Post by Elaine on Jun 10, 2009 9:00:00 GMT
Parelli Level 1 pack - anyone got one?
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186945
The beginning - a bit long
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187194
So far I've probably spent 5-6 hours studying material on PNH savvy club website as I dont yet have the level 1 pack. The reason for this is I want to understand the theory behind the process.
Main focus has been on Horsenality as this rightly impacts on how you approach the training of any individual horse.
Juno would definitely be classed as RBE (Right Brain Extrovert). Now if you get passed the fancy labels and look at what is said then YES IT MAKES SENSE.
What I find very interesting is that what I've been doing with J so far fits with what is recommended in terms of training appproach. RBE horses are effectively driven by the need to feel safe. When they dont they react strongly, actively and quickly.
So lets look at what is recommended vs what I've been doing with J.
In the Do's.....
"Speed up, match the energy and add 'four ounces'. You need to be asking your horse to go more quickly than he really wants to; this interrupts the fear patterm"
When working with juno I've found it far better to ask a little more than she wants to give. Every pace has to be a bit more forward than she wants to go at or she spooks at shadows. When competing if I try and keep things all steady and pretty she spooks for england. When I started riding every round like a jump off the spooking stopped and the double clears became easy.
"Use lots of consistency, its calming. For example circles are great and the more worried your horse is the smaller you need to make the circles......"
Again, everthing I've been doing with J follows a strict pattern which is always the same at the start. Changes are brought in in small measures.
"Respect thresholds; use approach and retreat to overcome them."
In training I never do a flat session or a jump session or work on major changes. Whole session is about get her relaxed, ask a little more, settle her back down, have another go, settle back down etc.
"Keep learning sessions short and simple"
All our sessions last less than 30 minutes, more than this and she gets fractious so I always finish before that happens
"Relax when he relaxes. Until then keep your energy up and get your horse busy"
Again, I've found asking her for more and more engagement and effort until she relaxes then just sitting quiet works well for her.
Donts......
"Straight lines help a horse gather speed. You dont want this....."
We only ever use one half of the school(do vary which area), going the full length of the long side (70mtrs) usually ends up in a few issues.
"Dont hold them back; this increases fear. Give the energy a focus"
Holding juno back would just result in her broncing or rearing. I found chanelling her energy in to movements and asking for a bit more energy works well. The normal instinct for a horse as powerful and athletic as J would be to steady them.
"Dont make it worse by;...........using strong bits, tie downs, martingales etc"
Owner thought I was mad when I told her I was discarding the flash, martingale and putting her in the mildest bit I could find. No idea why I did it, just seemed the right thing for juno
So in conclusion it would seem that the horseanilty profile of juno and the advice given on dealing with her type fits very well with what I've already discovered to work with her despite that sometimes being the opposite of what convention would dictate.
Junos need for safety drives everything she does. For instance, she can be very difficult to load when going to a comp yet once there she will plod up the ramp like a donkey on tranqilisers. From her point of view, leaving the herd is a serious threat to her safety. Once away from the herd at a comp she sees the horsebox as her safest area so happily goes in.
I'm now going to look at our other 3 horses from this perspective and see where they fit vs how we deal with them. For no other reason than I'm interested. Really looking forward to getting further in to this.
PNH Level 1 - First DVD impressions
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189642
I now have the Level one pack thanks to Jan516 so last night i watch the first DVD which is basically an introduction to the theory behind the training.
Several things struck me
1) In his introduction at no time did Pat refer to the process as natural, just horsemanship.
2) Pat stresses very strongly in his introduction and Linda emphasises again and again that level one is just about getting some basic tools and should not be focusses on too intently. This is something I think a lot of the PNH followers I've seen seem to miss.
3) Pat mentions some brilliant trained horses he has seen but that they were like automated robots. Again this struck me as that is what I've seen from the majority of the PNH horses I have come across. Gut feeling tells me this is due to point 2.
4) Early days yet but the process seems based on very sound horsemanship skills.
5) One or two key horsemanship skills are mentioned but possibly not strongly enough (possibly revisited later). The main one for me is that horses have off days and no matter what you planned to do that day, if horse isn't receptive to it, go do something else and try again another day. Missing this important cue will do a lot of damage to the human/horse relationship. Something I mentioned to bangers&mash when i visited.
