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Connection Training Clinic Day 1

A few thoughts about the recent clinic in Essex.

We gathered in the stable block and talked about the areas we wanted to work on either at the clinic (for those with horses there ) or at home for the auditors.

There were a variety of issues discussed:

gaining trust
getting more whoa
getting more go
desensitisation to nasal spray
bridling a slightly head shy horse
a competition horse who went over threshold at a dressage event due to horses round the arena approaching from the right side
a horse not interested in treats or training in hand in general
even the venues owners own horse who didn’t like the arena

Getting motivation was quite a key topic, making it worthwhile for the horse to want to target objects or to stand at stationary targets. Not to be stingy with the reward!

The first session was working on getting the horse to calmly target the target stick – all the participants had a history of using reward based training. It was therefore building on and refining what they were already doing.

The session on getting more whoa was interesting as the horse seemed very calm and most unlikely to be a “bolter”. I put bolt in brackets as true bolters I think are in an extreme state of fear and not just enthusiastic and strong out hacking. Sometimes we inadvertently cause them to get over aroused – excited, especially in the company of other horses.

Shawna worked on using the target to get the horse to move and then stopping and targeting – click and treat for the stop – then add rein cues to the process. The horse got a bit confused when the rider clicked as he was still looking to Shawna as the person with the treats.
At the end of the session the rein cue had begun to mean stop.
This same horse needed to be given a nasal spray, so the process of desensitisation was discussed and he got used to having his nostrils touched but there was more work to be done on another day.

The horse with bridling issues was the one with going forwards in the school issues. Shawna worked with the horse in the stable with the owner using a leather head collar at first, gradually introducing the noseband over the nose. Desensitising to the whole process, still more sessions needed to get it solid but the horse seemed less anxious about the bridle in the end.
horse being bridledtraining a horse to be bridled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next into the arena with the same cob – the problem was the rider wanted more forward motion with out escalating pressure. Shawna had the horse moving towards a target pole and the rider clicked and treated for the slightest forward movement.

The horse with the anxiety issues when horses or people approached from a particular side was interesting. The owner said eyes had been checked but a few people thought there may have been a more physical issue than a purely behavioural one.
Shawna had the owner with the horse online on the good side to start taking him to the side of the arena were the audience was. Several people stood up and moved as the horse went by, not much reaction on the supposed good side Changed the rein and did the same thing – a bigger reaction on that side but not overly spooked.
Clicked and treated for any calmness as he passed people. The one person went outside the arena and stood on a chair, as the horse went by she waved her arms – and the horse did a major spook and looked quite panicky. He was rewarded for being calm – he did calm down quite quickly. A few more circuits with less extreme movement from the person the other side of the hedge, gradually resulting in the horse being calmer and calmer. This too was a form of desensitisation.

Then the resident horse who seems to dislike the arena. The target was used to get him calmly walking round the arena. Gradually getting him closer and closer to the scary corner!

Shawna seemed like a magnet for the horses and sometimes the owners had difficulty getting their horses attention back to them. Shawna did move from the horse area to the spectator area a few times, with lots of breaks for the horse in between chunks of training.

What I learned from day 1 – take things at the horses pace, don’t be a greedy trainer and ask too much or too soon. Give the horses time to process and calm down after a short session. Don’t be stingy with the rewards either, jackpot after a session and leave the horse with a good feeling. Timing is everything, click/bridge for the behaviour your want at exactly the time the behaviour occurs.

A few photos from the day are on Facebook – the rest are in a Photobox gallery.

