Paco's exercises

[racaille]

I don't know enough to know if these are standard exercises or taylor-made for Ol P when he's being spooky and silly but here they are;

The aim is (as always) to make it more comfortable for P to do the right thing than the wrong thing. (When he spooks at something I've been trying to make him face it but that never works, he just spooks more.)

The basis of these is bending him to get him concentrating on me and wanting to make himself more comfortable. So he spooks and I bend him away from the 'demon' - not towards - with my inside leg on hard, then the other way, then back again - it is not the sawing at the gob you see PC girls doing to get their horses to lower their heads, it's a big bend. The second he lightens he gets rewarded by less pressure from me. If he continues to resist I go on doing this, a few strides at a time, in a circle or any figure to give him even more hard work.

If he starts to give in I ask for less, if he goes back to resisting one way I ask for a bend the other and then back to the 'naughty' side. In all this the outside rein is the magic one, a firm contact to give him confidence, it's the inside rein that rewards. And consistency is key - as soon as he prats round, wham into hard work and he stays working until he is relaxed and focusing on me.

I'm not sure I have explained this at all well - and it may well be stuff that you all do anyway and are surprised that that I've never done it before. But it's all new to me and I'm thrilled at how well it works

[solomon]

No I haven't used that before especially not for spook busting. Thank you. And you have explained it perfectly.

[zara]

I saw something similar being explained on either the CRC or EE FB pages; going to try it out with AJ. I'll try and find the link.

[racaille]

It would be great to get the link, much easier to 'see' it than to understand my garble!

[brigadier]

Great thread Rac! Yes always taught and have practised the shoulder in away from the issue. Because horses are so reactive asking them to look at something usually results in a spin, just because that's what they do in the wild and they can present their bum and their main weapon to the threat. But because their sight and brain is 'wired' different to ours turning the head away and making them work by doing the shoulder in does two things. It removes the threat as they cant see it and it focuses them on you as you are asking for hard work, then the reward is the work stops and the threat is gone once you have passed.
The noise threat adds a complication especially if the scary object makes a lot of continued noise, now that is down to trust and confidence in the rider. Police horses are gradually and continuously exposed to noise. A bell when being groomed, a soccer rattle through the yard, etc etc. They learn to trust that noise isn't associated with anything unpleasant.
But if you start the shoulder in technique early enough and the horse recognises it, as soon as their is a threat- be it noisey or silent a firmly placed inside leg and the asking of bend will tell the horse it has to go past and its ok. That way they cope with some very scary objects.

[racaille]

Great to have a proper explanation Brig, it makes sense when you explain it like that. As I said, it's all new to me and I wish I'd had this tool long ago.

[solomon]

I had a scary object to pass today and tried to turn Pete's gaze away, interestingly when I stopped looking at it that seemed to help him cope too. Now to type my thread about actually hacking out!

[racaille]

I am guilty too Sol! I can even anticipate a problem so I transmit 'run away' signals! But I'm learning ....

[haffyfan]

Thanks Rac/Brig for the explanations.

As per rac above, i'm also guilty of anticipating problems...and then forgetting to breathe and of course then causing the problem.

[ernieburt]

I am terrible, hack along on the buckle end (it's a treat away from schooling) usually chatting to someone or singing to myself, horse spooks, stay on buckle end, trots off, keeps talking/singing and ignore the beast, horse flips, oh well. Horse gives up....usually I get a dirty look over the shoulder. You could drive a double decker bus up their ar*e and still wouldn't get a result from either, they don't get one from me. The Dude isn't 5 yet.