6) I already do a fair amount of the training level 1 with juno. These are skills I've picked up through trial and error working over far too many years with misunderstood horses. As a result Juno is a far more relaxed and receptive horse than she was 8 months ago. Bodes well for the future
7) If you watch with an open mind you can see that the ultimate goals are not that far removed from what is often branded traditional. As an example lets take the circle game. The idea behind this is that the horse learns to continue to move at the required pace without constant nagging until such time as another instruction is given. How many people NOT involved in PNH have been told when riding that they shouldn't constantly kick but that the horse should continue doing what its doing until told to do something else? Only real difference here is that PNH starts that education on the ground rather than in the saddle.
Overall I was very impressed with standard of the DVD and the amount of thought that has gone in to it.
I do have a couple of initial concerns that I will need to keep in the back of my mind as Juno and I progress.
1) Huge importance of specific body language and body position resulting in horse picking up on very specific cue's. What will happen if say Juno's owner handles her and uses any of these cues inadvertently at the wrong time? Horses trained following the process to the letter perhaps shouldn't be handled by people not trained in the same way. This will probably become an issue under saddle as well.
2) I get the feeling some of the processes will need adapting to the discipline the horse and owner are intending to compete in if any.
Overall I was very impressed with what I've seen so far. I was expecting an aweful lot more hype than there was and I'm really looking forward to watching the next DVD.
My plan is to watch the entire pack before doing anything as I want the full picture. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
The two main things so far for me
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189884
Are you lot sick of these posts yet?
For those that aren't there are two significant things that have already come out of my foray in to PNH.
The first is that I now seem to analyse every single interaction I have with horses. Not only juno but every horse I approach and keep in mind I have daily contact with 6 other horses. Thats a lot of thinking for a old codger like me.
I wouldn't say I have actually change the way I interact with horses but I now think about every action I take, before, during and after. All the stuff I do subconsciously is now being given conscious though with the aim of a) trying to look at what i do from the horses perspective (I watch their reactions a lot more closely) and b) could I make slight changes that would have a major effect. I'm not talking about just the big stuff like riding, its everything starting from when I first walk up to a horse and its great fun
The second is that moving forward to actually playing the seven games with Juno frankly scares the bejeezus out of me. I dont know if this is because I have been around horses for so long or not but I can see real potential to completely screw Juno up if I get it very wrong. Conversely, I can also see huge benefit if I get it right (just like a lot of things in life). Timing is everything and I guess I'm just going through a bit of self doubt about my ability to read or notice the slightest reaction in J to really use the tools effectively. With a horse like Juno the effect of getting it wrong would without doubt be disasterous rather than just a waste of time. That said I can not let these doubts impact even slightly the way I approach this or it will be a self fullfilling prophecy.
Good news/bad news - parelli equipement
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189799
The bad news....
I've read on NR all the descussions on the parelli equipement and the opinions that it wasn't necessary (from non PNH peeps) I now have to disagree
Having watched a lot more of the DVDs (matchsticks now propping eyes open) it is evident that a normal headcollar wont do the job. The communication down the line in to the halter is vital and would be deadened significantly in a normal headcollar. The fitting of the clasp to the halter also appears to be important.
The rope does have a certain movement transferred from wrist,arm or shoulder. I have tried (not on horse) all three of my lunge lines and none of them create the same movement.
Carrot stick can not be substitued for lunge whip, it needs to be rigid and offer varying levels of resistance depending on how it is used.
Savvy string could possibly be made at home but not a lot of point if you need all the other stuff
Ho Hum lots of pennies
The GOOD news
Found a UK supplier that can provide all the above for £55 inc delivery. Only significant difference is colour of stick - its brown not orange. Another name required i think.
Surprising Free session last night.
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189758
In the first PNH DVD it talks about quiet time with your horse. ie just sitting in their pen with them, not really looking at them or touching.
Now I dont have a pen, just a stable (too small for this exercise) or the outdoor school which is 70mtr x 30mtr
So anyway, took her ladyship in to middle of the school, set her free and went to one corner and sat down.
Not really sure what I expected her to do but my guess was either charge around or run to the gate and just stand there.
Whats she did.....
For the first 4 minutes she didn't move from the spot, not even move one leg. She just looked around then at me then around again then at me and so on.
