# catherine's story...



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

a year ago i moved my horse to a back yard barnabout three minutes down the street from where i live. i moved my horse from a hunter/jumper show barn mainly because he developed navicular and i figured since i no longer needed the arena or training for my horse i would move him to a barn that was $250 less. so, i was the first boarder there and for a whole month my horse (junior) was the only horse there. at this barn you are responsible for everything, they only provide water. so, at 16 i worked my butt off to pay for my horse, his vet bills and his medication. about a month after my horse moved in another horse (anakin) moved in. anakin came as a five year old. at fist he did not want to trust me or junior. after a while he warmed up. when anakin came he was not broken to ride. i decided... i wanna ride that horse! well one day myself and anakin's owner decided to try to mount him. she held him while i leaned over his back ( dont worry he has had the saddle on and bridle on before and was lounged in it and everything) and he didnt seem to mind. so i got up on his back... bad idea. he took off bucking. i fell off and i landed on anakin's owner. she had broken her shoulder from the horse running her over and me falling on her. 911 was called. so from then on the both of us were a bit nervous around him.once the winter passed and the spring came i tried to put fly spray on anakin.... another bad idea. he freaked out and thought it was going to kill him. i made it my goal to let him understand that the spray bottle was not going to kill him. after about a week of having him drag me around the field while i sprayed him with water. something clicked and he was no longer afraid.

i felt so accomplished after that. i decided to try to ride him again. so me and a friend would just lay over his back (bareback) and lead eachother around. we went bareback so we had a quicker get away if anakin flipped out. but he never seemed to mind. so we did that for about a week and finally one day i just swung my leg over. it was no big deal to him. so at first we ponied him with my horse. just at a walk. still no big deal. then he got the the point of just following my horse. my little sister would trot my horse and anakin would follow my horse trotting too! i was still bareback even then. so i tried riding with a saddle. he trotted on his own around the field, we learned how to stop, go left, right and back up. 


so next i tried to get him to canter. he got it right away, but, he would never pick up the correct lead.... but today when i was riding i finally managed to get him to pick up the correct lead both directions. i am so so proud of him and of myself.

haha and oh i got him to trot over ground poles and small x rails too! he is learning so fast and i cant believe i did it all by myself!


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

just thought i would share my story with everyone. if anyone has any training tips. especially for a spooky horse please let me know. also if you disagree with the way i am training this horse please keep it to yourself. i tried really hard to get the where i am now. thanks for your consideration


----------



## Jamzimm101987 (Aug 11, 2011)

jrcci said:


> just thought i would share my story with everyone. if anyone has any training tips. especially for a spooky horse please let me know. also if you disagree with the way i am training this horse please keep it to yourself. i tried really hard to get the where i am now. thanks for your consideration


I think that's an awesome story and way to go to you for having guts to try and get back on! Here's some desensitizing tips-

With whatever you're using to desensitize (plastic bag, hula hoop, tarp, etc) start small and always make it no big deal. Make sure your body language says, "I'm relaxed and not worried about this [object]." Eventually the horse will pick up on your body language. Lets say you are using a plastic bag- tie it to the end of a dressage whip/similar length and start with it on the ground. Hold the horse, but don't react to his reactions. Stay relaxed, but know where your horse is at all time. Hold onto his lead with one hand and with the other rub the bag/whip combo on the ground. If he's freaking out right off the bat, you're probably too close. Don't be afraid to start farther away and work your way on getting closer to him. Make sure to do whatever you do on one side always on the other side. If he's more scared on one side then the other, then desensitize him on the scarier side longer. It is okay if he tries to run some circles around you, but judge him on what zone he's in. 

Horses have 3 zones:

1. Comfort zone
2. Unsure zone
3. Life threatening zone

When desensitizing, you want to push him into his unsure zone, but never to the life threatening zone because when he is in the zone, he is so scared, all he wants to do is live through the event. He will not learn if he's that scared. So when you're desensitizing him, if he's snorting or has his ears pricked and staring at the object or even trotting/canter circles around you that is okay. An Arabian gelding I am training cantered circles around me when I first exposed him to the bag. You will know if the horse is just unsure or if he really, really feels he's in danger. If he's in his life threatening zone, just back off and do whatever you're doing from a farther distance, even if it means putting him on a lunge line. 

What's important to remember is that when desensitizing him, if he spooks or tries to run away, pay no attention to him. Completely immerse yourself in being relaxed. Be aware of where he is so you don't get hurt, but don't look at him, don't talk to him...nothing. Don't say "whoa" when he moves or "It's okay" to soothe him...he will learn to soothe himself when he realizes that the [object] is not really a threat. Let him move, it's no big deal...because eventually they all will stop moving. When he does stop moving, keep rubbing the bag on the ground or him (whatever stage you're at in the game) until he does one of two things: shows you a sign of relaxation (ex: licking his lips, lowering his head, blinking, taking a deep breath, cocking a hind foot, etc) OR he stands still for 15 seconds----whatever comes first. When he does either one, praise him like crazy. Make a big deal about how good he was no matter how much of an idiot you sound like. Praising him for his actions will help him understand the method behind the madness, haha.