Facebook images

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RIP Kit

As it has been a bit emotional for us all I forgot to write about losing Kit. kit was 28, arthritic and had developed Cushings disease. All under control and she seemed happy – I had brought her nearer home to a yard she had been to before and had spent a lot of her years enjoying. After settling in and finding a feed she would eat she put on weight and enjoyed a little light exercise in the school and around the woods.
As she was so well schooled and knew all verbal cues I let her say when and if she wanted to trot and canter.
During her last 2 weeks she began to head shake quite violently – I tried face masks, extra fly repellent thinking that may be the cause. The vet took bloods and they came back normal.
One morning I got a phone call saying she had fallen over in the stable and couldn’t get up. The vet was on the way and all the yard staff were with Kit. The vet gave her painkillers but still although she tried Kit could not get up. Liz, my daughter was working locally so managed to get to the yard before the vet put Kit to sleep. Kit had been Liz’s Pony Club pony, the pony she shared lots of emotions with when younger. Kit excelled at everything, dressage, jumping x-country. Even turning a hoof to endurance riding at the age of 24.
The vet thought the head shaking may have been brought on by a brain tumour, as a grey pony she had a lot of melanomas and possibly internal ones too. There were no reflexes in the hind limbs, so it was the only choice.

We will remember the good times we had together – from the first dressage test I did on her, as 5 year old, where we spent more time jumping the dressage boards than doing the test and gained a mark of 48%; to one of the last tests Liz did at Oldencraig (a large local dressage yard) where Kit beat all the very posh warmbloods to win with a score of 72%.

More recently she had been a therapy pony for Equine Partners CIC, and equine assisted learning centre in West Sussex run by Liz’s sister-in-law and mother-in-law.

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Connection Training Clinic

Recently I attended a clinic run by Connection Training – hosted in Essex.
Run by Shawna Karrasch and Hannah Weston.
It was great to meet so many people I had been in contact with on Facebook.

There was a variety of horses with training issues, some wouldn’t go forward and some wouldn’t stop. All people had some knowledge of reward based training so were looking for extra things to do with their horse.

I learned about sending the horse from A to B to increase forwardness and targets to get some whoa whilst adding a soft rein cue.

Clicker/reward based training is way more than just tricks.

There some photos in my Photobox Gallery

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Benny update

Benny has settled in Devon with Dougal our other cob. The problem is he now has some separation anxiety due to them being kept together. My daughter has been working with Benny to make it easier, taking him out to the school or main yard – where he can’t see Dougal. Benny got a bit distracted one day walking across the yard so my daughter quickly held out her hand and said “target” Benny immediately shifted his focus back and targeted her hand. Lots of scratches and praise – she had forgotten the treats!
Going out of the yard has on his own has been a problem too, my daughter had to get off and lead him when out on the lane as he was getting increasingly anxious – trigger stacking in action. My daughter in Devon has no training in clicker work so is learning by what I tell her and by reading various posts on Facebook groups.
There are many people who use clicker training for ground behaviours but not ridden ones – I know dressage riders who use it for mounting block standstills, foot care etc yet resort to whips and spurs for riding. We live in a strange world but it is getting the message across that this works in ridden work too that seems to take the longest.

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Connection Training

Ever wondered how clicker training can be added to your training?

About Connection Training


Shawna Corrin Karrasch and Hannah Weston Was-Dawson are presenting a series of demonstrations and clinics in the UK . The website has dates and costs.

There is no need to start again just add clicker training to what already works for you. Many of the UK clicker trainers have a background in Parelli but it works with traditionally trained horses too.

I am going to the one in Essex and will give feedback after the event.

As I no longer have Benny I will be concentrating on my 28 year old mare and helping Liz with her youngsters.

Kit is stiff and can’t bend but she is enjoying hacking around the local woods. Kit is voice trained already so i just add a bridge signal to let her know she is doing OK. I can’t treat from the saddle as she is too stiff to bend but she does look forward to a treat once I dismount.

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Benny goes to Devon

Sorry for the lack of posts recently but I had cataract surgery so haven’t been doing much.

After some deliberation it was decided that my daughter in Devon would have Benny on loan with view to him staying with her. our older cob is already in Devon so it will be goods for Benny to get out and about.

The journey was longer than anticipated due to accidents and traffic but he arrived unscathed and seemed calm when introduced to Dougal.

