From: Jayne
Hi Jessica Just wanted to drop you a note thanking you for the time and effort that you put into Horse-Sense. And, actually, as I write this I just noticed that there is a way for me to help support your effort. Will go to your web-site. I was just wondering about some of the winter equine issues and you post appeared about late fall grass and hay. It's not the first time that one of your news letters hit at just the right moment. I am new to horse ownership ... took almost fifty years to realize this dream. I brought home a black/bay two year old Andalusian colt eight weeks ago. I will campaign him in dressage (keeping my fingers crossed) and he will begin breeding sometime around the age of five years, depending on his mental maturity. As an intermediate rider, working in dressage for only two years (rode hunter jumpers on and off for years rather poorly, now that I know what a seat is LOL), I have gone and done what everyone advises against. But, I selected a breed that is especially loving, intelligent, and gentle. And, I have outstanding horse and rider training support from a "gifted dressage teacher" that comes with a fine barn where we have properly introduced Amador to new things, like wash stalls and farriers. I also happen to have a sister who has been a successful equine breeder for twenty odd years. And now, back to reading everything that I can get my hands on. But as I close here, it occurs to me that I have a question that might be relevant to other readers: My 28 month old Andalusian stallion will not be started under saddle until after his third birthday and xrays confirm sufficient closure of lower extremity growth plates. We currently go for walks together and meet many new and different things that might otherwise be spooky. My Boy also backs easily and is developing lovely manners. He is very lightly lunged for a few minutes in each direction once a week or so ... this little guy was relaxed and comfortable with this from the get go. No pulling or flying out at all ... wouldn't do this otherwise. We've also walked up and down some short mild hills together to begin to develop his hind end a few times. He has also been easily introduced to a bridle that he comfortably hangs out in under supervision for short periods every now and again. The other day it dawned on me that we could get used to walking in the dressage arena together and that we might try some very large serpentines together. We've done this twice now, in each direction, 2 sets of three serpentines. It seemed to me that he enjoyed the mental and physical challenge of thinking and focusing on this new game. Do you have any comments about what we've done to date and recommendations for other in hand exercises for us? Best, Jayne
There's another letter in this week's HORSE-SENSE that you'll want to read - it's very much on this topic.
Andalusians are everything you've said - but beware, because their intelligence and kindness and "people" orientation can make it tempting for the owner to move too quickly and do too much, too soon.
You're wise to limit the longeing - if you are going to longe your two-year-old, even for a few minutes a week, be sure that the circle is HUGE - larger than 20 meters if you can manage it, but certainly no smaller than that. Circle work puts a good deal of torque on a horse's legs, and for a youngster with a developing skeleton and all the balance issues that youngsters always have, this can be extremely risky.
Your idea of keeping learning fun for him is a good one - and one that every trainer and rider should strive to keep as a directive throughout the horse's training and throughout its riding life. For horses, as for children, work should never be a matter of "Grit your teeth and get through this unpleasantness, and THEN we can have some FUN." The WORK should be FUN. If it's introduced properly and at the right time, by an aware, attentive, responsive trainer, the horse's work will be fun. This is obviously something that you understand very well, but I'm saying it for the benefit of other readers. ;-)
You can do all sorts of things with your youngster. Games are fine, some people enjoy trick-training of various sorts, and I always recommend that riders acquire a large toolbox of communication and teaching techniques. Why not introduce your clever youngster to Clicker Training? It will exercise his mind, your timing, and your mutual communication, and it will provide you with an endless list of entertaining things to do with a horse of ANY age.
Alexandra Kurland's book "Clicker Training for Your Horse" should get you off to a good start. She also has videos - two of them now, I believe - that will add to your understanding of clicker training. It's terribly useful for teaching horses new skills, but that's not all there is to it - it's also helpful if you want to help your horse learn to learn, and it's a lovely way to teach your horse that you are interested in communicating with him. That's something that we often assume our horses understand - yet we don't always manage to make our intentions clear.
Clicker training is all about communication and clarity. It's about offering the horse a free range of choices - and then rewarding him when he chooses the right one ("right" means "the one you had in mind"). One reason I like it so much, and recommend it so often, is that for many people, it's a way OFF the path of reward/punishment training. Punishment isn't necessary or helpful as a training method. If you're trying to educate your horse, you'll want to reinforce/reward the behaviours you want, and thus teach the horse to make the choices you want him to make. Training becomes easy and pleasant if you keep in mind that your goal is to reinforceand reward the behaviours you want, NOT to punish the ones you don't want. But many people are, like it or not, in the habit of thinking "punish the unwanted behaviour", and this way of thinking gets in the way of good training and real communication. Clicker training, just because it requires a new set of physical actions and behaviours from the HUMAN, is a very useful way to get the human into a new way of thinking about the purpose and style of training - I'd say it's at least as useful for the human as it is for the horse.
Clicker training will be useful - and fun - for you and your horse when you are just starting out together; it can also be used and refined throughout the horse's life with you. I've never yet met anyone whose communication with their horse was "too good" - it can't ever BE "too good" - so don't worry, you'll only benefit from learning these techniques.
And don't worry about the "green-on-green" phenomenon, because I really don't think it applies in your case. You've had enough experience to know how much there is to learn, AND you know what a seat is -- neither of those is typical of a green rider. ;-) And you've certainly got a wonderful support system. It sounds to me as though you'll be well able to deal with your youngster, and I hope you'll keep me informed, from time to time, about your progress.
Jessica
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