# 7 day program in line-driving - video every day, I hope



## studiowvw (Dec 14, 2012)

Hello, thinking about how to teach a mini to line drive in response to post by SMV, who asked for some help.

Thought I would do a 7 day program towards the goal of line-driving with one of my yearlings.

I've found using a 7 day program is very helpful for myself to focus on what I'm teaching, also for tracking progress.

Also I need a focus to get out there - it's December, cold and dark, and I need a push to get out there and teach these little guys something useful. I decided to video each day to motivate myself to carry through with the 7 day program (so easy to let the days slip away and not do anything.)

I have these two yearlings, half brothers of my Lacey. They are called Diesel and Mustang.

They know how to lead, also grooming and picking out feet. They've been here for about 2 months.

I haven't done much with them except getting them used to how it works around here. They have learned one important thing: two B-size minis can't go through the barn door at the same time, so now they have learned to go through one at a time




(They learned that by themselves.)

They have also learned that when I point at the door and cluck, they should get moving. Sometimes I have to give them a shove.

They also learned to lead better when I had both of them on line together. But now - time to teach them one at a time!

Line driving!

To me, the concept of line driving is horse walking forward taking directions on when to go, how fast to go, stopping and turning.

I'm not complicating this with a bit, bridle, harness or two reins. Or even by starting out walking behind.

Anyways here is today's video, short and sweet, but he learned to walk forward when I suggested it.

Afterwards I took him for a walk, taking the dogs for company and for him to get used to commotion and motion around him. The object during the walk was for him to go along with me, stopping and going when I stopped and started. I also started using "walk on" and "whoa" for voice commands. Precision was not required. At this stage everything he does is right.

He became unconfident when a loud engine started up somewhere over the hill, but in the end he regained most of his confidence. He also objected to the toy poodle Maggie racing past him, but that will be up to him to get used to that.

When he saw me in the field at the beginning, he came right up to see what was going on.

Best measure of how successful I was on Day 1 will be if he is ready to come out again on Day 2.

Here is a pic of Mustang and Diesel. They aren't really matched in shape and stride, but they do almost everything together. I fell in love with Mustang (left) but when Diesel got here, it was instant love too.

https://www.youtube....h?v=PzyMPfQgkrs

I am looking forward to seeing how far we get in 7 days! Thought I would share for interest's sake


----------



## SMW (Dec 14, 2012)

Excellent! Diesel is handsome!


----------



## Renolizzie (Dec 14, 2012)

Great. I love seeing how you interact with your horse and I think Diesel is really a good looking fella.


----------



## ksoomekh (Dec 14, 2012)

Oh, what a great idea!!! I can't wait for Day 2. You have such a nice way with him.

You remind us all to have goals each time we interact with our horses--big and small.

He is a lovely mini.

Karen


----------



## Jules (Dec 15, 2012)

Great! Very professional looking video, I am impressed as I am such a tecnophobe!

Lovely video, I like how the dogs are joining in, my pony's handling was done much the same way with lots of commotion around (kids/dogs/ducks) and I feel he really benefited from it...which is just as well as the commotion is just an inherent part of my household





Looking forward to the next instalment.


----------



## susanne (Dec 15, 2012)

.

I love your video -- very useful AND entertaining!

I'm looking forward to the rest...


----------



## lucky seven (Dec 15, 2012)

Thanks for the training video. Now I know how to start seven, can't wait for the others.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 15, 2012)

Thanks for the kind words!

Today I decided to see if I could get him to walk forward on a circle, and also go forward down the road.

He is a little feisty and reactive, so it doesn't take much to influence him.

He was, however, more confident when we went down the road afterwards.

His buddy Mustang has a cold and a cough, so I'm giving him some medication. When his cold clears up, I think I'll start him too, so the two are on a similar schedule. Mustang is a little less confident and maybe not as bright as Diesel is. Both are a little reactive, but fun.

Day 2 video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c02qwf3q7WM


----------



## Rhondaalaska (Dec 16, 2012)

How tall is diesel. I loved your video. I train on our road as well.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 16, 2012)

He is 36 inches. I'm short and a bit wide





I train in the yard and on the road. That way when neighbours drive by and stop and talk, the horse gets used to seeing what cars and strangers are.

I do have a round pen and another ring area that I use sometimes. Footing is not always the best.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 16, 2012)

Well, a good reason to have a program - it was freezing rain out there today, but I took Diesel out anyways. ( I impressed myself!)

I'm finding him quite cute to work with.

When I went out to the field to get him, he came right over - a good sign that yesterday was interesting for him.

Today we did more forward (longer and with shorter stops), also a bit of rope desensitization (should do more of that), some steering training with one line, and then forward with two lines for the first time.

Some unconfidence shows up when I'm on his "wrong" side - obviously I should do more from the right side.

When he doesn't do what I want, I keep asking until I get a better result. Nothing he does is wrong. No precision required.

When he does something I like, I either leave him alone so he keeps doing it, or I quit and reward by taking the "pressure" off.

