I have been a member for 19 days and trying to soak every bit of imformation I can. And I have been doing mounting block exercises, into pressure exercises, and Dually halter training. My horse Tokia is stabled. I clean her pen and feed everyday. Tokia is 8 years old and I have had her since she was 5 months old. I got her from an old fashioned cowboy how was a brute.....he was supposed to be teaching me everything I needed to know about horses. ok, his idea of training me was having a fit about tieing the saddle up when you got done, and saddling her up and telling me to ride. He thought horses were the dumbest things on the planet and you can't let a horse ever beat you. Round pens were torture chambers. I figured out how to catch her in a 300 achre pasture the hard way, and the wrong way, he made me buy bags of horse treats, apples and things and I was almost trampled by the other horses many times. I learned how to catch her, because if i didn't the cowboy would get mad and chase the entire herd of horses around until he got them into a bottle neck spot where he could trap them. Tokia and a few other foals and poneys were so small I feared for their lives. She was allowed to get pregnant as soon as she was able....living with a guy who claimed he was an expert. And I witnessed the way he put a baby, or tried to put a terrified baby on a trailer. That was the last straw for me, my horse and her baby moved into town. It was the first time i ever drove a horse trailer, but i was able to walk tokia into it and the baby went in pretty easily. I think I over compensated once she was safe in the stable. Now, everyone thinks my horse is smart but spoiled rotten. I get caught doing Dually exercises, or mounting block exercises, I keep getting told thats all stupid stuff, just get on that horse and put hours in the saddle on her, put her to work, make her sweat. I tried explaining I'm taking an online university training me how to train my horse. I'm getting all this you can't learn how to train your horse from a video. and all the negative hassle. He recently got a ride he wasn't expecting from his horse scared to death of a plastic bag that flew into a fence, I wanted to tell him so bad how to get the horse used to bags, but there is no way he will listen to anything I saw on a video....he is going to put plastic bags all over the horses pen. I had Tokia on her Dually and lead rope while he was making noises with the bags scaring his horse, and Tokia didn't once react while he was doing it. I told him I can put a tarp up on her back like a raincoat and it wouldn't bother her. He only commented "well, some horses just aren't scared of them."
I've worked with Tokia on plastic bags, tarps, and even walking over pallets and tin.
So My biggest training problem is to be out there during the day when he is at work. I have so much more to learn, and my horse and I have to work out issues thats prety much been around since I first got her. She is the dominent mare around me and we need to rebuild our relationship. Tonight's training session with the dually halter went better than it ever has. I didn't let her get me upset, I stayed calm, and she finally started taking steps backward for me.
First, congrats on the backing up. And second, and this is not going to be real encouraging, but some people, especially those who are set in there ways, will not stop hassling you, even if Tokia started doing handstands on cue. It is terrible to have to deal with (I work with Beamer after midnight to avoid it, and its without lights too, makes life interesting) but rest easy knowing that you are not alone in this. My best advice is to continue to lead by example, let the criticism go in one ear and right out the other, and please try not to lose too much sleep over it. The worst part (obviously) is this is at his horse's expense, but it really is his loss. Good luck and stick to your gut, regardless of what anyone else says.
Congratulations! I know how you feel- you aren't alone! Just keep working, lead by example, if they question it then just say 'This is a method of training that works for me and my horse'. Once they see the change and how much it benefits the relationship between horse and human they will begin to stop interfering as much. Just have faith in the method and your horse and nothing will stand in your way. Keep practicing and don't let anyone tell you any different. It doesn't matter what they think. Your horse is the one that matters - so listen to the horse and not the comments of uneducated horse trainers. Good luck and happy training! x
Congrats on the progress! I know how you feel, and deal with stuff like that, too. Just keep on keepin' on, and do the things you know are right for you and your horse.
Well done Karyn and keep on going. You might want to try looking for other ways Tokia might be trying to communicate to you. Her head movements and even eye movements, the horses really do want to be our friends and they talk to us but if we're not looking we cant reply.
It's the best feeling in the world when you help a horse that has an owner that is struggling to manage their horse even resorting to violence unfortunately, then you start to communicate with the horse and they behave for you :D
Last year one of the horses left the yard, I hated how she treated her horse, on the day she left the horse was refusing to go onto the horse lorry. I'd bonded with this horse over 3 months and she was understanding my communication in eqqus. The owner and her friend started getting rough to load her into the lorry smacking and yanking her then they were going to use rope to force her in. Whilst one went to get the rope, I stood at the bottom of the ramp and gestured with my head and eyes that she had to go in, the gestures are small that unless someone was watching you they wont notice, she listened and walked up the ramp completely taking the girl waiting holding the lead rope by surprise wondering what was happening.
