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Post by luvyourhorse on Oct 23, 2009 16:35:38 GMT
We bought a 5 month old colt foal 2 weeks ago - he is very good - lovely quiet little chap - he is in at night and out all day. The only concern I have at the moment is when bringing his feed to him in the morning he mobs me at the stable door - I don't want to frighten him so what is the best way of getting him out of the way while I put the feed skip down on the floor? Any suggestions please? Thanks.
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Post by Elaine on Oct 27, 2009 18:05:41 GMT
Sean or Donal would be your best bet here.....
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drifter6
Young horse
Irish Horsemanship trainer
Posts: 69
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Post by drifter6 on Oct 28, 2009 9:13:12 GMT
He is just doing what horses do ,he is pushing through you to get to the food,he will continue to do this unless you create a discomfort greater than his desire to get to the food, this can be done in many ways the first one would be to spray water on his face as he approaches you, making noise with a plastic bag will often do as well, often the very sound of the spray can do the trick, if you still are having difficulty why don't you give me a call , or P. M.
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Post by Elaine on Oct 28, 2009 10:13:21 GMT
It's kind of hard to give specific advice on something like this, as really a lot of it depends on feel & timing, you'd nearly need to be there, see what's going on, adapt your solution to the exact behaviour of the foal, and use quick releases too. Anyway, hope you work it out
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Post by luvyourhorse on Nov 3, 2009 19:00:02 GMT
Thanks for your advice - will start tomorrow morning and let you know how we get on - he's so good and really quiet so would like to keep him on the right track and definitely will be asking for more advice in the future!!
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Post by luvyourhorse on Nov 21, 2009 17:31:13 GMT
Hi guys - here's the update - it was all going really well - in the stable in the morning I took a plastic bottle filled with rice and shook it at him - he immediately went to the back of the stable and I was able to put his food down no problem and that's pretty much every morning now - but now I have a new problem with him - he also has a feed during the day and he waits by the gate when he knows its time to be fed and mobs me at the gate! and when I shake the bottle at him he turns his back end on me - he doesn't threaten to kick or anything but I think I need to put a stop to this before it becomes a habit - he does move away if I continue to use the shaker so should I just persist with this? This probably sounds stupid but when you're not used to dealing with youngsters I really want to get it right - thanks guys, really appreciate your advice
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Post by Donal on Nov 21, 2009 20:18:40 GMT
Just a thought that springs to mind: I agree whole heartedly with Sean with creating " a discomfort" when his behaviour is not quite as desired, the only thing I would add is to ensure when you are actually rewarding him (in this case by allowing him to feed) that it is for the behaviour that you do desire and not for some other random behaviour that appears (turning his back on you?) Whilst it's important to give "a concequence" for unwanted behaviour it's probably more important to watch for the desired stuff and reward that.
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Post by luvyourhorse on Nov 22, 2009 17:01:57 GMT
Hi Donal, thanks for your advice - we are obviously doing it all wrong! he was kicking out at me tonight - the shaker works fine in the morning - I shake it - he steps back and I put the feed down but in the evening he is out in the field, he sees you bringing his feed and comes charging in behind you and if you are not quick enough putting it down he turns his back end on you and goes crazy till he gets his feed - I'd dearly love to hear my horse whisper but I need some educating first!
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Post by luvyourhorse on Nov 26, 2009 17:50:37 GMT
Hi Sean, it was great to speak to you and thanks for all your advice which we put into practice immediately!!! with startling results - we used the lunge whip and pointed it at him and he turned his back end but he got a tap off the whip and turned round to face us straight away and has kept his distance ever since - now if you just carry the whip he keeps his distance until you allow him in for his feed - he is wary but not afraid - haven't managed to contact Lisa yet but definitely will speak to her - so things going ok at the moment - will keep you updated with the progress - and thanks again :-)
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Post by luvyourhorse on Nov 26, 2009 17:53:49 GMT
Hi Sean, it was great to speak to you and thanks for all your advice which we put into practice immediately!!! with startling results - we used the lunge whip and pointed it at him and he turned his back end but he got a tap off the whip and turned round to face us straight away and has kept his distance ever since - now if you just carry the whip he keeps his distance until you allow him in for his feed - he is wary but not afraid - haven't managed to contact Lisa yet but definitely will speak to her - so things going ok at the moment - will keep you updated with the progress - and thanks again :-)
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Post by Elaine on Nov 26, 2009 20:10:54 GMT
Good to hear you're going well. Sean & Donal are both lovely & have a wealth of knowledge so thanks guys!
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