separation anxiety
Filed in Category: horse training
Rearing Behaviour
Hi Ross
The clinic is drawing close and I am like a little kid counting down the days :)
I have been riding Nicky a fair bit and doing lots of work with her and it is very tiring. She is great with being 'light' but not soft and it is driving me nuts. We get to a good place and the next day we start again. Uhg very frustrating. She has developed a habit of rearing in saddle when she does not like what I am asking. Sometimes I think it is because I am confusing her but other times I believe (and mostly) because I am interrupting her thought which is going back to a safe place. Currently we are having a new freeway built right next door to the agistment. Where the arena is, the horses are exposed to very large machinery and a lot of very busy work, it would be very daunting for them. I do a fair bit of work with Nicky on the ground before I get to the arena and in the arena. I believe that I get her soft which takes a great deal of time and then I get in the saddle however even though she is not out of control scarred she is quite jittery. When I ask her to go to the back of the arena she tries to spin me around to the gate or walk backwards and I have learned how to block her from doing this and get her going forward. She goes forward but tends to plod. At first I let her do it for a few strides as she is frightened but I then ask her to pick it up abit and this is where the rear comes in. This rear is now becoming a habit everytime I ask abit more of her. As the rear is quite quick I havent picked it up before she does it so I cant interupt the thought. Should I be paying more attention or is there something I can do that lets her know that rear is undesirable?
On a better note I road with Nicky into the dam. You were right as we walked in she tried to stick her nose in the water and splash around and I asked her to walk to the left and then she wanted to paw at the water so I asked her to back up then we proceeded out of the dam. We went in and out two more times and then ventured on. It was heaps of fun
Irena
I don't know what the answer is to your rearing problem. I suspect you are letting Nicky become too stuck in her idea of being where she thinks she needs to be. The longer she is allowed to hold onto that idea the stronger will the idea become. Then when you do ask her to let go of the idea to head back to the paddock the response she gives you is quite serious. Don't let Nicky get fixated on the paddock - give her more things to do - vary the routine of riding away. If she gets sticky feet instead of telling her to go forward, ask her to go left or right or left then right. Keep her occupied if you can.
You have to do your best to ensure the rearing does become habitual. Once it is in her mind that rearing is the answer to every question she doesn't like things can deteriorate very quickly. I see from the timetable that you have 2 shared sessions with me at the Macclesfield clinic. Hopefully, you will have made good progress by then, but if not please remind me to coach you on some of the things I mean.
Hi Ross
The clinic is drawing close and I am like a little kid counting down the days :)
I have been riding Nicky a fair bit and doing lots of work with her and it is very tiring. She is great with being 'light' but not soft and it is driving me nuts. We get to a good place and the next day we start again. Uhg very frustrating. She has developed a habit of rearing in saddle when she does not like what I am asking. Sometimes I think it is because I am confusing her but other times I believe (and mostly) because I am interrupting her thought which is going back to a safe place. Currently we are having a new freeway built right next door to the agistment. Where the arena is, the horses are exposed to very large machinery and a lot of very busy work, it would be very daunting for them. I do a fair bit of work with Nicky on the ground before I get to the arena and in the arena. I believe that I get her soft which takes a great deal of time and then I get in the saddle however even though she is not out of control scarred she is quite jittery. When I ask her to go to the back of the arena she tries to spin me around to the gate or walk backwards and I have learned how to block her from doing this and get her going forward. She goes forward but tends to plod. At first I let her do it for a few strides as she is frightened but I then ask her to pick it up abit and this is where the rear comes in. This rear is now becoming a habit everytime I ask abit more of her. As the rear is quite quick I havent picked it up before she does it so I cant interupt the thought. Should I be paying more attention or is there something I can do that lets her know that rear is undesirable?
On a better note I road with Nicky into the dam. You were right as we walked in she tried to stick her nose in the water and splash around and I asked her to walk to the left and then she wanted to paw at the water so I asked her to back up then we proceeded out of the dam. We went in and out two more times and then ventured on. It was heaps of fun
Irena
I don't know what the answer is to your rearing problem. I suspect you are letting Nicky become too stuck in her idea of being where she thinks she needs to be. The longer she is allowed to hold onto that idea the stronger will the idea become. Then when you do ask her to let go of the idea to head back to the paddock the response she gives you is quite serious. Don't let Nicky get fixated on the paddock - give her more things to do - vary the routine of riding away. If she gets sticky feet instead of telling her to go forward, ask her to go left or right or left then right. Keep her occupied if you can.
You have to do your best to ensure the rearing does become habitual. Once it is in her mind that rearing is the answer to every question she doesn't like things can deteriorate very quickly. I see from the timetable that you have 2 shared sessions with me at the Macclesfield clinic. Hopefully, you will have made good progress by then, but if not please remind me to coach you on some of the things I mean.
Filed in Category: horse training
Hi Ross
I took Sally out on a trail ride this week and whilst it was an enjoyable ride, I realised during the ride that she really was just following along. So throughout the ride I was asking for different things, such as step up onto that bank, walk around that tree, go on this path instead of following the other horse. And I had to work on her at times to get these things happening. Toward the end of the ride I asked Sally to go first, she didn’t think that was such a good idea and stopped, refused to go forwards at all. I used my legs on her, flapping mostly, until my legs ached and I couldn’t keep it up. I did get her to move a little, a step at a time. I also got her to zig zag along the track as well. I picked a small twig of leaves and used this to flap to help me to get ‘bigger’ or more determined. She did get better at least in covering some ground but she really didn’t think it a very good idea. The only physical thing she did about it was to stop and bork on moving.
