# feisty fjord



## cmkvc (Feb 5, 2019)

helloooo!
i‘m a bit new ish to riding, i had ridden for several years at a barn that unfortunately closed a few years ago, and i didn‘t do much riding after that. i started working at a local barn in December, and i‘ve been working with a few horses to kind of regain my confidence on them. my new project is Alvin, an ornery fjord who was a therapy horse until they got tired of him not listening after they gave him minimal training, so he‘s been puttering around in pastures breaking gates and being bored for a few years. he ended up at our barn a few months ago and we have decided he needs a job... he is so sweet and i really do think he wants to stretch his legs and have somebody to listen to, but it is a STRUGGLE to get him to do anything he doesn‘t want to do. i‘ve been riding him bareback for about a week to kind of feel him under me (that and he is too chubby for any of our saddles) and he is so responsive... when he wants to be. i rode him in just a halter yesterday and it went pretty well, until he gets so distracted by other horses in the arena and just wants to follow them. 
i‘m looking for advice to kind of get him back into the swing of things with me. i don‘t want to use a heavy bit or a saddle quite yet, because i just want to get him used to listening to me, my body, not a bit or a crop. i think he is doing super well for the history he has, but i would love any tips for communicating with him and making sure we are both on the same page. i will definitely post updates, because i love him so much... 
thank ya!!


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

He needs to feel as safe with you as with the leadership cadre of his herd, and that takes time and patience. You could start by hand-walking him away from the herd, paying close attention to where his focus is. If it's not on you, bring it back to you. Make "you" a comfortable spot to be, and bring him home safely each time. He'll learn that you are as good a herd leader as the buddies he knows - you just need to show him and convince him.

Have fun!


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I think you will have to train him to behave the way he should. Pressure and release like any horse.

Fjords are funny creatures. They don’t think like other horses from what I see. They are friendly and happy and want a job, but they have an opinion about everything and like to push. @Dragoon put it best about her halfy and I can’t remember exactly the words she used in my journal. Something about them being like a rambunctious little boy. 

With little girl’s Zeus I have learned he can be super sensitive if he is interested in the job. He likes a real job, not baby jobs.

Edited to say I see my contradiction, but when I say they don’t think like other horses I don’t mean they don’t get pressure and release...


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## cmkvc (Feb 5, 2019)

mmshiro said:


> He needs to feel as safe with you as with the leadership cadre of his herd, and that takes time and patience. You could start by hand-walking him away from the herd, paying close attention to where his focus is. If it's not on you, bring it back to you. Make "you" a comfortable spot to be, and bring him home safely each time. He'll learn that you are as good a herd leader as the buddies he knows - you just need to show him and convince him.
> 
> Have fun!


thank you for the advice! I thought about this while working with him today, we did mostly groundwork with some poles and little (and I mean LITTLE...) jumps to get him to follow me over and through those things. another horse was in the arena with us about halfway through, but after a while of him being so calm and glued to my hip I let the lead rope stay on his neck and he stayed right with me. I definitely think we made some progress!


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

cmkvc said:


> thank you for the advice! I thought about this while working with him today, we did mostly groundwork with some poles and little (and I mean LITTLE...) jumps to get him to follow me over and through those things. another horse was in the arena with us about halfway through, but after a while of him being so calm and glued to my hip I let the lead rope stay on his neck and he stayed right with me. I definitely think we made some progress!


So it seems he likes you and wants to be with you. That's a good starting point - so from now on you just need to manage his straying attention. When you are on his back, it's easy for him to forget you are there (because you are so light...), so have a bit of a dialog with him all the time. Tell him to do something, or just scratch his neck.

Another thing you may need to learn as you get to know him better is to see the early warning signs of distraction, rather than being reactive after you see the fully developed symptoms.

And keep doing the groundwork you've been doing. I just bought a book on liberty training and started about 4 days ago, every night. (Too dark and miserable for riding - my next ride will be tomorrow.) Last night he heard me coming and he dropped his hay to come to put his nose into my halter... I won't know until tomorrow how all of this translates to riding, but we'll see.


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## cmkvc (Feb 5, 2019)

well yesterday I was alone in the barn after doing chores, so Alvin and I did some ground work! I had a very basic level dressage lesson with a boarder on another little pony and she taught me some really useful stuff that really helped me get my balance. just walking and steering and communication stuff, but still very helpful. I applied what I learned w her to working with Alvin, and he was SO GOOD when he wanted to listen! we just need to work a little more on making sure we are both doing what we both want to be doing.... but we cantered finally! I have been trying to get him to do it for a few weeks but he just trots in tiny circles, but last night he popped into a canter for a goodly couple of strides. not much, but we did each lead a little ways, and I was so proud of him! making progress!


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