Monthly Archives: November 2017

Looking more sprightly

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Well if the way he came trotting across the field this morning is anything to go by he’s not feeling too bad after all the manipulation this week!

He looked ok on long lines yesterday too, although I have totally forgotten how it all works and kept getting tangled up in the lines. Oops. I think long reining will be good for him, probably better than lunging which he struggled with this morning, so I should get watching the EE videos over the riding academy page.

I have been working on the leg-waving, grooming issue that I discussed with Judith about correcting using clicker training and it’s been going quite well. I give him a choice of grooming brushes and he often selects the plastic noodly one which is interesting, and giving more treats and with every click seems to be beginning to work! I might try and use the treats for walking and trotting under saddle as well and try to get some more forward movement. We shall see….

More untwangling….

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Well, Dino didn’t seem quite right still after his last session with David and then for no reason we could really establish got worse. Not sure if he’s fallen in the field or something but he’s not been good. So I sent some video to David yesterday and David came out to see him today.

Here’s the vid:

He’s extremely jammed up all through that left hip, pelvis and lower spine. There was very little movement and Dino clearly found having it manipulated uncomfortable and sore. I’m supposed to be ride for 45 mins a day in walk and trot, 60% right rein and some haunches-in on the right to try and get it moving and stretch that left lumbar spine. No lunging, or small circles.

I have a massage booked for him next Wednesday as the muscles are also very stiff and could do with some easing up. Going to be a challenge finding things to keep him moving enough that are also fun and don’t make him too sore or stressed!

Poor pony. He did at least get some of the long grass to nom on today:

David will be back out in December. Hopefully things will have improved a bit by then at least.

Connection training: coaching session 1

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I’m acting as a case study for Judith for her Connection Training Instructor Training course which is super cool! We’d identified a couple of things to work on: his stamping/leg waving about grooming and his attitude to in hand work (or work in general really) as the biting and chomping has got a lot worse.

For this first session I’m looking at the grooming situation and I sent Judith these videos:

The things we discussed during the call were:

  • This is a very ingrained behaviour and one of his favourite fall back behaviours so it’s going to take a lot of encouragement to change it! We could try and replace it with a new behaviour, that we want, such as standing on a a mat or touching a stationery target
  • Firstly I’m doing a lot of clicks for not enough reward. As this is a go to behaviour for him and he’s still learning not to do it I need to teach him that the best possible course of action is to do nothing: so the ratio of clicks to treats needs to change. Give him 3 treats for every click!
  • As he is particularly sensitive around his belly which may be due to past pain due to ulcers we could try introducing him to the grooming game, where he gets to choose which brush he’s brushed with, or if he’s brushed at all. Judith also suggested adopting a counter-conditioning approach and throwing treats into a bucket when he keeps his feet down and bypass the click. This is because this is a thing that needs to happen and not a choice he can make to demonstrate a behaviour. But the grooming game might help him feel more invested and happy about the process.

The grooming game involves offering him two brushes, and using the brush he selects by touching with his nose on his neck for a bit before offering the brushes again and repeating the process until he realises that he can choose which brush is used on him. Swap hands to prove he understands the concept.

This week I shall try and teach him the grooming game! Could be fun.

We discussed his not seeming very comfortable in work. Judith suggests getting a soft tissue person to look at him and see what they think; David is taking a look at some videos to see if he thinks he should see him again. I need to find a masseuse…

Untwangling

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David our osteopath was out again today. That left canter has fallen over because his left hip/SA/spine had got all jammed up and so he couldn’t step under properly. Hopefully the work today will ease it and he’ll start moving properly again but if it’s still dodgy in a couple of weeks he’ll need looking at again. He was also very fixed in the TMJ which is unusual for him really. Not sure what that’s about.

Glad there’s a cause for the left canter issue really, hopefully that’ll sort it out.

This week:
Sunday – lunge (Equicore)
Monday – schooling
Tuesday – day off
Wednesday – polework (Equicore)
Thursday – schooling
Friday – DAY OFF
Saturday – lunge (Equicore)