Our English Setter Peaches retrieves and swims and takes flying leaps off our boat dock! I’d love to hear from anyone else who has a retrieving English Setter– we taught Peaches to retrieve when she was a puppy. Our first English didn’t fetch OR swim so I think it is NOT instinctive for them to do this! Am I wrong? Anyone with hunting dogs out there?
Peaches the amazing retrieving English Setter who leaps off docks and swims to fetch her frisbee. Lake Winnipesaukee New Hampshire.
Here she leaps out at least 8 feet! She LIVES for playing fetch!!!
In her second leap Peaches flies over the rowing shell alongside the dock! Also seen here, she often assumes the pointing stance when waiting for the frisbee throw…
___________________________________
For RELATED POSTS, search petArtistWithPeaches on:
setter
dogs
Winnipesaukee
July 20-21 we trailered Gilford and Willy to Tamworth, NH where we camped out overnight. On both days Hubby drove Gil and I rode Wil on dirt roads in the area, including up a private drive with a grass airstrip and terrific views of Mt. Chocorua and surroundings.
Hubby gallops Gilford up the hill towards me. I was dismounted holding the mare, who is not happy to be separated from Gilford and he is anxious to get back closer to her! Mt. Chocorua (Tamworth NH) is the pointy peak with lots of bare rock at top (near end of video.)
The Granite State Carriage Association organized this drive, where we camped in grass fields below Mt. Chocorua; many stayed for 2 nights and 3 days. Carriage drivers of all skill levels are made to feel welcome by the club; coaching advice is freely given, and horseback riders are always welcome too. For a minimal annual membership fee and NO extra ride fees, horse people can enjoy camaraderie, scenic get-togethers, marked trails and dirt roads in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.
Trotting on my mare behind Gilford, who is pulling a Meadowbrook pleasure cart on grass woods trail in Tamworth, NH.
Entering private property with mountain views, greeting other riders and drivers who have just ridden alongside the grass airstrip and back down again.
Gilford heading back to campground. I am now in cart and Willy mare is being led (ponied!) behind to give my butt a rest!
Meeting up with two other horse-drawn carts on river trail (Falling Brook Trail?) in Tamworth, NH. Our horses both wear EasyCare hoof boots on their front feet. (Arabian mare led behind our cart is mother of 4 yr. old Gilford, half percheron who is pulling the cart.)
Returning, we pass other GSCA members driving a team of haflinger draft ponies, headed up the mountain…
Cruising a parking area, crossing bridge with scenic reflecting pond view of Mt. Chocorua for motorists, walkers and carriage drivers to enjoy! What could be nicer than scenery like this and horses too!!
For RELATED POSTS, search petArtistWithPeaches on:
Gilford
training
driving
trail riding
hoof boots
barefoot
New Hampshire
FYI– I now have videos of Glendale’s ground driving training, taken in his 8th lesson!!! Here’s one of a few which are posted in my ongoing step-by-step blog Ground Driving Horse Training Step By Step (July 16) which is being updated as we continue his training sessions…
Walk Stand Trot VIDEO– Glendale (almost-2 yr. old arabian/percheron) in his 8th ground driving session. Practicing walk, steering, stand, & trotting to my voice, whip cues and body language.
For other RELATED POSTS, search petArtistWithPeaches on:
Glendale
Gilford
driving
training
roundpen
trail riding
Happy Days!! The new Best Friend grazing muzzle is working on Gilford and not making sores on his jaw!
As mentioned in Horse Put On a Diet (with video), a previous muzzle made of rigid metal (shown below) was NOT satisfactory because it was soring the horse’s face.
Here is Gil’s latest muzzle, a Best Friend brand made of rubber and nylon. This model muzzle has its own built-in halter straps which is very handy and improves the fit.
He has been wearing this Best Friend brand for two weeks, almost daily for half-days at a time and occasionally up to 8 hrs. at a time. Although it has rubbed the fur off his skin in a small area, there are no sores, rather the skin seems to have gotten callused up a little but it is not raw.
Gilford grazing with his newer Best Friend muzzle on. You can see him pawing the ground a little, which is his early frustration, but he has gotten over that.
There is a round, 1 1/4-inch diameter hole in the bottom of this muzzle to get the grass through; Gilford learned how to use it fine. I place a treat inside the muzzle each time I put it on him, so he does not try to avoid having it put on, which he was starting to do after wearing the first muzzle for a while.
Because I think this muzzle allows less grass to be eaten than Gil’s previous open metal cage muzzle, I don’t leave it on him as long as the first one. Also because it is softer and pliable, it hasn’t rubbed raw spots on him.
First muzzle tried on Gilford (used for 3-4 days only because it rubbed a sore.)
It is hard for me to share this story, as it is close to my heart; this is both a happy and a heartbreaking tale. It is highly unusual in the horse world for twin foals to be born alive and to survive. Sadly, only one of these paint fillies survived. Rose was first born and the stronger, and was nursed by the mother mare; Lilly, the weaker of the two, was rejected by the mare and hand-fed mare’s milk substitute. She fought hard for life for a few days but could not beat the odds.
If twins are delivered alive, many or most of them suffer complications requiring aggressive medical and even surgical treatment, and from which they may never recover to be fully healthy. Often they are born underweight and suffer developmental problems or deformities to their legs. Veterinarians are very reluctant to have a twinning mare try to carry to term, and will recommend early termination or partial termination of the pregnancy.
Typically, the twinning mare will not carry two foals full term. If twins develop, often they are spontaneously aborted by the mare (this happened to our own mare once.) The mare herself may be lost. Veterinary supervision at the time of breeding, and medical intervention if necessary, can help avoid this truly dangerous event; the vet can potentially save one of the twins, which is most possible very early in the pregnancy (around 3 weeks after conception.)