I use this method with all of my horses and at first they do act like idiots, but eventually they are half asleep during desensitizing. 

Oh one more tip---when you are desensitizing, and your body language is passive and you're ignoring him and not worried, etc...you are basically asking the horse to stand still and ignore whatever it is that you're doing. 

Depending on the horse, you may need to do more desensitizing if he is a spooky, flighty kind of guy or more sensitizing if he is a lazy sort of horse, which he doesn't sound to be. But if he were, sensitizing would be more asking him to move, "NOW". It would be turns on the forehand, hindquarters, backing, transitions, etc. Anything that would require him to move when your body language says so. 

I learned all of this by following Downunder Horsemanship and I love it. It produces some amazing results for me. 

Good luck!


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

reading this all sounded so familiar from watching clinton! but im going to definatley do all of this on the weekend. thanks so much for your advice it really helps alot. he is a spooky horse. but he is a fast learner and retains his knowledge quite well. infact im impressed by how much he remembers. im starting to get really attatched to this horse. we are creating a great bond. and i was so happy his owner got on him and walked around on him. she was just tickled pink that she could finally get on her horse!


----------



## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

He was looking good yesterday! I was glad Debbie got on him for a few minutes!


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

thanks megan! maybe this weekend you can get on him! he needs to get alot of riders on him cause he is only listening to me. and that can be a problem. i cant wait for the spring cause im going to show him.


----------



## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

For sure more people need to get on him! He is just used to you and don't care about the other. Once he picked up his correct lead he got it everytime after that! I Proably can do sunday. I'll text you.


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

okay that would be awesome. he just needs a lot of miles under the saddle. and he is starting to get buff. i cant wait he is going to be so pretty. you should take pics of us too so i can put them up on this thread!


----------



## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

I'll be the amazing photographer as always and take some niffty pictures!


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

i know i cant wait it will be so fun


----------



## mccylod (Jun 10, 2011)

that is so cool. i am super jealous! i wanna break a horse sometime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

its alot of hard work and it can be very frusterating. but in the end the final product is SO worth it!!!


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

so i plan on riding anakin again tonight. i want to know waht sort of excercises i can do while on him. i know alot of transitions and circles i can do to balance him up. but after a while those get boring. what else can i do??


----------



## Jamzimm101987 (Aug 11, 2011)

Do some figure eights, some serpentines, but remember to get him straight and slow him down before the change of direction. Half halt him to let him know something is coming. Then use your inside leg, supporting outside rein, inside rein to supple and create the new bend. Also if he's never done them, it is okay if he breaks to a walk through the turn. Depending on how many rides he has had, you can start asking him to move of leg a little. Half half on outside rein and use your inside leg to ask him to step over with his hind. One step is all you're looking for; do this at the walk. If he doesn't step over, tickle him with the whip and when he does immediately praise him. 

Yup, I'm just gonna go out and say it, I am a complete CA freak. I love his training program. I've fixed a lot of issues with horses that I had problems with.


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

alot of the CA stuff really works for this horse, but not all because he is so flighty.... if i do something to try to get him to not spook he ends up being afraid of me for a day or two. its like he doesnt trust me until he knows that whatever im doing inst going to kill him. but i think eventually he will trust me. but it will just take time. and i jumped him yesterday for the first time under saddle. it was pretty funny. he was so awkward but it was fun


----------



## Jamzimm101987 (Aug 11, 2011)

If he is flighty, desensitize, desensitize, desensitize!! Horses tell you what they need when it comes to training. If he is spooky/flighty, he is telling you, "Hey trainer, I need you to show me more scary things to get me quiet!" If he's lazy and not afraid of anything, he is saying, "Hey trainer, I need you to do more sensitizing. I need more transitions and more 'move now' exercises!" Figure out of good desensitize/sensitize ratio for him.


----------



## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

so. i have been working alot with anakin. he now knows how to lounge, both ways and he behaves himself. he used to rear up at me. almost as if he was challenging me... so every time he did that.... i ran at him... shaking the lounge line in his face and yelling at him to stop.... i probably looked crazy to people who drove by and watched but... it worked. now i just point in the direction i want him to go in. i say trot.... he does it. and he changed directions perfectly... even better than my bomb proof horse! undersaddle he is starting to gain balance at all gates and even over fences. i cant wait until next shhow season!


----------