Then she tentatively moved one leg and looked at me, then another and looked at me. Gradually she moved over to the opposite side of the school from me to where all the Showjumps are stacked. Normally these are monsters to be spooked at during schooling sessions but she calmly wandered down the side of the school sniffing and almost playing with the jumps and fillers, all the time turning her head to look at me. Finally she arrived at the gate and stood there. Stayed at the gate for about 5 minutes calmly standing and alternately looking out to the stables then around at me.
Then she surprised me! She turned round and walked in a straight line towards me, veered off when about 10 feet from me , went round the back of where I was sitting and came to a halt standing with her shoulder about level with mine and about 2 feet from me.
As per the DVD I didn't look at her or touch her. 10 seconds later she dumped her head in my lap and nuzzled me. I stroked her neck and then she just stood there for the next 15 minutes like a statue alternately looking around and stretching down to me for a stroke.
Finally I got up and walked off without looking at her, she followed keeping the same position as she had when I was sitting. Where ever I wandered in the school she was there.
So what does all that mean? DVD didn't really make clear what various actions on the horses part signified......................... Thats what I'm not really sure about
It certainly evoked some strange emotions in me. The most surprising being that i had to ride her afterwards but really really didn't want to put a saddle or bridle on her?
? I cant explain why but it sort of felt like I was being disrespectful to her in doing so...................
I dont think I will ever looked at her in the same way again. I have always worshipped the ground she walks on but yesterday I felt very humble that a creature so big, powerful and beautiful as her would choose to be with me.
Even putting her headcollar back on felt like a betrayal............
You constantly hear the saying "you never stop learning with horses" and the saying "if you do what you've always done you will get what you've always got"
If trad means BHS then I haven't been 'trad' for a long long time althought the BHS is starting to shift its stance. Sounds corny I know but I have an ambition that I may just have the opportunity to fulfill with Juno. To reach that goal I'm prepared to look at any tool which may move me closer no matter what label is attached to it. A spade has many applications, not just digging a hole........................
two very important points in that simple sentence.
1) This isn't an experiment for me, it's an attempt to gain additional skills to compliment those I already have.
2) There can not be an 'end'. No matter how many of the tools I ultimately choose to use, the experience will change me as a horse person in the same way any horse experience does. This change has already started but I'll do a seperate post about that...............................
Put simply, I want to compete SJ at GP level. Juno has the jump,agility and power required. Not my opinion but my SJ trainers (pro showjumper).
This talent does however come witha few issues. She can be spooky and is easily distracted. Normally I would just take her to lots of comps until she settles to the job but I have a slight problem here. She's only competed 8 comps so far (all BSJA) and has already won £156. All in last five. One more placing and we are out of BN, wont be long before we are out of disco aswell.
Therefore I need to find other ways to keep her calm and focussed on me, not whats going on around her before we have to jump 1.20mtr+ tracks. Hence my look in to PNH..............................................
Started Playing the games tonight
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190416
My kit arrived today so time to make a start.
I rode first then started with the friendly game. Initially Juno was a little wary of the scary thing that look too much like a lunge whip for her liking but after taking advantage of knowledge of her itchy spots she started to accept it calmly. Within 5 minutes I could rub any part of her body with it without adverse reaction. Happy with that I let the string loose and got her accustomed to that. Again after just a few minutes she would happily let me drape it across her back neck etc and drag it slowly off. Her owner was watching this and comment that she actually seemed to enjoying the sensation.
Happy that she no longer had an issue with the Pooh stick (mines brown) we moved on to the porcupine game. Initial attempts at moving her back required level 3 pressure which quickly reduced to level 2 then Level 1. Moving her forehand again required level 3 but as per the backward movement dropped quickly to level 2. Same with quarters but her again within a couple of minutes we were down to level one. Her owner noted at this point how relaxed she looked.
On to the Yo-Yo game. Using the 12' line getting the initial backward movement required escalation to level 4 and maintaining for 4-5 seconds.
Second attempt she stepped back at level 3, third attempt she stepped back immediately at level 2. On the first attempt after the step back she turned away. I straightened her up and called her forward (only level 1 required). Second attempt only a slight turn away. Third attempt she remained straight and focussed on me with ears gently forward. Each call forward only needed level 1. Stopped there with yoyo.
Quick return to porcupine, response was same as I had before yoyo.
