Archive for the ‘RZ training’ Category

RZ Update 3-6-10

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

He loaded great this session and just walked into the trailer, the two year olds were playing in a pen behind him where he could see them and that worried him, but nothing more than big eyes.  I encouraged him to chew and by sticking my fingers in his mouth and moving them around.   When a horse is chewing he is thinking and able to use the non instinctive side of his brain.  A horse can’t retain what is taught if he is not in thought.  Thinking instead of reacting is a KEY for a calm horse. 

Once he chewed he relaxed and though was still worried, he realized he was ok. 

When other horses play and are frisky, RZ does not know yet they are just playing or if they are acting that way because predators are after them.  I find this happens when a young horse sees a reining horse spin or a horse jumping over jumps and even just cantering in a group.  The young horse instinctively wants to react to get away to be safe.  

Next session he walked right in the trailer again and I had a friend close the trailer door behind us.  I had some hay for him to eat and we stood in there for about 5 min then I had her open the door and we backed out.  He backed out nicely one step at a time.

The next session was time for a ride in the trailer.  It was a slant trailer opened up like a stock trailer.  RZ walked right in and I had him turn around so he was facing the back.  Horses usually like to ride this way.

I took off his halter so he could not catch it on anything.  I left him, shut the doors, and drove around our driveway.  We have a large drive where I can make right and left turns.  I drove VERY slow letting him get the feel of the floor moving.  I stopped and went back to get him out.  He was standing braced in the middle of the trailer with very wide eyes.  Once he saw me he relaxed and I haltered him.  I had him chew using fingers wiggling on his tongue.  He did.  I turned him around and backed him out.  He backed out well.  He was getting the hang of it pretty well.

Next session we did a video of his baby exercises in the indoor.  The video has the cues I use to signal him to do his baby exercises.

The day is here for RZ to go home.  I fed him his breakfast and turned him out as usual.  The owners arrived late morning, I had the owners park the trailer in the same area as I had been loading him.  If possible I like to make as few changes as necessary when a horse is learning a stressful thing.  The trailer changed but the place was the same and the type of trailer was mostly the same, except this one had a ramp.

When it was time to load him I led him up to the back of the trailer.  The ramp did not lay flat on the ground, before I could say anything, the new owner’s dad realizing this, stood with his foot on the corner so it did not wobble.   A wobbly Ramp would be harder for RZ to realize he was safe to walk on it. 

Loading took under two minutes for him to figure out it was OK to walk on the ramp.  He resisted by not moving, then pawed it with one front foot, then sniffed it and licked it then chewed on it.  This is the normal way a foal investigates his world.  Though usually it is sniff, lick, chew then paw.    Once he was done investigating he stood on it with his front foot on the edge, and then backed off a couple of times.  He did this to test if it was safe.  I just signaled him to get back on.  He decided it was safe and walked in, he slipped a little on the way up but loaded great. 

He was quiet in the trailer.  They had previously removed all partitions so it was like a stock trailer and very safe.  We took off his halter and shut the door.  He had a LONG ride home.  He was a bit sweaty at the first stop but ate hay.  The  rest of the stops he was no longer sweaty and doing well.

He arrived and is doing great in his new home. I am confident that he will do well with his new owners!

This will be the last post for RZ. 

Watch for future updates from his new owners under the category of Updates for Indian Artbeat foals.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ update 2-28

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

RZ update 2-28-10

By Marie Hoffman

Indian Rizing has graduated to being turned out without his pony friend and will be alone in the barn tonight.  I turned him out in to his pen and took the pony back up to the field with the Lila and Iris

RZ adjusted   well and actually could exercise more, to help the swelling from his gelding. Though he is only swollen a little in his sheath.

Today I took him into the indoor and there was another 3 yr old in there that is very green.  RZ bounced around a bit when the other horse was playing on the lunge line with his owner holding him.  But then RZ settled nicely and we walked on the bridge and backed off very nice, one step at a time on cue.  We then did his baby   exercises of bending and moving away from pressure.  Then we worked on our walking lunging.  His lunging to the right was not round but we ended up good.  Worked on head down leading, he is getting better where he can walk some with his poll lower than his withers. 

RZ was perfect in his next session.  He did all of his arena lessons very well then we went for a walk around the farm, we even went into the hay shed to get his hay for his eve feed.  I carried the hay in one arm and led him with the other.  He also was good in the barn all by himself.

The next session we loaded in the trailer 3 times.  

The first time he tried his options, just backing up, and going sideways.  No kicking or rearing.  Then he put two feet in, his whole body shook and he stepped back out.  The trailer was pretty scary with no other horse in it.