My main goal is to develop a confident learner.

At one point, he was being pushy about getting a treat, so I made him step back and be more polite.

Here is today's video.

http://youtu.be/NSOVkF5GDzc


----------



## ksoomekh (Dec 16, 2012)

Just watched day 2--you have such a nice way with him. I like the comments you insert into the video. Please keep them coming!


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 17, 2012)

Thank you - this program is working well in that I've been out 4 days in a row with him, freezing rain, rain, subzero, etc.

We are also starting to get somewhere.

He has about 30 minutes total in 4 sessions, plus the non-demanding walk down the road afterwards, each day.

Today I threw in a whoa for the first time (although using "walk on" and "whoa" sometimes while on the walk afterwards).

Because it was mild today and I had time, I also spent half an hour with my paint, who is at Day 5 I think in harnessing (had a break of about a week due to time & weather). He is much less reactive and already a confident learner, so with him I'm using Nate Bowers techniques. He already has some skills. Even so, I had to improve my feel and release.

Diesel, who is a baby and hasn't done much, is taking well to what I'm doing with him.

Then after that, I took Lacey out for some non-demanding long-lining down the trail. She is much more advanced, but has had a few weeks off. I may try long-lining her again tomorrow (but with the bit and surcingle) to compare what she's doing with what Diesel's doing.

Certainly a fun experiment!

Day 4 video


----------



## Renolizzie (Dec 17, 2012)

I'm enjoying watching how you interact with the little guy. The comments inserted are great!! You have definitely inspired me to keep working with my mini gelding but...I think I am really trying to get a handle on me and the way I approach and deal with him. Breathe, relax, enjoy spending time together. Build trust and confidence in both myself and my little horse.


----------



## lucky seven (Dec 18, 2012)

Like Renolizzie, I am learning how to act myself to install confidence and trust in my boy. It has rained everyday since I started watching your videos and have this question. How long is your lead? Can't wait to start again as I was doing everything wrong. Both Seven and I were frustrated. I wasn't asking the right questions and he didn't know how to answer.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 18, 2012)

The line is 20 feet long. I like to have a long lead because if he were to get away, there is 20 feet trailing and you can casually lean over and get it, while not acting like you are pursuing. It is long enough to tie in to use for 2 lines. It's 5/16ths, just over 1/4 inch.

I think one of the secrets is not having a mental pressure (on yourself and him) to get him to do something that looks finished. I find horse training to be very creative (did I say that already?) and the fun of it is trying something out, seeing how it works, and being open to trying different things.

The horse is your teacher - they are like computers - they do what you asked, which is not necessarily what you want!

So to get what you want, you have to watch yourself like a hawk!

Way too much fun





PS it is raining and I think I will take a day off today. If I do anything with him, it will be just a walk down the road.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 18, 2012)

Well, I was just thinking about what I said in the previous post, about being aware of how we affect our horses' reactions.

Being as I'm a caregiver and don't get out much



I have plenty of time to mull things over!

--------------

Take the advice to "teach your horse the voice commands while lunging, or in the round pen". This sounds very reasonable.

Many people lunge their horses. Many horses are trained or conditioned to lunge.

Round penning is quite common too. They are good places to start a horse's training.

So someone takes their horse into the round pen to work, or puts it on a lunge line.

The horse won't go around. That's why you have a lunge whip, right? If it won't go, you hit it with the lunge whip until it goes.

Or you start chasing him around the round pen until he runs out of air and "gives up".

Sometimes people think the horse is being really bad or really resistant and that it takes a lot of pressure to get it to "learn" to do what they want.

I've come to realize that having to use too much pressure is just a sign that I am not asking right, asking in the wrong position, asking at the wrong time, asking in a way that is wrong for the individual horse -- or even just that I started out by using too much pressure!!!

About 12 years ago, I saw my first demonstration of round penning - Chris Irwin. It was incredible to see how the person's posture and position and focus affected how the horse went around the pen. He had several people go into the RP and then would coach and describe what was happening.

If the horse was having trouble going forward, sometimes it was because the person's shoulder was blocking the horse. When the person changed the angle of their shoulder, the horse would respond instantly. I.E. if the horse was going to the left, the person could block the horse by having his left shoulder angled towards the front of the horse. (This is with the person in the centre of the ring.)

If the person was in position a bit in front of the horse's motion, this would also hinder forward motion, or cause it to change direction and run the other way. If the person was in position a bit behind the horse's motion, it could cause the horse to keep running and show "resistance".

If the person was staring at the horse's eye while it went around, it would cause the horse to carry his head to the outside.

If the person was walking slightly backwards (as in, slightly shuffling backwards as they turned with the horse) that could be seen by the horse as submission on the part of the human.

If the person had a slight forward shuffle with their feet as they turned, that was seen as a more dominant action.

Staring at the hip and being slightly behind the motion of the horse, while moving one's feet in a slightly forward shuffle would drive the horse forward.

Erect posture with a hard energy and intent can be a lot of pressure on the horse. This type of energy will probably keep the horse running because it is a "driving" energy.

