We
are available for training horses (and some other animals) of all
sizes. We will come to your facility.
We
are available for clinics, demos and individual training.
Beginning carriage driving - from groundwork
to teaching your horse to pull a cart or wagon. All with gentle
and safe training practices. It is fun and rewarding.
During training sessions we strive to keep both you and your horse
relaxed. A horse (or human) that is in a relaxed state of mind is
receptive to learning new things. You will find your horse enjoys
the interaction. We keep the lessons short at first, finish on a
positive note, and leave the horse wanting more. Then they get dwell
time to think about what just went on. Believe me, they do think
about it. I have seen it with the trick training. I have seen horses,
all by themselves, practicing the behavior we worked on eariler
in the day. But more on that later...
Why teach your horse carriage driving?
If a family of 4 can only afford one horse, and that horse has learned
to be a safe driving horse, they now have the option to all climb
in the carriage and go for a drive together as a family rather than
having to take turns riding the horse alone. Perhaps you have a
friend or a loved one that doesn't ride horses - maybe you could
take them for a carriage drive. Maybe you are experiencing some
physical discomfort or limitations of your own and riding a horse
just isn't an option anymore. See the possible benefits? A horses
working life is extended by carriage driving. Young horses should
only be ridden lightly. However, a horse that is properly harnessed
to a balanced vehicle on flat ground is bearing very little weight.
It is called being in balanced draft. Driving is not damaging to
a young horse's knees and back like carrying the weight of a rider.
Driving helps teach a horse to use the hindquarters and to have
the beautiful self carriage, and good muscle development we all
want to see in our mature horses. It is also a wonderful way to
enjoy our older horses. What about those ponies that the children
outgrow? Do they stand idle in the pasture or get passed on to another
family with young children? If they were taught to drive, they might
stay with the same family and enjoy a useful life for years to come.
Why is driving less stress on a horses body
than being ridden?
It's basically because man invented the wheel. You might be saying
"Huh?" Well, think about the shopping carts at the grocery
stores. (They are so smart to have those carts with wheels there
for you to use) Think about how much weight you can put in a shopping
cart and still a determined child could push it down the isle. If
you had to carry all that weight on your back, you wouldn't be buying
very much. Think about how many small bags it takes to hold the
groceries you bought. When you get home with your groceries, how
many trips back and forth do you have to make because you can't
carry it all at once. Remember what I said earlier about the wheel?
It was a very efficient invention. Does it start to make sense?
| Trick
Training
and Pedestal work are not only
fun, they benefit and strengthen the development of young and
adult horses. |
I will quote one of my favorite teachers, Allen Pogue from Texas
because he puts it into words so well. I had the privilege of studying
under him and find his methods to be humane and extraordinary. His
website has beautiful photographs and he has training videos available.
"There are several ways of teaching a horse to round up and
from a very early age, so that by the time the horse is mature enough
to be ridden he has been practicing this exercise for three or four
years. One way it is done is by teaching a horse to step up on a
rather small pedestal and then to follow with the hind legs to assume
the "End of the trail" pose. I have seen this done with
a hula-hoop on the ground but a pedestal, and the smaller the better
(within reason) gives much more 'reason for doing' to the horse.
This is a slow motion approach and it allows the young horse plenty
of time to make all the physical adjustments necessary to assume
this position and then hold the pose. In this process the young
colt can begin to recognize a set of cues that encourages him to
step well under and lift the back.
Another approach is to teach the young horse to step backwards,
which is a simple way of getting the hind legs well under, then
take it a bit farther and teach the horse to sit down on a bale
of hay that is buried under a deep well-packed pile of shavings
in the corner of a dedicated training stall. Once the horse is comfortable
with this gymnastic maneuver then you can replace the shavings with
a well- stuffed, horse-sized beanbag.
The goal is to get the horse totally comfortable with the request
to arch the back, relax the hind legs. Tuck the pelvis, and bend
all the joints to assume a 'sitting' position. The other half of
the exercise is to get the horse to raise straight upward from the
sit position with both back legs in support and with the hooves
flat on the floor. When a horse does this there is a very precise
articulation of the hind legs required which enables the rise to
be nearly effortless and more along the lines of a balancing act.
Both of these exercises are like yoga for horses, a period of stretching
and then of relaxation of the mind and body. As with all gymnastic
exercises there are extreme benefits. When a horse is sitting comfortably
on a beanbag the spine is arched upward to a degree not achievable
in any other pose. So much so that the bony protrusions of the spine
look like a row of knuckles.
To some traditionalists this approach will seem a bit off the wall,
but there is a reasoning to the approach that fits the times we
live in, and that is, IF people had something to do with young horses
that was not only as much fun for the handler as it is an age-appropriate
challenge for the horse then perhaps the owner would not feel compelled
ride the horse before it is mature.
Give it a try, you might be surprised to discover how much horses
like these exercises. We have eight horses here at the ranch that
have been raised doing these exercises since before weaning. We
have adult mares that will sit alongside their foal as a way of
teaching them to be equally confident and patient, and to watch
while another student horses does its exercises in close proximity.
