This is a video of Lila showing great form over a small jump, she shows talent and willingness to jump
this was just a test to see if she has good jumping form and she does!
Archive for the ‘Lila Training’ Category
New Lila video
Sunday, June 20th, 2010Lila Update 3-21
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010Lila is growing very tall with legs that grow and grow. I want to call her Missy Stilts. She continues to be a very good girl in her training sessions. I love how she and her buddy Iris run to the gate everytime someone comes to the pen. They just love people to visit.
I have not done a lot with them new, mostly review of the things she already knows, bending her nose to her shoulder, lowering her head on cue, moving her shoulder away from pressure, boy can she cross those long legs. She is moving her hips away from pressure, trotting while led, walking over the bridge and poles, and walking in a circle like lunging.
The newer things I have been working her on are leading on the off side, her right. She is also learning to walk with her head down more constantly and soon to teach to trot with her head down.
She continues to have a great attitude. When I am leading from her off side if she get confused she stops and tries to see me out of the other eye. I just keep her head so she has to look at me out of her right eye. Then cue her to walk on. She does. She is a little unsure yet to keep her head low out of the right eye. She can keep her head down walking out of the left eye pretty well. We have just started trotting from the right eye. She did this pretty well. I used the wand to tap her on her croup if she does not trot when I lean forward a little and start walking faster.
Despooking Classes will start soon for Lila.
lila update 2-28
Sunday, February 28th, 2010lila had the week off due to the sepearation of RZ from his pasture mates
She continutes to do her baby exercises well up in her pen
back to work the last part of next week
Lila training 2-20 Marie Hoffman trainer
Monday, February 22nd, 2010Lila 2-20
The first session of the week we went to the indoor to walk and do our exercised without the confidence pony. This was the first time without the pony.
We walked over poles, over the bridge, she did not realize it was a step up and tripped onto it. But she recovered fine and walked up the second time much better. We walked over the bridge and she stepped down just fine. Then we went over the poles again and again over the bridge. She had figured it out and just walked up on it like a pro. She was very calm and seemed to like the new tasks.
, then did our baby exercises in the same area as always near the gate, bending , shoulder over, hip over and walk lunging. She was perfect so I turned her out, she is really starting to get the idea of leading with her head lower. She is not perfect but learning.
Next lesson was walking on the off side, the non normal leading side. Again we worked alone in the indoor without the pony friend, we walked over poles, walked up on bridge then backed off of it then back on it and then walked forward off of the bridge. Lila handled this well and was not at all unbalanced backing off. Then I led her over poles again and over the bridge again. Then did baby exercise and walk lunging. All went VERY well. Then walked her again on the off side back to her buddies, she led quite well on her off side.
Lila got the rest of the week off as RZ is learning his alone training and I don’t bring the pen buddies near where he is turned out.
So she just did her baby exercises up in her pen. She does these very well.
Lila update 2-14-10
Monday, February 15th, 2010This week’s focus has been on leading in the indoor arena, starting to lead with the head lowered, trotting in hand, walking in a circle lunging and doing baby exercises in the indoor arena, and being calm as the snow slides off the roof.
As usual I tied the pony friend along the arena wall for confidence. Today we led both directions about 2/3rds down the arena stopping often and each time we stopped I asked her to lower her head, which she did. When I asked her to walk again it her head was able to stay down for about 1/3 of the time before she lost her balance or wanted to look at something and lifted it. We walked two times around each direction of the arena. She did a great job of licking and chewing and being very attentive. Then I asked her to trot on the other side of the arena along the wall and asked her to trot away from the end of the arena where the pony was. (She had already learned to trot to the pony) She trotted very nice for about 15 steps and then I asked her to walk with a signal toward her chest with the wand. She did and I gave her a good rub on her forehead saying good girl.
Next we went back in the area by Mr Dobbs the pony and did our bending, moving the shoulder, moving the hip and backing exercises which she did well as she usually does.
Next was to work on lunging at the walk. On a short rope I signaled with the wand toward her hip/tail to go forward, signaled toward her withers to move her shoulder away from me, signaled behind her poll to move her head and neck out and toward the side of her face by her cheek bone to keep away. The signals were light touches or just pushing the air in that area. She moved away ok but needed reminders with taps on her rump to go forward. She wanted to go by the pony or stop by the gate. So I was sure to be driving her to keep her feet moving till she figured out I wanted her to keep going and she could not stop by the pony or the gate. It went rather easy and we did a few circles each way.
