Snickers did really well today with the bridle! I guess the trainer worked with him and he did well yesterday. Today I just took him out, put him on the cross ties in the barn, curry combed and brushed him a bit, then worked with the bridle. We started with just accepting the bit and lowering his head. Then we moved on to messing with his closer (right) ear and lowering his head. Finally, we ended with messing with his far ear and lowering his head. I did get the bridle on all the way once about halfway through, though he was pulling away, but I decided that wasn't my goal today. Taking it slow is most important to me to make sure he really learns it this time and we don't have to fight it just to get it on. Rather, I just focused on messing with him and having his head nice and low. The funny thing is, now every time I reach my arm over his head to put the bridle on, his head drops to the ground! So I have to squat to get the bit in his mouth, and his hears are about thigh high haha. Oh well, a calm horse with his nose on the ground is much better than a stressed and worried horse with his nose 8 feet in the air! We can work on a more 'proper' head height later, but honestly, I don't think I can complain much about a horse that really, really wants to drop his head as soon as I present the bridle! (It was nice to show the owner and trainers there how well he was learning - they thought it was cool and were very encouraging the first night I started him clicker training, but I sure felt like an idiot when he really didn't seem like he understood it!) He still twitches his head on the first ear, but as long as I'm quick it's not a big deal and his head stays low. As for the second ear, he still wants to lift his head but will drop it when I ask and I ended with the bridle sitting on his ear but not pulled all the way through. Which I personally would think is pretty uncomfortable but he accepted it and held his head low so I gave him his jackpot of treats, told him good job, rubbed his neck, and returned him to his stall.
So, he's not perfect with the bridle, but he's only been worked with a few times and he's improved so much! The most important thing, though, is that I know I can work with him and make really good progress. So not only can I work him through this issue, but I should be able to work with him through ANY issue that comes up. The nice thing about this whole experience is that I've really seen Snickers at his worst. He's rough and hasn't really been worked, developed an issue and got over it (mostly), spooked quite a few times with me on him, and it's winter! However, everything has been very positive with him and I'm fairly confident we'll be able to work through anything and everything and make a fantastic team. I've never felt uncomfortable or nervous with him, and he seems to really like me! It was funny - when I first got there, he was standing out in the mud and didn't seem to want to come to the stall to make it easy to get him, so I thought he was going to make me walk out in the mud to catch him! However, I turned around to grab the halter (which was hung right across from his stall), and as soon as he saw me grab it, in he came! He's such a sweetheart - and a handsome boy! I can't wait to start putting some good miles on him!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tack
Well, it looks like I need to come up with some money quick and switch my tack. My fancy new (used) Western saddle doesn't fit him :( My family's English saddle does, but I don't ride English! It was hard enough to get my seat on Snickers in my western, but impossible in the English and I'm sore!
Which is another story... I didn't realize how different feeling Arabians are since I've always ridden quarter horses. I can't remember when I couldn't sit the trot with ease. Granted, Rocket is a very smooth and slow trotter, but even on Smoke 'Em, much faster and bumpier, I never have any trouble, even bareback! But the first time I rode Snickers I was bouncing around and pulling my feet up and back just like I tell my students not to... When I mentioned this on horseforum.com, another girl assured me not to worry - she had the same issue but got her seat within the first week. By my third ride on Snickers, I was getting my seat ok with the Western saddle, but it's too long for his back so I will need to get something else before I really start riding him a lot, and especially before conditioning! The English saddle just isn't going to work - I couldn't get my seat at a trot at ALL (though I did all right with my basic understanding of posting), and even if I did, I doubt I'd ever feel very secure on the trail in an English saddle. What if something spooked Snickers? In a Western I never panic and never even get jolted in my seat in the slightest (and Snickers has tested that a bit, both when he's spooked and once when he fell on the ice at a walk :S). In an English, I bet I'd be on the ground in an instant.
So what to get? After some research, I've decided I want an Abetta endurance saddle, and I'm told I definitely need to order one with an Arabian tree. This is the one I've decided on. Plus, for an extra $65 I can get a matching bridle, breast collar, and girth strap, so I'm all set to go! I want a halter/bridle combo for endurance (This one), but I can definitely use the bridle from the saddle combo for Flash. I'm getting everything in dark brown to match both Snickers and Flash. Well, once I have the money... The saddle combo is going to cost $530 and the bridle is another $70 or so.
I didn't want to spend a lot more on tack right now without getting money from somewhere, so I finally put my piano up for sale. I never play it now anyway, but now my focus is going to be on the horses so I might as well use the piano money for the them. Hopefully they sell soon so I can get the tack I need!
