was by my side, warm breath on my arm :) She followed me around but after a bit turned her back on me so I sent her away again. 2 minutes later and she wanted to be back glued to me...I invited her back and she didn't move more than a foot away again. She followed me over the poles that were out in the school and trotting after me when I jogged. Super good girl :D

Cleaned her wound as best I could and attached the leadrope as before to turn her out. I needn't have worried though, she knew the score now and walked on a loose rope into the field and waited til I'd detached the leadrope before trotting off to her friends. Lesson one seemed to go well

[Pink's lady]

Sounds like she's a quick learner, which is fab, and doesn't hold previous bad treatment against humans. :D

Have you considered clicker training? It's dead easy to do and most of them really enjoy it. You can take it as far as you want - all the way to schooling them ridden with it or just leave it as a bit of fun. Teaching her to touch a target (i.e a bottle securly taped to the end of a stick or similar) gives you something to work at.

Or even just use it as a reward - once she's accosicated click with treat, it's a lovely and easy way to reward good behaviour. It just eliminated that gap between the good behaviour and the reward, making timing easier and helps her understand which specific behaviour you're after.

[peeweesgal]

Aww bless! I'm so glad she was a good girl and treated you like a friend!:p

Sarah x

[neen]

Hooray, diary of Pepper's training! See, *this* is why I said you should get her -- so I could read the diary!

Sounds like you're off to a flying start and I can't wait to read the next installment. Keep them coming!

[domane]

Oh Hoooo-ray! What a lovely start. Well done and such a lovely account of it..

Can we have regular updates please...?

Can we?

Can we?

:D :D :D

[Sparklie]

Domane...of course you can have regular updates. Neen would obviously stamp her feet at lot if you didn't get them!!

Pink's Lady...that's definately something to try. I hadn't thought of clicker training but what a fab idea. I'm sure there's a book out there with the kind of exercises you can do and that comes with a clicker...will hunt it down!

She flinched a few times when I moved too fast and once when the end of the leadrope touched her side so I think she's definately been given a few firm smacks at some point :( it's such a shame as she's so friendly and good. All of her naughty behaviour...she knows it's naughty!! She went to nip in the stable (didn't touch me, just threatened) and then turned away quickly and gave me a really guilty look...she's not daft. She learned really quickly that she can't get away from me if she feels like it...I don't let go of the leadrope ;)

I'm so so pleased with her today. With a few manners and a bit of education behind her I just know she's going to be a fabulous little pony. Now to save up to afford to buy her haha

ETA: can't wait to get a decent video of her movement...her trot is super cute, she just floats!!

[neen]

Neen would obviously stamp her feet at lot if you didn't get them!!

It's true! (Note to Fluke: if you are reading this on the internet-enabled PC I suspect you've got hidden away in the corner of your field, this does not make it okay for you to stamp *your* feet when asked to stand still. Do as I say, not as I do.)

[Pink's lady]

Pink's Lady...that's definately something to try. I hadn't thought of clicker training but what a fab idea. I'm sure there's a book out there with the kind of exercises you can do and that comes with a clicker...will hunt it down!

Robinsons do probably one of the best clicker training book for £20 and it's well worth it. Or have a scout on the internet of the title. Clicker cost £1.50 from them too - but buy a couple cos you will loose them ;)

[Sparklie]

Interesting day with Pepper today...she's not as nervous as I thought.

Walked to the field today to find all 3 horses (she's out with 2 horses bigger than her who she follows about like a lost foal!) in the top corner. Pepper spotted us and I didn't even have to shout her, she just plodded her way over to be caught, I really smiled at this, she wanted to come in and play :D not bad for a pony who wouldn't catch previously. Did the 'leadrope wrapped over the nose' thing again and Pepper is clever enough to know that she can't run away when I do this. Led her straight into her stable and gave her a quick groom which she enjoyed, she seesm to love the attention.

Took her into the indoor with the intention of lunging her...well that was interesting! Attached to lunge line onto her headcollar and she snorted at it. So Robin took hold of her headcollar and led her round while I stood in the middle, Pepper did not like this at all! She snorted, bronced and ran off into a corner with me dangling on the end of the lunge line. She's so strong and has got into a habit of running away when she's frightened, think we'll wait a bit before trying lunging again. I don't see the point of chasing her around on the end of a lunge line if it frightens her, maybe she'll be better once we've gained her confidence a bit more.

