PROBLEM SOLVING - TOM:
Problems seem so huge at the time, but looking back some are much easier to deal with than others so I categorise them into 2 varieties:
1) problem (1 bag of treats),
2) big problem (going to need more treats)
TREATS:
TREATS:
Tom's problem number 1:
...this was going to be a level 2 problem: getting Tom to stand still while I got on him.
Tom is a calm and thoughtful horse, and have I already mentioned huge? He is not as overtly curious as Henry, actually it seems he sends Henry to see what's new going down the lane before he comes over! But he is brave and has a capacity for learning difficult things, it just takes him time. He accepts things quickly and assesses things in an instant, so when we come up against something new he doesn't always react with fear as his first instinct like Henry - he looks and snorts and decides. He is the baby, and it's easy to forget he is so young sometimes because he is such a good horse.
bathtime, I don't tie them up, I just go over them with the hose, and they stay calm.
When your horses are big, as mine are, you really can’t afford for your yard to be the scene of constant battles of will and tenseness – you need a sublime calmness, and quiet, an environment for listening and learning. If you are aggravated, or moody, don’t burden your poor horse with this – leave him until another day. I can always sense with mine when they are ready for the next lesson – and it has to coincide with me being in an easy frame of mind (which for me is easy, they are a very calming influence on me, I can have had the crappiest day at work, and as soon as I see those enormous brown eyes I completely melt), and make sure you have lots and lots of time and treats. Don’t start anything if you are working to a schedule – give you and your horse bags of time to learn things together – on the ground.
so gorgeous
I talk to my horses, all the time, they know their names and they can recognise tones in my voice. I have a soothing good-boy voice for teaching and learning, and introducing anything scary – like a big plastic bag to their environment – I have a care-free tone, come and sniff, come on, it won’t hurt you – and because horses are so damned curious, they get over themselves and come – they’ll lick their lips (calm), and lick the plastic, then grab it in their teeth and shake it (this may just be Tom & Henry).
So you have a goal – I give myself goals to achieve, and I am very realistic with timescales. I will for instance say to myself, by the end of the summer Tom will understand that I’d like him to stand still when I get on him, and he’ll want to.
And this is how I did it:
Getting on Tom was my big problem with him, I would have to back him into a corner of my yard so he couldn't back up just to get on! It was ridiculous, I’d have to make sure I left at least 20 minutes to get on when planning to ride with anyone. And he’s big, I couldn’t just launch myself onto him, I need a box, I need him to stand still, I need him not to move away with my foot in the stirrup!!! And did I mention he is huge?
So, I followed him around the yard with the box for 5 minutes as usual, I had planned for a quiet wander around my neighbours fields (my favourite ride), but I suddenly knew what I wanted more than anything at that moment, for Tom to stand still while I got on him.
So then thought, bugger my ride – the sun is shining, John’s out building stuff with a neighbour as boys often do, and I have all the time in the world.
Tom is a sensitive horse, and I had discovered that Tom responds very well to contact and pressure, he has a soft mouth and I have soft hands – so there I was standing on my box at his side as I had done many times, him moving sideways away from me, I tightened my outside rein a little until he stood still, and rewarded him with loosening them again straight away – this was the key. Reward. All the time saying stand please (because we are very polite in our yard!), stand please gorgeous boy. Good boy.
I'd get off my box, walk away, no pressure. Reward with a treat. Get back on the box, stand at his side, repeat what I had done, this time he already understood stand still, only on the second time! I shifted my weight on my box, he shifted away slightly, I got off my box and moved it back to Tom's side, I shortened my reins – just to explain, I am not making my reins short, his chin is not on his chest, I just have contact, and that’s all. So he stands still again – I let go of the reins, he remains still, I get off the box, give him lots of praise, tell him he’s a good boy, scratch his neck, give him a treat, (herbal tasty treats) and again reward him with no pressure I walk away a bit and leave him alone.
He's thinking about what has just happened.
I just put my weight in the stirrup and get down again, gently does it!
I put my foot in the stirrup, he stays still, I lean against his side with my weight in the stirrup, expecting again for him to move off, but no, he stands perfectly still. I let go of his reins, get off the box, praise him lots and give him treats. I walk away a bit, so he has no pressure, he licks his lips and appears relaxed and happy.
practice fiddling with your stirrups or anything, just to teach your horse you might need to do things while you're on top, not just ride.
Well I cried at this point – I don’t remember ever being so happy, and John wasn’t even there to see!!!! MEN!! So a few minutes pass, I put my box back next to him, usually he’d be moving off by now. But he stands perfectly still, relaxed, I put his reins in my hand, he looks at me. I get on my box, no longer a source of worry for me now, but an icon of achievement, I have a very light (some would say no contact), I put my foot in the stirrup, saying nothing, I swing my leg over and settle quietly and gently into his super comfy saddle, he has not moved a muscle, he stays perfectly still, he is relaxed, he is resting a back leg even! By jove he’s got it!!! the whole thing took an hour. only one hour to achieve the basic of all things, for my horse to understand that I needed him to stand still, and he's big, there's no chance to get on him otherwise.