A wimpy posture with ineffective motions will give the horse no direction. If the horse has no direction, he will probably take over.

I recall a few years ago, trying to get my QH mare to relax while on line - she would run and run and run. I don't know how many ways I tried to change this pattern. I did not know how to get her to go calmly around the circle.

Finally one day, I thought - can I be causing this? I doubted it, but I breathed out and relaxed my posture in an exaggerated way. OMG!!!!! She slowed down!!!

I thought I had a horse who couldn't relax on line. But it was my posture/attitude/energy that was causing her to run.

I had been blaming her for her "craziness". Still kicking myself for that one.

Oh well! It's all a journey.





---------------

Bill Dorrance has a great book on horsemanship. The first part of the book has some great ideas. I can't really get into his exercises.

One thing he says goes something like this:

"Don't tie up a young horse before he understands that you want him to stand there."

Brilliant! First you teach him you want him to stand somewhere, then you start to loop the rope around a post so there is some resistance if he starts to leave, return him to the spot and take the slack out of the rope as often as you have to. Through this process he learns that it is his job to stand where you tie him.

So much better than "I'm going to teach that horse to tie today" and go out, tie him to a stout post with two halters on and a thick rope and let him battle it out.

I would call that type of "training" incomprehensible to the horse.

Ok, I'm off the soapbox for today.





Tomorrow I hope won't be raining and I'm going to do Day 5.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 19, 2012)

Day 5 video.

http://youtu.be/OUi9GUxcW70


----------



## ksoomekh (Dec 19, 2012)

VERY nice!!

Karen


----------



## lucky seven (Dec 20, 2012)

You make a lot of sense with the lunging. I have made so many mistakes with seven that I'm really thinking about finding him a home where he could start out fresh and find myself another mini. Seven knows what buttons to push and just will not listen when I ask him to do anything.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 20, 2012)

Diesel has not had a lot of handling and is reactive so it is easy to influence him. I've also made lots of mistakes!

Besides, horses are different and there is no one "right way".

I learned different things from every mini I had - I had and sold at least 5 until I got one I liked - Lacey - she's a keeper. Now I am learning from Diesel, although I only got he and Mustang as a winter project.

Don't worry about your mistakes - just go try another tactic until you start to get some wins.

Start with something small and something you know you can likely win. It's all about improving your relationship with him.

You need to develop his learning ability, and your teaching ability.

If you screw up, take a break and start over.

You will learn more if you can work through it. Horse training is a big-time learning experience!

Many horses grow up desensitized to what we do. This can be both good and bad!




If he is over-desensitized to you, you may have to sensitize him.

If you ask several times and get no response, go ahead and be "more motivating".

Ask politely each time, become more insistent, and then if you get nothing, be more motivating. Yes, you are in charge. (What does a boss horse do? Bite, kick, drive & herd, protect, share food, lead to interesting places.)

You just have to make his life more interesting.

That could mean use a firmer feel, or surprise him with something, or use a whip or the rope to disturb the air around him.

If disturbing the air around him doesn't get him going, let the whip or rope smack him. Next time he will get out of the way.

***When changing his pattern of "I don't wanna!!!" it could be a rodeo, so take your time and be careful!***

You can also use treats to become more motivating.

----------------

I will send you a private message with some ideas.

----------------

If you want some great ideas on what horses really want out of life, and how you can use that to develop a great training relationship, start reading Carolyn Resnick's blog (you can Google her).

She calls her methods the foundation of all equestrian pursuits. Sometimes a bit fluffy and emotional for me, but she's got it nailed.

-----------------

PS I did Day 6 today, in spite of it being about the last thing I wanted to do today





Freezing weather, too many things to do, not getting my other work done, etc., etc.

I might not get it edited until tomorrow.


----------



## Renolizzie (Dec 20, 2012)

Well, Seven, as a newbie, I know I'm not getting right a bunch of the time. Fortunately, I have taken the time to step back, keep reading and talking to people and observing my little guy.

It's been some time and certainly some effort but today, he walked up behind me when I turned my attention to the goats and very politely stood there like "Hey, you want to pet me don't you?" How sweet. So I did pet him! Slowing down and relaxing is really working with him. I may do some stuff wrong but there are things I am getting right

I love that little guy and I am very hopeful that we will have a long time together and will be a great driving team some day. Right now we are at least an okay driving team.


----------



## Silver City Heritage Farmstead (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi seven...just want to offer a couple of words of encouragement here. I really like (and appreciate!!) what studioww is doing on this thtead and support her techniques whole-heartedly. Think about what she's saying and watch what she's doing....and remember how she stresses that we need to learn how each horse learns.

Please don't give up....seven's pic in your Christmas card has that golden halo of mist around it...I thought he was lucky! He can teach you so much!