Then it took a few min for him to figure he wanted to go in.  When we signaled ( not hit just a firm tap)him with a whip on the rump to go in.  He just stood at first then he walked forward till his front legs touched the back of the trailer,  then he leaped in.  Once in I stood with him doing ttouches till he relaxed and looked around. Then I had him back out,  he had no trouble with this but he just keep going backwards slowly without stopping, we need to work on stopping at the edge then walking back after signaled.   Then after a  few moments, we loaded him again which only took a few signals with the wand on his croup.  Then he leaped in again. 

Once in again we waited till he was calm. He bumped his side on the slant partitions when he jumped in this second time.  So I loaded him one more time making sure the partitions would not bump him.  Again he leaped in. We have to work on that.  But he loaded without any hesitation the last  time.  It was important that we waited till he was quiet and thinking then backed him out.    I wanted him to realize he was safe and that being in a trailer was not going to harm him in any way.  If I would have unloaded him before he thought and was just in freeze because he was scared he would not have realized he was safe and the trailer was ok.  By taking the time to make sure he was blinking and chewing and looking around I knew he was in thought and would come to realize the trailer was safe to be in.  we have not shut any doors yet. That is the next session.

Every night he is now in the barn all night alone with no other horses in sight. He is VERY quiet in his stall.   He is excellent to halter and quiet to turn out every day.

RZ had a great trailer lesson on his next session.   I took him to the back and let him sniff around and eat the scraps of hay that was on the floor by the door

Then I had my friend stand behind him like she did yesterday and tap on his rump with a stiff whip.  When he leaned, stepped or moved forward in any way she stopped tapping.  I just made sure his head was in the door opening but did not pull on the halter.  He put one foot in and pawed the floor a couple of times then stepped back out.  We praised him.  Then in a few min he did the same with the other front foot. Again we praised him and let him stand a few min.  He was investigating the floor of the trailer by pawing with his front foot on it.

 Then we backed him up so he could find it easier to step up as the trailer floor was just below his knees and he was having a hard time trying to figure out how to step up that high.  He just walked forward till his front legs bumped into the rubber edge of the trailer.  We tried this couple of times then just let him stand at the back with his front legs against the trailer bumper.  Any time he leaned forward or moved a foot forward we stopped tapping and praise him, if he moved back my friend tapped much harder to discourage that direction, stopping when he went or thought forward again. 

He stood at the back of the trailer in this position for several minutes, with us occasionally asking him to move forward tapping till he leaned or moved a foot forward.  At this point it was only his hind feet that could move. 

Then one time we taped he just stepped into the trailer in a normal way and walked right in. 
He was much calmer today and not as scared and did not shake.  I stood there with him doing TTOUCHES on him and waited for him to think, look around and sniff things. 

When it was time to back out and I did not want him to back out fast as he did yesterday.  He backs not listening to my signals because he is nervous about the big step down.

I asked him to take one step at a time and he did great till he was about 4 steps to go , then he just backed out quickly.  I had my friend send him back in using firm taps with the whip till he went forward.  He walked back into the trailer in a few taps.  I let him settle then asked him to back one step, stop and repeat, again

This time we got to just 2 steps before he backed out even though we were tapping to go forward.  Again my friend sent him right back into the trailer, he walked right in.  I let him settle then we asked again and I had my friend stand where he could see her.   He backed out one step at a time all the way to the edge.  I had him stop for one min at each step so he understood he was to stop unless signaled to move.  He was backing fast because he was nervous this pause helped take the pressure off so he could think about what was happening and not just react.  When I wanted him to back out, I told him DOWN, Down, down and signaled him to back.  He stepped out very slow and controlled.  I rewarded him and took him back to his pen.

RZ has had a couple days off from extra work. But has been VERY quiet and good about normal leading out and living in the barn alone

Next week he goes home to his new owners

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ update 2-20 Marie Hoffman trainer

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

RZ 2-20

Indian Rizing , AKA RZ is sold and the next couple of weeks will be his time to be weaned from his childhood buddies and learn to be in the barn alone and trailer load.

Took pony and RZ to trailer, my friend brought her horses over and has a slant load so we used it.

Loaded the pony and RZ walked right in, kind of tripped on the way in  but stood calmly and after 5 min we backed out , I did like I usually do where I back them close to the edge and then push them out so they don’t hop back in when they feel the drop,  he was calm,

So 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, which after the trailer he thought it was no big deal, then did our baby exercises in the same area as always near the gate, bending , shoulder over, hip over and walk lunging.  He was perfect so I turned him out, he only whinnied a couple of times.

Next lesson was walking on the off side, the non normal leading side.  Worked 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. Then I led him over poles again and over the bridge again.  Then did baby exercise and walk lunging.  All went VERY well. Then walked him again on the off side back to his buddies

Tonight he was put in the broodmare barn with his pony buddy stalled next to him.  He settled quickly once we gave him some hay.  There are no other horses in this barn.