Tilda with Lilly and Rose at about 3 days old
This story of these paint twins is unusual because one of the foals DID survive. Following are some notes about their birth and Lilly’s short life which their owner has shared with HorseGal. I pass this on in hopes that increased awareness of the bleak outlook for twin horses might help horseowners ward off or prevent some future foal deaths…
FROM OWNER TO HORSE GAL–
Tilda delivered twin baby girls [foals] on Friday morning.
Mom and both baby girls are doing well. Tilda is busy taking care of baby 1
and we are busy taking care of baby 2.
Mom is “Tilda” or Freckles Sunny DE
Baby 1 is Rose
Baby 2 is Lilly
Born Fri am at 7:45. They were full term and even a few days late which is
very rare in the rare case of twins.
Vet gave a poor chance for Lilly’s survival in the morning visit, but by the
noon visit she had a fighting chance. ( We had 3 farm visits on day 1).
First milestone was 24 hrs, next big milestone is 2 weeks and last big
milestone will be 4 months.
My daughter [young girl in photo] & I are her moms and she is with one of us 24/7.
We weighed Lilly yesterday and she was up to 40 lbs.
We did not weigh her when she was born, but our guess is about 20-25 range.
My vet and office workers are great and very supportive. Lilly is on a mare
substitute formula.
FROM OWNER TO ME–
I am at work and will give a quick answer. I did not
know that Tilda was having twins. I did not have her
checked. She was full term and even 4 days late.
Rose was first born and Lilly was 2nd born. Rose was
the bigger and stronger foal that Tilda accepted.
They were born on 5/4/2007.
Lilly brought us so much joy and happiness I find this
hard to say, but Monday she didn’t have a good day and
we had the vet come out. He took a test sample for
the lab and when I called to find the results
yesterday morning it was not good, she was septic (not
sure if I spelled that right). I could not see her
suffer any more than she did during the night so we
took her in the car to the vets to be put down. On
the positive side, I brought her with me to U.Mass. and donated
her for research. My hope is that she will help
future twin foals and students. I’m very sorry to
have to share the sad news.
As my daughter and I discussed from the time of her birth
(at which time she had less than a 20% chance to make
it) it is quality of life that is most important and
how you live your life is more important than when you
leave this world. We gave her a chance and she was a
fighter. With that thought in mind, Lilly was the
richest horse I know.
____________________________________________
RELATED POSTS: Equine Reproduction
I want to introduce you Nora, my friend and a NAHRA certified instructor (North American Riding for the Handicapped Assoc., Inc. www.narha.org) who I met through TEC (Therapeutic Equestrian Center) where I volunteer. She is such a caring person and you can see it in her interactions with the riders. Her love and passion for horses is endless.
[THANKS to Nora for sharing pix of herself and Buttercup!! THANKS to HorseGal for the rest of the pix!] Obviously a horse lover, Nora with Buttercup, her draft cross and therapeutic riding horse.
Nora is currently a NAHRA instructor at two local barns, one of which is TEC. She actually started out at TEC when she was just 10 years old! Prior to that, she hadn’t done any kind of work with horses but once she started, she was hooked for life… not only on horses, but also hooked on helping people with disabilities. Nora pretty much grew up at TEC spending as much time there as possible, usually 4 days a week helping with lessons and then an additional 2 days a week helping the barn manager care for the horses. Meanwhile, she was also taking riding lessons at another local barn. Talk about falling in love with the horse experience!!
Later on, Nora leased a 15 year old paint horse named Flash that she would trail ride for hours on end. She and Flash also competed in several gymkhanas. In 2003 Nora got her first horse as a Christmas present from her parents. Her name is Susie and she’s a wonderful 13 year old Morgan. Nora says Susie makes her laugh every day and that she has a heart of gold and has proven to be an excellent lesson and therapy horse.
Nora enjoying Buttercup on the beach
Then Buttercup came into Nora’s life. She’s a 23 year old draft cross who came to TEC as a lesson horse and it was love at first sight! When TEC closed down for a while, Buttercup (or Cup as she is lovingly called by Nora) became Nora’s horse. Nora, who’s been doing 13 years of therapeutic instructing, says that Cup is the best she has ever known, and she’s seen and known a lot of therapy horses in those 13 years!
Guess who? [HorseGal pic]
Buttercup follows Nora around like… a puppy!!! I can’t get over it!!! If Nora runs, Cup runs; If Nora, stops, Cup stops. If Nora jumps over a ground pole, Buttercup does too. It is so much fun to watch them!!! Buttercup and Nora have the strongest bond– they’re soul mates that were meant to be together and best of all, Buttercup is all hers!
Sure looks like true love…
Buttercup and Susie live at the other barn that Nora works at. All of the animals there have free run of the property. I was in their barn the other day when Buttercup came roaming in… her stall door happened to be open and apparently, she decided that is where she wanted to be at that moment, so in she went!
All the animals are free roaming, including the horses, at the barn where Nora works! This is Duke and Passion. [HorseGal pic]
Buttercup grazing [HorseGal pic]
Along with Susie and Buttercup at the barn, there are two goats, a mule (also used for lessons,) 5-6 other horses, and one of my favorites, Duke, who is a miniature donkey.
