Day Two (Again)

A bit of a gap between Day One and Day Two.....Thats how we roll here. I have a genuine excuse....up to Hospital again for drug trial check up.  So back to lunging.  Charlie didn't put a foot wrong today. 
Despite the cold North Wind, he lunged like a pro.  No pulling, bucking etc. Just calmly trotted and cantered. Came in when I asked, swapped rein without  a tantrum. So either a) he does know what i want, and was just trying it on before, or b) he learnt his lesson real quick.  I'm going for option A.

So, a short session, no sweating up, so no hose, a feed and back out. Lesson learned? Day 3 will tell.

Bonding , Rein-Backs, And Happy Children

I have found a marvellous book called 'How To Get Into The Head Of Any Horse In Minutes', by an old cowboy called Marv Walker. It is along the lines of join-up and the Monty Roberts stuff, but a lot easier to understand.  I have always been into the physcology of horses, and love finding out how they tick.  I have always said you can learn more from just watching your horse, than from any teacher. As I one-time teacher, I also said 'you can teach anyone the mechanics of horse-riding, but to be a rider, you have to have feel, and that can't be taught'.
The basics of this book teaches herd dynamics in very simple terms.  The horse either becomes the leader, or he follows. You have to make yourself the leader of the herd, plain and simple. If the leader wants a space, he claims it.  The followers move out of his way.  If the leader walks off, the followers....yup you got it. They Follow. In the wild, horses fight, sometimes to the death, for leadership. As you don't want to physically fight your horse, you have to use your brain, and not allow him to challenge you. You must be the leader at all times.
With this in mind, I have made a round(ish) pen from electric fencing.  Charlie was a doddle.  In we went. I sent him round the outside. I was carrying a lunge whip.....not to crack it, but as an arm extension.  Following the book, after a couple of laps I moved to the outside to block him.  He changed direction.  Two more laps, he stopped to await instruction.  Then I turned my back on him and walked off.  He followed. He followed every change of direction and pace.  Job done.  We have had what Marv Walker calls a bonder. Since then, whenever I am in the field, he comes to me and follows me.  I can feel the difference. 
I had him in the stable the other day, while the others were grooming.  Having given him a quick brush, I sat down.  First he came over and put some straw on me, then he stood guard. One ear on me, one flickering round to listen for danger. What a good little man he is.

On Saturday I was in teaching mode.  First up Chanice Who Helps On Saturdays, on Daisy. We used the round pen.  And a couple of fence posts set very close together.  First we used them to practise riding into a halt. Next we used them to make tight figure of 8's. I got Chanice to use her legs to move Daisy's hind legs and I could see it dawn on her face (Chanice not Daisy), that she could control each leg. Hers as well as Daisys. We then went for rein-back. I did a lot of loose work and what I call 'Follow Me' with Daisy last summer. Yes, 'Follow Me' is the same as a Bonder, or Join-up in theory.  Hence Daisy reined back at a click of a finger, with Chanice learning the ridden aids.
We then tried with Lulu and Jo.  Having done it once, Lu refused to do it again. I have never come across something so stubborn to reinback. Needless to say, in the field she is reining back at a vast rate of knots just to a finger-click.
After all this work, we grabbed Polly and Lauren, and went for a walk down the lane and back.  I was going to take Charlie in hand, but wanted to be able to grab Daisy should anything untoward should happen. I'm not sure what that would be, as I don't think aliens landing would freak out Daisy, but you never know.  So I took the dogs on leads, and we had a lovely walk, with Lauren and Chanice grinning away.  Sadly there are no pictures of this as I had lost my phone at this point.  

A Rider For Polly and Charlies Long reining Sucess

What an excellent day we have had.  We have found a rider for Polly.  A little 7 year old, who fell in love with her, and was more than capable of cantering her round whilst still being able to steer.  Result for Polly, who needs to be doing something.
Chanice Who Helps Saturdays had an excellent ride on Daisy.  Her leg position is so much better, and she was able to deal with Daisys attempt to tank off. 
Meanwhile we had another attempt at long-reining Charlie.  This time with Jo at his head, just to reassure him. The boy was awesome, and totally listened to me behind him, without freaking out.  A lot more of the same is needed methinks.
As I led him back to the field, very casually, with the lead rope loose and him just following, it struck me how far we have come from the tense days of leading him around with him ready to spook and rear.

Up Up and Away

Yes Saturday was THE day..  The day Charlie was backed.  We started with a lesson for Chanice Who Helps On Saturdays, on Daisy......First off with a saddle, but she still gripped up with her knees.  Jo jumped up to demonstrate relaxed legs, and stopping without reins.  Then we took the saddle off.  Not very BHS I know, but I learnt to ride bareback.  I led Daisy, and Jo side-walked so we had risk assessed our lesson.  It worked.  Chanice had longer legs.  When we got her to fold her arms, she also sat up much straighter.  We even had a little trot.
Then it was my turn......It didn't start well, Charlie didn't want to be caught.  He had the devil in his eyes, as he cantered around me in perfectly balanced circles.  Once tacked up I led him round the 'school'.  He seemed quiet enough, until I went to tighten the girth......Off he went, eyes rolling, and evaded being caught again for, like, 40 seconds.  So I thought, Just get on with it. I even had a hat on!!
At the mounting block, Jo held his head and I leaned right over him.  The saddle was slippery though, so i slowly slid back to the block. It just seemed easier to put a leg over.  He was a star......Stood stock still, amidst lots of praise.  Twice more I got off and on again, the third time i put my feet in the stirrups.  We were going to call it a day, but we had moved slightly, and I couldn't reach the mounting block to get off, so we took our first wobbly steps.  With my added weight to balance, Charlie felt his way forward foot by foot, wobbling like a new-born.  He was so good I forgot to slide off slowly, and jumped off like I would a broken pony, which freaked him a bit.  He then had loads of praise and half a packet of polos.  I am so proud of him.  Next week team chasing....Just kidding.

Jo in Demo Mode

A leg over

Ready, steady...........

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