I am having a lesson tomorrow and we are going to try some poles ridden. So I thought rather than blow Ziggy's brains with poles in a school I would take him up to the school today in his halter and ask him over a few,
When we got to the (little) school, it had a skinny spread jump in the middle of it: 3 poly blocks per side, 2 really short blue wooden poles (about 4 ft long) and one long blue and white poly pole at the back. Ziggy eyed the blocks while I took the rope off his halter, and turned to face the gate, bum to the jump.
I took the poles off the blocks, left the blocks in place (they were well wide enough for a pony to walk through) and laid out the poles either side of the blocks in a straight line.
Then I asked Ziggy to walk loose around the school. I free schooled him for about 5 minutes on each rein, which was hard because he is very much more comfy on the right rein and keeps trying to turn to it, even breaking into canter to try to stop me blocking his movement and turning him! So that was fun. After I got a half way decent couple of circuits on the left rein I called him in to me, gave him a treat and asked him to follow me.
I walked over the first 2 poles - one short one and the bright one. He walked straight over behind me, loose, no problem. I walked between the poly blocks. He hesitated then rushed through and ran out before the last (short) pole. I called him back in and walked over the last pole. He followed me. I petted him and praised him and gave him a treat.
He did a couple more loose circuits and then I asked him to come through in the other direction. He walked the poles without a hesitation, then stopped just before the blocks. I sat on them, let him sniff them, investigate them, and walk through them in his own time. He walked, and followed me, still loose, over the pair of poles.
We did it one more time and he was foot perfect. Where have all his nerves gone? He didn't stop or try to run out on the poles (except when he rushed through the blocks) and he wasn't even on the lead rope. I am a bit puzzled by how he can be so different! I've been trying to get him to walk over poles for 5 years and now it's not a problem?
I'll let you know how we get on tomorrow under saddle - I think very time I up the game a bit there will be a reaction, just as there was today when I asked him to go through the blocks. But we'll see.
When we got to the (little) school, it had a skinny spread jump in the middle of it: 3 poly blocks per side, 2 really short blue wooden poles (about 4 ft long) and one long blue and white poly pole at the back. Ziggy eyed the blocks while I took the rope off his halter, and turned to face the gate, bum to the jump.
I took the poles off the blocks, left the blocks in place (they were well wide enough for a pony to walk through) and laid out the poles either side of the blocks in a straight line.
Then I asked Ziggy to walk loose around the school. I free schooled him for about 5 minutes on each rein, which was hard because he is very much more comfy on the right rein and keeps trying to turn to it, even breaking into canter to try to stop me blocking his movement and turning him! So that was fun. After I got a half way decent couple of circuits on the left rein I called him in to me, gave him a treat and asked him to follow me.
I walked over the first 2 poles - one short one and the bright one. He walked straight over behind me, loose, no problem. I walked between the poly blocks. He hesitated then rushed through and ran out before the last (short) pole. I called him back in and walked over the last pole. He followed me. I petted him and praised him and gave him a treat.
He did a couple more loose circuits and then I asked him to come through in the other direction. He walked the poles without a hesitation, then stopped just before the blocks. I sat on them, let him sniff them, investigate them, and walk through them in his own time. He walked, and followed me, still loose, over the pair of poles.
We did it one more time and he was foot perfect. Where have all his nerves gone? He didn't stop or try to run out on the poles (except when he rushed through the blocks) and he wasn't even on the lead rope. I am a bit puzzled by how he can be so different! I've been trying to get him to walk over poles for 5 years and now it's not a problem?
I'll let you know how we get on tomorrow under saddle - I think very time I up the game a bit there will be a reaction, just as there was today when I asked him to go through the blocks. But we'll see.
