targetsmom said:
So, do any of you use a well-trained mini in your training? Do you think it can help? Do you have any examples?
You bet! We've always used "Follow the Leader" when teaching the big horses to cross water or do a difficult trail obstacle but I never had much cause (or opportunity) to use it with Kody. For one thing he's never met anything he was scared of, and for another we didn't have another mini available to let him watch. Spyder, my Arabian, got over his deep-seated fear of carts by watching me work Kody up in the arena that ajoined Spyder's paddock but that was about the extent of it until we got Turbo. I taught Turbo to have patience when standing tied by putting him on the back porch with Kody; he'd fuss and paw and fidget for a few minutes then Kody's calmness would seep into him and bit by bit he'd quiet down. Once he was calm he got rewarded and learned that things were much more pleasant when he didn't fuss. Turbo was scared of jumping ditches on our walks so I started having Kody jump back and forth with us (not a great idea, btw. Kody loves jumping and would try to tow me over at warp speed, then Turbo would hesitate and I'd get turned into Stretch Armstrong between the two!) but bit by bit he figured out that it wasn't so bad. The first time we jumped a raised object (a downed log) Kody's sense of joy infected him and you could see him gather his courage and try and after that it was all over. He was like "That was FUN!!" and now if I run at a log the two are galloping on either side of me, jumping huge like little deer then bucking and bouncing on the other side in glee.
I taught Turbo to take a bit by clicker training Kody into taking it in front of him, and by the time I walked into Turbo's paddock to let him try he grabbed it out of my hand and bridled himself. Once Turbo started driving this summer he learned a lot from being paired with Kody. Kody taught him to be forward, showed him the attitude he should approach driving with (fun and dedication both), taught him how to cross water and go under bridges, how to do cones, showed him that dressage arenas aren't scary...Turbo watched everything he did and soaked it up like a sponge. He's learned things that would normally be years ahead of him because he's got a mentor, an example to follow, and he's motivated to be like his big brother. Kody is going to live on forever in his influence on this young horse.
The process has been good for Kody, too. At first he was really annoyed by having to share me and especially sharing the whole driving thing, but he loves that I'm counting on him to be my hero again and takes such joy in living up to my expectations. I'm always careful to tell him what I need before each drive and he takes great pains to keep me safe. Heck, when Turbo made the mistake of trying to pull attitude and kick me in the paddock once Kody came FLYING from behind me, body-slammed him with his ears pinned and drove him away from me in a fury.
:shocked
He was radiating outrage and clearly saying "Don't you DARE touch my mom that way!"
:wub When we're driving in a pair he knows keeping me safe means no trying to bolt from high-spirits, no bucking, being right where I need him to be when I need him to be there, and showing Turbo in all ways how a Big Boy acts. Kody had to learn how to be a mentor and once he realized for instance that when Turbo spooks he can lean on the pole to hold him in place, or when Turbo doesn't want to stand Kody can grow roots and be the Good Boy and make him...well, he was all about being the shining example! LOL. It suits his personality perfectly and gives him a purpose and new skills to learn.
rabbitsfizz said:
I know people have ponied minis off carts- I have to say I was not happy, even with someone sitting in the cart holding the lead- it all seemed a bit too potentially dangerous for me, even in the field, and the one time I was persuaded to do it, I was uncomfortable all the time. My friend did this to prepare her gelding for pairs, but I am not convinced it was either safe or desirable...
It worked well for me. It's definitely a safety risk and I got bit a couple of times when I didn't take precautions, but it really helped Turbo become accustomed to what he was going to see on the trails and experience as a driving horse. If I had another driver available I could have done the same thing more safely by having him drive behind my experienced horse once he was trained but since I'm by myself I simply ponied him as a yearling and two year old and let him get used to things slowly. After he became familiar with all the sights and sounds he realized that the front of the cart is the cool place to be and the biggest problem I had was that he got annoyed with always having to play second fiddle!
It definitely helped with preparing them to be a pair as Kody got used to the experience of having another horse moving with him and Turbo got used to following my voice commands at the exact same time Kody did. He didn't have a choice!
The colt learned all on his own to match stride with Kody because it was easier to stay at the same speed that way- you could hear them doing it on the pavement when they trotted. Kody also learned to tolerate the other horse jiggling the cart and to lean on the breeching to hold him back- a great lesson for a horse who's never been driven in a multiple but is going to be the experienced horse in the pair.
It was really interesting watching Tee learn from Kody when we met some big horses in pastures beside the local riding trail this spring. Turbo puffed up and started prancing, dancing, and circling wildly at the end of his lead as they came running up but Kody stayed calm and stopped to look rather than spooking. After his initial excitement faded Turbo looked at him, looked at the big horses, watched how I was praising Kody, and very carefully came to a square halt, arched his neck like he was bridled and waited to see if that would get him rewarded too. When that got him immediate recognition you could almost see the lightbulb go on! He got a little excited when we started moving again and the big horses followed but when Kody walked calmly and got praised for it Turbo did too. I was VERY glad we had that lesson with Turbo following an experienced horse and not in a cart by himself as I would have really had my hands full preventing a bolt. Kody was a great example and got praised to the skies for it after our drive!
Shari said:
And just by watching when you ask the green horse to do what the well trained horse did, they do very well. So yes, they can learn from each other.
Absolutely! I'd never really thought about it before bringing Turbo home as the Arabs were both mature geldings who were already fairly trained and set in their ways when they met each other but the mini boys are hysterical together. I work Kody first in his paddock and Turbo nearly goes mad watching him be praised for Spanish Walk, shaking hands, the occasional rear, laying down, etc. When I finally go into Turbo's paddock he's frustrated, annoyed, and determined to show he's just as good so he immediately starts lifting his forelegs, flinging them at me, and if that doesn't work he's tried rocking back for a rear once or twice!
He simply cannot fathom why Kody gets praised for all that stuff but he gets in trouble for it. Poor Turbo....
I have to tell him those are Big Boy Tricks and he has to wait until he's a Big Boy to do them. Meanwhile, why don't you pick up that whip and hand it to me, Turbo? Good boy!
He has his own special tricks now that Kody hasn't been taught (bow, sitting on an object, and things he thinks are tricks like learning to back in serpentines at liberty and go over jumps and such) and when we're done working on those he goes over to the fence all puffed up and says "Nah, nah, you're not the only one with tricks!" It sends me into gales of laughter every time because what he's saying couldn't be clearer if he spoke English.
I've used the reverse as well. Kody's been stubborn about certain things for years like not pulling when we're going for walks, etc., and I'll make a point of praising Turbo for doing those things when Kody can see me. Sheer jealousy makes him want to prove he can do everything better than his little brother so the next time I get him out he's on fire to be better behaved than Turbo is!!
He's still a maniac by himself (and after the last few years of him being so dull and depressed from his back injury, I'm not complaining!) but take them out together and Kody's a paragon of virtue just to show the colt up.
Leia
