7 day program in line-driving - video every day, I hope

[studiowvw]

Hello, thinking about how to teach a mini to line drive in response to post by SMV, who asked for some help.

Thought I would do a 7 day program towards the goal of line-driving with one of my yearlings.

I've found using a 7 day program is very helpful for myself to focus on what I'm teaching, also for tracking progress.

Also I need a focus to get out there - it's December, cold and dark, and I need a push to get out there and teach these little guys something useful. I decided to video each day to motivate myself to carry through with the 7 day program (so easy to let the days slip away and not do anything.)

I have these two yearlings, half brothers of my Lacey. They are called Diesel and Mustang.

They know how to lead, also grooming and picking out feet. They've been here for about 2 months.

I haven't done much with them except getting them used to how it works around here. They have learned one important thing: two B-size minis can't go through the barn door at the same time, so now they have learned to go through one at a time

(They learned that by themselves.)

They have also learned that when I point at the door and cluck, they should get moving. Sometimes I have to give them a shove.

They also learned to lead better when I had both of them on line together. But now - time to teach them one at a time!

Line driving!

To me, the concept of line driving is horse walking forward taking directions on when to go, how fast to go, stopping and turning.

I'm not complicating this with a bit, bridle, harness or two reins. Or even by starting out walking behind.

Anyways here is today's video, short and sweet, but he learned to walk forward when I suggested it.

Afterwards I took him for a walk, taking the dogs for company and for him to get used to commotion and motion around him. The object during the walk was for him to go along with me, stopping and going when I stopped and started. I also started using "walk on" and "whoa" for voice commands. Precision was not required. At this stage everything he does is right.

He became unconfident when a loud engine started up somewhere over the hill, but in the end he regained most of his confidence. He also objected to the toy poodle Maggie racing past him, but that will be up to him to get used to that.

When he saw me in the field at the beginning, he came right up to see what was going on.

Best measure of how successful I was on Day 1 will be if he is ready to come out again on Day 2.

Here is a pic of Mustang and Diesel. They aren't really matched in shape and stride, but they do almost everything together. I fell in love with Mustang (left) but when Diesel got here, it was instant love too.

https://www.youtube....h?v=PzyMPfQgkrs

I am looking forward to seeing how far we get in 7 days! Thought I would share for interest's sake

 

[SMW]

Excellent! Diesel is handsome!

 

[Renolizzie]

Great. I love seeing how you interact with your horse and I think Diesel is really a good looking fella.

 

[ksoomekh]

Oh, what a great idea!!! I can't wait for Day 2. You have such a nice way with him.

You remind us all to have goals each time we interact with our horses--big and small.

He is a lovely mini.

Karen

 

[Jules]

Great! Very professional looking video, I am impressed as I am such a tecnophobe!

Lovely video, I like how the dogs are joining in, my pony's handling was done much the same way with lots of commotion around (kids/dogs/ducks) and I feel he really benefited from it...which is just as well as the commotion is just an inherent part of my household

Looking forward to the next instalment.

 

[susanne]

.

I love your video -- very useful AND entertaining!

I'm looking forward to the rest...

 

[lucky seven]

Thanks for the training video. Now I know how to start seven, can't wait for the others.

 

[studiowvw]

Thanks for the kind words!

Today I decided to see if I could get him to walk forward on a circle, and also go forward down the road.

He is a little feisty and reactive, so it doesn't take much to influence him.

He was, however, more confident when we went down the road afterwards.

His buddy Mustang has a cold and a cough, so I'm giving him some medication. When his cold clears up, I think I'll start him too, so the two are on a similar schedule. Mustang is a little less confident and maybe not as bright as Diesel is. Both are a little reactive, but fun.

Day 2 video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c02qwf3q7WM

 

[Rhondaalaska]

How tall is diesel. I loved your video. I train on our road as well.

 

[studiowvw]

He is 36 inches. I'm short and a bit wide

I train in the yard and on the road. That way when neighbours drive by and stop and talk, the horse gets used to seeing what cars and strangers are.

I do have a round pen and another ring area that I use sometimes. Footing is not always the best.

 

[studiowvw]

Well, a good reason to have a program - it was freezing rain out there today, but I took Diesel out anyways. ( I impressed myself!)

I'm finding him quite cute to work with.

When I went out to the field to get him, he came right over - a good sign that yesterday was interesting for him.

Today we did more forward (longer and with shorter stops), also a bit of rope desensitization (should do more of that), some steering training with one line, and then forward with two lines for the first time.

Some unconfidence shows up when I'm on his "wrong" side - obviously I should do more from the right side.

When he doesn't do what I want, I keep asking until I get a better result. Nothing he does is wrong. No precision required.

When he does something I like, I either leave him alone so he keeps doing it, or I quit and reward by taking the "pressure" off.

My main goal is to develop a confident learner.

At one point, he was being pushy about getting a treat, so I made him step back and be more polite.

Here is today's video.

http://youtu.be/NSOVkF5GDzc

 

[ksoomekh]

Just watched day 2--you have such a nice way with him. I like the comments you insert into the video. Please keep them coming!

 

[studiowvw]

Thank you - this program is working well in that I've been out 4 days in a row with him, freezing rain, rain, subzero, etc.

We are also starting to get somewhere.

He has about 30 minutes total in 4 sessions, plus the non-demanding walk down the road afterwards, each day.

Today I threw in a whoa for the first time (although using "walk on" and "whoa" sometimes while on the walk afterwards).

Because it was mild today and I had time, I also spent half an hour with my paint, who is at Day 5 I think in harnessing (had a break of about a week due to time & weather). He is much less reactive and already a confident learner, so with him I'm using Nate Bowers techniques. He already has some skills. Even so, I had to improve my feel and release.