Which is another story... I didn't realize how different feeling Arabians are since I've always ridden quarter horses. I can't remember when I couldn't sit the trot with ease. Granted, Rocket is a very smooth and slow trotter, but even on Smoke 'Em, much faster and bumpier, I never have any trouble, even bareback! But the first time I rode Snickers I was bouncing around and pulling my feet up and back just like I tell my students not to... When I mentioned this on horseforum.com, another girl assured me not to worry - she had the same issue but got her seat within the first week. By my third ride on Snickers, I was getting my seat ok with the Western saddle, but it's too long for his back so I will need to get something else before I really start riding him a lot, and especially before conditioning! The English saddle just isn't going to work - I couldn't get my seat at a trot at ALL (though I did all right with my basic understanding of posting), and even if I did, I doubt I'd ever feel very secure on the trail in an English saddle. What if something spooked Snickers? In a Western I never panic and never even get jolted in my seat in the slightest (and Snickers has tested that a bit, both when he's spooked and once when he fell on the ice at a walk :S). In an English, I bet I'd be on the ground in an instant.
So what to get? After some research, I've decided I want an Abetta endurance saddle, and I'm told I definitely need to order one with an Arabian tree. This is the one I've decided on. Plus, for an extra $65 I can get a matching bridle, breast collar, and girth strap, so I'm all set to go! I want a halter/bridle combo for endurance (This one), but I can definitely use the bridle from the saddle combo for Flash. I'm getting everything in dark brown to match both Snickers and Flash. Well, once I have the money... The saddle combo is going to cost $530 and the bridle is another $70 or so.
I didn't want to spend a lot more on tack right now without getting money from somewhere, so I finally put my piano up for sale. I never play it now anyway, but now my focus is going to be on the horses so I might as well use the piano money for the them. Hopefully they sell soon so I can get the tack I need!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A break for Flash
I went and saw Flash this week and worked on targeting the bottle to give me a hug. He knows how to target, that's for sure! Now I just need to phase it out and get him to respond to the cue for hugs rather than simply touching a target. I'm not really working with him on anything critical right now because he did so well with all his other clicker training. The bridling issue and getting to know Snickers is my priority, so Flash gets a little bit of a break for now, especially because my next step will be to work on lunging Flash some more and ground driving him, but I need some better weather and ground to work with before I really want to get into it. Last week the arena was flooded, and now it's just frozen solid :S Oh well, that's winter for you!
Bridling troubles
Snickers has a bridling issue. They told me he was a little head shy about his ears before, but when I met him the first time he just refused to let them put it on. They got the bit in at first but not the headstall, but after that they couldn't even bring the bridle near his head without it shooting into the air - which is a problem when your horse is 15.1 hands and has a very long Arabian neck. I did get to ride him in a halter and he did very well, but I really want to solve this issue before I take him home. Since then, the breeder and her staff have been working with him (on their "TO DO" board there is a "No Snarl Mr. Snickers" drawing haha - and he does make a snarly nose face!). I was told the trainer lunged him until he was tired the other day and then put on and took off the bridle multiple times. The breeder even had his teeth done on Friday as they had a couple of bad hooks in there.
I decided to take a crack at it from another angle. Though I don't think I'll use clicker training as religiously with Snickers as I do Flash simply because he's already had 30 days on him, I do want him to understand the concept in order to solve issues such as these. Unfortunately, Snickers hasn't been quite as eager of a learner as Flash, but that probably has something to do with the fact that he's been given treats and grain regularly just for looking cute and has never had to work for them, while Flash has had to earn his from day one. Plus, Snickers has other trainers and people working with him and is quite a bit older. However, after some work on Friday and this morning, he's finally got the concept! He's deliberately and repeatedly touching my target :) Again, he's not nearly as eager as Flash, but he gets what's going on. (I think he was also full and wasn't as excited about the treats I was using, since he eventually stopped eating them even when he did earn them).
When we reached that point with targeting my water bottle wrapped in lime green duct tape, we moved out of the stall and took a short brushing break before taking a crack at the bridle issue. I changed treats and took it slow - he got it pretty quickly too! First I got him to lower his head when I presented the bridle, then to allow me to put the headstall around his head (not on him though) and then lower his head, and finally to let me put the bit in. He's not keeping his head nice and low and relaxed, especially when I'm putting the bit in, but he's not throwing it in the air, either. Improvement and baby steps :) The final time, I even got the headstall around his ear, though he was pulling away a bit. That's a good point to stop, I decided.
