US trained Natural Horseman returned to Ireland.

[Laura Sexton]

Learn to deal with trailer loading/clipping/shying/napping or any other horse issues such as rushing at jumps, refusals etc.

Natural horsewoman, trained intensively for last four years in Holland, France and US, has recently returned to Ireland. Looking for situations where I can help people establish a better understanding of horses' behaviour, their learning process, and motivation. Will lead to a more rewarding and positive relationship with their horse. Training over the years has included Clicker, Parelli, Connected Riding and groundwork.

[lynda]

Hi Laura

Welcome back to Ireland. Whereabouts are you based?

I have been organising courses near Naas, Co Kildare with Vanessa Bee of www.positivehorsemanship.com. I am enjoying them very much and learning loads but always interested in other methods. Do you have any courses planned?

be well

Lynda

[laura Sexton]

Hi Lynda,

Thankyou for your interest Lynda. I am based in Dublin but I will travel. As I have not long come back I am just setting things up. I have been doing one to one sessions with a couple of people with young horses, and also working my own three yo. I like to work this way but would also welcome working with a small group.

Who is Vanessa? What is her background?

I don't really know many people yet so I am very pleased to h
ear from you.

I'll give you my email so you can contact me directly should you so wish.

[e-mail]

[lynda]

Hi Laura

Thanks for your reply. We are not that far from Dublin.

Vanessa Bee is based in Devon, UK. You can see details of her work on her website: www.positivehorsemanship.com

She has been training for 10 years with several different trainers including: Ken Faulkner, Pat Parelli, Monty Roberts, Mark Rashid and Leslie Desmond.

She is here again next weekend for some more courses (see my other posts) and is also giving a demo this time round. Friday, 14th July at 7.00 pm. 10 euros per person. Email me if you would like directions: [e-mail]

Do you use Clicker training with your youngsters? Do you start this using treats? As a rule, I don't feed any treats to my horses as they very quickly get nibbly but I have one pony I'm having difficulty getting to trot in hand (we want to show her). She is very greedy and we are experimenting with giving her a treat after she has trotted. She's getting the message but then of course is trying to get it out of my hand whilst she is trotting. Maybe clicker training might be useful here but I'm not sure whether thats allowed in the show ring.

be well

Lynda

[laura Sexton]

Dear lynda,

It is not really important which method or technique you use with your pony. What needs to happen is for your pony to pay attention to you, that is the first and most important thing that has to happen, if you do not have her attention. you cannot direct her. Getting control of her mind is the way to control her feet and strangely the way to her mind is by directing her feet. If she is an Irish pony she will be smart. You will have to give her a job to do, keep her busy, make it interesting for her.

Clicker training and food rewards are highly effective but you really have to know how to use them otherwise it can be a nightmare. I can work with you on this if you so wish but I would prefer to have your pony paying attention initially without any of this. I never really have a rigid plan with a horse beforehand because I have to deal with the horse that shows up in the moment. But in your pony's case I would not start with food reward.

The problem in this case is not your pony's ability to lead up well in hand, it is one of mental engagement. If you get her to engage with you, leading up will simply follow as will other things.

Do you want me to do a session with you, perhaps we can get you going in the right direction?

Laura