Day two with Chiggy.
A quick play session yesterday as I had to go to work in the evening.
I decided to work on various squeeze games and use them to advance some of the other games.
To start with I played with YoYo over a pole. This added the squeeze element of having a pole under his belly. To advance the YoYo I was asking for one foot at a time to go over the pole with a rest in between. So this might mean that he had just one front foot in front of the pole and one behind. I find this a very useful exercise for getting the subtlety and in the communication. Asking just one leg over and then stop takes good timing from me and good timing of the response from Chiggy.
We also played the classic squeeze game between me and the school wall. Good for advancing the response to porcupine during the send, neutral during the allow and driving game with the hind quarter yield. Chiggy had a little trouble "giving me" his hind quarters again today, but after about 5 minutes we were getting the turn and face element pretty good with him barley passing the line through me and parallel to the wall.
We also did a fair bit of work on leading. He tended to want to stay behind me the whole time with his nose just behind my shoulder. This position does not feel like we are walking with a partnership to me and I prefer the horse to be on my shoulder with his eye or poll. To help correct this I played the "where are you game". When he lagged behind I just turn away from him and use the stick and string to ask him forwards to the right place. But it is done in a playful way. "I can't see you on my shoulder so I look around behind to see where are you" and ask you forwards. This game caused him a few "moments" but after a very short time we were travelling as a team and he was transitioning nicely with me.
We finished by backing into his stable, and exercise I love to do. It gives purpose to the backup, and various yields to get the horse roughly lined up with the door. It also helps them maintain the responsibility of "look where you are going" even when going backwards ! In addition backwards actually causes engagement of the hind quarters. James liked this as it meant the horses last impression of you was one of engagement whereas going in forwards and turning around gives a last impression of disengagement.
I am still pretty sure that he has be involved in NH training before, but also very convinced that he is a willing and very able student. I hope the owner likes what she finds when she gets back from holiday :)
A quick play session yesterday as I had to go to work in the evening.
I decided to work on various squeeze games and use them to advance some of the other games.
To start with I played with YoYo over a pole. This added the squeeze element of having a pole under his belly. To advance the YoYo I was asking for one foot at a time to go over the pole with a rest in between. So this might mean that he had just one front foot in front of the pole and one behind. I find this a very useful exercise for getting the subtlety and in the communication. Asking just one leg over and then stop takes good timing from me and good timing of the response from Chiggy.
We also played the classic squeeze game between me and the school wall. Good for advancing the response to porcupine during the send, neutral during the allow and driving game with the hind quarter yield. Chiggy had a little trouble "giving me" his hind quarters again today, but after about 5 minutes we were getting the turn and face element pretty good with him barley passing the line through me and parallel to the wall.
We also did a fair bit of work on leading. He tended to want to stay behind me the whole time with his nose just behind my shoulder. This position does not feel like we are walking with a partnership to me and I prefer the horse to be on my shoulder with his eye or poll. To help correct this I played the "where are you game". When he lagged behind I just turn away from him and use the stick and string to ask him forwards to the right place. But it is done in a playful way. "I can't see you on my shoulder so I look around behind to see where are you" and ask you forwards. This game caused him a few "moments" but after a very short time we were travelling as a team and he was transitioning nicely with me.
We finished by backing into his stable, and exercise I love to do. It gives purpose to the backup, and various yields to get the horse roughly lined up with the door. It also helps them maintain the responsibility of "look where you are going" even when going backwards ! In addition backwards actually causes engagement of the hind quarters. James liked this as it meant the horses last impression of you was one of engagement whereas going in forwards and turning around gives a last impression of disengagement.
I am still pretty sure that he has be involved in NH training before, but also very convinced that he is a willing and very able student. I hope the owner likes what she finds when she gets back from holiday :)
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