Tomorrow afternoon we'll pick up with the bridle, stepping back to simply lowering his head when I'm holding it around and on his head, and hopefully get that bit into his mouth and bridle completely on a couple of times with lots of rewards :) It'll be tempting to ride him if we get it on in time, but we'll see if I actually do. I wouldn't want to ruin it for him by working him in a bridle when he's still not sure about how he wants to react to it being put on! My main focus right now is going to be on Snickers and I getting used to each other and the more urgent issue of getting him to take a bridle nicely. Like the board says, No Snarl Mr. Snickers!
I decided to take a crack at it from another angle. Though I don't think I'll use clicker training as religiously with Snickers as I do Flash simply because he's already had 30 days on him, I do want him to understand the concept in order to solve issues such as these. Unfortunately, Snickers hasn't been quite as eager of a learner as Flash, but that probably has something to do with the fact that he's been given treats and grain regularly just for looking cute and has never had to work for them, while Flash has had to earn his from day one. Plus, Snickers has other trainers and people working with him and is quite a bit older. However, after some work on Friday and this morning, he's finally got the concept! He's deliberately and repeatedly touching my target :) Again, he's not nearly as eager as Flash, but he gets what's going on. (I think he was also full and wasn't as excited about the treats I was using, since he eventually stopped eating them even when he did earn them).
When we reached that point with targeting my water bottle wrapped in lime green duct tape, we moved out of the stall and took a short brushing break before taking a crack at the bridle issue. I changed treats and took it slow - he got it pretty quickly too! First I got him to lower his head when I presented the bridle, then to allow me to put the headstall around his head (not on him though) and then lower his head, and finally to let me put the bit in. He's not keeping his head nice and low and relaxed, especially when I'm putting the bit in, but he's not throwing it in the air, either. Improvement and baby steps :) The final time, I even got the headstall around his ear, though he was pulling away a bit. That's a good point to stop, I decided.
Tomorrow afternoon we'll pick up with the bridle, stepping back to simply lowering his head when I'm holding it around and on his head, and hopefully get that bit into his mouth and bridle completely on a couple of times with lots of rewards :) It'll be tempting to ride him if we get it on in time, but we'll see if I actually do. I wouldn't want to ruin it for him by working him in a bridle when he's still not sure about how he wants to react to it being put on! My main focus right now is going to be on Snickers and I getting used to each other and the more urgent issue of getting him to take a bridle nicely. Like the board says, No Snarl Mr. Snickers!
Welcome and hello!
Well, after many posts and updates in horse forums, I've finally decided to start a blog for my horse experiences. I originally was inspired to do an endurance riding blog about my experiences with my new horse Snickers, but I figured why not include all my horse experiences? So here goes!
First, I must introduce my baby Flash, a 20-month-old AQHA-registered quarter horse and my very first "official" horse, not including the ones I grew up on. He's 13.1 hands at the moment, but apparently may reach 15.1 hands when he's done growing. At least, that's what the previous owners told me and a few other breeders tell me wouldn't be unreasonable to expect, but we'll see. He's a cute little pony-sized fluff ball right now. He's a palomino, but with his winter coat looks white to an untrained eye. He's got symmetrical white socks and fetlocks and a cute little blaze. Having a background in psychology (my B.A. is in Psychology and Spanish), I thought I might give clicker training a try with him, so we began within days after I brought him home and he took to it like a duck to water! He's a VERY eager learner, always trying to please me... and earn some treats! Sometimes he's pretty funny to watch as he gets creative, and it challenges me how to communicate to him what it is he needs to do to earn the click! In fact, he's begun nickering when he seems me and especially after he earns a click when he REALLY gets it and is earning treat after treat! He's learned so much so fast that I'm giving him a break to grow up a little, or it'll just be way to tempting to try and ride him. I did sit on him a few times for only a few minutes each time (shame on me...) both in the saddle and actually rode him around the round pen once or twice bareback! Right now we're working on lunging, tricks, and ground driving - he'll be a pretty broke horse next time I decide to mount up!
To keep my attention while Flash grows up, I decided to look into getting a second horse. Though a very scattered and diverse horse search, I eventually decided I liked Arabians and wanted to do endurance racing. Soon after, Snickers and I found one another and clicked instantly. Snickers is an AHA-registered pure Arabian with Crabbet and Egyptian breeding. He's coming 7 this year and tops out at 15.1 hands. He's a very bright chestnut with two identical white socks in the back and a tornado-looking star/stripe. According to the vet, and his endurance riding wife, he's exactly what endurance riders look for and should make a wonderful endurance companion. Unfortunately, having ridden only quarter horses and a paint, I could NOT get my seat on him sitting at a trot! We'll have to work on that. We have a lot to learn about one another, but I'm excited to get started and let our relationship grow.