Finished on that note.
So was any of this useful to me as a showjumper?
Surprisingly YES!. I learnt two very important things about my girl.
1) She learns at an incredibly fast rate. Far quicker than I previously thought. This has implications for the way I train her under saddle where my focus will be on making sure I AM teaching her what I THINK I'm teaching her. I need to be extremely consistent with my actions and even subtle changes could confuse (and hence upset) her. I could probably drop the level of pressure used when training new elements a lot quicker than previously thought.
2) What I purposly ommitted to mention that was that our session under saddle was less than relaxed. She hadn't jumped for almost 6 weeks until tonight, has been fed rocket fuel and not worked much due to her injuries. All these things combined led to a tense session with a lot of rodeo moments after fences. So before I started the games she was like a coiled spring. The speed with which she relaxed as I started the procupine game was amazing. Intially I couldn't get her focus but within literally 2 minutes I became the total focus of her attention, her head lowered and you could see her visibly relax (hence owners comment).
This could be extremely useful when dealing with the rodeo moments. Next time I have the opportunity (hopefully not to soon) I am going to try shifting her legs laterally using direct and indirect rein aids with a lot of energy (RBE) the instant I feel her about to start. I have a strong suspicion this may well prevent the rodeo from even starting.
After the ridden session tonight I can also see a good outcome from the squeeze game
So in summary...
The games do seem to have direct translation to under saddle, the person involved needs to work out the implications and how best to use them for their particular partnership themselves. I certainly felt a touch apprehensive when I first started but soon settled. Both of us seemed to enjoy the experience. Even Juno's owner who has never heard of PNH was fascinated and very surprised at Juno's reaction.
I still believe there is a real danger of making a horse worse if done incorrectly, particularly with a horse like juno but also that there is far too much potential benefit to the system to lightly dismiss it. Very early days yet but looking forward to continuing tomorrow.
ETA... I still cant see why people spend hours playing the friendly game with the Pooh-stick, one of the things that put me off PNH. The whole purpose of this game is to accustom the horse to a tool which will be used for specific activities during the training. Once the horse is accustomed to the stick and its movement I cant see any further need to do this for more than a few minutes each session. I would be interested in peoples reasons for continued use of this game?
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186945
The beginning - a bit long
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187194
So far I've probably spent 5-6 hours studying material on PNH savvy club website as I dont yet have the level 1 pack. The reason for this is I want to understand the theory behind the process.
Main focus has been on Horsenality as this rightly impacts on how you approach the training of any individual horse.
Juno would definitely be classed as RBE (Right Brain Extrovert). Now if you get passed the fancy labels and look at what is said then YES IT MAKES SENSE.
What I find very interesting is that what I've been doing with J so far fits with what is recommended in terms of training appproach. RBE horses are effectively driven by the need to feel safe. When they dont they react strongly, actively and quickly.
So lets look at what is recommended vs what I've been doing with J.
In the Do's.....
"Speed up, match the energy and add 'four ounces'. You need to be asking your horse to go more quickly than he really wants to; this interrupts the fear patterm"
When working with juno I've found it far better to ask a little more than she wants to give. Every pace has to be a bit more forward than she wants to go at or she spooks at shadows. When competing if I try and keep things all steady and pretty she spooks for england. When I started riding every round like a jump off the spooking stopped and the double clears became easy.
"Use lots of consistency, its calming. For example circles are great and the more worried your horse is the smaller you need to make the circles......"
Again, everthing I've been doing with J follows a strict pattern which is always the same at the start. Changes are brought in in small measures.
"Respect thresholds; use approach and retreat to overcome them."
In training I never do a flat session or a jump session or work on major changes. Whole session is about get her relaxed, ask a little more, settle her back down, have another go, settle back down etc.
"Keep learning sessions short and simple"
All our sessions last less than 30 minutes, more than this and she gets fractious so I always finish before that happens
"Relax when he relaxes. Until then keep your energy up and get your horse busy"
Again, I've found asking her for more and more engagement and effort until she relaxes then just sitting quiet works well for her.
Donts......
"Straight lines help a horse gather speed. You dont want this....."
We only ever use one half of the school(do vary which area), going the full length of the long side (70mtrs) usually ends up in a few issues.