As you learn more Eqqus you'll find you'll be making friends with horses that have harsh owners and just being that friend to them can make it a bit easier for them. Another horse I used to ride in a school used to bite and kick that only staff and 2 staff were allowed in his stall to tack him up. In the school he was sluggish and all you ever heard the instructor say was 'hit the thing' . I made friends with him and it completely changed his attitude, he allowed people near him he stopped kicking and biting. in the school, especially if I was there watching, he performed amazingly without having to be hit. All he needed was a friend to show they cared in their language.
I look at what Monty has shown us as a gift into a world of pleasure for both us and the horses around us, for those who can't see it then I just hope my friendship with their horse will make it easier for the horse. We all need a friend.
x
Well done Karyn and keep on going. You might want to try looking for other ways Tokia might be trying to communicate to you. Her head movements and even eye movements, the horses really do want to be our friends and they talk to us but if we're not looking we cant reply.
It's the best feeling in the world when you help a horse that has an owner that is struggling to manage their horse even resorting to violence unfortunately, then you start to communicate with the horse and they behave for you :D
Last year one of the horses left the yard, I hated how she treated her horse, on the day she left the horse was refusing to go onto the horse lorry. I'd bonded with this horse over 3 months and she was understanding my communication in eqqus. The owner and her friend started getting rough to load her into the lorry smacking and yanking her then they were going to use rope to force her in. Whilst one went to get the rope, I stood at the bottom of the ramp and gestured with my head and eyes that she had to go in, the gestures are small that unless someone was watching you they wont notice, she listened and walked up the ramp completely taking the girl waiting holding the lead rope by surprise wondering what was happening.
As you learn more Eqqus you'll find you'll be making friends with horses that have harsh owners and just being that friend to them can make it a bit easier for them. Another horse I used to ride in a school used to bite and kick that only staff and 2 staff were allowed in his stall to tack him up. In the school he was sluggish and all you ever heard the instructor say was 'hit the thing' . I made friends with him and it completely changed his attitude, he allowed people near him he stopped kicking and biting. in the school, especially if I was there watching, he performed amazingly without having to be hit. All he needed was a friend to show they cared in their language.
I look at what Monty has shown us as a gift into a world of pleasure for both us and the horses around us, for those who can't see it then I just hope my friendship with their horse will make it easier for the horse. We all need a friend.
x
humm that post has shown up twice on my ipad, sorry if it has on your screens too. x
It's ok! Thanks everyone for the encouragement. My horse Tokia has a best friend mare who goes out with her in the pasture. I'm going to try the dually out on her too. See how much she knows. Her owner ignores her a lot so Tokia going into the pasture helps a lot. They told me I can Ride Sunny anytime I want, but I want to do join up with her first....and the last time I rode another horse where Tokia could see me she cried and cried and was pacing around like she was really feeling hurt. Do Horses get jealous? That's exactly how it seemed.
Tokia did perfect on the dually tonight, she even took off running with me without hesitating more than a second. I was going to do mounting block exercises with her including getting on making a circle and then seeing if i could get off on the mounting block again, but since she did such an awesome job I figured to stop on a perfect note. Tomorrow maybe.
Abi, I can't say this method of training works for me because i'm really new at it and they think I'm a total scatter brain and haven't done anything right yet.....I talk to her to much, I treat her like a baby, I need the skimmiest rope halter I can find, where did all my good halters go? And on and on.....I think lost soul is right If i had her do handstands it wouldn't help...I was told her not being scared of bags and things was a total fluke....
Oh, Abi, how did you get 4 ribbons under your name, I'm up to 176 and it looks like there isn't enough lessons to get that many :D
There are enough lessons Karyn, keep going :-)
You just have to keep saying it until you believe it! Because you will find eventually it will work you just have to keep practising! Afterall her taking a step back for you is a success - you are doing something right! If things go wrong and you have problems you just have to keep working with it and don't give up. Keep coming back to these lessons and keep practising these methods, have faith that it will work out in the end. I do know how you feel, when people at my stables watched me work at first they didn't believe me, didn't think I was achieving something noticeable. But it's all the LITTLE things, like the first step back. All these things add up and eventually you will compare where to started to where you are and go 'wow, I can see an improvement'. You just have to notice the little things - the things other trainers don't notice. And being told it was a 'total fluke' will be proved wrong when you get more experience and are able to work with other horses. Just don't give up, I always think that when other people don't agree with what I'm doing I think 'well are the methods they are using successful and violence free?' If the answer is 'no' then why would I chose to take notice to someone who wasn't successful? We all follow Monty because his methods WORK. And the more we practice the more successful we will get! I have gone from being talked about for being 'strange and different' to having those same people ask me to help them with their horses. It took a long time but trust me it's worth it! Aha I thought the same thing about the lessons, but there is enough! Goodluck x
*where you started
Thanks for the encouragement......now that would be amazing if those same people who are negative now ask me to help them with their horse....oh my.
Finally, the guy who runs the stable has heard of Monty and he said keep going too, I'll be riding Tokia all over if I keep up with lessons and rewatch stuff over and over as i need to. We're working on rebuilding our relationship at this point. She is standing still longer, I can pick up all four feet and walk around her.