As for me, I'm 22 years old (in a few weeks haha) and have always ridden western. I did try English a few times, but the English saddle and I just didn't get along very well - not to say I won't give it a shot again in the (distant) future! My first horse was a QH/TB cross retired from barrel racing, though he was the gentlest and most loving horse you could ask for. My family always owned quarter horses (and only geldings!) since then, plus one paint they've had for 6-7 years, many of which I helped train under the direction of my dad. I love the breed, but am also excited to branch out now with my own choice of horses (and colors - we've always just had bays!). And horse breeds and colors aren't the only ways I want to branch out - I'm very excited to try a whole new sport (endurance) this year! I showed in 4-H growing up and have done very well in western pleasure and even took first for reigning with a very special QH I really grew up with, Rocket. I grew tired of the ring and technicalities of competition and decided I preferred the trail, so endurance is very exciting to me! That, and the opportunity to train my colt, Flash, from scratch with my own methods, a mix of natural horsemanship and reinforced by clicker training. Finally, I'm very happy married and have an amazing husband, Trevor, whose opinion of horses is that "they're big and think for themselves" and won't go any closer to them than he absolutely has to. However, he loves seeing me ride and supports and cares about me and my horses :)
Well, now you know more about me and my two boys (plus a wonderful husband!). I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures together!
First, I must introduce my baby Flash, a 20-month-old AQHA-registered quarter horse and my very first "official" horse, not including the ones I grew up on. He's 13.1 hands at the moment, but apparently may reach 15.1 hands when he's done growing. At least, that's what the previous owners told me and a few other breeders tell me wouldn't be unreasonable to expect, but we'll see. He's a cute little pony-sized fluff ball right now. He's a palomino, but with his winter coat looks white to an untrained eye. He's got symmetrical white socks and fetlocks and a cute little blaze. Having a background in psychology (my B.A. is in Psychology and Spanish), I thought I might give clicker training a try with him, so we began within days after I brought him home and he took to it like a duck to water! He's a VERY eager learner, always trying to please me... and earn some treats! Sometimes he's pretty funny to watch as he gets creative, and it challenges me how to communicate to him what it is he needs to do to earn the click! In fact, he's begun nickering when he seems me and especially after he earns a click when he REALLY gets it and is earning treat after treat! He's learned so much so fast that I'm giving him a break to grow up a little, or it'll just be way to tempting to try and ride him. I did sit on him a few times for only a few minutes each time (shame on me...) both in the saddle and actually rode him around the round pen once or twice bareback! Right now we're working on lunging, tricks, and ground driving - he'll be a pretty broke horse next time I decide to mount up!
To keep my attention while Flash grows up, I decided to look into getting a second horse. Though a very scattered and diverse horse search, I eventually decided I liked Arabians and wanted to do endurance racing. Soon after, Snickers and I found one another and clicked instantly. Snickers is an AHA-registered pure Arabian with Crabbet and Egyptian breeding. He's coming 7 this year and tops out at 15.1 hands. He's a very bright chestnut with two identical white socks in the back and a tornado-looking star/stripe. According to the vet, and his endurance riding wife, he's exactly what endurance riders look for and should make a wonderful endurance companion. Unfortunately, having ridden only quarter horses and a paint, I could NOT get my seat on him sitting at a trot! We'll have to work on that. We have a lot to learn about one another, but I'm excited to get started and let our relationship grow.
As for me, I'm 22 years old (in a few weeks haha) and have always ridden western. I did try English a few times, but the English saddle and I just didn't get along very well - not to say I won't give it a shot again in the (distant) future! My first horse was a QH/TB cross retired from barrel racing, though he was the gentlest and most loving horse you could ask for. My family always owned quarter horses (and only geldings!) since then, plus one paint they've had for 6-7 years, many of which I helped train under the direction of my dad. I love the breed, but am also excited to branch out now with my own choice of horses (and colors - we've always just had bays!). And horse breeds and colors aren't the only ways I want to branch out - I'm very excited to try a whole new sport (endurance) this year! I showed in 4-H growing up and have done very well in western pleasure and even took first for reigning with a very special QH I really grew up with, Rocket. I grew tired of the ring and technicalities of competition and decided I preferred the trail, so endurance is very exciting to me! That, and the opportunity to train my colt, Flash, from scratch with my own methods, a mix of natural horsemanship and reinforced by clicker training. Finally, I'm very happy married and have an amazing husband, Trevor, whose opinion of horses is that "they're big and think for themselves" and won't go any closer to them than he absolutely has to. However, he loves seeing me ride and supports and cares about me and my horses :)
Well, now you know more about me and my two boys (plus a wonderful husband!). I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures together!
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