And Duke - well, isn’t he just too cute?!! He is so friendly and sweet and soft! He’s a miniature donkey who lives at this other barn Nora works at long with a couple of goats and 5 or 6 horses (which include, of course, Cup and Susie.) [HorseGal pic]
Buttercup takes Nora for a ride
When TEC reopened in 2005, they hired Nora as barn manager and she LOVES it!! She works 365 days a year taking care of the TEC horses and wouldn’t change it for a thing. In 2005 Nora got her Massachusetts instructors’ license and her NARHA certification in 2006. Everything she does at TEC, she also does at the farm where where her beloved Buttercup and Susie live. Nora is also involved in a local after-school project where the kids come for two hours. The first hour some of the kids will ride while the others will do homework or craft projects; then they all switch for the next hour.
Tacking up Susie.. [HorseGal pic]
This little girl isn’t a disabled rider… Nora also instructs for able bodied kids and this little girl is one her able bodied riders on Nora’s other horse, Susie. [HorseGal pic]
It was this little girl’s 2nd or 3rd lesson, so she’s just starting out. [HorseGal pic]
Thanks to Nora and Buttercup for all you do for others!!!
I’ve already learned a lot from Nora and she, like Connie, doesn’t seem to mind my endless questions and chatter about horses!! In addition to my volunteering during Nora’s therapy classes at TEC, I’m also now volunteering in Nora’s classes at the other barn. More horses for me to be around¦ woo hoo!!!. (Here’s yet one more place I want to bring Connie when she’s in the area again some time!!)
Nora’s brother Michael, who has Down’s Syndrome, rides also. He rides both Buttercup and Susie and has done some gymkhanas! Stay tuned because I’ll be introducing you to Michael next!!! Happy Nickers!!!
We have started our second young horse in ground training for driving. I am logging here Glendale’s ongoing training sessions, and will be updating and adding pictures and videos as they occur, so check back to this post for newest additions!!! Please see my Horse training disclaimer
Ground driving is walking and running behind the horse as you teach him to move forward and steer in front of you, as preparation for hitching him to a cart. Here is Gilford in training as a 2-yr. old with Hubby. (I will get Glendale videos up as soon as I can con somebody into taking some… Anybody got a head-mounted camera??)
CAUTION– for SAFETY reasons, do NOT just jump into this type of training without the basic handling and prep work. Your ground driving position is often within easy kicking range! Know your horse, know how much he trusts you, what he is used to and what he can tolerate. You MUST be able to recognize his feelings of excitement and agitation and know how to keep him calm or settle him down.
Glendale outfitted for ground driving training: cavesson, surcingle, driving reins.
YOUNG HORSE SUBJECT
Glendale, arabian-percheron gelding age 22 months. 15.2 H, weight about 1000 lbs. Glen is a calm and sensible young horse and a quick learner, attentive to people. He is energetic and forward and seems interested in learning. He is not inclined to kick and has never kicked out at a person. He does not act up when separated short distances from mom and brother; I work with him within his comfort zone.
EARLY RELATED HANDLING and TRAINING (first 21 months of life):
Foal handling, ponying including voice commands, leading, standing tied, cross ties, desensitizing to ropes all over body and under tail, taught to yield HEAD AND BODY to pressure, including ropes against his body and tightened around his girth and ropes wrapped around his legs, and dragging ropes and leadlines. He has been well handled all over his body almost daily since birth.
Also he is familiar with a lunge whip and dressage whip touching his body all over and used for cuing in the roundpen. I got him used to feeling a rope under his dock and tail, behind his rump and behind his hocks. He has been worked several times in a roundpen, before age one and as a yearling.
PREP TRAINING
I had fit a surcingle on him and then a light harness-saddle plus backstrap, crupper and breeching. Glen had no nervousness about this. Training sessions are given on a full belly and with enough fly ointment to deter the worst distractions. He usually gets a horse treat on finishing, after he’s untacked.
EQUIPMENT
CAVESSON– a snug-fitting training halter with extra noseband padding and rings in the noseband, used for lunging. I do NOT drive him off a bit for this initial training. My cavesson is nylon, leather ones of course are available; they may vary slightly in configuration.
HALTER/BRIDLE– nylon halter and bridle combination onto which the bit buckles on both sides, making it fully removable. It has a halter ring at bottom of the chin for attaching a lead rope.
SURCINGLE– padded girth having 3 sets of side rings (turrets) from mid-barrel to top of horse’s back, and center rings on top middle back; I run the reins thru the lowest side rings at the middle of his barrel. Alternative 1, you could use a harness saddle and run the reins through the tugs. Alternative 2, you can use a regular horse saddle, tie the stirrups to the girth, and run the reins through the stirrups.
4-foot whip, dressage whip, short crop with flat slapper on end… (L to R)
CROP OR SHORT WHIP– I use a short crop with a 2-inch flat hand-shaped business end on it which makes a nice slapping noise on his butt and is visually noticeable. A dressage whip or other short whip can be used.
DRIVING WHIP– 4-foot (short) driving whip with 6-inch drop (lash).
DRIVING REINS– my leather 14-foot harness reins, ends NOT buckled together. I try to carry the extra rein length draped over each shoulder when working close to the horse.
LONG LINES– Cotton, about 30 feet long, rounded at the first 10 feet to slide easily thru turrets (otherwise like a lunge line.) Because of their length, I found the long lines way too cumbersome for beginning training; I would have to carry each one coiled when working close behind the horse. Once training progresses to working much further away from the horse, long lines are much more useful. I let the loose rein ends drag on the ground and hopefully step over them as I move around.
LOCATIONS
Our barn aisle is 12×36 ft. with sliding doors on both ends. Dirt paddock is approx. 20×50 with sloping ground. Grass paddock is approx. 100×150 ft., just behind barn, and has rolling hard-packed ground.
TIMING
Session times given are actual times spent on the lesson; total times would include another 10-20 minutes grooming, tacking and untacking (which is also cross-tie practice.)