The next lesson was basically the same except we were in the middle of a snow storm and snow was sliding off the roof. The first time she heard the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and poof of snow (it was right above her), she took off to go back by the pony. I held on to her so she actually only got a few feet from me. She stopped and was able to chew and think once I put my fingers in her mouth, we went on with our walking lesson as if nothing had happened. The next time snow slid she reacted by dancing her feet and by the 3rd time she only crouched dancing her feet but did not go forward or back, then went on leading like a pro. She was even able to keep her head down some of the time. By the 4th time she only lifted her head. What a good girl! Next we did our baby exercises and she did not notice she snow sliding hardly at all. We finished with our walking lunging which she was much better at not stopping today.
We had two more lessons doing the same routine except walking all the way to the far end of the arena and she was good for those sessions. She only lifted her head when she heard the snow noise in those sessions, but did not dance or move her feet.
Lila Update 2-7-10
Sunday, February 7th, 2010The focus this week was to learn to lead in the indoor with no buddies just the pony tied to the wall. I led Lila around the indoor arena. She learned to stop and walk using the wand for signals. We walked both directions two times around. Then went back by the confidence pony and did our baby exercises of bending, yielding the shoulders and hip and backing. Then I added the new exercise of moving the hip from my body language and the wand waving in the air but close to the ground. She responded to this RIGHT away. What a good girl
Her first day there was another horse in the indoor being ridden. She though he was going to get her when he canter by close to us. I used this as a good learning experience because she was scared and tried to get away from him. I took her back to where we were standing and asked him to trot the same path but slow, then trot fast a pass then canter a pass further way. I took her for a short walk after each pass. She figured out that he was not going to chase her and accepted him going by at a distance. This is a great lesson because some day she will be in an arena with lots of horses and the sooner she learns she is safe when a horse has a rider on its back the better.
Tues was shoer day and she was good, we work on tying by looping the lead rope around a barn in the stall where she is being trimmed.
She was VERY calm and listened to my instructions very well. She is starting to learn to walk with her head low while led.
I was able to ask her to start learning to trot while led on her second lesson in the indoor. I led her down the wall toward the pony and asked her to trot using dingo (whip tapping her croup). It took a couple times up and down the wall but she trotted a couple of steps with me. Then baby exercises and time to be turned out.
She was very good the next session and cooperated in all that was asked. It was short and sweet lasting about 4 or 5 min. What a good girl she is!
A person wanted a video so we took a video on the next session she was cooperative again, but did enjoy the chance to play in the good footing in the indoor, as it is icy and snowy out in her pen
Here is a video of her baby exercises:
Because of weather and other commitments the rest of the week I just did backing exercises with pressure on the nose, or move the shoulders over before I took her feed back off when she was done eating.
Today she showed her over achiever attitude. When I asked her to back more steps (7) with pressure on her nose she hesitated then moved her shoulders with a good cross of the front legs, I kept the pressure on her and without resistance she backed up a few more steps. When she did not understand why I had not taken the pressure off her nose after she had done the usual 4 steps, she thought maybe I wanted her to move her shoulders, so she tried that, then when I still kept the pressure on she backed up to finish her steps. She lowered her head to get her feed bag off and got her rub for being a good girl. It is very clear that Lila understand her exercises she is to do and is MORE than willing to please you by doing them with the slightest of cues. I really like her TRY!
Lila training update 1-29
Friday, January 29th, 2010
Showing off in the snow is fun!
Lila update 1-29-10
The focus on this week has been to move the shoulders from pressure to do the start of turn on the haunches and respect the handler’s space. Moving the shoulders is a big deal for the horse. She will not yield shoulders unless she is submissive to the handler and confident that she is safe. Their instinct is to push into pressure especially when insecure, because they are young the want to push into the handler like they did their dams for security.
