Join Up - Tips Appreciated

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doolally_tap

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Jun 3, 2007
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My plan was to ride my part-loan pony tomorrow morning, but the wind is really bad at the moment and I'd like to avoid a fall just before Christmas!! :banghead: However he really needs the exercise...

The owner said if it's still windy, just to turn him out in the outdoor school and 'chase him around for a bit'. So I thought it could be an ideal opportunity to do a bit of join up with him.

I've never done it before, and not even sure if it's do-able in the wind... so any tips would be gladly received.

Are there any could videos you could link me to? Or just advice in general would be great :biggrin:
 
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I've got mixed feelings abotu join-up. I did it in an open field when my loan horse charged me. It worked exactly as the books suggest - he circled, looking grumpy, presenting his quarters etc. Then he licked and chewed and dropped his head. When I took on a submissive posture he stopped and faced me. When i invited him in with my body langauge he slowly approached me. Then he followed me round like a labrador :mstickle:

His behaviour improved so I became a bit of a fan.

When I got Charlie I decided to do it again to 'improve bonding' wihout having any clear idea as to what join up would be communicating to him. He was distressed and bewildered by it. In retrospect he just seemed to be thinking 'what have I done??' when I drove him away initially. I quickly realised that he did not want 'permission' to be in my herd. He just wanted to get away from me and stay away as my behaviour made no sense to him.

So my advice would be think about what join up would mean to the horse. If it's a nervous horse it might just seem like you are punishing him for no reason.

I do free-schooling with Charlie quite often, and that is good fun, but I won't ever try join up with him again. :)
 
I would suggest just playing around a bit and seeing what happens, your horse might get quite playful, just watch out for potential flying hooves :) A formal join up involves sending the horse on a circle in one direction for a few circuits, then changing direction and repeating, then sending them back onto the original track by which time they theoretically start showing 'signs' like licking and chewing dropping the head, slowing down and making the circle smaller. Once this is established you then take all pressure off and ask them in. You should then in theory have a horse that will follow you around.

Even the pro's using a round pen don't always get a flawless textbook join up, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't 'happen' for you. You don't need to send the horse round at any more than a gentle trot, and you certainly shouldn't try and run them into submission or exhaustion, which seems to be a common misconception.

Just use it as an opportunity to experiment and have some fun :)
 
I do free-schooling with Charlie quite often, and that is good fun, but I won't ever try join up with him again.
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Cross posted with you there, I'm just interested in how you approach free schooling as opposed to join up, as both involve sending the horse away and out onto a circle? I occasionally free school one of mine and have often got a 'join up' out of it at the end so to me there's an awful lot of common ground.
 
Rollo is not a spooky or timid pony by nature (just a bit sharp at the moment!)

Even though I've only had him on part-loan for just over a couple of months we have already built up a bond of trust and a partnership. I guess I'm just wanting to give it a go because it's something I've loved watching and want to have a go myself.

Just over a month ago my son was riding him and Rollo had a scare and my son had a fall - Rollo then took off around the school broncing and bouncing and not letting anybody near him despite feed-bowls and treats being offered. I was busy getting my son out of the school and making sure he was ok. When I went back in I did so very submissively and made no eye contact - he immediately stopped and walked straight to me.

So that said - maybe the bond we have doesn't need join up and maybe free schooling would be a better idea. Again, I haven't ever done this (my last horse was a nutter and I'd have needed a death wish to try anything like that!!). What sort of things do you do in free schooling? I'm thinking trotting poles and a small jump, but maybe I'm being over-ambitious!!!!! haha
 
We are not allowed to free school in our menage. I did let him sneakily off one day, He just bombed to the end of the menage, pranced and showed off to the horses at the end bombed back to me, sliding stop, bombed back again to the horses, came back to me and looked at me as if to say, "I'm done now can we go".
 
I had similar experiences.


It works really nicely with sil who is dominant and agressive (but from a fear/lack of trust base usually).

