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Post by beksnjake on Nov 9, 2011 12:21:27 GMT
Session Number 3 for Josh today - I'm keeping them short, just 20 mins or so - both Josh & mum find much longer too tiring due to the level of concentration they both need!!
Josh led both to and from the sandschool - in a halter & rope. He does wear the chiffney but I don't use it - mum is still very anxious about losing him if he decides to run off at something scary (which happened to her about 10 years ago and Josh was "lost" for a couple of hours - he was fine, someone had directed him into a field, but mum still has nightmares over the "what ifs"). Josh in fact was very chilled - walking slightly behind me on the way to the sandschool but more confident on the way home. I did twirl the rope infront of him, around him etc as we walked along - not bothered by it atall.
Lateral flexions better today but Josh still very stiff on the left side, so I'm trying to reward the slightest try, which at times is miniscule so I have to have 110% concentration on Josh at all times. When we walked round the school I realised Josh needed to move his feet more so let him trot in a circle, tried to redirect his energy into something productive - and it worked!! He did go into canter and had a buck & fart (on both reins!) - I go with Josh when he does this, let him get it out of his system. What is still amazing me is that so far he hasn't tried to leave. He has his buck & fart (no squeals yet!) and then listens to me. Moving the shoulders away is still sticky - again I think this is both physical & emotional for him. His comfort zone is very small - you can only step away about 4 ft from him if he is standing still - then he has to move back into your space. Jake on the other hand will stand patiently at the end of the rope until you ask him to come into your space. These are all little things I know I can work on, but it will take time - Josh is still not totally relaxed in the sandchool but again in time I know he will.
Jake was his usual superstar self with mum - I will need to watch them next time - at the moment I'm concentrating on working with Josh - I'm not too sure exactly what Jake is teaching mum ;D Mum is just totally overawed at Josh's response to the GW and is really enjoying working with Jake.
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 11, 2011 13:41:57 GMT
Another good session with Josh. As he really doesn't "give" with his lateral flexions - goes through the motions but is still pushing against the pressure on the rope - I thought I'd try a tip from El's groundwork app & use my hand on his nose to ask for the lateral flexion. And it worked brilliantly! Josh was so much softer & giving. He has learnt (not from me!) to push against the halter. I'm pretty sure the answer to this is to combine the hand with a very soft feel on the rope so that Josh has a better association with the feel of the halter.
He was lovely at the trot & we did a little bit of canter work - Josh was listening all the time, with smooth upward & downward transitions. He's beginning to understand that I don't want him right in my face when he changes rein too. But what really pleased me was that at the end of the session Josh was stood near to Jake so I took the opportunity to just back away a bit from Josh - he has a very small comfort zone & tends to stand right next to you. I was able to stand about 5ft away from Josh without him moving or looking anxious for a couple of minutes!
Also managed to watch mum & Jake - who has taught mum that upwards transitions mean she has to run with him ;D - I put the pair of them right on that one - cheeky pony!!
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 12, 2011 12:14:04 GMT
Not a formal session as such today but just did some more work on the lateral flexions in the yard before getting out the cordless trimmers & tidying up Josh's clip. He just stood there & went to sleep! Can't get over the change in this pony. Must admit it was just me & him - mum & dad are away visiting friends today - I'm sure not having mum around does reduce Josh's anxiety levels but I'm still gobsmacked.
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 14, 2011 11:51:07 GMT
Well today's session promised to be interesting as we were taking Josh up to the sandschool on his own (due to Jake seeing the chiropractor) - was it? No not really, Josh walked to the school OK, alittle confused at first as he was on his own but didn't spook or stop at anything. I did expect him to think about leaving once we started work in the school but he didn't even think about it - guess he feels pretty confident about me now Lateral flexions - still using my hand on his nose to guide as well as a slight pressure on the rope - went well. The only problem (if you can call it that) was that Josh stuck to me like glue - really didn't want to leave me, would trot around me , but wouldn't go into canter because I think that would mean having to be further away from me (his comfort zone). I didn't push it, I felt that if he was some what unsure then we'd just stick to what he knows and do it well. I did do some work on keeping some distance between us. Josh is learning that he can stand still and nothing bad happens if I step away a couple of yards. Mum says my timing was good because I can see the slightest weight change in Josh as he thinks about pushing forwards and stop him just with my energy (no rope swing or touching) so that was great to hear. I can almost get to the end of the rope now and Josh will stand still - at one point he was totally focussed on me for over a minute which is pretty impressive for him as he is usually looking all over the place at what might be happening elsewhere - no ear flicks away from me during that time! Small stuff I know but I'm really pleased.
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 18, 2011 20:45:02 GMT
Horses are funny creatures sometimes. Rode to the sandschool this morning & decided to do some ridden work.
Well you'd have thought we'd asked both Jake & Josh to walk across hot coals - very much a case of "we only do groundwork here!!". Both were spooky and reluctant to move forwards in the school.
