The End Of The Challenge, Stressage Results and Clicker Training

 WOOHOO!  We completed the Top Barn Challenge.  With the Holiday Week still in hand!  I wanted to finish the Challenge by riding Charlie, but it was not to be. I did manage to sit on him for about 2 seconds and he was calm, but most of the last two weeks of The Challenge he has gone back to feral, suddenly afraid of the tack and being restricted in any way, so we spent our time at Liberty (his comfort zone) and learning to say Yes. The week following the Challenge (or Week 13 as I see it) we took a holiday.  Well Charlie did!  Obviously him (and the other 5) still expect room service daily! And the snow came!!  I Told You So!! Although it didn't lay for long, we had NE Winds bringing Snow, Sleet, Hail. I hate Hail, it hurts! Jo and I struggled on, pushing ourselves in the crap weather, wishing we had some weekday help.....So if you are that person sat at home, bored, wanting some hard graft and a good dose of fresh air in return for a nice Highland to ride, and coffee and biscuits......please get in touch.

And what of that Stressage Test?  Well it almost reduced me to tears!! If it wasn't a problem with filming, it was Charlie objecting to being led on his blind side. Not to mention I had to run. Ok not for long, but enough to reduce me to a heaving, gasping mess, ready to pass out. Eventually I ran out of time for perfection and submitted my best attempt. Imagine my surprise when i didn't come last!!! In fact we came 2nd.  I have just received my test marks!! 84% with a couple of tens and some lovely comments. I am soooo pleased with my boy,

And Finally I would like to talk about Clicker Training. Many people in the Horse World ignore Clicker Training, or think it may lead to a nippy horse.  BUT if taught right, it can actually teach your horse to be polite around treats. It is also a way to accelerate learning.  Horses and all animals (including humans) need motivation to learn and work. Imagine if you went to work every day and your boss just expected you to put in 100% with no praise and the only feedback you got was being moaned at?  Ok so this happens in the workplace (we have probably all been in that job), but that results in an unhappy employee. You are rewarded by a wage, so that's why you work, but there is no motivation to give it your all.  You become shut down, do the minimum amount of work required and have no job satisfaction. You are probably searching the Job Ads right now. 

But what if you had a nice boss?  One that praises you, thanks you? Brings in cream cakes on birthdays? Lets you have time off on school holidays? Works as hard as you do? Takes you out for meals? Yup you try twice as hard to get it right.

So it goes with animals. Tell your Dog s/he is a good girl/boy. The tail will wag. Dogs like to please their human family.  With Horses (and other animals) a "Good Boy" may not be enough reward. But a treat is usually a high value reward. 

Throughout the Animal Training world, Clicker Training is being used. Film and zoo animals are Clicker Trained, not only to perform tricks, but for veterinary work. I have seen videos of chickens playing The Star Spangled Banner on keyboards! Or Tiger coming in for jabs. My favourite was a Clicker Trained Polar Bear!

When I first began working with Charlie, he was feral. I tried a number of training methods, most of which messed up my head.  Then I found Clicker Training. It worked. We have a good relationship. When I call him he comes running. He wants to learn. Yes he wants his carrot treats, but he is excited to see what he has to learn to get them.

Here is a link to our latest YouTube Video - Begin Clicker Training

https://youtu.be/BCuQpoOIvoo

Top Barn Week 10, Stressage, And Hard Work

 Yes we have completed Week 10 of the Top Barn Challenge.  We have had our Rollover week, but not a Holiday week, so technically Week 11 is the last to complete the challenge, but I am still expecting snow! Ok so the last week has been mostly sunny.....I can feel the warmth of the sun, and layers have been stripped off.

Charlie has been full of spring grass, even though we cannot actually see it growing yet. It may be all in his belly. It is showing in his springy heels!!!

We have not been totally connected.....Charlie has his mind on fresh grass and the mares (probably in that order), so we have spent the last couple of weeks playing at Liberty and working on a dance routine. However although I haven't actually got on him, we are getting close.

We have also been working on our Stressage Competition. What was I thinking? Back in the day, I hated Stressage, the most boring part of ODE. And that was ridden!  In-Hand Stressage? Am I crazy? I have to run! With my Dodgy Lungs!! But anyway we are sort of getting there.  Jo filmed a couple of run-throughs today for me.  Charlie was fairly good. But I wasn't satisfied. So back I went this evening with Mark The Mechanic and Horse Whisperer for yet another take.  Although willing to work, Charlie decided it was too dark to trust me on his blind side.  I would say he 99% trusts me, but when he is struggling with what he can see.....At the end of the day (literally) I am not a horse!!  Yup Sorry to break that to you!  With his feral background he still looks to other horses to keep him safe. 

