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RE: [RC] Help with kicking leaping bolter - Jim HollandSubject: Re: [RC] Help with kicking leaping bolter You need to > busthim down to "private"...hard...and you do it with GROUND MANNERS.Well, I'm trying to figure out where you got the idea he's got bad ground manners. This is a horse I can walk up to in the field anywhere with a halter & lead. He stands quietly and lowers his head for the halter. He walks very respectfully at my side on a loose lead. He stands very nicely for grooming letting me handle him pretty much anywhere. He does act touchy about his rear feet but has never threatened me, just jerks them up kinda nervously. He doesn't drag me around. Ponied well right off. The only thing he's acted like he didn't care for was tightening the girth but he just makes a face. No aggression. Out of 4 horses he's 2nd in command in the field so he's no pushover there, but he hasn't shown me that side. "Following you" under lead and "friendly" in a familiar environment when he doesn't have an agenda or distraction does not necessarily indicate respect or "good ground manners". Be sure he will not only lead, but you can move his butt away and shoulder away from you and that he will BACK OUT OF YOUR SPACE when you move at him aggressively. "Touching" the rear feet is part of the kicking problem. You need to work on this until he will shift his weight and pick them up for you. Lift each foot high, especially the back ones. Hold them until he relaxes, then put them down before he tries to take them away from you. (This will also make your farrier happy) Every time you are around him, in the pasture, anywhere, everywhere, handle his feet. I don't quite get where everyone seems to think I'm hurrying things just walking him down the trail after 3 mo. under saddle. I guess never having had an arena it seems very normal to me to break a horse on the trail. To me an arena is a great big area for things to go wrong and it's hard for a horse to grasp the concept of moving from here to there, whereas following another horse down the trail and doing what he does is a very natural sort of thing. The horse ahead stops, the reins tighten and you stop. Next time the reins tighten just before the horse ahead stops. The horse associates the tightened rein with the stop. If he gets stupid there's a mentor's rump to bump into instead of an arena to buck across. Because you can't stop him and when an "issue" comes up, he ignores you and does just what he pleases. He doesn't need to learn to grasp the concept of "from here to there" now....it's too early in his training, unless you want to get "from here to there" very fast! :) There will be time for that later. At this point, we're more interested in consistent behavior under lead and saddle in a controlled environment. You want his CONSTANT attention. If he gets distracted, move his feet or ask him for a give or a "head down", which is a "calm down" cue. You need to teach more than "a tight rein means stop". He needs to learn "give". That means a group of "cues" that ask him for a particular action. I will NOT take a new horse out on a trail with or without another horse until he will "give" his nose to either side with gentle rein pressure, will drop his head on command, will do one rein stops at a walk in the paddock, and stand quietly while I mount. Then we work on the cues at a trot in the paddock, etc. I want this so ingrained, that no matter WHAT happens, I can tip his nose to one side or the other at any gait and he will immediately drop his nose, slow his pace or stop depending on how I apply the cue. IMHO, using another horse for this teaches him to "follow whatever the other horse does". The end result is that when you do a ride and you have taught him to follow the horse in front and the horse in front is out of control, you will be as well. I want exactly the opposite. I ride him alone initially. I want his ears coming back to me, his attention on me, and trying to please me, and his attention OFF all those horses that are "leaving him". If not, I will get off and we will do "gives" on the ground. I will "back up" in his training to a point where he is comfortable with what I am asking him to do and will he will do it EVERY time. THEN, we will deal with the "other horses" issue. This horse has been the most willing one I've ever started. He enjoys going out on the trail and does a good job of looking obstacles over carefully and proceeding. He's been very light on the bit, moved off my legs well from the beginning. Stands quietly tied to the trailer even when taken away from home. No neighing. Sometimes paws when waiting to be fed but never when I'm fooling with him. He accepts things very well if given the chance. I think he's very intelligent. Still has nothing to do with ground manners in the context of "respect". He has had one type experience which could contribute to some panic behavior. I have to tie him higher than his head because he has a habit of getting his head under the rope, trying to raise it then panicing if the rope's behind his ears. Some horses do this a time or two by accident but he's done it practically every time tied to a post at nose level. If tied higher he's very relaxed and has never shown any tendancy to sit back on a rope. When it's behind his ears he pulls back very dramatically and when it comes off he stands quietly again. Again part of ground training. He should "give" to pressure on the poll and pressure from the halter instead of pulling back...to go "toward" the pressure to get release. Basic ground manners training. "Trusting" you to get him out of a "situation" is part of "respect" and deferring to you. "Mom will fix it if I just wait". The word "WAIT" is so ingrained in my horses, I can usually freeze their feet from some distance away. He had no problem at all with me introducing the crupper. I put it on almost from the beginning and he didn't even mind the first time it tightened up. He isn't opposed to having his rear end groomed at all. He genuinely seems to like people. I saw him bounce his rear end up at Kaboot *once* and Kaboot chased him for 50 yards biting his rump. Maybe I should pony Kaboot from him? >g< Still nothing to do with respect or ground manners. If having somebody rope his rear foot would suddenly cure him I'd love to try that but have no doubt my horse would rip a muscle that took 2 years to heal. I am reading every note you guys are sending and appreciate every one. New good ideas and interesting experiences just keep coming. If I don't manage to answer you in depth it's because I'm a little sick (stuffed up nose, headache, not sure what achiness is from fall or sick :-P) I wondered yesterday if I'd have a problem wanting to get back on him but today I can't wait. Wish I'd felt better and it hadn't rained. I'm encouraged by how well he accepted the stuff in his tail. He'll get ponied with everything under the sun on him over the Thanksgiving Break (two day week YEAH!) IMHO, there are very few "sudden" cures with horses. Good luck! Hope you're feeling better soon. Be careful! <grin> Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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