Lila was slow to respond to the cue, she was convinced when I turned her head away she should either back up or bend her neck. I repositioned her and asked again and once she gave a little, I released my cues. She wanted to lean into the pressure and bend her neck beautifully and softly unfortunately that is not what I wanted her to do. The bending of her neck causes her weight to shift to the shoulder I was asking her to move away from, making it almost impossible for her to move off that shoulder and cross her front legs. I walked her forward and while her foot was in the air used pulsing pressure on her shoulder muscle caused her to move away from me. She moved away from pressure easier on her right side and it was harder on her left. I praise her and asked on the other side. I asked her on each side to move away from pressure twice. By the second session she figured out that I wanted something new and though would bend her neck sometimes, she also figured out the cross the front legs to move away from the pressure.
To cue her: I stand at the point of the shoulder and push the head away from me with a straight arm. My other hand pinches and pushes in the middle of the large muscle level with the point of the shoulder and between the elbow and point of shoulder. I push with both hands at the same time while walking straight toward her neck. Once she crosses his front legs I release all pressure and walk forward. I repeated the same on the other side.
I did this every day and after the 4th day asked for 2 steps. Once she figured out what I wanted she moved over as easily as the other foals. Today she was the most light and responsive of all the foals, I hardly had to cue her giving a very light cue to move her shoulders to the right and left. She responded equally to both sides. I will continue working with lighter and lighter cues and eventually just handler’s body language and a kiss sound. Once she is to this light she will be unlikely to spook into a person as she would her dam.
She is now backing on verbal command easily
This week we had another visitor and Lila also got an impromptu leading lesson in the indoor arena. She was a bit spunky (no bad stuff just feeling up), you could tell she wanted to play but with reminders she listened to her handlers even though at times the cues were not always clear, (visitor was handling her) she was generally cooperative.
Next we ask for 3 steps over for the shoulders and learn to move our haunches over better. Now she can move away from a pulsing pressure with her neck bent to her shoulders but they needs to develop more softness. More indoor arena leading lessons too.
Lila update 1-20
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010Lila update 1-20
This week was filled with some new adventures for the foals, making sale videos. To make a video we had a good morning brushing to be sure she looked her best, then my helper rode Mr Dobbs down the lime lane to the catch pen at the end near the barn, with the foals following like the pied piper, it was cute as the foals are much bigger than Mr Dobbs. This lane connects all the boarder pens, with the foal pen the furthest away. The foals had a great time trotting down the lane staring at the boarder horses that came to the fence to watch the show. Then they trotted to catch up to Mr Dobbs, showing off to the horses watching.
Once in the catch pen we left Iris and Lila and lead RZ and Mr Dobbs to the indoor arena. The girls had to learn they were ok without their friend RZ and fearless leader Mr Dobbs. They called a little, walked around a little puzzled and not at all frantic. This was the first time they had been separated. After RZ’s turn it was Lilas. She led to the arena well and was quick to investigative about the jump standards and poles in the middle but then had a good time playing in the good footing in the indoor. As with RZ my helper got plenty of exercise moving her for the video footage. She would move when encouraged but stopped to investigate the arena when given a chance. The experience was good for all.
Like RZ , Lila had to learn to wait with the human and not leave exactly when Mr. Dobbs left the arena, this involved learning Elegant Elephant. A tteam technique, where you use the white (whip) wand to signal the horse in front of her nose and chest to slow or stop without using the halter so the horse learns to follow your body to stop. Lila got this technique right away; it took some fingers in her mouth to get her to lick and chew, so I knew she was not in freeze and understood.
This week Lila learned to back with a verbal cue and body language of walking toward her chest. She got this right away. She also is learning to move his hind legs while keeping his front still, a pivot on the forehand. I bend her nose to her shoulder and cued her with a pulsing cue to her ribs right behind where the leg would go if I were riding her. She just stood there, and wiggled her nose like I was itching her. So I used the wand and bumped her hind leg with it along with the cue on her ribs. She moved and I released all signals. Then went to the other side and repeated. Again she just stood there thinking I was itching her. So I used the wand bumping again. Then went back to the first side, She moved from the cue on the ribs, I scratched her neck in front of the withers. She likes this. Then went to the off side and repeated the exercise. She responded properly again with the signal on the ribs, she got another good girl scratch. I had her lower her head and took off the halter
Today she learned to lead out of sight of her pasture mates. They were in the run in shed and we walked around and around it. Using Dingo to go, and halter pressure to go, and Elegant Elephant to stop. She was very nice, she did not stop to stay with her friends while they ate hay in the shed. She is such a joy to train! Actually they all are which makes my job SO much fun.
