2012: A Year of Horse Training

I've decided I don't like winter!

The lack of daylight hours is truly bothersome.  Working full time means my chances of getting outside during the day is very limited. I can still make some changes to manage *some* time but the best scenario will be when winter is done!  I guess as long as I live in the mid-atlantic region of the U.S., this is going to be a problem I'll have to contend with.

Training is going slowly.  It's just the nature of the beast I guess.  Because there is little to report, I thought I'd go back to talking about goals.  We've already talked about my goal of getting Izzy driving a cart this year.  The other primary focus this year will be getting both Missy and Ethel prepared for show season that begins with the Fun and Fuzzy clinic in April.  

This is Missy.  She has been my "main" show horse the last two seasons. We tried showing both her and Baby but I decided after the first season that I needed to focus on one horse this past year. Also, Baby's conformation is a little lacking. We still took Baby to the shows but only to keep Missy company

We did really well this year, placing 1st in our age group/gender in all 4 shows (of 5) we attended.  We even garnered Reserve Champion for Mares at the first show in May.  

I did not spend as much time working with her as I should have before and during show season.  I also got lazy in the grooming department toward the end.  These are two things I plan to improve upon for the coming season.  

The other decision I have to make is whether I can somehow show both Missy *and* Ethel in Halter classes.  Sarah does not want to attend shows with me anymore let alone show anyone.  The problem is that both Missy and Ethel would fall into the Senior Mare class this year and you can't be in the ring with two horses at the same time!  I'm hoping to find someone who wouldn't mind taking one (probably Missy) into the ring for me.  Otherwise, I'm going to have to choose one over the other. And that's something I'm going to need outside help to do.  I'm "barn blind" and can't decide which one would be the better one to put in the ring over the other.

In addition to the Halter class, I want to do Obstacle and Hunter.  In my head, I think Ethel will excel in these areas, but I want to train them both.  I'm thinking I can run them both through each class as i don't have to be in the ring at the same time with each.  I just need someone to hold one while I run the other through the course.  

The way I see it is that I go a long way to attend our club shows (2 hours one way!).  I want to go and stay longer and participate more. I think year 3 is a good time to do this. 

Now to put some concrete plans into place. I'm going to be talking with a great lady who happens to offer her services for horse/handler training in the coming weeks.  Yes, Linda...I mean you :P  With her help, I hope to put a plan into place with these goals in mind and come April 15th...we'll hit the ground running this show season!

Cross Tie Training

I've seen use of cross ties, especially while grooming, in a lot of the online things I've read as well as in various books and magazines.  Up to now, I haven't been able to determine a good place to set up a cross tie area.  Last week, after I cleaned out and then put down fresh bedding, I closed off one of our 4 stalls to keep it clean.  The idea is that I would "save" this stall for grooming use right now. 

Today, I installed two closed eye screws and gave it a try on Ethel and Baby.  Everyone needs a thorough grooming, but these two came to me first. Tag your it!

Ethel wasn't so sure about it but I found it helped immensely in not having to fight a horse who is constant moving.  Yes, they can still move some, but not nearly as much as when they are tied to a post or something like that.

For their safetly, the stall door will be kept closed while the eye screws are in place as they are at eye level for most of the horses and injury could happen as a result.  Should I find it necessary, I can easily unscrew them and remove them for later use.

 

The Epitome of Horse Training

I was referred to this video over on the Lil Beginnings Miniature Horse Talk forum.  Talk about incredible training not to mention trust and a bond between animal and human.  That's a lifetime at work, to be sure.

 

I can only imagine that most horse owners would love to attain this level of companionship with their equine friends!

Winter is a tough time to start training

As I could have predicted, day 2 started off cold enough that training would be more than a bit difficult to manage.  Still, I spent 10 minutes working with Cha Cha.  Every bit counts, right?

Obviously, I need to figure out how to not lose momentum even if getting out and working with a horse isn't likely to happen. What I plan to do on days like today is spend my "training time"  reading and researching and planning.  In other words, training my brain!

I'll be working on a schedule and goal list for each horse this week. I'm trying to determine how detailed I should be or whether I should keep things fairly broad and open ended.  I'm leaning toward the latter.  

With that in mind, let's talk about another horse:  Izzy.

Izzy was our first miniature horse that we brought home in April 2009.  She has taught *us* a lot since then.  Izzy stands about 33" and is our heaviest horse having weighed in last July at a whopping 300lbs.  Compared to Ethel who is easily 3" taller at 250lbs. Yes, Izzy's training will be geared to helping her lose some weight along the way.  I expect that will be a natural byproduct of the work we will do this year as we get her pulling a cart.

