A chilled Filly

Sunday 29 May 2011

Cute Filly Photos

Another day of play with Bonitao and Filly. Billy has thrown a shoe at the moment so we need the farrier out before we can do much with him.
Not much to report today, just steady improvement  on recent sessions. I am finding that my enforced immobility is for some reason making my observational powers much more acute and I am picking up on some of the horses more subtle body language.
Bonitao first, after Ritchie had played for a while. Online only today and all the usual games. Sideways over a cones was even better than before, I guess his is adjusting to my seated body language. We also managed half a circle sideways, a full circle would my testing my flexibility whilst sitting down !
With Filly I finally found an effective phase 4 for her backup. She has always been reluctant to back away from me and flicking the stick underhand at her breast was not very effective and very nearly impossible when seated. Using the tick overhand however I get a very satisfactory crack out of the string which seemed to do the trick. I think I tagged her with it once, but that was not my intention. Anyway the result was very good, not only did she backup with rather more enthusiasm, but her ears came forward and she became obviously far more interested in my suggestions and more playful. I always hate going to phase 3 or 4 but on every occasion, when done with the attitude of justice, the result has been a more interested willing partner. I'll leave you to judge from the attached photos if it enhanced or damaged our relationship

Saturday 28 May 2011

Filly gives a lesson

As I mentioned a while back there is one of the yard girls "W" we are giving a few pointers to so that she is better able to handle the Naturally trained horses at the yard. She had a couple of sessions with Billy and was getting on pretty well with the seven games once she had learned to bring her body language up to the assertive level when needed. The other night we were going to have another session with Billy, but it was raining and Filly was in her stable so she decided to take the "easy" option and play with Filly instead. I did point out that she was more dominant than Billy, who is much the bigger horse, but she still wished to play with Filly.
In fact it went pretty well considering. We managed to introduce circling, sideways and squeeze game. Sideways was particularly good, but then Filly is very good at it. Other than that it was interesting watching the interaction between them. The look in Filly's eye to start clearly said "Oh Goody, fresh meat" ! W quickly discovered that Filly likes to stand on the exact spot you are.
Some assertiveness simulations using the carrot stick, savvy string and a cone to aim at soon got W's attitude changed and things progressed in a more orderly fashion.
This brings me to the topic of the right level of assertiveness to apply. As Pat says it is no fun playing tag with someone who isn't trying. So if using the stick and string and the horse needs to be tagged and you always aim to just miss and NEVER make contact, even lightly, you are the kid in the playground who doesn't know how to play. You are then the one which the other kids, Filly in this case, are likely to pick on and bully, or worse just ignore.
I am NOT advocating continually tagging the horse with the stick and string, but if you have arrived at phase 4 trying to get an appropriate response and you don't sincerely try to tag the horse you are guilty of not playing the game and therefore the horse will see no point in putting effort into playing with you. Watch horses playing in the field, they take chunks out of each other but as long as it is done according to horse etiquette there are no hard feelings and respect for each other grows. And there is the difference between hitting the horse according to a human set of values (fear, retribution, frustration) and applying appropriate pressure in phases according to the horses set of values. Thus the name Natural Horsemanship. We try to be Natural according to the horse, not the human.

As a footnote I did play with Filly myself from my chair and online. Again it went pretty well. Circling was good and we even managed some figure 8 at trot. I made one mistake as I circled her into Ritchie and W at a trot, causing them to scatter and Filly to panic, but other than that we had a great 5 minutes of fun.

