Post by Elaine on Apr 21, 2008 9:36:46 GMT
(copied from another forum)
Teach the horse to yield away from the stock stick (i.e., from that extension of your hand); yield away on the near side initially. Get the horse really light and soft with the yield as indicated by you just having to raise and wave is slightly.
2. Get the same light and soft yield away from all quarters, sides, and ends of the horse; so that any time you raise the stick and wave it slightly, the horse yields away.
3. Place the horse so that its butt is against a fence, so that it cannot back up.
4. Stand at your horse's left shoulder facing your horse.
5. Reach under the horse's neck with the stock stick and wave the end of it against the horse's right side.
6. As the horse thinks "yield", back slightly to allow the horse a place to go (i.e., "draw") to its left. STOP, lower the stick, and rub your horse. Then repeat, building on the "thought" of yielding into an actual movement of ONE foot in the correct direction. Then two; then three; etc.
But every time the horse does the correct thing (yield away from the stick - a little or a lot), RELEASE the pressure of the stick and rub your horse.
Pretty soon you'll find that you can be further to the left of the horse and still cue it to move left by waving the stick under its neck; then even further from it still. (Notice that Dennis cues the horse by waving the stick under its neck, or to the opposite side of the horse as needed.
Problem corrections:
7. If the horse goes to its right (into the stick), then you know that you have to go back and work on yielding away from the stick. Allow the horse to run into the waving stick end (i.e., no "release") so that it finds out that "No, that's not correct."
8. If the horse steps forward, block it with your arm/stick against is chest and continue the cue to tell the horse "No, that's not correct."
If you've given the horse an opening to go to (i.e., its left) and immediately release when it takes that choice, it will learn to take that choice every time - into the opening you've allowed. Then you can build time and distance on that foundation.
Teach the horse to yield away from the stock stick (i.e., from that extension of your hand); yield away on the near side initially. Get the horse really light and soft with the yield as indicated by you just having to raise and wave is slightly.
2. Get the same light and soft yield away from all quarters, sides, and ends of the horse; so that any time you raise the stick and wave it slightly, the horse yields away.
3. Place the horse so that its butt is against a fence, so that it cannot back up.
4. Stand at your horse's left shoulder facing your horse.
5. Reach under the horse's neck with the stock stick and wave the end of it against the horse's right side.
6. As the horse thinks "yield", back slightly to allow the horse a place to go (i.e., "draw") to its left. STOP, lower the stick, and rub your horse. Then repeat, building on the "thought" of yielding into an actual movement of ONE foot in the correct direction. Then two; then three; etc.
But every time the horse does the correct thing (yield away from the stick - a little or a lot), RELEASE the pressure of the stick and rub your horse.
Pretty soon you'll find that you can be further to the left of the horse and still cue it to move left by waving the stick under its neck; then even further from it still. (Notice that Dennis cues the horse by waving the stick under its neck, or to the opposite side of the horse as needed.
Problem corrections:
7. If the horse goes to its right (into the stick), then you know that you have to go back and work on yielding away from the stick. Allow the horse to run into the waving stick end (i.e., no "release") so that it finds out that "No, that's not correct."
8. If the horse steps forward, block it with your arm/stick against is chest and continue the cue to tell the horse "No, that's not correct."
If you've given the horse an opening to go to (i.e., its left) and immediately release when it takes that choice, it will learn to take that choice every time - into the opening you've allowed. Then you can build time and distance on that foundation.