I'll give you my example. I brought Casper home the very end of April. He's my first mini and is very very different from Arabians!! He is a conondrum....excellent ground manners...IF I don't scare him. I've had to

learn that he "zones out" when he is afraid and isn't CAPABLE of hearing what I'm trying to teach him in that moment. He is very senitive to body language and hyper-sensitive to mental energy. I cannot be distracted or irritated AT ALL when I'm working with him or he will only remember scared. He's very concerned about being whacked, he's made that very clear. He has not much confidence yet isn't spooky. His spook is a jump and a turn to face the scary thing...unless it's a person. If he feels trapped and has no escape, he will tremble violently, zone out, and twirl to keep his head away from me. Some would misinterpret this as threatening to kick, would get more into his space, whack his behind and make it worse. I've had to spend the last 8 months learning to refine EVERYTHING I do with him and gaining his trust. I've had to assess my every action to be sure I wasn't being too strong (energy-wise) for him. I have, at times, wondered if he's developmentally delayed because I just haven't been able to make a connection with him. If I tried to make eye contact I'd lose him. So I've taken it in small steps. Offered him a variety of experiences to see what he likes. I lavish EXCESSIVE amounts of praise on him if he makes even the tiniest effort to give me what I've asked for. I've learned to observe him while I'm working with him without being obvious. I've had to learn to be patient, and that some days I have to accept a good whoa 3 minutes into a work is all that we'll accomplish today...and quit. I've learned to work on his learning curve and not insist on my training curve.

I'm very fortunate he's not a client horse...they'd be screaming "there's no progress"...and to the untrained eye there isn't. However, using this thread, and studioww's videos that have reinforced my confidence (THANK YOU!!) I've also been able to stat long-lining Casper this week. I keep in mind HIS needs, remember that slower is faster in his case, and keep his formal lessons short.

Yes, until recently I've thought he might better elsewhere, that I needed a "sharper tack" as it were, however...he's no danger to myself or others when we're working, so I've reassessed ME, made changes to my training techniques, and we're making better progress.

So keep learning, asking questions and be willing to try different things. You'll become a better horsewoman, and seven will be secure in you.

Hope this all makes sense, kinda hard to communicate clearly using the phone! LOL I wish you luck and will follow you with interest...Julie


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 21, 2012)

Thanks, Julie, for the post - well said, and I'm glad you're liking the videos.

I think the biggest deal is your mental attitude when you go interact with your horse.

They can feel your mental energy - critical, loving, fearful, tentative, angry, irritated. Best thing to do is treat your horse time as something needing a positive, friendly, interested and happy mindset.

Don't be critical of his or your mistakes, just take a break and try again.

You are hunting or waiting for that tiniest moment of acceptance - then accept it - with release, reward, praise, love!!!

As you progress, you can look for more before rewarding.

You will see in Day 6 here that I am irritated and cranky and cold. The last thing I wanted to do yesterday was be out there doing Day 6!





You will see that although my irritation was not directed at him, it carried over to him. He was much more concerned about the dog activity, his head was higher, he was not paying attention to me. It took more insistence to get him to go forward.

So I had 3 choices - either quit altogether and try another day - or think "Diesel, you're a pain in the AAA today! Get going!" - or say, "Ok, we're not so hot today, we will just get done what we can get done and quit."

In the end, we had some acceptance of the surcingle, good work on the steering training and the circle, some good 2-reining when he got going, one whoa that I screwed up by being too abrupt (oh well!), and one better whoa where he stopped straight.

Until now, the whoa has meant stop with me, or stop and come to me. Now we are developing a stop without coming back to me. I need to be softer in presenting it to him, probably pulsing my fingers so that he doesn't suddenly run into the block.

We also went for a walk down the road afterwards.

Not sure if I will get Day 7 today - we are having a snowstorm and unless it clears up, I'm not playing!!!





However, on Day 7, I'm going to put the surcingle on him, take him for a walk down the road with it on, then come back and maybe try running the lines through the lower rings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vh7_Th5RgI


----------



## happy appy (Dec 21, 2012)

lol I just have to say, that poodle is hilarious! I like watching the improvement every day! good job!


----------



## Renolizzie (Dec 21, 2012)

Looks a lot like my house. Two dogs and a cat helping!


----------



## lucky seven (Dec 22, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your training tips, and your pets for helping!


----------



## Sandee (Dec 22, 2012)

Quick start for in-line driving.......bring 2 horses in from a field with 16-18" of snow. They work really easy this way. LOL Only thing is I'm about dead from trying to walk trhu that much snow....seems their weight (although a bit more than mine) is distributed on 4 feet so they don't sink as far as I do on only 2.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 23, 2012)

LOL - sounds like too much work!

Maggie is the poodle - she was a nutbar on that cold day!

Here is Day 7 - Couple of days off as we had some snow and I had to get some stuff done. Anyways, it was mild today and Diesel was by the house, so I called him and he came.

I decided to walk down the road and return line-driving, with the lines through the side rings. We got a great stop towards the end.

He is getting a little mouthy about the treats. I might start tossing them into a bucket instead of feeding by hand. He sure knows what pocket they're in!

As usual we ended with a walk down the road (no pressure to perform!) From now on he will wear the surcingle on walks.

