This trick is working for me also with my new Arabian mare. She's 11 and
been on her own for the last 6 years and never been ridden in her life. She just
got back from 90 days at the trainer and is very rideable now but she's a
sensitive thing and fearful of everything (was abused in a past life). I had a
dickens of a time getting anywhere near her feet by myself to doctor a bad case
of scratches and the first time after I brought her home a friend helped me do
it. I nicknamed our sessions "The Medicine Dance" since we went through
contortions for every set of the operation, shampooing, picking, washing, drying
and medicating. After two days of trying to do it by myself without much
success, I got out a little bag of Equine Senior out and every time she remotely
stood still, let me touch her leg, anything, I'd give her a few grains and tell
her what a good girl she was. The absolute next day she stood perfectly still. I
have a clicker and did one day with her with it and she seems like a really good
candidate for it. when I get some time, I'm going to work with that
again. In the meantime, I've been using the few grains of Equine Senior to
help me pet her someplace else besides her head (she moves away from you if you
touch her anywhere else), brush her, etc. and things are moving along. My
trainer is not for the treat thing and pretty much shook his head at me but I
figure I want this horse to be my friend and she has a lot of trust issues.
Whatever I can do to become her friend I'm going for it!
How cute! A bunch of horses standing around in mud puddles looking
for carrots. What would they do if you threw the carrot in the
water??
I use horse cookies for rewards in training. After I mount I give
them a cookie. It teaches them to stand for as long as you want after
mounting. It's hard for a horse to walk off when he has his neck bent
around getting a treat. Is great for working with their flexion and
stretching. And if you have a horse with no woe? Try saying woe. Wait
till they woe and give them a cookie. My filly will go from a trot to
a dead stop on a woe now. They try to second guess you after a little
bit, but keep the legs on them and they soon figure it out. I watched
a tape called "on target" so figured I'd give the treat reward a try to
see how it works. My filly really liked it and worked really well the
first time I tried it. The second time I got on her, I cleared my
throat. She stopped. I coughed, she stopped. I couldn't stop giggling
to myself about how she was acting. Was pretty hilarious. She
finally figured out that the word "woe" is what she needed to hear
before she got a cookie. I know alot of people would be totally against
it, but I like it and they learn 10 times quicker what the right
response to a cue needs to be for a reward. It's a pretty interesting
training technique. Shelley
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