I've had one attempt at join up with a particular 2y/o gelding (after taking my preliminary course) who is very spooky, calls out to horses in the stable when you take him into the round pen and is incredibly headstrong. Ok, not 'incredibly' I am aware that I am a 5"7 55kg chicken-legs-for-biceps girl. The join-up started really well, he gave me a locked-on ear almost immediately and very quickly started bobbing his head right down to the ground and back up again as well as coming off the circle very close to me (without inviting himself). 'this is going well!' think I. I was playing with his speed using the cat claw and just a little rope movement to bring him up to trot and then back down again to walk, at which point he started licking amd chewing. Then the mare who's apparently the dominant one of the bunch started calling out when her session on the horse walker in the distance was finished (according to her) and the gelding started responding and becoming very distressed, calling and calling and breaking into a sweat. I was able to bring him down to a walk again a few times but I think I should've stopped the session and not tried to join up with him. I'm also very aware that my nervousness and worry that I wouldn't achieve join-up (and people were watching, and I was filming it for my teacher) translated to him and added to his own anxiety regarding madam on the walker and the scary things in the distance (he had flinched and become distracted by every little thing -horses being led past the pen etc). What should I have done? It went on quite long, should I have kept trying to bring his energy down or called it quits sooner? He's really headstrong and I don't think I'll be able to school him back in the dually unless we've created a partnership in join up first. Sorry, essay! I just want to do it right! Help?
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Sounds like it started fairly well but that there was obviously too much going on with you and also outside the round pen. Is it possible to choose a time when the distractions are minimal? It would be better for you and the horse if for your first join up you had no one watching or filming - just you and the horse working together with minimum distractions outside and you should succeed. Maybe choose a time in the day when very few people are around and the other horses are stabled. Good luck with it. You started well so next time hopefully it will all work out.
tessahoran
I am glad that you are trying to achieve a Join Up with a young horse. Sounds like the mare is a dominant force in the geldings life, so to eliminate the distraction you will need to have the mare away from were you are working. Perhaps someone could take her for a long ride while you do the Join Up. Herd bound horses can be very difficult to work with since they are always looking at where the herd is, particularly if they cannot see the other horses but can hear them. This can be very stressful to the horse and you don't stand a chance teaching them anything.
When you do the Join up you want your horse to maintain a constant speed as if they are being chased but not terrified. I also need to remain as calm as you can be. If you are nervous your horse will pick that up. One thing that you can do to help yourself is to go into the round pen and just walk around with the horse at liberty. Don't pay too much attention to him until you feel you are in control of your emotions and your adrenaline is down At that point start the Join Up process by getting the horse next to the wall of the round pen and look at him directly and ask him to go away from you.
If you watch Monty he will make the horse do 5 laps each way before he even considers "talking" to the horse. So when you see all the signs that your horse wants to join up, don't rush it. Make sure that he really wants to be with you, then invite him in and do your follow up. If people are too much of a distraction for you or the horse, request them to leave until the Join Up is acheived then invite them back to see your work
Cheers
Hello
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The comment I was going to add here was about the flight distance that the horse has to flee before you can start your conversation with him. When I first started, this was a major factor to me actually getting it righ. Dennis mentions here that Monty makes the horse go the 5 laps each way, which equates to the flight distance and is very important.
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If the horse gives you the signs too early, I feel like the horse is trying to "rush" the conversation. You won't achieve a genuine join-up this way in my experience. You really need to keep them going for that distance and then turn them back to the first direction and go passive to encourage the signs and invite them in.
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I agree with Maggie and Dennis about the distractions (both other horses and people) and it may also be a good idea to work with a quieter horse to start with?? I had to do that and it really helped me a lot.
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Good luck with everything - it will all work out for you in no time - just wait and see ;-)
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Kind regards,
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Gen
HI Tessahoran,
I agree with the comments the other's made and would add that I get very distracted in the round pen which is mirrord by the horse i am trying to join-up with. So I stopped taping the sessions. I am improving my timing and the feeling of what my body is doing and in turn what that says to the horse. Join-up is more art than science in that you have to experience teh nuances. I try to schedule horse time when fewer people are at the barn to avoid an audience, although I always let someone know where I am and when I am expected to return, for safety reasons I do not like being competely alone at the barn...
Keep doing it- you will improve quickly and acheive join-up I am sure of it
richandi