He was quiet when we went in for the night

Wednesday he was gelded, so no working and he has to stay in a stall for 24 hours

Thursday he can be turned out again

When it was time to be turned out, I turn him out first then go back and get the pony friend.

Thursday he was less wiggly and able to focus on me, than the day before.

It greatly helped that the pony friend did not call for him today, when the leader calls for a youngster when the youngster is in the same pen, that youngster had better go to the leader or ELSE he is in big trouble and will get scolded from the leader. I have seen this MANY times.  That is why some times the young horses are so herd bound they are just being obedient.  It is their nature because in the wild they would be dead if they did not stay with the herd.

I led him into his stall in the barn and he was the only horse.  Food was more important to him than his buddy.  He was quiet till the pony called for him then he just whinnied back but was calm

I put the pony across the alley and RZ was good with that and continued to eat his supper and look out into the drive where he could see activity of the cars and horses led. Up until now the pony was in the stall next to him with bars between them so they could see each other.

We have to lead two horses through that barn right past his stall and he did not care

On future days I lead RZ out and the pony joined him several hours later.  And for coming back into the barn it was the same.  I led RZ in and a while later led the pony in to put across the alley. RZ was adjusting well to being alone.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

Rz update 2-14-10

Monday, February 15th, 2010

  This 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 him to lower his head, which he did.  When I asked him to walk again it his head went right back up as that is how he is used to balancing.  We walked two times around each direction of the arena.  He did this rather uneventful besides whinnying back to his buddies outside who were calling to him.   Then I asked him to trot along the wall toward the pony friend.  ( Mr Dobbs)  Going toward the pony gives the foal extra reason to go forward.  When I signaled RZ he cantered toward the pony with me running alongside.  Actually his canter was quite slow as he did not pass me but not what I wanted.  So I took him to the other side of the arena along the wall and asked him to trot away from the end of the arena where the pony was.  He trotted very nice for about 10 steps and then I asked him to walk with a signal toward his chest with the wand.  He did and I gave him a good rub on his forehead saying good boy.

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 he did well as he usually does. 

Next was to work on lunging at the walk.  On a short rope I signaled with the wand toward his hip/tail to go forward, signaled toward his withers to move his shoulder away from me, signaled behind his poll to move his head and neck out and toward the side of his face by his cheek bone to keep away.  The signals were light touches or just pushing the air in that area.  He moved away ok but needed reminders with taps on his rump to go forward.  He wanted to go by the pony and so I was sure to be driving him to keep his feet moving till he figured out I wanted him to keep going and he could not stop by the pony.  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 he heard the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and poof of snow (it was right above him), he took off to go back by the pony.  I held on to him so he actually only got a few feet from me.  He stopped and was able to chew and think once I put my fingers in, we went on with our walking lesson as if nothing had happened.  The next time snow slid, he reacted about half as much and by the 3rd time he only moved away a few inches and by the 4th time he only crouched a bit but went on leading like a pro.  The snow slid while we were doing our baby exercises and he did not react at all.  What a good boy he was! We finished with our walking lunging which he was much better at not stopping by the pony today.

We had two more lessons doing the same routine and he was good for those sessions. The snow noise did not bother him at all.    He lifted his head or cocked and ear but basically ignored it.

Sat he had some visitors and was sold. He will go to his new home in a couple of weeks.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ update 2-7-10

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

 The focus this week was to learn to lead in the indoor with just the pony tied to the wall.  I led RZ around the indoor arena.  He 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.  RZ figured that out well and moved right away. 

Tues was shoer day and he was good, we work on tying by looping the lead rope around a barn in the stall where he is being trimmed. 

Wend we did another arena lesson this time there was another rider in the arena.  This was exciting for a baby who had never seen a horse ridden.  RZ was all eyes and hoped he would be able to play with the other horse.  I gave him things to do like stop and turn right (this was new) , turn left and walk  to bring his attention back to me.  His attention did come back to me once I started asking him things.  I kept asking him to do different things till he was calm and blinking and chewing.  This let me know he was in thought and would retain being calm with another horse in the arena.  At the end of our   session we did the baby exercises then led him back outside to where his pasture mates were waiting.  The whole session took 15 min.

The rest of the week I just did backing exercises with pressure on the nose, or move the shoulders over before I took his feed back off when he was done eating.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ training update 1-29

Friday, January 29th, 2010

  RZ 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.  He will not yield his shoulders unless he is submissive to the handler and feels safe.  Their instinct is to push into pressure and if unsure they bumped into their dams for security. 

RZ was very responsive to the cue and moved right over.  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 and the same time while stepping straight toward his neck.  Once he crosses his front legs I release all pressure and walk forward.  I repeated the same on the other side.  RZ was equally responsive and moved easily both ways. 