Diesel, who is a baby and hasn't done much, is taking well to what I'm doing with him.

Then after that, I took Lacey out for some non-demanding long-lining down the trail. She is much more advanced, but has had a few weeks off. I may try long-lining her again tomorrow (but with the bit and surcingle) to compare what she's doing with what Diesel's doing.

Certainly a fun experiment!

Day 4 video

 

[Renolizzie]

I'm enjoying watching how you interact with the little guy. The comments inserted are great!! You have definitely inspired me to keep working with my mini gelding but...I think I am really trying to get a handle on me and the way I approach and deal with him. Breathe, relax, enjoy spending time together. Build trust and confidence in both myself and my little horse.

 

[lucky seven]

Like Renolizzie, I am learning how to act myself to install confidence and trust in my boy. It has rained everyday since I started watching your videos and have this question. How long is your lead? Can't wait to start again as I was doing everything wrong. Both Seven and I were frustrated. I wasn't asking the right questions and he didn't know how to answer.

 

[studiowvw]

The line is 20 feet long. I like to have a long lead because if he were to get away, there is 20 feet trailing and you can casually lean over and get it, while not acting like you are pursuing. It is long enough to tie in to use for 2 lines. It's 5/16ths, just over 1/4 inch.

I think one of the secrets is not having a mental pressure (on yourself and him) to get him to do something that looks finished. I find horse training to be very creative (did I say that already?) and the fun of it is trying something out, seeing how it works, and being open to trying different things.

The horse is your teacher - they are like computers - they do what you asked, which is not necessarily what you want!

So to get what you want, you have to watch yourself like a hawk!

Way too much fun

PS it is raining and I think I will take a day off today. If I do anything with him, it will be just a walk down the road.

 

[studiowvw]

Well, I was just thinking about what I said in the previous post, about being aware of how we affect our horses' reactions.

Being as I'm a caregiver and don't get out much

I have plenty of time to mull things over!

--------------

Take the advice to "teach your horse the voice commands while lunging, or in the round pen". This sounds very reasonable.

Many people lunge their horses. Many horses are trained or conditioned to lunge.

Round penning is quite common too. They are good places to start a horse's training.

So someone takes their horse into the round pen to work, or puts it on a lunge line.

The horse won't go around. That's why you have a lunge whip, right? If it won't go, you hit it with the lunge whip until it goes.

Or you start chasing him around the round pen until he runs out of air and "gives up".

Sometimes people think the horse is being really bad or really resistant and that it takes a lot of pressure to get it to "learn" to do what they want.

I've come to realize that having to use too much pressure is just a sign that I am not asking right, asking in the wrong position, asking at the wrong time, asking in a way that is wrong for the individual horse -- or even just that I started out by using too much pressure!!!

About 12 years ago, I saw my first demonstration of round penning - Chris Irwin. It was incredible to see how the person's posture and position and focus affected how the horse went around the pen. He had several people go into the RP and then would coach and describe what was happening.

If the horse was having trouble going forward, sometimes it was because the person's shoulder was blocking the horse. When the person changed the angle of their shoulder, the horse would respond instantly. I.E. if the horse was going to the left, the person could block the horse by having his left shoulder angled towards the front of the horse. (This is with the person in the centre of the ring.)

If the person was in position a bit in front of the horse's motion, this would also hinder forward motion, or cause it to change direction and run the other way. If the person was in position a bit behind the horse's motion, it could cause the horse to keep running and show "resistance".

If the person was staring at the horse's eye while it went around, it would cause the horse to carry his head to the outside.

If the person was walking slightly backwards (as in, slightly shuffling backwards as they turned with the horse) that could be seen by the horse as submission on the part of the human.

If the person had a slight forward shuffle with their feet as they turned, that was seen as a more dominant action.

Staring at the hip and being slightly behind the motion of the horse, while moving one's feet in a slightly forward shuffle would drive the horse forward.

Erect posture with a hard energy and intent can be a lot of pressure on the horse. This type of energy will probably keep the horse running because it is a "driving" energy.

A wimpy posture with ineffective motions will give the horse no direction. If the horse has no direction, he will probably take over.

I recall a few years ago, trying to get my QH mare to relax while on line - she would run and run and run. I don't know how many ways I tried to change this pattern. I did not know how to get her to go calmly around the circle.

Finally one day, I thought - can I be causing this? I doubted it, but I breathed out and relaxed my posture in an exaggerated way. OMG!!!!! She slowed down!!!

I thought I had a horse who couldn't relax on line. But it was my posture/attitude/energy that was causing her to run.

I had been blaming her for her "craziness". Still kicking myself for that one.

Oh well! It's all a journey.

---------------

Bill Dorrance has a great book on horsemanship. The first part of the book has some great ideas. I can't really get into his exercises.

One thing he says goes something like this:

"Don't tie up a young horse before he understands that you want him to stand there."

Brilliant! First you teach him you want him to stand somewhere, then you start to loop the rope around a post so there is some resistance if he starts to leave, return him to the spot and take the slack out of the rope as often as you have to. Through this process he learns that it is his job to stand where you tie him.

So much better than "I'm going to teach that horse to tie today" and go out, tie him to a stout post with two halters on and a thick rope and let him battle it out.

I would call that type of "training" incomprehensible to the horse.

Ok, I'm off the soapbox for today.

Tomorrow I hope won't be raining and I'm going to do Day 5.

 

[studiowvw]

Day 5 video.

http://youtu.be/OUi9GUxcW70

 

[ksoomekh]

VERY nice!!

Karen

 

[lucky seven]

You make a lot of sense with the lunging. I have made so many mistakes with seven that I'm really thinking about finding him a home where he could start out fresh and find myself another mini. Seven knows what buttons to push and just will not listen when I ask him to do anything.