Equestrian Discussions: Training Methods

"What training technique(s) do you believe in? What led you to it/them? What methods work best for your horse, and why?"

I'm no real trainer.  I mean, I work with Orion on things that I feel, and other peer horse people feel, he needs work on.  I read about things.  I get advice from said peer horse people.  The stuff I believe in goes hand in hand with what most of the people I talk to do.

The methods I've learned about most are Monty Roberts, Buck Brannaman, and Linda Tellington-Jones - mostly the first two, but I'm reading more about T-Touch when I have time.  I want to start using it more with my horse.

I know training methods have come a lonnnnng way, and most people these days seem to realize that it's best to listen to the horse.  I guess that's my main criteria. Listen to the horse.  Use his language.  Don't use fear - leadership and authority, but not fear.  Every horse is different. Different personality, different history, different preferences.  

In my experience, my horse is willing to please, but also has an extreme stubborn, dominant streak.  He's only dominant with people - I think it's because he gets beat up on in the field and doesn't have authority there, so he tries to exert his authority on people, who are obviously smaller and easier to push around.  

Because of this, he needs a firmer hand.  It's easy to want to baby him and love on him all the time, but when he's being a brat and trying to be pushy, that's not an option.  The funny thing is, once he stops trying to do the opposite of what you want and understands you're in charge, he shows what his real personality is - a loving, willing to please, laid back horse who will try try try to do absolutely anything and everything you ask him to do.  

I like to experiment and try different things I read or hear about, as well as do things that I just think from experience with him might work. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they're extreme failures.  Each time something doesn't work though...I know one more thing not to try.  When they do, I can add it to my list of Orion-tested methods that work for him. 

So mainly, from a person struggling along to learn as she goes, my advice would be to listen to your horse and figure out what works for him or her.

For Thursday, January 31st: Your choice!  Post some questions and I'll choose a couple of them to answer next week. :)

Equestrian Discussions: Favorite Thing I've Taught My Horse

Discussion Question: "What's your favorite thing you've taught your horse to do?"

Hmmmm.....

This is a very difficult question to do.  Most of the things we've worked on haven't been neat tricks.  When I bought Orion, he needed a lot of work in the way of building ground manners, more than anything else. 

He also needed to build a bond with someone, namely me, and we have succeeded *idiotic grin and happy dance ensue* but I can't say that's something that I've actually taught him.  He had to choose to be a part of that himself.  

I love lunging him.  We do it for different reasons depending on what's going on - warm up, discipline, getting out antics before a ride, etc.  But that's something that Liz taught him when she had him, not me.  

It's actually really hard for me to answer this question, because in the time that I've had him, I feel like I've mainly built on things other people have taught him.  

One thing that I've worked with him on that's made me really happy is walking and stopping when I do, with me.  I don't know if anyone worked with him on that one before, but I do know that he sucked at it, so I feel safe in saying that I taught it to him. (Though ironically, he sucked at it again on Friday when I was out there, and it made me realize we need to do a refresher course, for both he AND I. I let him push me around too much, and that needs to change.)

I spent most of one day just walking around the paddock with him on a lead, randomly stopping without warning, and put up with him running headfirst into my back until he figured out that he needed to stop when I did.  He made the choice, without a prompt from me, to walk beside me with his head even with my shoulder.  It was something I was going to ask for to build onto his epiphany of "stop when she stops", but he did it before I even asked.  Along with him running me over when I stopped, I had been getting tired of him dragging his feet and plodding along two feet or more behind me when I led him anywhere.  He would hang back, and when I stopped, he'd keep walking and either run into me or walk past me.  That day we cured, albeit temporarily, both.

And for the record, I say temporarily because I noticed to the other day that he was running me over again.  Up until recently he's been good, but I think maybe lately we've done a little too much playing and not enough working.  I wonder if he's lost a little bit of the respect he'd had for me because I've seemed more like his playmate than his partner and leader.

Oh well.  Something to work on again, but it's something that I have a little bit of an idea how to do since I did it before.  Plus, I'm always open to learning new ways of doing things and seeing what works and what doesn't for both of us.  I loved what Liz said on the last discussion post, about her horses respecting her space.  It really is one of the top things they should know, and it made me realize that that should be one of my top priorities with Orion.  He's a good boy, but he has such a stubborn, headstrong streak, that it's something he really needs to remember above all things, or I or someone else might end up really getting hurt one day.  Whether he meant to or not, he's a big horse and we're little.  Not a good combo with a horse that doesn't respect space.  

One more thing to add to the New Year's Resolution list.  I told you guys I'd add more!

For Thursday, January 24th: "What training technique(s) do you believe in? What led you to it/them? What methods work best for your horse, and why?"

Equestrian Discussions: New Year's Resolutions

Finally getting to this!

The first discussion question I asked was what New Year's Resolution(s) you've made for yourself and your horse.

I got some cool responses on this post.  Thanks for participating, guys!  (If you missed out, don't be afraid to still go and share your resolutions there!)

For Orion and I, I'm sure I'll come up with lots more in the next few months, but for now, here they are:

• I want to get him completely bomb-proof.
• Secondary to that goal, is to take him in one of the Forest Festival parades in October if he's ready.
• Work on "emergency dismounts".
• More solo rides.
• (For me) be able to run...in an English saddle. (I've never purposely been on a running horse before.)
• Try to get Orion in better shape (as well as myself!).  He gets winded and acts like he's gonna die from trotting around the paddock for five minutes.

And alas, I'm sure I missed some.  I'll probably address more in future posts.  For myself, as far as horse-related resolutions go, I just want to be a better rider, both for Orion and my own safety.  I also want to get in better shape - so I can feel better about myself and be healthier, and so that Orion doesn't have to haul my big butt around anymore. -_-

For Thursday, January 17th: "What's your favorite thing you've taught your horse to do?"

Just Leaving This Here...

I swear I'll write more later...including the missing equestrian discussions post. -_- I got behind on my blogging this week because I was stuck in Skyrim world.  Yes. I am a nerd. I was too busy getting in all the Skyrim time I can because I know I'll not have time to play it at all once spring semester starts on Wednesday. :(

For now, though, I leave you with this collage, complete with hints of pictures to come from a long-awaited photo shoot with my boy.  Enjoy!

Equestrian Discussions, Anyone?

Okay, so for the new year, I wanted to think of something fresh to do for a weekly blog post.  All my equestrian friends and followers on here, listen up and tell me what you think of this!

I was thinking last night of doing a weekly horse-related post called "Equestrian Discussions".  Since during school, I can't get out to visit Orion every week, I usually end up not having anything horse-related to post, and that has become a big part of this blog.  It's not all it's about, but it's what I love writing about the most and am most passionate about, by far.

I thought I could start by posting a question at the end of this blog, and next week I'll answer it on Thursday (I already have Music Monday and Wordless Wednesday...and Thursday is my least busy day this upcoming semester).  Anyone interested in participating can answer it Thursday as well, and link it back to my blog as well as post a link to it in the comments so I can see all of your responses!

My questions so far are pretty simple, but anyone interested in participating can also post ideas of their own in the comments sections of the Equestrian Discussions posts.  I'll choose from them in the following weeks.

So what do you think?  Anyone out there up for it?  Comment and let me know if you are! :)

For Thursday, January 10th: "What New Year's Resolutions do you have for yourself and your horse?"