I did this every day and after the 4th day asked for 2 steps.  He did these easily, now we are working with a lighter and lighter cue and eventually just the handler’s body language and a kiss sound.  Once he is to this point he be less likely to spook into a person as he would his dam. 

He is now easily backing up on a verbal command

This week we had another visitor and got an impromptu leading lesson in the indoor arena.  He was quite and quite cooperative, Next week more indoor arena lessons.

Next we ask for 3 steps over for the shoulders and learn to move our haunches over better.  Now he can move away from a pulsing pressure with his neck bent to his shoulders but they needs to develop more softness. More indoor arena leading lessons too.

It is fun to gallop in the snow , lots of jump in the canter for lead changes!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ update 1-20

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

RZ update 1-20

This week was filled with some new adventures for the foals, making sale  videos and showing  off for a visitor.  I had shortened RZ’s mane and now it sticks straight up, so my helper and I use rubber bands and made a bunch of pig tails and laid it over.  Now he looks much better and ready to show off.

To make a sale video we had a good morning brushing to be sure he looked his 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 baby 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 the other two foals and lead RZ and Mr Dobbs to the indoor arena and there RZ got to investigate the arena then my helper I think got more exercise than RZ.  RZ would rather trot than canter and investigate than run around.  But the experience was good for all and we got some video footage. 

RZ learned he had 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 his nose and chest to slow or stop without using the halter so the horse learns to follow your body to   stop.   It took only once to show him and he waited with a lick and chew, this told me he understood.

This week RZ learned to back with a verbal cue and body language of walking toward his chest.  He got this right away.  He also is learning to move his hind legs while keeping his front still, a pivot on the forehand.  I bend his nose to his shoulder and cue him with a pulsing cue to his ribs right behind where the leg would go if you were riding him. Once he moved his hind legs I released his head and let his haunches move away from me.  He picked it up quickly. 

Today he learned to lead out of sight of his 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.  He did perfect. What a good boy he is!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ training update

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

RZ 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. 

RZ at first wanted to lower his head to the pressure he felt on the nose so the first day I held his head up and asked him to move a front foot backwards. 

I bumped/held his head up by not using steady pressure under his jowl but bumped with my hand the steadied it when it was up with my hand under his jowl.

 I put my other hand on the top of his nose with finger pressure on each side of the bridge of his nose, I pressed on his nose but not enough to push his head toward his chest.  He repeated lowering his head a few times as that is all he knew to do.  I added pressure with my hand that was under his jowl on the point of his shoulder in a press release cue.  He took one step back with one front foot and the session was over after he did this twice which he did right away.

Once he figured out I did not want him to lower his head to this pressure he responded to the cue

The next session I asked him and he lowered his head only once but then stepped back without pressure on his point of shoulder

The next session I asked him to take two steps back one with each front foot; he is still lowering his head to the first cue and today tried to just tuck his nose to his chest to the pressure.  I just kept cuing the same with the same pressure till his front feet moved

The next session I asked him again in the same way and he kept his head up and took a step back with each foot easily.

Next session He lowered his head again to pressure but it was easy to  raising it back up, he backed up with his front feet and his hind feet with one step each cue. 

Now he is starting to learn to back from a verbal cue back, where I just add the verbal cue with the physical one on his nose. At this time the cues on his nose is very light but clear to him what I want.

 I finished each session with a bending exercise of asking him to bend his neck to his shoulder softly which he is good at. 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.

Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »

RZ training 1-6-10

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Watch his training progress till he is sold.

RZ is  a genetically black colt out of a Daughter of our senior Stallion Swoon N Red, we call his dam Arizen. He is jet black with one hind white pastern

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.

RZ always bent very easily to his cue to move his nose to his shoulder and also lowered his head easily.

He just stood when I stroked his back figuring it was a very long skinny brush.  When I tapped his croup he move off easily and stopped easily.  Then he wanted to move when I stroked his back before the tap on his croup.  I asked him to stand so he understood to stand while stroking, and only to move when he felt the tap.     Then repeated each cue, he got it quickly

To stand while stroked with the wand he did not mind at all, I still think he thought is was a long skinny brush.

Walking on the off side, he would walk with the tap but then in a few feet stop, I repeated the cue and it took 3 times then he led nicely on the off side.  I asked him to bend and look at me with his nose to his shoulder and then lower his head with the halter.

I was especially please with him today as Iris took off from being by him and galloped back to the hay feeder where Dobbs and Lila were. This was to the other side of the pen ( I work them in their pen with the other foals loose)  He tried to go with her but then stood quietly with me, and focused on his lesson.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in RZ training, Training of Artbeat Foals | No Comments »