_________________________________
FIRST TRAINING SESSION June 12, 2007 SESSION 1. In barn aisle, 2 handlers, 15 min.– lead line, two 1-inch thick lead ropes with bullsnaps, halter.
HorseGal helped me at Glendale’s head. I used the ropes attached to his halter siderings, plus a normal leadline. She led him back and forth in the aisle a few times to get his feel, then I got behind his rump holding the two ropes like driving reins.
I told him WALK and pushed on his rump to give him the idea. HorseGal led him as I walked behind. At the end of the aisle, as they stopped at the closed door I said WHOA. She turned him around by leading and we repeated this a couple of times. Next, HorseGal would wait for me to start him moving before she led, helping him learn that I was directing him from behind.
Glendale actually seemed confused at this point about who he was supposed to be paying attention to. So I then asked HorseGal to step back more in line with his shoulder and less in a leading position and not to pressure the leadline or speak to him, so he began to listen more to my voice and more readily to move away from my pushing on his rump. She would guide him when needed.
In a few tries he had the idea to walk down the aisle in front of me and beside HorseGal. No steering was attempted, but I did say WHOA and pulled back on the reins each time he reached a natural stopping place. The barn aisle was just enough room for a first lesson and offered minimal distractions.
SESSION 2. In barn aisle, single handler, 15 min.– snug-fitting cavesson (preferable to halter,) two thick lead ropes.
I got Glendale to walk in front of me by repeating WALK command and pushing his rump. Since he was starting to do this fairly well, I introduced a little steering from side to side. At first the single rein pressure interfered with his forward movement, but he improved quickly. I found I had to exaggerate the steering in this lesson by turning him a complete half circle at the ends of the aisle. Verbal praise and verbal correction were effective from his previous upbringing and ponying.
SESSION 3. In dirt paddock, single handler, 15 min.– cavesson, surcingle, long lines, crop.
Starting in barn aisle, I added crop-tapping his rump to the pushing and verbal cues for WALK. Steering was getting better so I drove him outside via the walk-thru stall. He walked for me parallel to the barn pretty well but didn’t want to go downslope away from the barn.
Just as in leading or riding, whenever he was reluctant to go one way, I turned his head to move him a different way, the primary goal being to move his feet rather than to go in a particular direction. Further urging and tapping with crop got him down the slope, where I turned him in half circle and he readily went back upslope. 4-5 times back and forth was enough, lots of praise and a treat after untacking. (I later learned that he is sticky when leading downslope too.)
Initially I walk as closely as possible directly behind the youngster’s rump, without stepping on his heels. The closer you are, the less likely he can land a kick or get much power behind one, should he get real upset. Better however is to never take your eyes off his attitude, practice tuned-in horsemanship, and adjust your methods and tone as needed so as not to worry him.
SESSION 4. Grass barn paddock, two handlers, 15 min.– cavesson, surcingle, long lines, crop, mother mare in halter and leadline.
I had an inspiration to use mom mare to encourage Glen’s forward movement (as opposed to someone leading his head.) When Hubby led her around paddock, Glen readily walked because she was walking, and I began to direct him independently of her by steering him to veer away from her and back again, steering him in a couple of circles going beside her and also behind her, then in front of her. An aid to teach steering with longer driving reins is to use rein pressure against the side of his rump… IE., when steering him to turn left, I step out towards his right and use the left rein to push against his left rump, at the same time as I’m turning his head to the left.
I WHOAED Glen when his mother stopped, and also when she was still walking. 3-4 times I easily got him to trot by letting the mare get out ahead then catching up to her, using the TROT command and clucking to him (another cue learned from being ponied.) Soon we were circling on opposite sides of the paddock from each other. This was an excellent session– he walked, trotted, steered and stopped independently from his mom, and he even backed up for me, at the BACK cue and rein pressure!
SESSION 5. Grass barn paddock, single handler, 10 min.– cavesson, surcingle, driving reins, crop.
Drove in barn aisle twice, then out walk-thru stall, dirt paddock into grass paddock. Steered at walk, trotted a little. Often I needed to push on his rump to keep him walking (verbal WALK command isn’t always enough.) He is still learning that WALK means to KEEP walking until I tell him something different. He trots readily though so as I get more confident with his trot his walk will improve. He steers more easily at the trot, having more momentum. He stops at WHOA and rein pressure (always a good thing!)
Today his mom and brother were in adjacent grass area eating grass, but he worked for me agreeably so I ended after 10 minutes and rewarded him.
SESSION 6. Grass barn paddock, single handler, 15 min.– cavesson, surcingle, driving reins, crop.
Took Glen out while mom and brother were shut into their stalls. Really challenged him today in terms of keeping moving, working further away from me, and with me walking out to either side of his rump. Did not have to push his rump today, he walked by voice command and sometimes I tapped his butt with crop to keep him going or liven up his pace.
I worked further behind him than before, about 3 feet from his tail. By my waving the crop in the air and clucking to him, he understood to move along thanks to previous roundpen practice (where raising or waving the lunge whip signals him to go faster.) From a stop, I was able to stand on one side and turn him around away from me towards his rear using the rein away from me.
As he’s walking ahead of me, when I move out to the left side of his rump, I use the right rein behind his rump to encourage him forward while steering him with the left rein in a slight bend towards me, continuing to cluck and actively wave the crop in the air as needed. Effectively then I am walking beside his left and slightly behind his mid-barrel. Then when turning him to the right, pulling the right rein pushes his butt around as I turn his head to the right, meanwhile positioning myself opposite his right hip to walk beside him on his right.