So more filming to come (sorry Jo).

As much as I have loved my 4th Top Barn Challenge, I may have to take a week off to recover at the end.  Its all been a bit hard core. I am still looking after my Mum 4 days a week.  And the Winter seems to have dragged on (even though its getting warmer).  It's the extra work involved in the Winter months that's the killer! Jo and I are on our knees!!! It hasn't helped this year that our Hay Barn is being restored.  So our hay is delivered once a fortnight. It lives outside, so we have a daily battle with a gigantic tarpaulin and several hundred bricks and pallets to keep it warm and dry.  We should be experts at putting up tents!

Daily we move 4 ponies onto the up-coming grass for 2 hours.(The other 2 stay on the night paddocks as they are Fat Fu****, I mean Good Doers). Then its a round of hanging up hay nets in the field, filling Hay Feeders, Filling Water Tubs, Poo-Picking, emptying Poo trailer, forking up Muck-heap, cleaning trailer, refilling Hay Nets and trailer with hay,  bringing back 4 ponies onto night paddocks. At this point we are exhausted and need to stop for a coffee and a biscuit! We have help at the Weekends, but we desperately need weekday help! It's the hay wrangling that's killing us.  SO.........

Do you have free mornings?  Would you enjoy the fresh air and exercise? Would you like to share a loving Highland Pony in exchange for a bit of hard graft and a small contribution towards her keep? Daisy has so much to give, and although we love her very much, she would love to have her very own human that she doesn't have to share with the other 5.  Daisy is a bombproof, but forward going Happy Hacker. She hacks out alone and in company, is very loving and sweet. She is in her 20's and is not going to set the world alight, but may well light up your world!

 

Storm Dudley, Storm Eunace and Storm Franklin versus Top Barn Challenge and A Dressage Test!

 Ok so this is not a weather Channel! However it may as well be.  After jinxing things with the last blog, by daring to mention how kind the Weather Gods had been to us so far in The Top Barn Challenge, they threw their toys out of the pram and sent us Storm Dudley, and Storm Eunace ....and Storm Franklin. Thanks! 

So week 7 of The Challenge started with Storm Dudley....  It was a bit blowy, but we are used to wind here on the East Coast. This coincided with my Nurse duties being upped as my Mum had hospital and hairdressing appointments. That was 3 days written off. As the well publicised Storm Eunace was do in on Friday I decided to take my Rollover Week ( still saving Holiday week for the Snow!!!).  Having banked 2.5 hours, I snuck in the needed half hour on Thursday, filming Rhi's Random, in between storms.  A Lunging task....Lunging is Charlies Nemesis.  However we have been working on it, and he completed the task.

 And so Friday dawned. Remembering the Non Hurricane of '87, I half thought the Weather Boffins were just covering their arses.  The other half was slightly excited at the thought of a mighty wind. Yup it blew a Hoolie.  I had to ride the hay trailer, to hold it down, standing upright was a bit of a problem, but it wasn't hurricane force.  The horses couldn't have cared less.  Bringing them in from the Summer Grazing to their Night Field, I got caught by a gust and the field gate.  As I sailed past Charlie, like a Galleon under full sail, I grabbed a handful of his mane.  He immediately anchored up and stood firm as if to say "I got you Mum". He's got Brownie Points for at least 3 weeks! 

 The wind got up, so I went for a walk down the Beach with Freya Dog, and Other Half.  I say walk!  They went for a walk while I filmed the sea. And got pushed nearer and nearer to the waves. Eventually I grabbed the anchor rope of a beached boat and pulled myself away from the Sea. As soon as I let go I was blown over.  My Other Half (Mark The Mechanic and Part Time Horse Whisperer) said it was like watching a rag doll being shaken by an angry Bear! Freya Dog who is 20kg lighter than me, had no trouble staying on her feet, although she is slightly lower to the ground and all muscle. 

And so Week 8 began.  With Storm Franklin, who was never mentioned until it started. Not quite as blowy, but very wet. Poo Picking was like having a power shower.  If I'd known I would have brought shampoo, and saved some time!

But this is the Top Barn Challenge, so to hell with the weather!! I seem to have entered The Hub In-hand Dressage Comp. It involves running....I mean who am I kidding???  Charlie and I set about practicing, in the 'School'.  Heaving for breath I measured the 'School' knowing it wasn't 20 x 40, but hoping it wasn't far off. it was!  In fact its 35m x about 14m.  So I set about making a 'Dressage Arena' in the flattest part of the Summer Grazing. The sun shone, the birds sang, spring was in the air. I grabbed Charlie and we started practicing. Suddenly all Hail broke loose. The 'Arena' was white within seconds. But this is the Top Barn Challenge...so we carried on!

