need help to teach my new horse to stand

[tetleyteabag]

hiya all...im new here and have recently purchased my new horse after being away from horses for 10 long years. after searching for months to find the 'right' horse for me, i fell in love with tetley!! i was originally looking for a bit of a plod to get me back into it but then tetley came along. we instantly felt comfortable with eachother and i knew he was the one for me even though the lady selling him described him as a bit of a problem, actually she didnt really have a good word to say about him!! after doing all the usual health checks i decided to go for it and buy him. that was 2 months ago now and he is in no way a problem, i have spent as much time as possible with him developing a bond and building trust and things are good. he used to be a bit bargy and strong but i have stood my ground and let him know that i will not accept that behaviour and he has calmed down alot.
the only problem i find that he has is that he has obviously not been taught to stand still for anything (or forgotten in a cheeky way). can anyone suggest any tips i can try to get him to stand still while being groomed, tacked up, mounted etc... most people i ask at my yard suggest 'firm handed' things which i do not want to do as i do not want to lose the trust he has in me

 

[Clava]

Hello and Welcome..

Kelly Marks says in her books to put the horse back into position each time he moves and lots of praise when he stands (perfect manners). I tried this with my tb with some success but in the end I think she will relax over time, she's better than she was and does respond if I get cross with her for messing about (raise voice). Good luck with him.

 

[kirby]

Hello and Welcome..

Kelly Marks says in her books to put the horse back into position each time he moves and lots of praise when he stands (perfect manners). I tried this with my tb with some success but in the end I think she will relax over time, she's better than she was and does respond if I get cross with her for messing about (raise voice). Good luck with him.

That is what i have done with Porsha my 2 and a half year old, and it is working brilliantly, and i have kelly marks book!

Highly recommend the book and the training for standing.

 

[Clava]

Agree the KM books are very good, but I think I tried too hard with Belle who is a rather tense tb at times and we both got frustrated and she really was still getting used to being somewhere new. So I try and be calm, put her back in position when I think she is receptive but sometimes a little bossiness also works with her. (I only found this out recently, she's a dominant mare and gives the impression that she has to organise the herd and me, I just have to remind her that she doesn't need to organise me)

 

[summercandy]

your horse sounds very much like my youngster I brought 3 months ago.He would not stand still for mounting at first either although he has improved quite alot.We do still have the odd day where he doesn't want to stand still for me. I always use a mounting block and when he doesn't stand still I send him around the mounting block asking him to stand in exactly the same place each time.If he goes to move again I just repeat it until he does stand still.It has always worked so far.

 

[tetleyteabag]

thanx for the tips, i will try tomorrow and see how it goes.he just fidgets from side to side whenever i want him to stand so i get the feeling he has never been taught this properly. time and patience will hopefully work

 

[wundahoss]

In addition to above suggestions, make it as easy as possible for him to do 'the right' thing. IOW, put him in position & try to reinforce him *before* he moves. Initially, this may mean saying "stand"(or whatever cue) and immediately reinforcing it. Then after lots of repetition & practice getting it 'right', gradually increase the time *or*(don't introduce more than one criteria at a time) distance from him before you reinforce. Try to do it gradually enough so he still gets to practice it Right more often than he gets it Wrong. Same method as teaching a dog to 'Stay'.

Accept & reinforce whatever you get to begin with. Lots of repetition. Gradually ask for more with the success of previous steps. If you find you're not succeeding, back up to an easier step & progress again more slowly.

Use real positive reinforcement, rather than just praise, which is generally a very weak reinforcer, if not meaningless to the horse. You can use food treats, a scratch in a favourite spot, a mouthful of grass... whatever the horse really likes.

Also, initially don't ask the horse to stand for anything unpleasant. Teach him & get the behaviour strong & reliable first, then 'reteach' him gradually in easy steps with the 'unpleasant' whatever - saddling for eg.