And that, is the #1 goal for Izzy.  I want to be buzzing up and down the streets of Pylesville next fall behind my chocolate beauty.  Possibly participating in some classes at our MDMHA shows in 2013? 

The first steps will be to reinforce the ground work we've done to this point.  Getting her to walk, trot, stop and back on command is the first level.  This will be done both at my side and on a lunge line. That will be followed by the re-introduction of a surcingle.  This is Izzy with the surcingle on for the very first time in the fall of 2010:  

She was utterly unphased but this new contraption.  When we put this on again, we will also add some training leadlines with a bridle and bit. That's when the fun should really start!

Day 1

The idea of creating yet another blog is likely a pretty crazy one. Still, I'd like to document my work with our miniature horses this year. So, we'll give it a try and see how it goes. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work and I'll scrap the whole idea of documenting our training in this fashion.

One key to the training I have planned, I believe, is to keep is simple! Start from A and work through to Z as methodically as possible. My personality is such that I really want to skip A-M! Obviously, that leads to loads of frustration not to mention little or no progress.

As I train my girls, I'll be learning.  I've never trained a horse before. Heck, before April 2009, I never owned a horse before. I will be seeking help in various forms including some formal work with a friend. More than anything, I must put in the hours and the effort. I must make the time to do it. As I mentioned on my main blog, I need to retrain my brain. One area that will be getting retrained is the area that convinces me that I really should just sit back and relax more...I deserve it! No matter how much work has or hasn't been accomplished. I won't succeed at any of our training goals if I don't go out and actually train and work with the horses!

Over the course of the next week, I will write about each horse and the goals I have for them. I'm starting with Cha Cha.  

Cha Cha will be 14 this year.  She was the 2nd horse we brought home. She is what is known as a "hard keeper" in the horse world. This means, that unlike most other miniatures, keeping weight on this horse takes considerable effort and thought. I feed her far more than any of our other horses. She has the opportunity twice a day to eat pure alfalfa hay without being bothered by the others. She gets a weight supplement and an ulcer prevention supplement everyday. These measures have finally done the trick in her keeping a decent weight. She'll never be pudgy like say, Izzy.  I just like that she doesn't look like she's being neglected anymore!

Personality wise, Cha Cha is also atypical when it comes to being a miniature. Most miniatures tend to be very social, curious and will be all over you if you let them.  Cha Cha has always had a "hands off" attitude.  She's not easy to catch. Once caught, she behaves beautifully.  She would prefer not be bothered with though. 

The problem is, there are many times when I really need to bother her for her own good. It is more than frustrating to need to put a blanket on her (as we will in the coming days as our temps are forecasted to drop and stay there) only to have to chase her for a long time and finally resort to trapping her in stall.  

This lead me to determine that for my goals for Cha Cha in 2012, the #1 goal is to get her to NOT walk away from me no matter what I have in mind. And there's no time like the present.  Unlike the other horses, Cha Cha is the only horse I will be routinely giving treats to.  She really likes her treats. 

Our process for feeding is to separate her from the rest in the dry lot so she can eat undisturbed by the others. Also, we've learned she will refuse to eat if we stall her.  Being loose in the dry lot is where she is happiest and will eat the best.  After a couple of hours, someone will go out and pick up her bucket (which is hopefully empty!) and open the gate between the barn area and the dry lot, allowing the rest to come into the dry lot and finish up any hay that's left.  

Today, I went out with about 6 small treats in my pocket.  I went into the dry lot and approached her. As per usual, she stepped away. I kept walking a little closer until she saw that I had a treat for her.  Once she realized this, she started paying attention. "Giving me two eyes" in Down Under Horsemanship training jargon (DUH is a training program developed by Clinton Anderson).  I'm a fan of CA and his training methods. 

Once I had her attention and she realized what I was offering, I took the opportunity to move closer. She still wasn't sure about this, so she stepped off a foot or two.  I got her attention again, showing her the treat. It wasn't long before she was stretching her neck and head out to get a closer look at what I was offering.  It was a bit amusing how firmly her feet were planted and how far she was stretching herself.

I reached in just enough to let her get a whiff of the treat. Then I pulled back a bit. The idea was to make HER step to ME which, finally, she did.  At the point she got the treat.  I backed off about 3 feet and offered her another treat in my hand. Each time, after finishing the previous treat, she would step toward me and take the treat.  After I finished off the 5-6 treats I had brought out, I picked up her bucket and walked away. We were done for this session.

This work will definitely be a slow go.  Cha Cha's reserved nature and desire to be left alone is very deeply ingrained for her.  For me, this will be a great lesson in patience and remaining calm.  One of my favorite Clinton Anderson quotes is this:  "Frustration starts where knowledge ends."  I have to ensure my knowledge is such that my frustration with the slow progress with Cha Cha remains under control.