> > I have a theory... probably just bull:) But i > > believe some horses > > need a firm hand and some need a gentle loving hand.
> I think you are right Janice. I am not a bullier. I > would rather love than fight. Dagur has a stronger > will than I but hopefully Carla will fix that. I need > to learn what she is doing also. I don't know Dagur and I don't know what training methods have been used with Dagur, but I wanted to share my experiences with Gloi and how he appeared to be resistant and stubborn when he was not. He came to me being pretty willing but, we hit some roadblocks, mainly when I tried to take him out alone. I went to a clinic and was told I had a pet not a partner and have a video of the 'natural' trainer yelling at me to 'rip his face off' (with the reins) when I had trouble steering him. Had a different 'natural' trainer come here to help me and told me that he was very resistant and stubborn. Couldn't get him to move doing the Parelli 7 games even with the highest pressure. After several sessions with him appearing to become more and more resistant, I decided that Gloi needed another approach. I started with clicker training and could very quickly and easily get him to move away with barely a touch. I don't know for sure if he finally understood what it was I wanted and the clicker training gave us a form of communication or if Gloi is a bit stubborn and doesn't take kindly to being pushed around. Maybe the getting firmer and 'louder' with the pressure or signals upset him or scared him. I do know that he is not nearly as brave as Falki and he will appear to stop listening or become stubborn if he is scared. What I do know is that with Gloi getting firmer did not work which is very good because I am not a bullier. I also think that Gloi took longer to become comfortable here and this may have added to his being a bit more fearful. Gloi needs to trust me and be my pet before he could be my partner. I still have not been doing much riding with him alone. How can I expect him to be comfortable with it when I'm not completely comfortable going out alone anymore. I used to go out alone with a horse that had spent many years traveling the routes with other horses. Even though he loved adventures, he never really loved going out alone. How can I expect a horse that is more timid and new to these trails feel comfortable going out alone? After a few near misses with my old horse and an accident resulting in a broken ankle (thankfully while riding with others), I realize that I just shouldn't go out alone with no cell phone service out here. I call Gloi timid because he is not as brave, but on the ground when he was being forced to do something he appeared anything but timid. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm glad that I didn't let myself label Gloi as being stubborn or resistant. Those were just his visible 'symptoms' but not really the root of his problem. If I would have just paid attention to his 'symptoms' and continued to use a firm hand I would have made things even worse. I love him and know he will be great going out with Falki when we can hit the trails this spring. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy working on the ground and clicker training my boys. -- Anna Southern Ohio