FYI, here is Gilford again to help you visualize; he is out on the long lines, much further than I have tried with Glendale yet. At this point his right rein is flipped over the top his back (rather than behind his rump.) He is working off a snug-fitting halter.
This type of steering is already more advanced than in Session 4, where he was just learning to respond to rein pressure by turning. This is preparing him for longline work when I will gradually be able to move him further away from me and to drive him in a circle around me, or on a serpentine ahead of me.
Glen trotted willingly, to voice cues mostly plus more active crop waving or slapping a rein against his butt. Initially I asked for trot when he was heading towards barn, but soon he trotted out away as well, and he steered pretty well at the trot. He backed well, whoaed well, and stood pretty nicely when I was talking to a visitor. This session he started really looking like a driving horse!
SESSION 7. Barn aisle, single handler, 15 min.– cavesson, surcingle, driving reins, crop.
Today was raining so we did a bit of fine-tuning in the barn aisle. I walked him back and forth and we practiced steering in tighter turns, steering in a small circle around me, steering figure eights, yielding his haunches by turning on his forehand. I wanted to reinforce the individual cues, and for him to be learning better how to put together each different command and signal.
Playing in our barn aisle works for Glendale because he is agile and responsive enough to make tight turns (it might be too tight for a larger or less agile horse, or it might be challenging for a less forward horse.) It keeps Glen’s speed to a slow walk; there are few distractions; I enjoy the level smooth footing for myself (rubber mats); and I can observe him a little more closely.
Today he steered better than ever; he was making the connection that light pressure on his rein means to yield his head, and stronger and/or continued pressure means to turn his body. I was able to regain his attention with a light rein squeeze when it began to wander. He responded well to rein pressure against his rump when I was beside him. He walked from clucking and very little tapping with the crop; I would touch him or tap him lightly only if he began to slow down on his own.
I had him stand still while I moved my position and moved the reins across his back from one side to the other. This took some extra cueing… at first he wanted to back up when I shifted to one side of his body and moved the reins across his back, so I kept one rein behind his rump to hold him in place. Then once he understood not to move when I moved, he stood in place without the rump rein. What I ultimately want is to be able to move all around him and flap the reins all around and fuss with him without him moving his feet; this is prep for harnessing and hitching.
Then when I asked him to walk again after the standing session, he was a little hesitant at first, looking at me to be sure he was doing the right thing. So that was good practice to help him differentiate that sometimes just standing in place is what I want him to do, and sometimes I want him to move.
I was facing his head front on and had both reins in my hands, so just for a lark I said BACK, while pressuring both reins, to see if he would back AWAY from me. I probably stepped towards him slightly or leaned my body towards him, but he did actually back away from me a step or two! His regular backing when I was behind him was excellent, he is starting to put 2 or 3 back steps together at a time.
At end I steered him to walk into his stall and untacked him there while he nibbled hay. He gets his treat after his tack is all removed!
SESSION 8. VIDEOS July 22– Grass barn paddock, single handler, 15 min.– cavesson, surcingle, driving reins, dressage whip.
This session was a little more challenging, as I continue to push the envelope to increase Glen’s understanding of the signals. I am moving out more directly beside him now, and out to the ends of the 14-foot reins. I am expecting him to keep walking when I say walk, until I ask him to Whoa. When he hesitates I get more active with cuing, move more directly behind him, repeat my voice commands, etc., whatever it takes to keep him moving. I am turning him frequently and moving my position relative to his body as he turns. I am doing a little more trotting.
Walk Stand Trot VIDEO– Glendale (almost-2 yr. old arabian/percheron) in his 8th ground driving session. Practices walk, steering, stand, & trotting to my voice, whip cues and body language. Glen wears cavesson & surcingle; 14-foot driving reins are attached to siderings of his cavesson (no bit.) Today I’m using a dressage whip because it is a bit longer than the short crop; as I move further from the horse I will use a longer whip, to be able to touch him with it if necessary. He can see this one when I wave it in the air, and he can hear the whoosh if I flick it quickly.
At this point in his BASIC training I am NOT asking for a smooth forward walk or steady gaits, I merely want him to understand moving, stopping, and standing on command. If I were to correct him now for not walking fast enough when he is already walking, he would just get confused and frustrated. Later on we will practice quality and consistency of the gaits.
Walk Whoa Back VIDEO– Shown here, besides walking and steering, are WHOA and BACK. As mentioned before, Glen was already familiar with voice commands for the gaits from being ponied (led) beside him mom mare since he was a 2-week old foal.
FINER POINTS: I am trying to carry the loose ends of the reins over each shoulder, to avoid stepping on them; however, they don’t stay there very well so I have to readjust them often. I am now changing my whip hand when he changes directions so as to keep the whip in a driving position aimed at the horse’s rump (the same as when round-penning or lunging the horse.)
Back Away VIDEO– It truly surprised me that he could do this this the first time I tried it… I have both reins on one side of his body, face him, and ask him to back while pressuring the reins. I step my body towards him also. Granted, BACK has been practiced with him in his ground handling, by facing him head on, stepping towards his head, and pressing against his chest to move him away from pressure. Still, I like to think he is pretty smart to get this in the ground driving setup!
Trot Whoa Walk VIDEO– Once he trotted without me really asking him to… in which case, I go with him and let him trot a little but bring him back to a walk gently with increased rein pressure and saying WALK in a relaxed voice. I love how Glendale listens for what I want him to do!
With youngsters and greenies, you WANT them to move forward, so you don’t want to discourage them if they go forward a little too quickly at times. They can easily become balky if they are pulled up short every time they try to move faster, especially if you have a bit in their mouth.