Thursday 26 May 2011

Filly shows her compassionate side

Yesterday I played with Filly, again from the comfort of my chair.. She started off being a bit unresponsive towards me, maybe testing my resolve to really lead her. A few phase 3 rope wriggles to get some enthusiasm in her backup YoYo soon reminded her that I was the lead partner in the relationship.
From YoYo we move onto some simple circling game. In the past these have tended to be rather egg shaped but now I am immobile it is interesting that the have become closer to proper circles. Changes of gait were achieved with ease except for canter. She seemed a little sore on her hind feet. Rick suggested that the hard ground has bruised her feet a bit and she may need a set of shoes soon.
A couple of small cones were set out about 12 feet from my chair. I decided to see if she would do figure 8 around them. Again I was surprised how easy this was. In fact the more I stayed in neutral the better she became, with just the odd encouragement required from time to time.
More YoYo followed, but to give it purpose I concentrated on backing her to one of the cones. Much better this time. Whilst she was stood by a cone I though I would emulate the task I completed with Bonitao the day before and ask her to go sideways over the cone. After I little time for her to understand my idea she performed the task fairly willingly. Not as snappy as Bonitao, but not bad considering her long break whilst I was in hospital.
This enforced sitting is finally driving home to me the true power of neutral. I have been criticised in the past by instructors saying my neutral was not neutral enough, but only now am I really getting it. Unfortunate though this accident has been I have to say that it is really improving my Savvy faster than anything else has. In that respect it is something of a blessing. Every cloud has a silver lining they say but sometimes you really have to search for it.
As you are all probably aware I am a passionate believer in being able to place her feet down, but could I accomplish this from the sitting position. No problem at all. A small squeeze on her chestnut and up came a leg for me to hold. She resisted my placing it down a little, but only a token gesture really. I only had the nerve to do the front legs so far, but will try the hind legs soon.
As for her compassion she made a great fuss of me whilst she was standing close. Very gently she sniffed my legs trying to work out why I wasn't using them I guess. She then moved onto gentle sniffing and caressing of my head, spending sometime just breathing into my ear. I was a bit nervous at first given her previous tendency to nibble, but her mouth remained closed throughout and she moved her head around incredibly gently.I hate to be unscientific and anthropomorphic but in these situations it is difficult not to conclude that she was being genuinely concerned and sympathetic to my plight. Research shows that many animals grieve, elephants in particular, so is it too much of a stretch to suggest that they also have the emotion of compassion ?

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Keeping my feet still

A short day at the yard today as I was feeling rather tired. As a result I only had time to share time playing with Bonitao.
Ritchie played with him first but again she could see that I was itching to have a go. Outdoor school today so there were rather more distractions than in the indoor. My chair was placed near some cones and a small jump so I had some obstacles to help my imagination.
We started at Liberty but in the bigger space (compared to the indoor school) this was not as succesful as before. We did manage to get some circling games done but then another person and horse wanted to join us so I reverted to online play.
This was pretty successful. We tried all sorts of interesting tasks. The first was a small sideways circle around me and the chair. This needed some nifty stick and rope work as he went behind me, but after a couple of attempts we managed a very nice circle accompanied by lots of licking and chewing.
Next up was sideways over a cone 15 feet away from me. Sending him backwards to the cone was easy, but getting him to pass sideways over it was a bit of a challenge. This was partly because the cone only just passed under his belly, and only towards the rear end of his belly.
Ritchie then swapped the large cone for three small ones and suggested I make him go sideways over all of them. I was dubious that this would work with me sat in a chair 15 feet away, but gave it a go anyway. I think both Bonitao and I were very proud when it worked first time.
So why am I being so successful whilst sat in a chair. Two things spring to mind.
1) I have to be very concious of my body language and facial expressions as I cannot back them up with physical movement.
2) I have to keep my feet still and horses respect the horse that moves least as the herd leader. Thus my enforced immobility makes me appear a more worthy leader. Whilst I try not to move my feet when able bodied it is hard to actually achieve the total stillness I now find forced on me

Monday 23 May 2011

Playing with Bonitao and Filly !