So sorry about the camera angle. I couldn't use the usual chair because of the ice. Guess I need to get a tripod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IExLzpUp4uI


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 25, 2012)

We just got minis and I'm trying to work with the youngest on driving. I've never taught a horse to drive and it's been nerve wracking and I can tell I was asking for too much too soon. I LOVE your videos! It really helps to see steps in video rather than read it since I'm a visual learner. Thank you for the encouragement too for those of us that have screwed up more than once.


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 26, 2012)

I'm wondering, I noticed your pony is very quiet and waits for you to tell him to go before moving ahead. How would you approach the situation with a pony that is far more jazzed and likes to go, go, go? My little driving hopeful is constantly moving and on lead, is almost always in a trot, even if it's just in place. Our hardest obstacle has been teaching WHOA and that whoa means don't move till I tell you to move.


----------



## QHPkaren (Dec 26, 2012)

Small Stars I have one just like yours! It is very frustrating at times for sure!


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 26, 2012)

I took my one out today and we did nothing but work on not running circles around me. LOL


----------



## QHPkaren (Dec 27, 2012)

I have started to take mine to the arena first - lunge him a bit and then try to work. It's like he has to get that Fire out of his system first. My little Tyson will be 4 this coming year. I have been just blaming it on his age but ...... not sure now. LOL


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 27, 2012)

LOL I keep thinking mine acts that way because she's about 2 1/2. I think it's just her temperament. She's a tad more ornery and likes to challenge authority. She's a pill sometimes.


----------



## QHPkaren (Dec 27, 2012)

I am also a newbie to Minis and Driving..... always been a full size horse person so it has been an adjustment !

I have truly appreciated the videos, it makes much more sense ~ seeing instead of reading.

So far i havent found anybody else in my area with minis - that would be a fun 'play date' to learn from someone experienced.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 27, 2012)

Thanks for watching and liking the videos





I have made plenty of mistakes myself and every horse is a different experience.

Diesel is actually quite reactive and my personal aim with him was not to do anything during the 5 - 12 minute training sessions to cause him to feel he couldn't stand still.

I can give you some thoughts on the go-go-go thing:

1. too much food? too much grain? too much energy food?

2. Maybe your energy is creating energy in them. Try to be very very relaxed and see if that makes a difference, even for just a moment in your horse. If it does, then you know it's you causing the activity. Figure out how to cause relaxation instead.

3. Be aware of everything they are doing. Softly and politely remind them over and over to look at you and wait for direction. No yanking, pulling or tense energy on your part. You just softly (with the lead) influence them to bring their attention back to you. (You will also have to have relaxation and a good mindset in yourself.)

4. Training in the past may have meant too much pressure to them, so they now react with evasions (running, dancing, unable to stand still.) You can't really train them if their heads are buzzing.

5. Play first (at liberty?) then do some training. Or let the horse do something it wants to do (e.g. eat grass on the lawn for a while) and then get it to do something you want to do.

Or go for a mile walk down the road (no pressure except that they are going with you, stopping with you and going ahead with you when you do) and when you get back, do a couple of minutes of training. You can increase the time of training. 10 or 12 minutes is a long enough session for actual training. Then hang out again, no pressure, for a while afterwards. So you are increasing the time spent in their company, while keeping actual training to something short and sweet.

6. Teach them that IT IS THEIR JOB to stand on a mat, or in a marked circle, or in a box marked by 4 logs on the ground. Have them get on the mat or in the marked area. When they leave, return them to the "safe spot". Do that as often as it takes. Treats could help, but are not necessary to teach this.

7. Is your handling soft and quiet enough that the horse isn't stressed? We humans can use far too much grip and pressure. This can cause brace and agitation, or alternatively, cause them to shut down.

You'll have to experiment to see what works for you. That's the creative part of horse training


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 27, 2012)

I'll try some of your suggestions. Thanks! This companion pony of ours, the one that gives me fits, she is partially blind in one side and so that tends to make her freak a lot when something suddenly comes into view from that side. Add to that that she is VERY attached to our other pony and all she cares about is getting back to the barn ASAP. We went for a walk yesterday down the road and Ugh. LOL She did "ok" on the way away from the barn, but as soon as we turned to head back home it was like walking a Pit Bull with her pulling on me every step of the way. I tried just stopping and relaxing for a bit and you could tell her mind was back in the yard and not where we were at and she was super jumpy. I tried not to pull on her a lot, but she sort of did that all on her own regardless of whether I had no slack in the rope or a ton of slack. If you gave her 10' she'd take 10' and keep pulling and a couple times when I circled her around to bring her back to what we were doing or just turned and went the opposite direction she'd pin her ears and buck a little. I ignored that and just kept walking. All in all, we probably made 3 trips up and down this 1/8 of a mile. I think it mostly stems from her being insecure because of her eye and she uses the other pony for confidence that she lacks, but gets aggravated if you take that security away from her.