That being said of course, if they are highly excitable or jumpy, you want to do whatever it takes to reassure them, so they can calm themselves down. An early sign of nervousness is when the horse’s head goes up in the air. Getting the horse to lower his head down is a relaxer (yield to poll pressure) and also refocuses his attention on you. I use the voice command EEEAS-Y (spoken in 2 long syllables) as an attention-getter and soother while we are moving along. I use it when he starts to speed up all by himself, when going through rough footing or downhill, to steady the horse and alert him to collect himself, slow down and pay attention. They all seem to understand this.
SESSION 9– Grass barn paddock, single handler, 15 min.– cavesson, surcingle, driving reins, dressage whip.
More practice on all of the maneuvers in Session 8. Uneventful, except a couple of times he was a little harder to WHOA today. Made me decide he was ready to drive off a bit.
SESSION 10 Aug. 6– Grass barn paddock, single handler, 20 min.– nylon halter/bridle with egg butt snaffle bit, surcingle, driving reins, short flat-ended crop.
For bitting training I use a halter/bridle, which has a detachable bit, because it’s easy to slip the bit into his mouth after the bridle is secured in place. Fasten it to the off (right) side before putting the bridle on, then slip it into his mouth and buckle onto the near (left) side. I rigged this training bridle with an egg-butt snaffle bit approx. 1/2 inch in thickest diameter at edges of his mouth. He has been bitted several times before with a very thin snaffle and allowed to wear it in his stall while eating grain and hay.
I start at about a year old bitting with a thin snaffle, I feel it’s easier to get used to than a thicker snaffle and easier to learn to eat around. Some trainers will not agree with letting horses eat with a bit in their mouth; I think it helps them adjust to a bit, giving them something enjoyable to do. (When bitting, be sure the young horse does not have wolf teeth which would be hit by the bit and possibly cause pain.)
Using the thicker snaffle today (because a thinner bit is considered more severe) I ground drove him as before; the only new thing being introduced was the bit having driving reins attached to it. Because he has been driven prior to now off a cavesson with no bit in his mouth, he was overly sensitive to a bit and had to get used to the feel of it. He was over-steering, often stopping mistakenly from the pressure applied to one rein, and needed more encouragement to move forward through turns when he felt single-rein pressure.
I expected all this to happen. He is now learning to go forward WITH some resistance in his mouth, the very beginnings of accepting the contact of a bit. I strove to keep my rein pressure as light as possible; often it took merely a slight pressure and release to start him turning, but sometimes I had to apply continual pressure. The weight of the reins themselves creates some pressure against the bit, and is something else he must get used to as he learns to put all this together.
I worked on expanding WHOA to also mean STAND quietly until further instruction; he was sometimes backing up a tad after whoaing, so a light touch on his butt and repeating WHOA told him NOT to back up. His BACK was excellent; with the slightest pressure on both reins evenly, he would take a step backwards, putting 3 or 4 backwards steps together, even without a voice command.
After much quiet walking and maneuvering, I felt he was ready for a little TROT; however, he told me that that WASN’T comfortable for him by humping his back and lifting his hind feet up for a couple of crow-hops. Fortunately his did not kick out at me. He did trot then and after a few trot steps I whoaed him and walked again. I had trotted him in a slight curve, so I wanted to trot him curving the other direction as well and asked him for TROT again. This time he sort of jumped into it but didn’t show me a crow-hop, so after a few trot steps I slowed him back down.
Since he has not previously resisted trotting off the cavesson (without a bit,) I can only speculate as to why he semi-bucked like that going into the first trot while being driven from a bit. Possible reasons: perhaps he was still uncomfortable or confused about the bit in his mouth, being overly-sensitive to the rein pressure on them; perhaps I was exceeding his tolerance level before he had adjusted fully to bit pressure; perhaps the surcingle was pinching him (after I took it off he DID have to scratch himself a long time on his girth area.)
Whatever his reasons for this show of resistance, it tells me to slow down a bit, practice more on simple walking and steering off the bit, and do NOT rush moving on to the the next stage, which would be longlines. I want him to have very good understanding of moving forward, steering and stopping off the bit before I move out further away from him on longlines, which lessens my control a little and has the potential of speeding up the action but also of getting into a bigger mess, as longlines are easy to get wrapped around his body or legs accidentally.
One other reminder to myself– today while leading him back in, he dropped his head to grab some grass and stepped on one of his reins, which pulled on the bit and made him react nervously. I need to desensitize him to that, and to repeat a dragging-the-lead-rope-off-the-halter lesson.
Question from Horse Gal:
Hi! Connie, I love your latest blog and pictures so much [Tom Curtin]… My question is this:  I’m just wondering about Gilford bucking at the clinic. What do you think made him do that? Does he do it just at the canter? Did he just do it at the clinic or has he done that out on the trail? Or is it because he’s a youngster and still learning about having a saddle and one of his humans on his back? (Feel free to post this if you think others would be interested). I know horses can buck for a variety of reasons and I’m just curious about Gil because I don’t remember you ever mentioning him bucking before!
_________________________________
Your question is a really good one.
Horses buck or rear out of either frustration, discomfort (physical or mental,) annoyance, or fear. Or possibly just out of playfulness. Young and inexperienced horses are much more likely to act up than old pros, and all horses are more likely to buck when cantering than at other gaits because the extra speed gets them excited and energetic. Dealing with this behavior is a training issue and demands higher level skills and awareness on the rider’s part.
Exaggerated I admit, but love this shot of Tom Curtin in colt starting clinic 2005. He is doing remedial work with a highly fearful horse who already had an established bucking habit.