Horse learning from horses is a very effective and economical training
aid.
Now after the adolescent horse has become proficient at these exercises
in slow motion it is time to ratchet up the demand a little and
teach the horse to perform a 'goat leap' either from the ground
from stationary position and also from a trot and then canter up
onto a rather large pedestal. Once this gymnastic is learned then
it can be done from pedestal to pedestal. In both cases the horse
must prepare himself for the leaping effort and then the halt 'on
a dime' which requires a high degree of self-carriage.
Horse trained to do these challenges acquire an agility that can
only be accurately described as 'cat-like' and we all know how much
cats can arch their back."
I invite you to visit his site www.ImagineAHorse.com
Trick Training for your horse (any
size) is available
This is a partial list of tricks that our miniature horses
perform. No one horse performs them all. Just as a ballerina and
a football player are both talented and athletic in different ways,
each horse has their own personality and abilities.
All the tricks are performed at liberty and on cue. That means that
there is no halter/lead rope (collar & leash for non-horse people).
These horses will do the tricks for other people once the people
are shown how to cue the horse. Most of the cues are subtle body
gestures not loud spoken words and can be asked for from a distance
in case they are doing film work.
Circus bow (Obeisance)
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- Nap
(lay down with head on the ground)
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- Fetch
(ball, flying disk, toy, or other selected item)
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- Play
a piano (the horse rubs his lips back and forth on the keys)
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- Come
when called (sounds simple but most horses don’t do
this)
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Play ball, you toss a large ball and the horse pushes it
back to you
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- Rear
(horse stands up with front feet in the air)
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Basketball (horse picks up the ball and drops it in the
basketball hoop)
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Slam dunk a basketball (horse stands up and drops the basketball
in the hoop)
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Climb a wall (walking front feet up)
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Salute (waving or extending one front leg)
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- Shadow
Walking (this is where the horse walks along with you and
closely mirrors your steps and directions including sudden
stops and reverses)
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- Circus
style liberty work (Circensic Dressage) Usually done to
music
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Pedestal Work ( pedestal - a special elevated platform with
sloped sides to resist tipping)
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2 front feet on pedestal or 2 back feet on pedestal or all
4 feet on pedestal
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- Revolve
front feet around with back feet on pedestal (turn on haunches)
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- Revolve
back feet around with front feet on (turn on forehand)
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- Full
circle with all 4 feet on pedestal
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- Rear
(on or off the pedestal) called a pesade
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- Hind
leg walk to pedestal
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- Revolve
around a spinning pedestal
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We are always working on new things - it is a wonderful and never-ending
experience.
Blatant Plug: Allen Pogue taught me a lot, I am still learning from
him. His website is beautiful. Check out his photo gallery. He now
sells training DVD’s and training aids. www.ImagineAHorse.com
Our training techniques are all based on positive reinforcement.
You don't have to use the clicker method if you choose not to. But
a well - timed food treat will go a long way to adding a certain brilliance
to your horses performance and willingness. We strive to develop
a working relationship with the horse that often appears magical
to the onlooker.
- Clicker
Training Clinic for Horses
Clicker training has its origins in marine mammal work. Dolphin
trainers, frustrated by an animal that simply swam away when confused
or disinterested developed a method for “marking”
desired behaviors. After teaching the dolphins that a whistle
equals a treat, the trainers were able to give praise the moment
a behavior was performed correctly. This new method had an amazing
effect: not only did the animals learn faster and easier, they
became self-motivated: they jumped higher, dived deeper and even
invented behaviors in an attempt to earn a reward.
What is it?
The clicker itself is no more than a small plastic device that
makes a distinctive sound. In training, that sound tells the horse
precisely when he's got it right. The click is followed with a
very small food reward or other positive reinforcement. Pressure
& release, pets, random food rewards, and "good boys"
are very vague to the horse. The clicker cuts through our different-species
communication barrier and speeds up learning by slowing it down.
It will help the “light-bulb” go on for your horse.
Exercises are broken down into small pieces easily learned by
both you and the horse. In clicker "philosophy" you
keep training sessions short and always quit while you're ahead.
Nothing like a fresh horse who enjoys his work.
- Doesn't
hand feeding teach a horse to bite?
Absolutely.
However, clicker training is NOT indiscriminate hand feeding.
Horses quickly learn that treats are forthcoming ONLY after they
have performed a behavior and then ONLY when they hear a click.
In addition, treats are not given unless the horse is holding
his head politely away. The more food-motivated he is, the quicker
he'll learn, and obey, the rules. What can I teach my horse with
this method?
Anything. Clicker training is a fun, non-force method of horse
training. In a clinic or a private lesson you will learn on basic,
fun exercises that will get your horse’s attention and respect.
Clicker training piggybacks onto any training program, from PNH
to dressage; it is not a “different system” and will
improve rather than interfere with what you are currently learning.
OK, I'm interested. Now what?
Call and ask more questions, get a few friends together and let's
have a clinic. It will be a fun learning experience for you and
your horse.
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