I was on! I could have cried.
I ask him to stand still for a minute before taking off always at walk
Once on, I lean over and give them a treat, this teaches them not to run off, they know whats coming and are happy to wait for it.
Well, as you can imagine, I was thrilled and overwhelmed with an enormous sense of achievement – just me my horse and a little bit of good communication (and treats) – no whips, no shouting, just love. I got off him almost immediately, gave him more treats and cuddles, left him to think, I just walked away a few metres and left him, did it all over again – I got on and off him about 7 times, and the whole time he just stood there – it was truly amazing, then I took him for a quiet ride around the fields for 20 minutes to relax further, then home and out to roll and play.
Henry is happy Tom is back, and can relax too, Henry could never understand why Tom didn't stand still while I got on, because to him it was easy...but Tom thought Henry was silly not wanting to go in his stable too!
Further to this, over the next few weeks I repeated some of these steps, whether necessary or not, I wanted Tom to know everything was fine, I always reward my horses for standing still, once I'm in the saddle, I lean over and give them a treat from the saddle. I have taught them to stand still even after I'm on. This is a polite way to reinforce calmness and of course mine don't ever charge off, or move off without my energy being up and asking for a walk.
Get on, and do nothing.
Practice getting off and on again whilst out, if you can do this in a clam and managed way often, when you need to (and perhaps aren't feeling calm or in control), it'll be easy for both of you because you've practiced it.
I have since practiced getting on whilst out too - as anyone will tell you if they've got off to remove a stone from their horses hoof and had to walk all the way home will tell you....it's best to practice these things so when you need to, you can get on by finding a suitable bank or rock to stand on, and now Tom will stand still...I can get on without a problem...
once on..a lovely calm ride was had by both of us...except...
I'm sure I'm picking up radio 4 from my new hat!
Tom's problem number 2:
this turned out to be a one bag of treats problem: getting a rug on Tom:
Putting a rug on a horse that claims with his expression he has not only never seen one, but he certainly isn’t going to let one get anywhere near him let alone on him because clearly it’s going to eat him. Very tricky. But in the end all it needed was a bunch of carrots, a bag of treats and a willing participant: John as a helper.
Here’s how we did it:
Tom was in his stable, I folded the rug into 3 so it looked quite narrow.
John was outside by the door, carrots in hand and ready. I was talking to Tom the whole time, he was looking at me very suspiciously, but I persisted, not to forget, we hadn’t known each other for more than a couple of weeks.
I gently held the rug up in my hand while standing in the corner of the stable, as far from Tom as I could, but by the door, and let his natural curiosity make him come over and sniff it, then when he gave it a big sniff and a puff he got a carrot.
Tom now finds rugs amusing...
Then I approached him very slightly, he came closer to me and sniffed again, and then I very slowly and gently held the rug against his shoulder, he wasn’t sure about this, so he began to move, but because it wasn’t hurting him he stopped, and I took the rug away, gave him a carrot.
Some things are safer to deal with inside a stable, and Tom certainly doesn't mind - if this had been a problem with Henry, I'd likely have tackled it in the yard so he felt like he could move around.
Then I approached him again, he looked bored this time, so I held the rug closer this time, and put more of it against him, he started walking around his box, but stopped after bit. Then I rewarded him with taking it away, and gave him another carrot.
Then I walked up to him and straight away held it up to his shoulder, and moved it slowly to his body, while John fed him a carrot and some treats to make it more interesting. He didn’t
seem to mind this so very slowly and quietly I moved it so it sat on him like a saddle cloth. Of course he is used to having a saddle on so this posed no concern to him.
I can change my mind about my rug choice and go out to the field in all weathers and change their rugs, without tying them up, because they trust me.
Then I gradually unfolded the rug – John feeding him carrots, so the whole thing was nice for him, and voila! Rug on, no worries.
And from that day I put his rug on in a very slow and careful way, folding it like before, and gradually reducing this, and now I can just chuck one on him, untied, in the field, even when it’s windy and pouring with rain!
Tom is a very good boy: he much prefers, as most horses do, to be naked. He grows a very woolly coat like a bear in the winter and can stand cold weather – well he is a Trakehner, and we all know the story about the Trakehner don’t we?
But I can’t stand them being wet and cold – so he has to wear a rug if it rains or he is likely (as mine do everyday), roll in the cold wet mud. Actually my boys have an extensive wardrobe suitable for all occasions and weather types: daywear, nightwear, evening wear, rugs for going out...casual rugs....
I have found a make that fits them very well, that doesn’t have too many things to fiddle with – I hate rugs with too many twiddly bits – horses like you to be quick and get out so they can eat their dinner in peace.
Remember, horses are prey animals, so they are naturally deeply suspicious of anything that touches them, covers them, makes funny russly noises, so please remember if you horses isn’t as calm to learn as Tom, try more carrots, and give him time, he is just be instinctive, once he learns the rug won’t eat him, he is sure to be fine with it. Start, as I did, with the thinnest, lightest, rustle free rug you can find, a sweat rug or woolly day rug is ideal, this will help, then you can build up to the noisy ballistic nylon ones we all love. Good luck.
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