Gilford has bucked before and also reared before with Hubby on him in a field or ring. He has bucked Emmie a few times when she was doing canter work in field or ring. I honestly don’t remember him bucking or rearing with me (I have ridden canter on trails, dirt roads, and couple times in field.) I did go off him once when he stopped dead so quickly from a canter that I lost my balance completely and did a somersault down his neck (I was totally unhurt, lucky me.)
Gilford caught in the act rearing with Hubby, as a 2-yr. old just started under saddle. This is exactly the day I describe below under nervousness issue…
Bear in mind that Gilford is not a super naturally-balanced horse. He is what’s called heavy on the forehand– which means he carries his own weight more on his front end– and to be more balanced, he needs help to shift more of his weight to his hind end by bringing his hind legs further underneath himself when he travels. Gil is also not a very forward horse, which means he does not move very readily or quickly and he needs help maintaining his forward motion. Both these concepts are more advanced horsemanship concepts which his rider needs to practice as part of his ongoing training.
Here are several situations where Gilford, or any horse. might buck or rear, and ways to deal with them–
There may be balance problems…EXAMPLE: Hubby weighs more than I do so it’s harder for Gilford to balance his weight than mine, especially in the canter. Same thing with Emmie, also Em would be riding him in a circle which is in itself constricting the horse although it helps him learn to balance himself. The rider needs to be skilled enough to not be bouncy or off-balance on the green horse, or pulling on his mouth, which can worry the horse and cause an extreme reaction. At least, when the rider feels himself getting off balance, he should slow down or stop and start over again, rather than continue til a bad situation gets worse. More experienced horses can be more forgiving, but not always.
Herding instinct keeps group of horses galloping together (Tom Curtin in colt starting clinic.)
There may be an excitement issue, such as when all the other horses around you start cantering. EXAMPLE: Anytime he’s in a group of other horses, a horse may feel playful, or defensive or anxious, or start playing herd games, temporarily forgetting there’s a rider on his back. The rider’s job is to keep the horse focused on his business before the horse play gets started. The rider’s job is to BE AWARE at all times of how his horse is reacting to other horses, and to prevent his horse from kicking out at another, which can be extremely dangerous, by avoiding the situation or proximity where it might happen. Warn away other riders who crowd your horse’s space or come up suddenly behind him; aggressively steer your horse away from a stranger he seems to dislike or fear. I have not seen a horse yet that doesn’t get nervous or want to start running when all his buddies are speeding up, or when other horses run up behind him OR run off and leave him.
There may be a confusion issue, such as the horse receiving mixed signals from the rider and becoming frustrated by that. EXAMPLE: If the rider is asking for a canter with his legs and voice, but at the same time is looking down and/or has his weight leaning forward in the saddle, and/or has the reins overly tight in his hands, it’s like telling the horse to go faster and slow down all at once. The horse is confused, unbalanced and frustrated, a buck can result. A better way is to set your weight back in the saddle (and be centered from side so side,) thereby unweighting the horse’s front end and weighting his hind end more, which helps him to push off with his hind legs and strike off with his forelegs. All the things your riding instructor coaches you in.
My cantering on Gilford has been with other horses on the woods trail or dirt road, a couple times in a field, and mostly in a straight line. I like to choose uphill slopes to practice his canter, making bucking more difficult. Having no riding ring with good level footing makes me hesitate to canter him in our paddock, such as ring work going around in circles. Even his mom mare wouldn’t like it. More likely I would practice only the trot in a ring; a good trot really develops the horse athletically, especially trot work up hills and over ground poles; the canter does not serve to develop the green horse’s topline or his relaxation– a good canter will come with time.
There may be a physical discomfort issue, such as cantering on uneven footing, hard or rocky ground, pinching tack, teeth or bit pain, etc. all the effects of which are exaggerated at faster gaits. EXAMPLE: Head-tossing should be taken as extreme annoyance or frustration and as a warning sign that a buck might be next. At first sign of head-tossing or shaking, change what you are doing, distract the horse with a maneuver. Rule out any possible causes of pain.
There may be a genuine nervousness issue, from a PERCEIVED danger. Remember, this is the horse’s instinct, it is not his conscious choice. EXAMPLE: The rider might push the green horse’s envelope a little too far. As a 2 yr. old I remember Hubby first riding Gilford away from the barn, going 2 fields away so he felt isolated from his friends and worried because of that. Gilford reared up as a refusal to keep going forward in the direction Dad was taking him. A better way of doing it would be to NOT take the green horse that far away from security so quickly in a straight line; better to take him in small circles, going away from and back towards the barn, and gradually increase his distance from the barn. You want to teach him to go forward, NOT to rear up and refuse. Set him up to SUCCEED and he will learn the right things, but always be PATIENT and sensitive to his discomfort zones.
As to rearing… a rear is the horse’s ultimate refusal to go forward. When the horse just begins to feel sticky (as Joanne would call it) IE. reluctant to go forward, that is the moment to change direction, circle, do a leg yield or pivot turn, ask for gait change or stop and back up, have another horse and rider pass him if you’re on the trail, or anything else to either A) reinforce his momentum, or B) distract him from feeling upset and re-focus his attention back onto you and his job.
REALLY balky horse pulling back on lead rope trying to escape…
HERE IS THE VALUE OF BETTER HORSEMANSHIP TO TRAINING. When you are tuned in to the horse, you can sense him starting to get sticky or worried, therefore you can counter it quickly BEFORE it turns into a rear or a balk or a buck. I honestly feel that too many riders automatically assume the horse is being BAD when he acts up; instead, you should give the horse a little more credit, he does not really act up just to make you angry. He has simple thoughts and lives in the moment– do not react to him as if he was human. The only way he can communicate is through his body language, he cannot talk. He is trying to tell you that HE thinks something is wrong and he is bothered.