"Dont hold them back; this increases fear. Give the energy a focus"
Holding juno back would just result in her broncing or rearing. I found chanelling her energy in to movements and asking for a bit more energy works well. The normal instinct for a horse as powerful and athletic as J would be to steady them.
"Dont make it worse by;...........using strong bits, tie downs, martingales etc"
Owner thought I was mad when I told her I was discarding the flash, martingale and putting her in the mildest bit I could find. No idea why I did it, just seemed the right thing for juno
So in conclusion it would seem that the horseanilty profile of juno and the advice given on dealing with her type fits very well with what I've already discovered to work with her despite that sometimes being the opposite of what convention would dictate.
Junos need for safety drives everything she does. For instance, she can be very difficult to load when going to a comp yet once there she will plod up the ramp like a donkey on tranqilisers. From her point of view, leaving the herd is a serious threat to her safety. Once away from the herd at a comp she sees the horsebox as her safest area so happily goes in.
I'm now going to look at our other 3 horses from this perspective and see where they fit vs how we deal with them. For no other reason than I'm interested. Really looking forward to getting further in to this.
PNH Level 1 - First DVD impressions
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189642
I now have the Level one pack thanks to Jan516 so last night i watch the first DVD which is basically an introduction to the theory behind the training.
Several things struck me
1) In his introduction at no time did Pat refer to the process as natural, just horsemanship.
2) Pat stresses very strongly in his introduction and Linda emphasises again and again that level one is just about getting some basic tools and should not be focusses on too intently. This is something I think a lot of the PNH followers I've seen seem to miss.
3) Pat mentions some brilliant trained horses he has seen but that they were like automated robots. Again this struck me as that is what I've seen from the majority of the PNH horses I have come across. Gut feeling tells me this is due to point 2.
4) Early days yet but the process seems based on very sound horsemanship skills.
5) One or two key horsemanship skills are mentioned but possibly not strongly enough (possibly revisited later). The main one for me is that horses have off days and no matter what you planned to do that day, if horse isn't receptive to it, go do something else and try again another day. Missing this important cue will do a lot of damage to the human/horse relationship. Something I mentioned to bangers&mash when i visited.
6) I already do a fair amount of the training level 1 with juno. These are skills I've picked up through trial and error working over far too many years with misunderstood horses. As a result Juno is a far more relaxed and receptive horse than she was 8 months ago. Bodes well for the future
7) If you watch with an open mind you can see that the ultimate goals are not that far removed from what is often branded traditional. As an example lets take the circle game. The idea behind this is that the horse learns to continue to move at the required pace without constant nagging until such time as another instruction is given. How many people NOT involved in PNH have been told when riding that they shouldn't constantly kick but that the horse should continue doing what its doing until told to do something else? Only real difference here is that PNH starts that education on the ground rather than in the saddle.
Overall I was very impressed with standard of the DVD and the amount of thought that has gone in to it.
I do have a couple of initial concerns that I will need to keep in the back of my mind as Juno and I progress.
1) Huge importance of specific body language and body position resulting in horse picking up on very specific cue's. What will happen if say Juno's owner handles her and uses any of these cues inadvertently at the wrong time? Horses trained following the process to the letter perhaps shouldn't be handled by people not trained in the same way. This will probably become an issue under saddle as well.
2) I get the feeling some of the processes will need adapting to the discipline the horse and owner are intending to compete in if any.
Overall I was very impressed with what I've seen so far. I was expecting an aweful lot more hype than there was and I'm really looking forward to watching the next DVD.
My plan is to watch the entire pack before doing anything as I want the full picture. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
The two main things so far for me
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189884
Are you lot sick of these posts yet?
For those that aren't there are two significant things that have already come out of my foray in to PNH.
The first is that I now seem to analyse every single interaction I have with horses. Not only juno but every horse I approach and keep in mind I have daily contact with 6 other horses. Thats a lot of thinking for a old codger like me.