It is awful for rascal who is desperate to please, he becomes anxious and stressed by the whole thing. He doesnt understand why he is being sent away.

Rascal is free schooled, but never on his own, always with silver as he follows her. He finds lunging even more stressful and runs around at full pelt or skids into you and refuses to move!

So it depends on the personality really. I guess my difference is I dont wait for indicators of sumission when free schooling, and I often particpate more with the horse - so we do quite a bit of "in hand" work - moving over, leading etc - but without being on a rope.
 
When I freeschool little Amee pony, when we have finished I walk over to her with the headcollar so she know we've finished I then start to walk around but do not put the headcollar on. She walks with me bless her.

I don't know if this is join up but she follows my every move. I walk, she walks, I stop, she stops, I turn left, she turns left, I turn right, she does, I stop and she does. She's like a dog walking to heel off the lead :biggrin:

I love it. Great feeling.
 
Well ..... I had a FABULOUS time with little Rollo this morning!! :skip:

When I got to the stables it wasn't windy, but nobody else was riding out - I was humming and ha-ing about whether to go out on my own but then I noticed that there was a couple of little jumps already set up in the school.... so made a decision to just get in there and have some fun.

We made it up as we went along - and both seemed to have a lot of fun. When we first got in he looked like he was going to have a roll so I sent him away and and he gave me a cheeky look and started farting and bucking and bouncing around. Sent him over a couple of poles at first and then decided to just let him blow his stink off as he was clearly feeling fresh and lively. He did a few circuits of the school and each time I sent him forward did the whole farting and bucking routine. I sent him round the other direction and then when he calmed down a bit sent him over the jump several times with loads of praise - man that pony's got a pop on him!!! A few more circuits in canter, and found he was really responsive getting him down to trot (which I needed to do a few times as he was on the wrong canter lead)

We then did 10 minutes or so of trotting on a circle, in both directions - did a mini join-up thing then, but didn't want to make it serious thing. I just noticed his ear fixing on me and then as soon as he made a couple of the other signals I became submissive and let him stop. He walked to me and I gave him a pat and a cuddle, popped his headcollar on finished the session there. Wish I'd held off on the headcollar and let him follow me like a puppy for a while, but I'll save that for another time..... the main thing I'm happy with is that we both had fun and that in itself is as bonding as anything.

Chuffed to bits :giggle:
 
What a lovely post to read :happy: ... Glad you enjoyed your day and it sounded like he had really good play as well. I find with join up, it is better to stick with your gut instincts and assess it second by second, with the horse in front of you. As Charlie& Me says they all act slightly diffently. My Coby understands it, Dixie does but is nervous by nature, so i have to be a lot quieter, and more subtle.
 
He walked to me and I gave him a pat and a cuddle, popped his headcollar on finished the session there
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Result :)

Sounds like you both really enjoyed yourselves :D
 
Great to hear you had so much fun!!! :skip:

To answer your question Yann, when I was doing 'Join-Up' (with a capital J and a capital U!!) Charlie initially just stood next to me, then ambled over for grass! So I sent him away with dominant body language and with a lungeing whip - which triggered the 'what have I done' look and which I quickly stopped wanting to do. It was one of the experiences that got me thiking 'why' a lot more, and questioning the technique-driven approaches of some trainers. (Or my misunderstanding of some trainers!)

Freeschooling is me using my voice to ask him to walk, trot, turn etc. I also do use a long stiff schooling whip to point to where I want him to go, and which he responds to if I point it at his shoulder. He seems to realise I am 'playing' and 'teahcing' rather than 'sending away' and does not show distress/anxiety. Maybe just because my emotional energy is different. Or because horses are mind readers!!
 
Sounds like you used completely different energy levels and intent :) I think the sending away thing gets overplayed somewhat, people do it all the time when they lunge or long line, and it's a useful life skill for a horse to be able to be sent through a gap first for example. I think as with most things it's not what you do but how you do it :)
 
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