So I took the lunge line off and she followed me around (looks like the join up work did a good job). Then she squeeled, bronced and ran away from me...strange. But I soon caught on with what she was doing, she wanted to play! She snorted and squeeled her way around the arena really kicking her heels up and then would turn and face me waiting for me to chase her away again. While this was fun it was also naughty so I sent her away and let her continue to run around while showing her my 'sending away' stance to let her know that starting a new game in the middle of a training session is not acceptable. She soon got the idea and asked to come back so I let her and she followed me again...good girl :)

We've decided to introduce her tack to her quite quickly so that she can have lots of inhand sessions with it before progressing to being ridden. Then hopefully she wont resent her tack, it'll just become another part of the training process for her and wont necessarily be related to riding. Her bridle now has a nice mild, fulmer snaffle attached to it which she took very easily and stood quietly while we fastened it.

Then we walked her round with the leadrope still attached to her noseband so no pressure at all on her mouth. We praticed halting and walking on and she ended the session by halting when we said 'stand' and without us having to pull on the leadrope. She worked up a little bit of foam at the corners of her mouth so obviously accepted the bit quite well and she had a little play with it...I bet it's a lot comfier than the kimblewick that she was broken in in :(

Took her back to her stable and took her bridle off, again she stood quietly, she really isn't as nervous around me as she was before our first session. When I stepped back and Robin led her round the arena she was watching me the whole time (although she was also being polite and doing as Robin asked), I'm really suprised she's bonded so quickly! Led her out to the field in the same way as yesterday and she attempted to drag away from me once we were through the gate...a firm no and a tug on the leadrope stopped her and she stood while I undid the rope. Then she trotted off for a roll and presumabley to tell her friends about what the daft humans had been doing with her :rolleyes:

[domane]

Awww.... lump in my throat reading that! :)

What a poppet.... you've DEFINITELY made a new friend there... I loved the bit about her wanting to play.... that's so cute...

Sounds like you are doing a lovely variety of things with her and she is treating it all like educational playing which is an excellent way of doing things. She is such a youngster still that playing is a big part of her life.... learning whilst having fun - the BEST way to learn...

Well done :D

[neen]

Sounds like another great day Sparklie. So glad to hear it's going so well.

[Sparklie]

I thought it was going to be a disaster after the lunging attempt but it didn't seem to freak her too much and I didn't try and push her into lunging again as I think we're still at a fragile stage in our friendship...I don't want to push her trust in me too much yet :)

Bless her she really is a sweetie...just a very opinionated and strong one ;)

[domane]

Bless her she really is a sweetie...just a very opinionated and strong one ;)

.....methinks you are a well matched pair then .......???? :D

[Sparklie]

haha...that did make me laugh
I've taken some photos of the little madam so will get them up asap

meanwhile...an update :)

Went to catch Pepper today and she was over the other side of the field, she put her head up when she spotted us and then went back to munching so I shouted her. Head up, ears forward and she trotted quickly over to us :D where she stood waiting for us to attach leadrope and bring her in. It was so cute, she really did come running towards us (just like black beauty ;))

Decided to give Pepper a really good groom today. She picked each foot up really well and really enjoyed the rubber curry comb :) I ran my fingers through her gorgeous mane and brushed her forelock til she was looking nice and tidy. She doesn't like having her legs brushed so that's something to work on and we didn't try to do her tail...waiting to get some detangler on it first as it's rather wavy. She had a carrot as she'd been very good at then said hello to Robin's horse Darcy through the stable partitions. She's been in season but luckily that's stopped now so there wasn't too much flirting and squeeling going on.

We took her for a quiet mooch about with her bridle on, didn't think we'd do any serious work today as we're really just trying to get her used to having a nice gentle bit in her mouth. We kept her headcollar on underneith so led her from the noseband again. She doesn't try to drag you along as much anymore...infact she didn't try it once today (but shhh...don't want to jinx it!!) :)

I took some photos of the clean madame when we'd turned her back out. She went out with Darcy as he has to stay in one of the small fields so he can see the farrier tomorrow. and they had a lovely trot about together :D

[Sparklie]

Photos :D only a couple came out decently

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/SparklieH/P1010113.jpg
Darcy says 'hello, you're pretty!'

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/SparklieH/P1010111.jpg
Pepper says 'I know I am!!'

I think she looks super pretty on the second photo