I wouldn't say I have actually change the way I interact with horses but I now think about every action I take, before, during and after. All the stuff I do subconsciously is now being given conscious though with the aim of a) trying to look at what i do from the horses perspective (I watch their reactions a lot more closely) and b) could I make slight changes that would have a major effect. I'm not talking about just the big stuff like riding, its everything starting from when I first walk up to a horse and its great fun
The second is that moving forward to actually playing the seven games with Juno frankly scares the bejeezus out of me. I dont know if this is because I have been around horses for so long or not but I can see real potential to completely screw Juno up if I get it very wrong. Conversely, I can also see huge benefit if I get it right (just like a lot of things in life). Timing is everything and I guess I'm just going through a bit of self doubt about my ability to read or notice the slightest reaction in J to really use the tools effectively. With a horse like Juno the effect of getting it wrong would without doubt be disasterous rather than just a waste of time. That said I can not let these doubts impact even slightly the way I approach this or it will be a self fullfilling prophecy.
Good news/bad news - parelli equipement
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189799
The bad news....
I've read on NR all the descussions on the parelli equipement and the opinions that it wasn't necessary (from non PNH peeps) I now have to disagree
Having watched a lot more of the DVDs (matchsticks now propping eyes open) it is evident that a normal headcollar wont do the job. The communication down the line in to the halter is vital and would be deadened significantly in a normal headcollar. The fitting of the clasp to the halter also appears to be important.
The rope does have a certain movement transferred from wrist,arm or shoulder. I have tried (not on horse) all three of my lunge lines and none of them create the same movement.
Carrot stick can not be substitued for lunge whip, it needs to be rigid and offer varying levels of resistance depending on how it is used.
Savvy string could possibly be made at home but not a lot of point if you need all the other stuff
Ho Hum lots of pennies
The GOOD news
Found a UK supplier that can provide all the above for £55 inc delivery. Only significant difference is colour of stick - its brown not orange. Another name required i think.
Surprising Free session last night.
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189758
In the first PNH DVD it talks about quiet time with your horse. ie just sitting in their pen with them, not really looking at them or touching.
Now I dont have a pen, just a stable (too small for this exercise) or the outdoor school which is 70mtr x 30mtr
So anyway, took her ladyship in to middle of the school, set her free and went to one corner and sat down.
Not really sure what I expected her to do but my guess was either charge around or run to the gate and just stand there.
Whats she did.....
For the first 4 minutes she didn't move from the spot, not even move one leg. She just looked around then at me then around again then at me and so on.
Then she tentatively moved one leg and looked at me, then another and looked at me. Gradually she moved over to the opposite side of the school from me to where all the Showjumps are stacked. Normally these are monsters to be spooked at during schooling sessions but she calmly wandered down the side of the school sniffing and almost playing with the jumps and fillers, all the time turning her head to look at me. Finally she arrived at the gate and stood there. Stayed at the gate for about 5 minutes calmly standing and alternately looking out to the stables then around at me.
Then she surprised me! She turned round and walked in a straight line towards me, veered off when about 10 feet from me , went round the back of where I was sitting and came to a halt standing with her shoulder about level with mine and about 2 feet from me.
As per the DVD I didn't look at her or touch her. 10 seconds later she dumped her head in my lap and nuzzled me. I stroked her neck and then she just stood there for the next 15 minutes like a statue alternately looking around and stretching down to me for a stroke.
Finally I got up and walked off without looking at her, she followed keeping the same position as she had when I was sitting. Where ever I wandered in the school she was there.
So what does all that mean? DVD didn't really make clear what various actions on the horses part signified......................... Thats what I'm not really sure about
It certainly evoked some strange emotions in me. The most surprising being that i had to ride her afterwards but really really didn't want to put a saddle or bridle on her?
? I cant explain why but it sort of felt like I was being disrespectful to her in doing so...................I dont think I will ever looked at her in the same way again. I have always worshipped the ground she walks on but yesterday I felt very humble that a creature so big, powerful and beautiful as her would choose to be with me.
Even putting her headcollar back on felt like a betrayal............
You constantly hear the saying "you never stop learning with horses" and the saying "if you do what you've always done you will get what you've always got"
If trad means BHS then I haven't been 'trad' for a long long time althought the BHS is starting to shift its stance. Sounds corny I know but I have an ambition that I may just have the opportunity to fulfill with Juno. To reach that goal I'm prepared to look at any tool which may move me closer no matter what label is attached to it. A spade has many applications, not just digging a hole........................
two very important points in that simple sentence.
1) This isn't an experiment for me, it's an attempt to gain additional skills to compliment those I already have.
2) There can not be an 'end'. No matter how many of the tools I ultimately choose to use, the experience will change me as a horse person in the same way any horse experience does. This change has already started but I'll do a seperate post about that...............................
