Given I have time on my hands at the moment through unemployment, have decided to get back into training Suze and to back her myself. For those of a classical training bent, this will not be the way we do it....
I have had a couple of sessions with her to see what she remembers from when she worked with me and Antoine before we got Buddy and she got a reprieve then. Buddy wasn't well yesterday, so who knows she may have to step and try to fill those enormous shoes, at least she has bigger feet than him....
So today I decided we would do one thing only. We would stand at mounting block and lean over. She has done this a couple of times years ago. But she is much more relaxed and confident now. Also she understands stand and wait, you can leave her and tell her to stay and she stays much better than Harrison poodles does. Maybe take her to dog training too.
We approached the mounting block, she stood alongside it, on her fore side i.e. wrong side. got up leaned over. She has a rope halter on but wasn't being held or touched just loose as she appreciates knowing she is free if she needs to be.
She couldn't do it on her near side, wouldn't line up straight, tried a couple of times but no. So using the Antoine method of your horse rarely wants to displease you so if they can't figure it out try to make it easier for them. So I made her stand and wait, and carried the mounting block to her, and lined it up where I wanted it to be, popped on it and leaned over her. Made a huge fuss of her and took her back to the field.
Will be interesting to see if she can manage it tomorrow herself. She tries very hard, I find it difficult to do her feet as she is heavy and tends to lean, so I have taught her to stand with her toe level with the ground and I kneel beside her and do her hinds that way. Not very safe but I know that she will not kick me, I can do her fronts holding them up but the hinds she puts her full weight on my back and my back doesn't like it at all. So we find a compromise where we can do the job and both of us are happy, She is very smart, she gets it once she understands it. And she is very soppy and kind. Very pleased with her today.
I have had a couple of sessions with her to see what she remembers from when she worked with me and Antoine before we got Buddy and she got a reprieve then. Buddy wasn't well yesterday, so who knows she may have to step and try to fill those enormous shoes, at least she has bigger feet than him....
So today I decided we would do one thing only. We would stand at mounting block and lean over. She has done this a couple of times years ago. But she is much more relaxed and confident now. Also she understands stand and wait, you can leave her and tell her to stay and she stays much better than Harrison poodles does. Maybe take her to dog training too.
We approached the mounting block, she stood alongside it, on her fore side i.e. wrong side. got up leaned over. She has a rope halter on but wasn't being held or touched just loose as she appreciates knowing she is free if she needs to be.
She couldn't do it on her near side, wouldn't line up straight, tried a couple of times but no. So using the Antoine method of your horse rarely wants to displease you so if they can't figure it out try to make it easier for them. So I made her stand and wait, and carried the mounting block to her, and lined it up where I wanted it to be, popped on it and leaned over her. Made a huge fuss of her and took her back to the field.
Will be interesting to see if she can manage it tomorrow herself. She tries very hard, I find it difficult to do her feet as she is heavy and tends to lean, so I have taught her to stand with her toe level with the ground and I kneel beside her and do her hinds that way. Not very safe but I know that she will not kick me, I can do her fronts holding them up but the hinds she puts her full weight on my back and my back doesn't like it at all. So we find a compromise where we can do the job and both of us are happy, She is very smart, she gets it once she understands it. And she is very soppy and kind. Very pleased with her today.