Think we need to work on this one ;D
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Post by heidi on Nov 18, 2011 21:05:21 GMT
If you were next-door, we could always have launched Taz, to help with the "forward" element!
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 26, 2011 19:57:45 GMT
Did some more work on clipping today. I have been using my cordless trimmers on Josh every couple of days and he's been brilliant about it - sometimes he's almost dozed off!
Unfortunately mum wanted to help out with the cordless clippers and despite me suggesting that I do it, she carried on regardless - cue one very anxious Josh! I did manage to get him untied so I could let him move his feet (all whilst mum is re clipping his neck & chest). But I don't think she saw how his anxiety was escalating - so in the end he tried to get away a couple of times but I was able to hold him & calm him down. The final time he found a small gap to run through & I couldn't hold him - again got him settled and to finish I ran the trimmers over him whilst he was calm & still.
Damn & blast - I've worked on this very quietly & slowly, just hoping we don't go too far backwards now. I think I need to have a long talk with mum because Josh's anxiety levels just go through the roof when she has the clippers!!
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Post by snigsby on Nov 28, 2011 8:34:41 GMT
Aaargh...........if it's not one thing,it's yer mother..........I have one the exact same,doesn't listen!
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Post by beksnjake on Nov 28, 2011 13:32:06 GMT
Funnily enough when I raised the subject this morning mum immediately said she'd pushed Josh too much - that he was telling us he couldn't cope & she should have stopped.
When we got back from our ride, I used the cordless trimmers on Josh (mum kept herself busy in the feedroom - Josh was OK. He pawed the ground once when I was near one ear so I just backed off & he relaxed. So he hasn't gone as far backwards as I'd feared - but he is teaching both me & mum so much!
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Post by tazzle on Nov 29, 2011 20:15:12 GMT
great that mum realised and that josh not sooooo upset
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Post by beksnjake on Dec 14, 2011 16:54:40 GMT
As mum is away for a few days, I took the opportunity to do some GW with Josh this morning (thought it would ground him - pardon the pun - before attempting to clip him).
Its the first time we've been to the sandschool in over a month, and he was on his own but Josh was a total star. Not atall spooky, made no attempts to leave, even at canter - which was quite explosive with a few bucks, but I just went with him and let him use up that energy. He was quite happy to stand at the end of the rope, and although at times I felt he was on-top of me (an on-going problem) overall I felt he was less clingy. His back - ups were slightly smoother too.
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Post by kas on Dec 17, 2011 19:39:03 GMT
All great progress Becks - with Josh and Mum!
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Post by beksnjake on Jan 1, 2012 16:40:39 GMT
Did some GW with both Josh & Jake just before Xmas but haven't had a chance to write it up til now. What was interesting about the session was that Josh got away from me , not just once either! He does give some very subtle signals that he's leaving, an ear flick to you & then away and then a slight neck flexion to the outside - then bang he's gone. I managed to stop him a couple of times after the first time he got away, by looking for the signs and then redirecting him. But Josh is clever & quicker than me, once he realised what I was doing, he just sped everything up & I am just not quick enough. I can't quite pick up the thought yet before the action. I have suggested to mum that we film him so I can look to see if there are other signals because I know I am missing something. Other things to consider was the presence of Jake - Josh would run to him and also mum was feeling really ill but didn't say anything til later - so I think there were other influences going on that I didn't know about at the time. I'd also been a little more forceful about Josh moving out of my space (he has this tendency to be right on top of you) - perhaps my energy was too much, though he wasn't leaving when I asked him to move away from me, but later on when circling - lots to think about
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Post by beksnjake on Jan 1, 2012 16:56:14 GMT
Josh is very pair bonded with Jake & we know we are going to do something about this for when I take Jake to clinics in the summer.
Josh has got better about Jake leaving the yard if only one of us is riding - he used to call & box walk, but now he just calls to Jake when you return. So today mum thought we should try putting him out in the field when she rode out on Jake, as I am on nights I said I would stay on the yard and make sure he was OK . . . . . .
. . . . Josh was upset and initially did alot of calling and galloping round, then if I went into the field he would run over to me, then run off again. After one particularly amazing sliding stop (the field is just alittle squelshy) where I thought he was going to land on me I decided to bring him in. As soon as I put on his halter, he dropped his head to the grass and started eating!
So I stayed with him for a few minutes til his breathing settled & he was happily eating, then took off the halter. Josh continued to graze, calling occasionally if he saw other horses, more so when he spotted Jake in the distance, but didn't run around again. He stayed close to the stables and was easy to catch when mum returned. Next time mum says I'm not to stay, though I think we need to build up Josh's confidence. He has been kept on his own before for short periods (through circumstance not choice) and does settle. I have suggested to mum that one solution is that Josh comes with us to the clinics, on a horsey holiday!!
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Post by snigsby on Jan 2, 2012 12:25:07 GMT
Oooh,cunning plan,beks!!!
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