Friday we had a Round Pen Session working on sharper transitions, and some standing at the mounting block. Of course I was up on the mounting block with my coffee. Charlie moved, so I asked him to reposition himself. He kicked the (flimsy) block, my coffee flew skywards and landed all over his ears. he curled his lips and that finished me off.  We may have to rework this!!

Today was warm (9c) and I was able to have my fleece surgically removed to soak up some Vitamin D.  Charlie and i spent a glorious hour playing at Liberty, starting Spanish Walk and generally having fun.  And so I have not got on him yet (again) as we have been pushed back a week......But next weeks looking good!

Whoa! We're Halfway There!

 Yes. We are halfway through The Top Barn Challenge. Week 6 already.....Its flying by!!  And dare I say it.....The Weather has been kind to us here on The East Coast. Plenty of icy mornings, but very little in the way of wind, rain and snow.  In fact no snow at all, but please don't tell anybody in case the Weather Gods decide to dump on us!  As our snowfall usually comes late (and hard) I have been building up the hours in case of a Rollover or Holiday Week. 

Charlie has been enjoying it. After my session with Marie we have been doing a lot of long reining and lunging (his nemesis) and he has been getting on with the job. We have also been working on standing at the mounting block and its beginning to sink in.

Planning to get on him next week.

We had a small blip last week. As we are short of grass (who isn't at this time of year?) I had been using my Pamper Time to give Charlie a little hand graze on the way from working to the Paddock (with its big container of hay).  Thursday last week I decided to take him for a walk in hand. Normally our solo walk outs go like this.  5 steps forward, freeze, wait, coax forward, 5 steps forward, freeze....you get it. It normally takes a good half hour just to get to the Barn which is about 500m away down the lane.  The Barn is owned by a nasty little shit that has threatened us a few times.  So off we went. At a spanking pace. No freezing. We got onto the lane and Charlie suddenly dived up the bank onto the cropped field. Hangry Cob on a padded leather headcollar versus weakling owner with dodgy lungs and dicky ticker!  Mmmmm.... The little shit dragged me rapidly along the bank searching for the best grass.  At one point I just couldn't keep up and he was free. I looked at the 35 acres of farmland and thought 'Bye Charlie'. I caught up as he was grazing, nearer and nearer to the Barn with its gate open to the back garden (and swimming pool). Not wanting to be shot, we had a brief wrestling match, which left me dizzy so I sat down (actually I sank to the ground gasping for air).  I then wormed my way over to Charlie, and quietly threaded the rope round his nose. With that I dragged him back to the road. I had one very cross pony!  He (not unsurprisingly) objected to the forced control I now had and we went home with him snorting, growling, leaping, plunging and rearing, boxing at me.  My 14hh pony had grown into a 15hh horse shaped kite.  I was reminded of my days at a Livery Yard, bringing in over-fed, under-worked TBs.

Having decided to let the bigger herd graze down the 'School', Jo went to take them to the grass the next morning. Yup Charlie broke free at the sight of the green drug. Jo put a foot on his rope and was faced with a rearing, boxing, hangry power-cob.  As neither of us can hold him when hes on a mission, I dug out the Monty Roberts 'Be-Nice' headcollar that Daisy once needed. Its not actually that nice, as it tightens up like a Dr Cook Bitless Bridle and puts pressure on the poll and nose.  But needs must. Neither Jo or I are young and fit enough to deal with a delinquent thuggy cob! Good yank on the rope, and the boy has been polite since.

I went back that evening after seeing to my Mum (Yes still on Nurse Ratchett duties) and went back to basic clicker training manners.  Ever since we have been on the 'Be Nice' Headcollar and have been working on manners. And Long-reining, and lunging, and moving his feet when I say, and standing quietly while I shut gates, and not pulling to snatch grass, plus Rhi's Randoms, waiting at the mounting block and any leading walking nicely and not trying to stop for a snack.

 I feel like a meanie, but at the end of the day, our partnership has to be based on mutual respect, so if Charlie takes the piss and uses his strength, I have to comeback by using MY strength. Most of my training is done using Positive Reinforcement, but if he uses my weak physical strength against me, then I have to take a different approach and remind him that I am in fact the brains of the partnership!

As I said I am planning to start mounting again next week. Come back to see if it works. I will post again in 2 weeks.