Lila Training update
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Lila training update 1-11-10
It has been bitter cold this week and so I have not done any leading but have started to work on backing to pressure on the nose.
Lilly at first wanted to lower her head to the pressure she felt on the nose so the first day I held her head up and asked her to move a front foot backwards.
I bumped/held her head up by not using steady pressure under her jowl but I bumped it with my hand then steadied it when it was up with my hand under her jowl.
I put my other hand on the top of her nose with finger pressure on each side of the bridge of her nose, I pressed on her nose but not enough to push her head toward her chest. Lila was sure I wanted her to lower her head to the cue. I had to bump lift her head several times to keep it up. That is all she knew to do when she felt pressure on her head.
Once I was able to keep her head up she backed one foot up quite easily from the pressure on her nose.
It took several sessions for Lila to figured out I did not want her to lower her head to this pressure but once she got her head up she backed easily, on foot, then two then I kept cueing till she adding the back feet.
At about the 4th session I asked her to back from pressure on her nose and she backed quickly and easily from a very light pressure with NO head lowering today.
The next session she did lower her head a little but it was not to the ground and she backed easily though I did add the cue to the chest/point of shoulder so she would learn it. She backed one foot at a time till all 4 feet moved backwards.
Now she is starting to learn to back from a verbal cue back, where I just add the verbal cue with the physical one on her nose. At this time the cues on her nose are very light but clear to him what I want.
I finished each session with a bending exercise of asking her to bend her neck to his shoulder softly which she is good at also. I do ask both foals to lower their heads to pressure each day. This is important to teach them to tie, lead and much more.
Lila Training 1-6-10
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
LILA is a black or very dark brown filly, she is our of our Westphalian Mare Velvet, who is sired by Freestyle a 4th level dressage horse out of the dressage champion producing sire Florestan 1
All the foals were imprinted at birth and every day for 30 days we asked them to bend their noses to their shoulders and lower their heads, lift their legs, move away from shoulder pressure, move the hips away from pressure and be touched all over. They also learned how to lead behind their dams.
Now it is time for them to learn their preschool lessons
They are fed in feed bags every morning and evening and they are to stand and wait quietly to put the feed bags on their heads to eat. They are doing this well
After they eat they are to yield to the bag being pulled toward their shoulders and bend their necks and give. Then they are to lower their heads to a pulsing downward tug on the strap on the side of their face, they have to do these two things to get their bags take off their heads.
Previous lessons were to learn stand while brushed, I do this while they are eating with the feed bags on their heads. All 3 like brushing which I do to keep their coats fluffy to stay warm, they actually follow me around to get brushed more. All 3 and their pony friend MR Dobbs live in a 2 acres lot with a run in shed.
This week the lesson are with a halter and learn the TTEAM leading technique called Dingo. I put a halter on their head and use a long white whip called a TTEAM wand. First I stroke the foals back while asking them to stand which all did as they had no idea what else to do. Then I tapped lightly on their croups while I moved my feet to ask them to walk. When they move any foot I stopped tapping and walked 20 feet or so then asked them to stop with a signal from the wand toward their chest and halter cue. On another day they had to learn to stand while being stroked all over with the wand and another day they had to learn to lead from the “off” side.
Lila learned her bending well. She tried to back up at first mistaking the cue for the one to back up. After the first day and she figured out what I want has bent consistently well after that. She was a bit perplexed about the stroking on her back and tried to walk, when I stopped her she bend her neck around to watch while standing. I let her watch. Then I cued her to go forward and she did that well with me marching my feet to help tell her I wanted her to walk. After a couple of times she moved forward well without me giving any other cue besides tapping on her croup. Then the next session she figured the stroking on the back meant to walk. I stroked her while asking her to stand going from one side to the other but not asking her to walk so she understood the difference. Then I asked with a few strokes on her back (ding) then a tap on her croup (go). Not always cuing her to walk after the stroking. It only took a couple of times separating the cues before she figured it out. Stoking all over she figured that when I got to her legs she should lift her feet. It took a few seconds and she figured out that she did not have to lift her feet while stroking her legs with the wand. She was good at standing while I stroked her body. When I went to lead her from the left she did that right away understanding to stand while stroking and walk with the tap. She bends her head easily and lowered it with the halter cues before I took the halter off.