QHPkaren said:


> I am also a newbie to Minis and Driving..... always been a full size horse person so it has been an adjustment !
> 
> I have truly appreciated the videos, it makes much more sense ~ seeing instead of reading.
> 
> So far i havent found anybody else in my area with minis - that would be a fun 'play date' to learn from someone experienced.


I know how you feel. Have had the full size horses all my life and have broke several to saddle and trained several, but honestly, the minis are a breed all their own sometimes. LOL


----------



## QHPkaren (Dec 27, 2012)

I think i will be trying a whole new approach with my guy as i am not sure what happened with him before i got him. He is like 'off to the races' once i open the gate to leave the pasture. So that makes me 'ready' to get ahold of him once i open it - no relaxing until after the lunging or a really long walk. Just like Small Stars described.

SO..... anybody near me interested in a little fun group ? I envy those of you that have small groups of driving minis out on a nice afternoon trail/road trip.


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 27, 2012)

Let me know what your new approach is and if it works. I'd be interested in knowing!


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 27, 2012)

Small Stars - as you are walking back home, if she pulls on you, just turn around and walk away from home until you are getting better behaviour. Then turn for home again. Each time she pulls, just turn and walk the other way again. She doesn't get to go homeward unless she is walking politely.

Also, best to start making your walks short at first. Need to develop her confidence in you. Right now she has more confidence at home than out with you.

...just another thing you can try.


----------



## Small_Stars (Dec 27, 2012)

Thank you. I was just thinking about her on the way home and trying to really narrow down what exactly it is that I expect out of her and how I can make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy. I will try what you suggest and let you know how it goes. She's been allowed to do this, I suspect, since she was very young and now it's entrenched. It'll take awhile to convince her of another way.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 27, 2012)

Hello again Small Stars - sounds like you are thinking about the right approach.

You will find as your timing and awareness improves, it will not take as long to change a habit as it might have before


----------



## K.C. Lunde (Dec 28, 2012)

Your videos look very professional.



You go girl!


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 29, 2012)

Thank you KC - I wasn't sure how it would all turn out.

To look back over Diesel's 7 day program, I ask myself:

What did Diesel do right?

Everything - he is a horse and reacted to me and his surroundings.

What did Diesel do wrong?

Nothing - he is a horse and reacted to me and his surroundings





What did I do right?

I didn't influence him to feel trapped, wrong, scared or that he had to move his feet to get away from me.

I created/maintained a confident learner.

I influenced him to learn that:

Leaving the herd and barnyard/pasture with me can be fun and he might get treats.

I might lead him from the front, the side, his hip pocket, or behind him, also from either side (being in either eye).

I might send him forward by pointing, leading (steady pressure on lead), a shove with my fingers, tapping, clucking or saying "walk on".

We might go forward straight, might go in a circle, or might turn.

I might influence him to stop with me, might have him turn and come to me, might rub his hip to tell him he can stop, or might have him stop straight when I'm behind him.

He might feel pressure from the front, the side, or from both sides.

We might go for a walk down the road and it isn't scary. (The first day I took him too far and he became unconfident, so I decided not to take him that far again until he's developed more confidence.)

He found out I had treats in my pocket (but he didn't really learn to be polite about that). I might figure out a better way to reward him with a treat in future.

He got used to wearing the surcingle.

What did I do wrong?

Several mistakes but what the heck!!

One thing I can do better is use my focus - i.e. look where I want him to go instead of at him. I can still be aware of what he's doing without looking directly at him.

Next I think I'll do a 7 day program with Mustang, Diesel's half brother, same age. He is a little less pushy than Diesel, possibly a little more reactive.

Then after that I hope to do another 7 day program with Diesel, advancing the circle towards "lunging" or circling, and advancing line driving and the whoa. Probably introducing more of the harness and maybe the bit.

----------------------

PS if anyone is interested in some great ideas, I recommend:

Carolyn Resnick's blog (google it) for ideas on liberty training - building a relationship with horse at liberty which makes training easier.

Nate Bowers' new driving video (google Nate Bowers) - I just received it yesterday and watched the first DVD. A step by step system to introduce a horse to the concepts and feel of driving before actually hitching. I attended his clinic last year and was very impressed.

Parelli natural horse training - Parelli Connect - a vast resource of progressive ideas, techniques and horsemanship from basics through to performance

Bill Dorrance, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Chris Irwin, Buck Brannaman, etc., all the rest of them who developed ideas on the true nature of horses.

Many horses can learn and accept how to dumb down to human level -- my aim is to learn how to sensitize myself up towards horse level.


----------



## Blue Birdie (Dec 30, 2012)

Have enjoyed watching your progress with Desiel ... I have a sibling of his a little filly who is turning 3 this spring so have been trying some of your techniques. I remember seeing your two boys very nice eye catching fellows. Best wishes with your training.


----------



## studiowvw (Dec 30, 2012)

Yes, they are beauties





I got a stick for Christmas and measured them - Diesel is actually 35 inches, and Mustang is pretty close to 38. He's got withers





I had no intention of gettting these boys - I had enquired about Lacey's full sister from 2012, but ended up falling in love with the boys.

