The long awaited update! Sorry ! was so late in with a table booked for 8pm with friends. Actually a perfect way to end my day. Said loading horse was sedated and calm when I arrived at 1.30ish. He certainly remembered the previous session because he kept coming in further each time with some hesitation but no panic. I had to lure him with bits of apple thrown down just ahead of him as the clicker was ineffectual with the sedation. The target was not enough. My decision to sedate was always going to be a double edged sword. Calm and relaxed was where I wanted to start but I knew that it would degrade the use of clicker or targeting because of the dulled senses. He ventured in for each thrown down morsel and was calm all the time.....apart from the actual standing right at the front of the trailer. I did open the front doors at one point and he came from that held back place to coming straight out of the front...again missing the all important feet still at the front of the trailer. You cannot even begin to think about raising the back ramp until a horse is happy right up at the front. He has learned well in his former life that pulling back at any pressure on the rope works, which made it difficult to ever hold the rope, no matter how softly. I can more than see why he has a history of rearing and banging his head....and a reaction of panic at the fear of banging his head. As the quiet time went on he took to saying absolutely NO! Incidentally he does the same behaviour coming in from the field. This backward thinking behaviour has been so reinforced it is default at any time which suits his needs or feelings....and he performs it on a daily basis. The tough decision on my part was that I was not prepared to leave him again. He needed to be away from that yard. His mum felt physically sick at the thought of having to return there but I also had a welfare side to consider. This isolated yard is miles from anywhere. This young horse has never seen a road and reacts badly to even cars on the yard because he has never seen any traffic at all. There was no option to hand walk him away to anywhere else for training respite. My decision for my next move was as follows..... the reason I was unable to have him even try to stay in always boiled down to his moving, running and pulling back..... so that is where I put my full stop. I gave him enough rope to back out but not enough to rear, spin and launch away. Once he had a bit of a pull, twice, and then looked at me inside the trailer all calm and non committal, he simply walked in! He twice thought about going back out and I was quite prepared for him to do so with enough loose rope to enable him to have his head clear of the roof. Only he didnt. He was always rewarded with ripe, soft, juicy apple for being inside and he really was calm inside....confused is the word that springs to mind now. He was confused, not scared, not cross, not anything other than confused. His pulling back did not get the reinforcement he expected. We never once had any weight in the rope for him to pull against...it was always loose. To hold it tight or try to stop his backward steps would have had him rearing against it with head high. I was not prepared to have him bang his head at all. I hope you all read this with open minds. Sometimes it is better to deal with an issue in a calm and calculated way. No frustration or anger on my part...I have seen it all before. Owners get alarmed at behaviour like this but they also get used to it. When a full stop is applied it is a worry of course but it is worth the try...because what are the alternatives? His mum took over inside the trailer with the long rope and the carrots. I stayed outside to man the back ramp and a little persuasion for forward movement. Not what I want to do, nor my choice of training. However no pain or punishment administered, no shouting, no negative energy on our part......a little herding was needed for the very last part of the story. He walked all the way in, stayed there quietly right up at the front, was fed apples which he relished, was closed in, was released to travel loose and find his own balance, travelled really well and quietly, was transported slowly, was unloaded at his new yard all dry and calm and was walked into his new field like he had been there all his life! Quick roll, quick look about and down the the serious business of eating grass. He went to meet his immediate neighbours, investigated the water trough and ate more grass again. From start to finish today took 5 hours with him.... I will keep in touch with his lovely owner and I will help her develop clicker skills to carry on with him. She has an advice list as long as your arm to inwardly digest and she will be fine....and she has liked Connection Training tonight!...Her real journey begins tomorrow, safe in the knowledge that there are all of you out there with positive energy and sound ethical alternative training information.. I have been completely open in my story....there fore leaving myself open to your criticism. My job is tough at times. I have many things to balance and I could lie to you all by saying that everything with horse training is simple and black and white. I wish. I am at the front line of dealing with the mess others create...... I know that this horse will never have to revisit his past ever again. He now has a certain future. My honesty will probably be my down fall! xx
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 22:51:46 +0000