Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2016 15:06:19 GMT -7
Taking baby steps does not mean that you are babying a horse. A horse turns out braver, happier, and calmer if you take your time. The horses who are reactive rather than responsive, depressed rather than happy, and/or anxious rather than calm, are the ones who were rushed. Either they were rushed, or haven't been trained yet.
There's no such thing as a bad horse. The horse was either not taught, or taught the wrong way. But the key to a good, all round horse is just baby steps.
For example with desensitizing, don't take out a tarp the very first day you work with an anxious horse. He'll likely bolt away from you, and you may have trouble catching him and calming him down. Not to mention, starting out with bigger things just scares the horse.
But, if you start out with the lead rope, work up to a whip, then a flag, then a towel, then a blanket, then a tarp, your horse will be better with it. And if you take baby steps each way, your horse will be better with it as well. Such as starting out just flicking the rope, then moving the rope closer to the horse, then tossing it on the horse's back. Or, having your horse approach the tarp, then step on it, then rub it on his legs, rub it on his sides, and eventually work up to laying it on his back. Getting used to an object (rope, flag, tarp, etc.) can take a week, a few months, or any amount of time.
But the end result is a calm horse, full of trust and confidence. And a non-anxious horse is a happy horse. This is why I like to desensitize so much. I try and do it every time I go with my horse. I sensitize, and desensitize. Over and over for about 10 minutes before doing something else. When you sensitize and desensitize, you teach a horse to bring his energy up, and easily bring it back down. You teach the horse that the rope or whip paired with a signal, is a cue. But a rope that is just idly swinging around doesn't mean anything, when it's not paired with a cue.
Desensitizing is not to be confused with getting a horse used to one object. You can never duplicate every sight or sound your horse will come across in his life. The idea with desensitizing is to teach your horse to wind down after a noise, movement, or sensation scares him. This is done by bringing his energy up, and teaching him to bring it back down.
And desensitizing is the biggest thing that should be done in baby steps.
There's no such thing as a bad horse. The horse was either not taught, or taught the wrong way. But the key to a good, all round horse is just baby steps.
For example with desensitizing, don't take out a tarp the very first day you work with an anxious horse. He'll likely bolt away from you, and you may have trouble catching him and calming him down. Not to mention, starting out with bigger things just scares the horse.
But, if you start out with the lead rope, work up to a whip, then a flag, then a towel, then a blanket, then a tarp, your horse will be better with it. And if you take baby steps each way, your horse will be better with it as well. Such as starting out just flicking the rope, then moving the rope closer to the horse, then tossing it on the horse's back. Or, having your horse approach the tarp, then step on it, then rub it on his legs, rub it on his sides, and eventually work up to laying it on his back. Getting used to an object (rope, flag, tarp, etc.) can take a week, a few months, or any amount of time.
But the end result is a calm horse, full of trust and confidence. And a non-anxious horse is a happy horse. This is why I like to desensitize so much. I try and do it every time I go with my horse. I sensitize, and desensitize. Over and over for about 10 minutes before doing something else. When you sensitize and desensitize, you teach a horse to bring his energy up, and easily bring it back down. You teach the horse that the rope or whip paired with a signal, is a cue. But a rope that is just idly swinging around doesn't mean anything, when it's not paired with a cue.
Desensitizing is not to be confused with getting a horse used to one object. You can never duplicate every sight or sound your horse will come across in his life. The idea with desensitizing is to teach your horse to wind down after a noise, movement, or sensation scares him. This is done by bringing his energy up, and teaching him to bring it back down.
And desensitizing is the biggest thing that should be done in baby steps.