The kicker was that the truck was passing about half an hour away so it was not hard to go out with my old truck and trailer to meet them.

I also sure did not need two, but now that I have them, I'm going to enjoy them! (How do these things happen???)

Is Lyla a full sister to Diesel? If she is like him, you will enjoy her as he has good innate confidence.

Lacey has a super mind - Mary Ann says the Bobby babies have great minds and these boys seem the same.

I would love to see a picture of her if you had one.

W


----------



## Blue Birdie (Jan 1, 2013)

I have to say that is a familiar sounding story I went to Mary Ann's to look at Blue's sister and she was smaller than I wanted. Saw this dun that I kind of liked, funny I quess there is such a thing as love at first sight, anyway against my better judgement I now have two and am really enjoying Birdie. Haven't got a clue what I am doing but funny thing Birdie doesn't know either LOL at least that is what I am hoping.

Birdie is a Bobby foal and her dam is Bonnets Little Ponytail and Blue's dam has the same sire Boone's Little Andy so they are closely related. Blue's temperment is second to none so hoping Birdie has a bit of her common sense!!! Bobby is a wonderful temperment Mary Ann took him out of pasture previous fall, hooked him up, a brief warmup and he drove like a charm.... that's when I thought I want one of his offspring. First picture is Birdie this past august and next is of Birdie and Blue in September


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 2, 2013)

Very nice! I am sure you will love having two





Yes, it is funny, how do these things happen???

Everyone loves these two boys - They are cheerful and cute and they are all over anyone who comes near them.

I have far too many horses (6 plus a weanling coming) and In the spring I will be looking to sell a couple. I need to quit rescuing and/or buying horses.

I never intended to have this many horses, but I do love the herd dynamics, and the opportunity to learn more about training and horse behaviour, as each one is different. Truly, the greatest fun is training at liberty around the barnyard and pasture. It becomes communication more than anything else, and it is amazing how they go from knowing nothing to figuring things out.

PS Happy New Year!


----------



## Blue Birdie (Jan 2, 2013)

Happy new year to you and your family as well ... Looking forward to see your progress reports with Diesel and Mustang


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 3, 2013)

Lots of snow here - more than a foot.

I took Lacey out to see where we're at with line driving these days (haven't done anything with her for a couple of months) and we did bending (lateral flexion) while standing still, also bending on the circle at walk and trot (she has a tendency to stick her jaw out and her nose in the "wrong" direction, so her left bend is more like a series of zig zags), also stretching down on the circle at the trot.

My reining feel and her responsiveness with 2 reins was less than impressive



although eventually I could get a leg yield and figure 8s. My friend video'd it so I could see it.

Then yesterday I went to take Lacey out again, but Diesel volunteered instead, so I said OK.

He had had a walk down the road the day before with no lesson time, so this time I offered him something more challenging - I one-reined him down the road and back, with me in his hip pocket. There was a lot of stopping, a lot of slow stuff as he was not confident about this at all. Coming back was a little better as then he had the draw toward home.

I'm thinking I will go right into another 7-day program with him advancing the one-reining, the circle and the two-reining, just to solidify what we did last week.

He's such a cute little cookie, I just love him





I'm thinking I will need to set up a place to tie up Lacey, Mustang and Diesel next to the road - that way it takes less time to give each horse a few minutes. I need to start with Mustang, or he's going to go bitter on me if I keep ignoring his volunteering.

I noted that Diesel's first lessons went from 5 minutes to approx 11 or 12 minutes each day, pretty much all you need to spend in teaching, along with 15-30 mins of cool down/hang-out/go down the road time.


----------



## Silver City Heritage Farmstead (Jan 5, 2013)

I just wanted to pop in and give you another THANK YOU for being so detailed in your sharing with us. I find your thought processes the most helpful as it increases my own awareness.

One thing I have been mulling over, as I noticed you having more reactivity in your video on the day you weren't feeling well. It was very similar to what I have with Casper on my bad days, where he tends to be more focused on what's going on around us than with his lessons. After thinking about the "why?" of it, my conclusion is that it goes back to the prey animal instinct. He might feel he needs to be more vigilant when I'm not well, as I then become the target for the predator (predator chooses the weakest member of a group).

What I'm finding works better for me on those days is to work a little farther away from Casper and include many more transitions and serpentines/changes of direction. I have much more success by not working in his hip pocket on these days.

Perhaps this will improve as he develops more trust in me (still slow going there), in the meantime I make an honest effort to turn his natural reactions into the most effective training opportunities that I can.

I'll be looking forward to seeing how your other horses come along and how you modify your techniques for each individual...Julie


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 5, 2013)

Interesting! I'm glad you found the videos helpful - I actually found them helpful myself, as it clarified each day what we had done.

Yes, we are dealing with prey animals and their herd dynamics! So fascinating!

I know there are plenty of horses that are forgiving and will "fill in" for us. Others need more active leadership.