Put simply, I want to compete SJ at GP level. Juno has the jump,agility and power required. Not my opinion but my SJ trainers (pro showjumper).
This talent does however come witha few issues. She can be spooky and is easily distracted. Normally I would just take her to lots of comps until she settles to the job but I have a slight problem here. She's only competed 8 comps so far (all BSJA) and has already won £156. All in last five. One more placing and we are out of BN, wont be long before we are out of disco aswell.
Therefore I need to find other ways to keep her calm and focussed on me, not whats going on around her before we have to jump 1.20mtr+ tracks. Hence my look in to PNH..............................................
Started Playing the games tonight
www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190416
My kit arrived today so time to make a start.
I rode first then started with the friendly game. Initially Juno was a little wary of the scary thing that look too much like a lunge whip for her liking but after taking advantage of knowledge of her itchy spots she started to accept it calmly. Within 5 minutes I could rub any part of her body with it without adverse reaction. Happy with that I let the string loose and got her accustomed to that. Again after just a few minutes she would happily let me drape it across her back neck etc and drag it slowly off. Her owner was watching this and comment that she actually seemed to enjoying the sensation.
Happy that she no longer had an issue with the Pooh stick (mines brown) we moved on to the porcupine game. Initial attempts at moving her back required level 3 pressure which quickly reduced to level 2 then Level 1. Moving her forehand again required level 3 but as per the backward movement dropped quickly to level 2. Same with quarters but her again within a couple of minutes we were down to level one. Her owner noted at this point how relaxed she looked.
On to the Yo-Yo game. Using the 12' line getting the initial backward movement required escalation to level 4 and maintaining for 4-5 seconds.
Second attempt she stepped back at level 3, third attempt she stepped back immediately at level 2. On the first attempt after the step back she turned away. I straightened her up and called her forward (only level 1 required). Second attempt only a slight turn away. Third attempt she remained straight and focussed on me with ears gently forward. Each call forward only needed level 1. Stopped there with yoyo.
Quick return to porcupine, response was same as I had before yoyo.
Finished on that note.
So was any of this useful to me as a showjumper?
Surprisingly YES!. I learnt two very important things about my girl.
1) She learns at an incredibly fast rate. Far quicker than I previously thought. This has implications for the way I train her under saddle where my focus will be on making sure I AM teaching her what I THINK I'm teaching her. I need to be extremely consistent with my actions and even subtle changes could confuse (and hence upset) her. I could probably drop the level of pressure used when training new elements a lot quicker than previously thought.
2) What I purposly ommitted to mention that was that our session under saddle was less than relaxed. She hadn't jumped for almost 6 weeks until tonight, has been fed rocket fuel and not worked much due to her injuries. All these things combined led to a tense session with a lot of rodeo moments after fences. So before I started the games she was like a coiled spring. The speed with which she relaxed as I started the procupine game was amazing. Intially I couldn't get her focus but within literally 2 minutes I became the total focus of her attention, her head lowered and you could see her visibly relax (hence owners comment).
This could be extremely useful when dealing with the rodeo moments. Next time I have the opportunity (hopefully not to soon) I am going to try shifting her legs laterally using direct and indirect rein aids with a lot of energy (RBE) the instant I feel her about to start. I have a strong suspicion this may well prevent the rodeo from even starting.
After the ridden session tonight I can also see a good outcome from the squeeze game
So in summary...
The games do seem to have direct translation to under saddle, the person involved needs to work out the implications and how best to use them for their particular partnership themselves. I certainly felt a touch apprehensive when I first started but soon settled. Both of us seemed to enjoy the experience. Even Juno's owner who has never heard of PNH was fascinated and very surprised at Juno's reaction.
I still believe there is a real danger of making a horse worse if done incorrectly, particularly with a horse like juno but also that there is far too much potential benefit to the system to lightly dismiss it. Very early days yet but looking forward to continuing tomorrow.
ETA... I still cant see why people spend hours playing the friendly game with the Pooh-stick, one of the things that put me off PNH. The whole purpose of this game is to accustom the horse to a tool which will be used for specific activities during the training. Once the horse is accustomed to the stick and its movement I cant see any further need to do this for more than a few minutes each session. I would be interested in peoples reasons for continued use of this game?