With bucking or rearing as with any balking, there may be an untrained or inattentive rider issue, in terms of using the aids correctly and consistently and in terms of being in tune with what the horse is feeling. EXAMPLE: all of the above!
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is hosting a Wild Horse adoption at the University of Connecticut, Horsebarn Hill Arena, Storrs, CT– August 10th 11th and 12th 2007.
On behalf of the BLM and the American Mustang and Burro Association (AMBA). (I), Robin Rivello the New Jersey State Coordinator, would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping us spread the word via e-mail. If anyone would like more information about the adoption or what the adoption is all about. Would like to know how to go about training a wild horse or burro. See pictures, or see in person already trained wild horses, and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact myself or the BLM. Thank you all so much for your help in passing this along.
During two weeks in June, Tom Curtin conducted colt starting, cow work, and horsemanship clinics at Gelinas Farm in Pembroke NH. On June 16-18, Gelinas Farm hosted Tom’s horsemanship clinic, and we took our own 4 yr. old Gilford for Hubby to ride.
Hubby tacking up Gilford at the trailer, at Gelinas Farm
For three days, twelve riders practiced finer-tuned horse control. Essentially the moves were stop and start, turns on forehand and haunches, backing, shoulders in and out, haunches in and out, two-tracking, softness, gait transitions, and relaxation. Tom’s instructions are very much in his own lingo, from his cowboy background and years of working with horses in a natural and kind manner. Tom’s love and respect for horses is apparent again and again in his teachings.
Tom Curtin demonstrates skills of a well-trained reining horse.
Tom coaches riders in clinic
Hubby and Gilford do pretty well trotting…
Improving one’s riding abilities also improves the horse– both his agility, his attentiveness to the rider, and his sense of well being. Under Tom’s guidance the rider learns to be more in tune with the horse, and the horse learns to be more responsive to its rider. On young and green horses it is particularly important to have the skills to communicate to the horse and to have control of where he places his feet, which is what Tom’s exercises home in on.
Tom showing the results of practicing his exercises.
Tom started by demonstrating the degree of control that is possible on his own well-trained reining horse, and explaining the types of things the class would be doing. Participants in the clinic were at varied levels of experience, riding western, english, or in-between, on green, younger and more experienced horses. Tom’s setup wearing a microphone with remote speakers allows all riders and observers to benefit from each other’s issues. Tom’s manner is laid-back and casual; in an uncritical manner he is able to inspire people to see things from the horse’s point of view.
Gilford’s issues
Young Gilford is still pretty green under saddle, and hubby has spent probably more time driving him than riding him. AND, hubby is sort of a green rider– he rode a lot growing up and has a good sense of balance, but he has had only one or two riding lessons about forty years ago (he learned to ride via the hang on and go method!) So there was some frustration involved as he tried to figure out how to get Gilford to do what Tom was asking for.
Tom Backing UP in a rhythm…
then gives backing up lesson for Gilford and hubby
At this point Tom gives hubby and horse a backing up lesson, because horse didn’t understand what was wanted and rider was having trouble getting it across. (Rarely is a horse being stubborn or bad, but rather the rider is failing to communicate clearly; which is what natural horsemanship training strives to improve.)
Enlightenment
After day two, back at home I put hubby on our mare, who is exceedingly well schooled, so that he could see how shoulders in, turns on forehand and haunches, backing etc. were SUPPOSED to be accomplished and feel like. This was enlightening for him, who finds himself in the situation of having to teach a green horse, and now realizes this means he has to learn more fine-tuned riding skills– the type of skills our daughter Emmie practiced extensively growing up and was/is so good at.
Dad and Gilford practicing in the clinic
Here they do well cantering, although a couple of other times Gilford did buck.
Having a somewhat green rider teaching a green horse is never recommended. We are fortunate that Gilford is so laid back and docile and has a willing disposition. Hopefully it will all work out, since hubby wants to learn more skills now; we should consider getting him riding instruction on Gilford. Emmie helps when she can, but sadly lives over three hours away.
Resting after all that work!
Colt-Starting and Cow Work Clinics
In Tom’s Colt-starting clinic, he takes totally unbroken horses and has them saddled, bridled and ridden BY THEIR OWNERS in four half-day sessions. Day 1 is mostly roundpen work on a grand scale, with up to two dozen horses herded by Tom on his reining horse in an indoor arena. The green horses thereby learn to pay attention to and respect the human. Tom’s tools are his horse, his voice, a flag on a stick, and sometimes his lasso.
In the next three days of colt starting, the horses are introduced to rope halters and ground handling, wearing saddles, being mounted, steering, stopping and starting by their riders, under Tom’s instruction and watchful eye. When necessary Tom lends a hand or might get on a horse himself if it needs a special attitude adjustment for safety reasons. Work is conducted in the arena and roundpen, and by the last day in open fields and off down the trail.
Tom gives some hands-on help to a clinic rider’s horse
I heard that Tom’s cow work clinic was highly beneficial as well to those who enjoy working cattle. Folks learned lariat-handling, roping, herding, tying and other ranch necessities which aren’t often seen in the northeast.
Dad, Joanne Gelinas Snow and Artie Snow in Tom’s horsemanship clinic.
Gelinas Farm is to be complimented for providing such a beautiful location for learning better horsemanship, and the weather couldn’t have been more glorious. Thank you Joanne and Artie Snow, and Tom and Trina Curtin for helping horses by sharing their knowledge with fellow horse lovers.
Don’t miss HorseGal’s own account of Tom’s clinic (07.05.07)
For RELATED POSTS, search petArtistWithPeaches on:
Curtin
horsemanship
roundpen
training
Gilford