I have some thoughts on this that I would like to discuss with you. We have spoken before about sally’s lack of trust, or confidence in me to keep her safe. You have said to me that she doesn’t really believe that I’m offering her a better deal. I am thinking that this is what is going on here. I’m asking her to step way outside what she knows and what we have done before, it’s all very knew to her and it’s a big scary world out there.
So if this is what is happening, how do I gauge how much to face her with? I was pretty certain that if I got off her and lead her she would have walked along side me. Is every ride I have on her , her just going along with me but not really trusting that my ideas are OK?
By me exposing her to more rides out she will obviously be gaining more experience but I want this to be the best I can give her and help her to feel better about these rides. Do you have any advice for us in how to approach this and is what I did with her this week OK or did I over face her?
It’s really interesting that she is such a bold mare in so many ways, but on her terms. She has no problem walking up onto our back deck, into the back of our workshop shed, over fibreglass roofing, these things just come to mind as things she has chosen to do at home. At the clinics we have done with you she will walk over the bridge, over the tarp, and this doesn’t seem to faze her, but to walk along a bush track without another horse in front of her was too hard.
So do you think that I’m on the right track here? Are there strategies that I should be putting I into place that I’m missing (I’m sure there will be)
I’m booked in for a lesson with Manolo this Saturday, I’ll let you know how we get on. She’s being very rushy at home at the moment, too much grass already this spring, so may be a different lesson this time.
I’ve also heard back from Des Miller and I am booked in for her clinic on both days too.
Hope you are keeping those snakes at bay, and getting those fences done. You always said to me that having your own place will keep you busy, and it sounds like it is.
Say hi to Michèle for me
Bye for now
Louise
As you might expect me to say, it's hard to give specific advice without being there on the day.
I have some questions for you to consider.
1. How many other horses were your riding with?
2. If the other horse(s) went ahead, could you stop Sally and watch them leave without her getting upset?
3. What would happen if the lead horse(s) turned and went behind Sally while you continued riding ahead?
The issue probably comes down to her trust and willingness to try an idea when it is your idea. As you say Sally is not a particularly fearful horse by nature. But it can be very different when it is her idea to walk into the shed versus your idea for her to walk into the shed. To be honest, what you describe sounds very much like the symptoms of other things you have struggled with for awhile now. I strongly suspect it is one part of the whole picture. I believe there is a leadership question at the heart of your problem.
I really doubt she suffers real life threatening and paralyzing fear about being leader of the herd on a ride. My thoughts are that you need to get her better with riding with no company. Riding with other horses just makes it easier for her to disconnect from you because she has buddies to draw her focus. There is no question that you sometimes equivocate over how much you should do versus how little you should do and sometimes accept the appearance of change in Sally instead of hanging in to wait for a real change. It's something we all struggle with in our journey. But I think until you clear up this idea in your head, Sally and you will bounce from good to bad days and back.
I look forward to hearing how your lesson with Manolo was, and especially look forward to seeing you in October.
Hi Ross
Thanks for your reply, I did expect you to say that. But that’s OK, I think it helps me just to write it all down too. I’ve just read your blog on clarity, makes a lot of sense as the one on focus did too. I can see that this is where I am losing her, the focus stage still. That’s the problem though, I can understand it on paper so to speak, but not so much in the saddle. Even on the ground the focus is better than in the saddle.
I didn’t try all the things that you suggested, but I was riding with only one other horse. I did try hanging back at one point and the other horse got out of site around a corner, we were going through a very boggy patch, only one horse at a time, and Sally did not like it at all. I don’t know the answer to the 3rd question, but I think she would have stopped.
I agree with your thoughts on this, but as usual I am lacking the ability to make this change in myself, I don't think I really get it, that is what it is I have to do to help sally and myself. I think that at some point I am trying to force the change rather than letting her make that choice, so it’s not coming from her idea to be with me , but from my insistence that it happen.
I’d love to be able to have all this fixed by the time I see you next, but I think we are still going to be at the same point that we were the last time I saw you, I’m sorry for you about that because you are always so patient and kind to me even when you have taught me the same thing over and over. For this I am very grateful.
OK, so if it’s a leadership issue, is it right to think that no matter how much time I spend with her riding alone, that unless I get the leadership part right, nothing will change? What I mean is, that it’s not just experience and exposure alone that will make things better, I have to get the change in her everytime.
I’ve really just answered my own question haven’t I? But by riding on my own she is forced to search for the answer I want and hopefully find that I can support her?
All sounds so doable in writing, I’ll keep trying.
Thanks Ross, see you soon
Louise
How did your lesson go with Manolo?
You don't have to worry about testing my patience - Michele has you beat on that every day. As long as you are trying, you won't stop me from trying to help you. If you want to get rid of me, stop trying to work it out with Sally.
You are right that leadership is the piece of the jigsaw that you are finding it hard to put together. It is never easy. And you are also right that even riding Sally alone won't fix the problem. But it does make working on it easier because she won't have other horses to draw her attention. But it is not a fix in itself. By riding a horse out over and over they do become better to ride out on that trail. But their sense of security is tied into the familiarity of the trail they know so well. Take her to a strange place with different distractions and you find yourself back at square one if you haven't improved your leadership.
I wish I could give you the leadership that eludes you. I wish I could make it happen for you. Sally is a challenge for anybody and I'm very glad she has you to care so much. At least when I see you in October we won't be scratching our heads about what we could work on.