What a great day with the horses. Ritchie started playing with Bonitao whilst I watched from the comfort of my garden chair. but I was itching to play with him myself.
Again I played at Liberty with him and again it went incredibly well. We started with just some simple YoYo games as he was have trouble being drawn to me, backup was fine. Without a rope it is difficult to go up the phases with the draw so I had to use other tactics. I drew him with my hands for a 30 seconds or so. If he did not respond I sent him on a circle at trot or canter to make him work. After a few repetitions of this Bonitao worked out that if he just obeyed my hand signal to come towards me he did not have to work as hard as when he ignored the signal and got sent on a circle. Soon his draw was enthusiastic and attentive. Whilst he was close to me I threw the string on the carrot stick around his neck and applied gentle pressure to get him to take a step closer. On the first attempt he flew backwards and stood looking at me and snorting. On the second attempt he took a tentative step forwards and was rewarded with immediate release of the pressure. Lots of licking and chewing.
Once he was really close I used the stick and string to apply gentle downwards porcupine pressure to get him to lower his head. He very quickly caught on and lowered his head on light pressure.
We also played lots of circling games at the various gaits, and then moved onto figure 8 around some cones. It was very rewarding to be able to sit in a chair and get Bonitao to do figure 8 at liberty with enthusiasm. Great fun.
The icing on the cake was when I managed to draw him to me, get him to lower his head and put his halter and rope back on for Ritchie to lead him away. Now there is a challenge for you all to try.
Filly was up next and Ritchie brought her into the school for a roll and a quick play. Ritchie was a bit reluctant to let me play with her as she can be a bit pushy at times. However I was really keen and so she relented. This was my first attempt to play online whilst sat in the chair. It takes some thought about rope management ! We started with Friendly game to get her over her lack of confidence with the chair. Very soon we were just doing simple stuff like YoYo and circling game. Again it went better than expected, especially the circling game. Walk, trot and canter. Of course her draw was very easy as she always takes the opportunity to be as close to me as possible. Again she seemed to sense that I am not fully able bodied and seemed to take care to be more gentle than usual. Lots of gentle sniffing, especially of my legs which was interesting, and no sign of her usual tendency to bite or nibble.
It felt so good to play with my little friend again, and she seemed to say "thank God he is back". What a buzz.

Saturday 21 May 2011

Website updated again

Just a quick note to say that more pages have been added to the website. All the section up to Clover leaf have now been completed, and a page describing riding styles has also been added. The text of the first page has also been expanded a little to try and give a better idea as to how to use the plan.
Please let me know what you think of the site, it has been a lot of work to complete, partially as it is years since I wrote html !!
I would like both positive comments and constructive criticism as to how to improve the content or presentation. Also what other sections of Natural Horsemanship I could usefully cover. Remember I am off sick at the moment and time is a bit heavy on my hands so come on give me work to do !!

Friday 20 May 2011

Watching Ritchie

A quiet day yesterday, I just went to the yard sat in the sunshine watching Filly graze in the field. She did come trotting up for a long hello, but in the end the grass was too tempting.
I did watch Ritchie play with Bonitao however and it was interesting to pick up on very minor things like changes in body language etc. I now begin to understand how the instructors get so good so fast. Watching others play allows you to concentrate on picking up on both their good points and errors, then realise that you too have the same errors but you didn't realise it!
James Roberts had mentioned how being unable to ride with his broken leg had also allowed him time to really observe what his staff were doing with the horses and learn a huge amount from that observation. Maybe this enforced time out will actually be good for my Savvy after all !!
As for progress of the injury, I have up days and down days. Last night I actually managed 4 to 5 hours sleep for the first time in a while. Boy does that feel better. The pain has settled into a dull ache, which keeps me awake, to pain free. When pain free I really have to concentrate and remember not to load up the damaged hip when walking. A quarter of the no load bearing time is now done and the tunnel is beginning to look at little shorter.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Starting to play again

I am slowly coming to terms with both my limitations and advantages of being on crutches.
First the limitations; Playing online with a horse whilst standing on crutches is not going to happen. I cannot afford to put more than 10kg weight on my damaged hip, so cannot afford to be pulled of balance. Thus all the training where I stand and move my feet is really impractical, or downright dangerous.
Advantages; I can still play whilst sitting down which really means that I cannot move my feet. As we all know the being that moves its feet the least is the leader, and my feet are most definitely still !
Practical applications; The other night I watched whilst Ritchie played with her horse Bonitao. After half an hour of this I could stand it no more and had Ritchie put my chair in the middle of the school. Bonitao was at liberty, and behind me. With some difficulty I got his attention and he circled around the my front. Friendly game first as he got used to the chair and me sitting in it. He was immediately intrigued. I then played a little YoYo game driving him back with the Carrot stick and drawing him with hand motions and body/facial language. No I definitely had his attention. Time to try circling game. It went incredibly well. His sends were snappy and his bring back happened with an incredibly alert expression on his face.
Feeling encouraged we tried gait transitions on the circle. These were actually more snappy than when I was playing with him and fully able bodied, we even managed a fantastic halt to canter transition. Even Ritchie looked impressed if not a little jealous. In short I have rarely seen him so engaged when I have played with him in the past. I guess I am having to make my body language signals so much clearer as in effect they are all I have. I would be intrigued to hear if anyone else has tried playing whilst sat in a plastic garden chair and with what result. If you haven't tried give it a go, I am not promising anything but you may just be surprised.
As for Billy and Filly I am still getting Filly used to the chair and my crutches. I was gratified the other day when I went to her field gate and she cantered the length of the field to me. She stopped around 10 feet away to check out the crutches before coming up for a cuddle.
One of the girls at the yard has become interested in Natural Horsemanship and so I am helping her start to play with Billy. This brings out another of the advantages of being on crutches. It forces me to keep out of the way and really observe what is happening and give hopefully useful help and comments.