A few days after he arrived he got a bit anxious when leaving Dougal and walking across the yard so my daughter held out her hand and said “target” Benny immediately switched his attention back to her and carried on calmly, a verbal bridge signal was given and lots of scratches and praise as my daughter forgot the treats. My daughter has no history of clicker training and picked this up from me. Good to know it works for other people not just the person who trained him.

Benny has been out hacking with company but got a bout of separation anxiety going out alone. This will get better over time and some positive reinforcement training.

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Relaxation

A non horsey friend came today for a little ride on Benny, we got some good trot sessions from a verbal cue and with him following my hand held target stick. My friend was surprised that positive reinforcement was not the norm in horse training, she has a background in special education schools so is well versed in the use of positive reinforcement.

My instructor was also surprised as I bridged and treated Benny for going past some scary jumps in the corner of the school during my lesson on Monday. He spooked at them and I took him up to have a look, bridged/treated as he relaxed next to them. Rode him past on both reins and bridged etc for calmly passing. Not many people it seems treat from the saddle in the conventional world!

Later when I took him to the field the tractor was moving large bales of straw, a bit scary but he targeted my hand and stood beside the tractor and even tried to touch it, bridged/treated and carried on to the field.

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Benny Lessons

I am maintaining my position at all gaits, shoulder in is easier and Benny offered canter as I came off the corner. Only on the new yard for another 2 weeks or so and need to make the most of our time here. Benny has been a super star and had novice riders on him plus children and he takes it all in his stride. Looking forward to a few little hacks before going back to the field.

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Lesson

Benny and I had a good lesson with a BHS instructor, concentrating on getting me sitting in the correct position. It is surprising how often we fall into bad habits and need reminding to sit up and look where we are going. Benny certainly appreciated being ridden properly and was extending nicely.

The next day however Benny managed to find the only sharp edge in his stable and cut his eyebrow. A big flap of skin had to be sewn back into place. I am so pleased that I had done all the desensitisation with needles and injections. He was excellent as the vet sedated and injected local into the wound site.

Bennys eyebrow before suturing
Benny’s eyebrow before suturing.
Benny's eyebrow after suturing.
Benny’s eyebrow after suturing.

Therefore it was 2 days before I got back on him. My cinch was a little loose so had to get off and fiddle about then get back on. Benny was less than impressed as he thought the first trot round the arena was all he was going to do!

He is very settled in hie new home now and didn’t even flinch when a pigeon flew off the fence right next to him. He watched the dog walkers with no reaction either. We just did a few trot circuits and circles but it is a start of getting us both fit again.

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New Yard

I have moved Benny and Kit to a yard with a sandschool but have to stable them at the moment. They have a little turn out area they can go to kick up their heels but it is not ideal. At least they are dry now and I can begin to get them clean and get some weight on Kit. Benny was a bit anxious on first arrival, yesterday I took him for a walk inhand to explore the place. He stopped and looked and sniffed at everything – I bridged and treated for the touching of objects – jumps in the sandschool were a bit strange (with ducks as fillers). In the afternoon another visit to the school and all was calm he offered sideways over a pole so I accepted – he likes doing that. I led him round and he followed my hand as a target. We did a few traveling circles like that – he made no attempt to leave. Today I will take my saddle and if he feels calm I will ride him in the school. I am reading Stephanie Burns book “Move Closer, Stay Longer” just what I need. Walk him round until we are both relaxed, breathing and connected. He is much less reactive than Kit ever was – so it is my brain that needs rewiring.

Update – Benny was good, mainly walked with a little trot. There was another cob ( his next door neighbour) in the arena going round at great speed and jumping. He didn’t worry, 2 little spooks at pigeons and flapping fence tape. We stood in the corner whilst the other horse jumped – it was a little lively. The horse cantered past both ways Benny just stood and watched. Hope to increase the time and speed over the next few days. I bridged and treated him for standing still and for relaxation. He even stood still when the yard dog barked at him.