The Art of Natural Dressage

Working with the Horse's Initiative
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:21 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 7:25 am
Posts: 62
Hey everybody, i need some help with my new horse. He came to the new stable on friday, the first three days i just visited him and spent some time on the fields with him, but I didn't do anything with him. Today I wanted to start just a littlr bit with some easy groundwork things. I took him out of the stable to the place where we brush the horses. He started to rear and he stamps his foot all the time. I was kind of afraid and I didn't feel well when going to him, because then he starts to stamp his foot again. I don't really know how to go on and how to start some groundwork, cause I don't dare to try to touch him really. Maybe you have some tips for me?

All the best
Marlene


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:26 pm 
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:20 am
Posts: 6281
Location: Dresden, Germany
Marlene, as I am very much in a hurry right now, I'll just give you a link to our Links to threads - under "Control" you will find several discussions that will give you an idea of how to deal with such a situation in a safe way. If you scroll further down the page, there is a collection of "Where to start?" threads as well.

More later... :smile:


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:13 am 

Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 7:25 am
Posts: 62
Yesterday I did some small excercises. I started to try the halt. I also started with backing up and lowering his head. Karim learns very quikly. And he comes to me all the time. I used the clicker. And when I just stood there he started to lowering his head on his own and then looked me like "what about my carrot?" :)
But when I'm with him he has his ears back most of the time. I don't feel really comfortable with this. Do you know what could be the reason of it? Could it be that he gets angry because of the food? So maybe it would be better to work without clicker?


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:23 am 
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Location: Dresden, Germany
Marlene wrote:
But when I'm with him he has his ears back most of the time. I don't feel really comfortable with this. Do you know what could be the reason of it? Could it be that he gets angry because of the food? So maybe it would be better to work without clicker?


What a nice timing! Radka has the same problem at the moment, so Volker and I have already written a reply in her diary - maybe that's useful for you as well? :)


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 6:45 am 

Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 7:25 am
Posts: 62
I`ve read a lot of threads now and they helped me a lot. It works pretty well with Karim. I just work with him one week and he already is lowering his head, backing up and move the hindquarters around the forehand and he stops when I stop or just when I say "Hoo" from a little distance. And all of this works without touching him most of the time. The last days I worked next to a fence with Karim and sometimes I come to him, when he isn't to aggressive or pushy. I think it's getting better. I think one problem is, that he doen't take a break. He is going to get pushy and a little bit of aggressive when he isn't concentrated anymore I think. So maybe I have to learn when we need a break and walk away for some minutes.

I want to train to give the hooves in a nice way, because the blacksmith will come soon. He doesn't like it at all, i don't want to hold them or something like this. He stamps with his feet when i ask him to give me his hoof. Do you have any tip for me?


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:13 am 
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:20 am
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Location: Dresden, Germany
Great that it's working so much better with Karim! :) is there a chance that you can put a pile of hay into your training area? This might be a solution for the situations when he gets too excited but doesn't take a break. You could simply suggest eating hay for a few minutes, or even just handfeed the hay if he is too excited to eat from a pile.

Marlene wrote:
I want to train to give the hooves in a nice way, because the blacksmith will come soon. He doesn't like it at all, i don't want to hold them or something like this. He stamps with his feet when i ask him to give me his hoof. Do you have any tip for me?


For us, hoof rasping is supposed to be a fun game and the horses are allowed to join in if they want to. However, one of the main features of a game is that you aren't forced to participate and that you (feel that you) can step out of it anytime. Therefore, I have to make sure that we never get into a situation where the horse wants to pull away his hoof and I hold it. That means that I always try to be faster than the horse in suggesting to put the hoof down again. In practice, that means that with a new horse I start by lifting the hoof for about half a second or so, praise him enthusiastically and immediately put the hoof down myself. Next time, I can try to hold it for a whole second already, and so on, until I can trim the entire hoof.

The important part of it is just that I praise and admire the horse during the time when he keeps his hoof up, but I have to anticipate when he will have had enough, and then never let it get that far. In that way, hoof trimming is not a nuisance for the horse for which he feels that once he has agreed, it will be hard for him to get out of it again. Instead, if at all, hoof trimming always ends too early. ;)


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:42 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 7:25 am
Posts: 62
Thank you so much for your tipps, Romy. This forum helps me really a lot. Today it wasn't that good. He wasn't concentrated because there where so much people working in the stable.
One problem I found out today is that he feels when I'm scared from him and then he starts to get aggressive and pushy. For me it's really hard to don't show the fear.
Do you know somebody who lives in Austria and could give me some training and help me with Karim in a way of AND. That would be very great to have someone here who could give me some tips. :)


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