Saturday 14 May 2011

Return to the yard

Yesterday was a big day for me. I went back to the yard to see my friends Filly and Billy. Filly's reaction in particular was interesting.
When we arrived she was in her field right next to where we park. As I got out of the car she came trotting over, but then saw the crutches and a chair we had taken for me to sit on. Suddenly she was very confused and backed away with ears pricked, snorting. I just calmly spoke to her in the hopes she would remember my voice. She tried very hard to approach, but to start with would only get to within a few feet of me and no closer. Lots of curiosity, mixed with caution. She played her own game of approach and retreat. She would come up close, lots of head tilting to try and get me in focus then back away and graze, always facing towards me and only for a few seconds. Her attention was clearly on me as she picked at the small amount of grass near the gate. This was displacement behaviour of course. If she really wanted grass she only had to go another few yards to get to the good stuff.
Slowly she got closer and closer until she could touch me and spend extended time near me. It is not very scientific but I felt that she really recognised me and put effort in getting used to the crutches so she could be near me. She then stayed near me the whole time I was around the field.
Location is everything. Later when she was in her stable she was again unconfident when I walked up on my curtches, but recovered rapidly and stood very quietly as I stroked her. She was so much more gentle than usual that I wonder if she realised I was not fit and able to take part in boisterous play. I spent much more time now getting her used to the crutches, using approach and retreat, until I could rub her head and neck with them.
As for Billy he just accepted me immediately with no un-confidence about the crutches. He did abandon his food to say hi which was nice, and gave several of his belches which normally means we have a happy confident Billy.
Now I just need to get on with the training again. This is not going to be easy, but a way will be found. One of the girls at the yard has agreed to help me with Billy. She wants to learn some of the Natural Horsemanship skills and as I am going to be around a lot in the near future this would seem to be a good time to get her started.

Friday 13 May 2011

Overdue Update

Hi all.

Sorry about the rather long break on the blog. The last time I was playing with Billy was on Easter Sunday. All went pretty well and I had finally mounted. He was not really his normal self and maybe I should have read the signs.

The initial stand still was nice and relaxed, and the lateral flexions were soft. However when I asked him to move forwards he resisted, much as he used to when I first started riding him. No problem I thought, I will just ask for a direct rein to unstick those front legs and we will be away. A small buck resulted, bunny hop really. Relaxed for a moment and then I asked for another direct rein. Really big buck this time, with a twist thrown in.

Result was Tim airborne without wings. I landed right on my left hip and the world became a bit painful. I managed to call for help and an ambulance was requested. After a 25 minute wait, during which I remembered to ring my mate Guy and cancel meeting him in the pub, the ambulance arrived. They thought I had dislocated my hip and brought the stretcher out. As I transferred onto it the hip popped back in again. Off to hospital for x rays. After sometime in the emergency room on gas I was taken for x rays. Result : a broken acetabulum (hip socket). Thus I was admitted to hospital and five days later underwent a difficult 10 hour operation to put the hip back together with metal. There then followed a 2 week stay in hospital to get over some of the post op pain, which strangely only occurs at night and stops me sleeping. Back at home now with some strong painkillers to help me through the nights.

I am not allowed to put weight on my left leg for the next 3 months and so have to use crutches for now. This is going to make playing with the horses tricky, but I am determined to find a way.

Ritchie took her mobile to Filly and Billy last night and put it on speaker so that I could talk to them. Interestingly Billy whinnied immediately he heard my voice and Filly reached for the phone, ears pricked, and breathed into it. I would like to believe they recognised my voice, but I guess we would need to run some rather more controlled experiments to confirm this.

I'll keep blogging as to how I get along with this new form of training with all its' ups and downs, of which I suspect there will be many !!