A report by Donna: I wanted to share just how darn proud I am of Harley and how he handled the despooking clinic over the weekend. I'm always so hard on myself about our progress and wish he'd settle down and relax around other horses or stimulations. But after this weekend, I realized just how much we've done together and how much I really enjoy working with him.
Before I send off a report of the clinic, I have to tell you about two complements I received at the clinic that added to boosting my confidence about myself and Harley. 1. The instructor complimented me on my balance seat (you'll read more about his explaining the military seat in the report). 2. An auditor attending the clinic pulled me over before at the end of the clinic and wanted to tell me that Harley was the most willing horse of the bunch and the most responsive to cues. She said it looked like I only had to ask him once and he knew what I wanted him to do. Donna and Harley _____________________________ Saturday, Day 1 Understanding horse physiology and psychology relating to spooking: ...we started off with a lecture which included how horses see and we used this later to help the horse see the obstacles. Round penning related to equine spooking and the instinctual drive: ...he used two horses from the clinic to demonstrate how to use round pen work to build a relationship with the rider. Introduction to the military seat (Police equitation): ...he covered what a good balanced seat is and why it is important for police equitation (and any equitation for that matter). Discussed the importance of having a good 'grip' on the reins which came in handy during sensory obstacles for sure. He did stress to people that a good grip didn't mean heavy contact. It is needed so that the reins don't slip out of your fingers when the horse reacts to something. Keeping hands positioned in the correct spot, staying balanced and being sure the grip is enough to be able to help your horse through spooky situations. Formation riding and drill techniques with light obstacles: ...cool drill work. We started with 18 horse/riders. We lined up for instructions, listened to his commands and worked in a single column, two column, and four column formations. This helped all the horses learn to work together and become more relaxed. All at a walk. What the rider was supposed to get out of this was to learn not to look down at your horse, but at where you are going. Looking at your partner to be dure you keep in line with each other and head to tail formations keeping one horse distance apart. Learning where to look helped later when guiding the horses through the obstacles. Introduction to obstacles and sensory: ...gradually worked our way through the first obstacles. Started off one at a time, building as we went along. The after noon was working with the tarps on the ground, noodle gates, and walking through the tangling tarps. After we all got used to these, he'd combine them. Then we'd do them in a drill formation either single column or double column. He introduced the smoke bomb later and we continued to desentize our horses. We worked all the way up unitl it got dark on the first day (about 6:30pm) To sum today up, each obstacle at first seemed potentially difficult for any of the horses. By the end of the day, almost every horse was acting like each obstacle was no big deal. There were a couple of exceptions. It was fun to watch how everyone and every horse changed just after one day. Day 2 to be continued..... Donna _____________________________ Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
