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: AQHA, Equine training, foal training, horse training, Indian Artbeat, Marie Hoffman, OEW Equine Center, On Eagles Wings Equine Center, prospect, Training, TTEAM