Also active leadership may be as simple as thinking great thoughts about your horse and how perfect he is, and visualizing what you want him to do. (Instead of how frustrated you feel, how spooky he is, or what he did yesterday and last week, or what you would really like to say to your boss tomorrow. Or in my case, how cold I was, how I had so many things to do, etc., etc. and did not have as much awareness towards Diesel that day.)

AWARENESS seems to be acknowledged as the top leadership trait.

Clarity of intent, or lack of it, I think is the second most important thing that horses can "feel" or see in a human.

Our own intent also affects our muscles and our projection of energy. This can be as simple as:

1. if you look where you want to go - use your focus - it will be easier to get your horse to go there, or:

2. if your focus is all over the place, you may find it much harder to "steer" your horse in the direction you expected to go.

Horses see those subtle things and react as to how safe they feel. As in, if we are feeling off or distracted, they will not feel as safe with us.

My QH mare and I had many great times and rides alone, also with some people I feel comfortable riding with. If I did not feel comfortable or there were too many other people around, she would feel she could not count on me, and get stressed out. Eventually this became a pattern and I found those episodes frightening.

Finally I was able to solve this one day last year. Nothing I did would make her calm down, till finally I decided to saddle her and hope she would calm down. It is very hard to groom and saddle up a horse who won't stand still! (I don't tie up to saddle - it is her job to stand there.)

I made her keep her feet in one place. Each time she moved a foot, I made her put it back. If her head turned to look somewhere else (not at me - basically I meant nothing to her in those circumstances) I would softly get her to turn her head back to me. In a few minutes, she began to calm down.

It didn't take force, or treats, or activity (e.g. circling/lunging to "wear her down"), forceful equipment, or all those other wacko things people tell you to do (like "put her in crossties, saddle her up and show her who's boss!!")

It was simply my awareness and consistently reminding her to pay attention to me (clarifying my intent to something she could comprehend).

Then she was able to stop looking around in fear, and start breathing. Then she became tuned in to me and ridable.

That was a big lesson for me to learn!!! You can learn things, but you don't get them till you get them





EDIT TO ADD

Now my challenge will be to use this technique with Lacey when I am driving her and she becomes unconfident about a vehicle. Yikes!


----------



## misty'smom (Jan 5, 2013)

Fantastic video, I am going to watch all the way through the rest of the training! I have a couple of questions.......I have a 7 month old filly that I have worked with on a lead line. Nothing too strenuous just leading around the field, turning, stopping and walking on. You said your babies are yearlings, is that the age I could start this training and what should I be doing until then?? I also have a 8 month old dwarf and she can do the same on a lead line! Thanks for these videos they are exactly what I need and you are so great handling your yearlings!


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 6, 2013)

You could probably go on now - but only short and non-strenuous sessions. They are babies - no need to stress their minds or bodies or make them sour.

If they can lead, they can also start to "lead" with you in their hip pocket, or behind them - why not





I find 5 or 10 minutes of actual training is plenty. Could even be less if you want - if you did 5 minutes a day for 7 days, that would be way better than doing 35 minutes on one day.

You can also have a place to tie them next to where you are training. That way while you are teaching one, the other can learn patience by standing. But they would have to know how to tie already. If they don't tie, you would have to teach them that first, how to stand where you leave them.

You should probably mix it up with teaching other things too, also so you don't sour them by doing the same thing all the time.

My friend is teaching her mini (3 yo) to line drive with the aid of paths through the snow - the snow is about a foot deep or more, so the mini prefers to walk on the path - making it much easier for her to understand steering.

You can be on the look out for things you can do - that's the fun and creative side of training.


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 6, 2013)

A rainy/snowy day with slush and ice, but it was mild, so here are a couple of videos.

Mustang Day 1 "learning to learn" to line drive! He may appear calm, but is very unconfident, so I decided to teach him to move his feet. Maybe should have gone slower, but I guess I'll find that out next time





I actually introduced more things to him than I did with Diesel on Day 1, but Diesel is totally different and knew how to learn right away.

Mustang is in total fear, but being introverted, he looks calm. Towards the end I got a much better feeling from him.

Diesel is becoming more familiar with line driving and steers pretty well, stops better (ok, he stopped when I thought it, which I accepted



even though I actually said it after he stopped).

Can't do much when the road is icy. Oh well. They say you can accomplish a lot at the walk.

Mustang Day 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOflH3g1Shg

Diesel advancing line driving - it is actually Day 3 advancing, but I think it says Day 4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYu1soQZahU


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 7, 2013)

I was mulling over yesterday -

Diesel had plenty of "forward" a couple of days before, on Day 2 advancing. I had started down the road and he stepped right out, so I let him go quite a ways down the road - might as well take what he offers! In the video the road was icy, so we were just doing some steering and wobbly circles, which he didn't have much interest in. Next time I will offer him to go down the road again, just doing serpentines or something.

I was a little surprised by how stressed out Mustang was. He is the first one all over people when they visit. He's also not an introvert when he is free with the other horses - quite the opposite, he is always running around.

Then I remembered that on Friday the blacksmith had come to trim the minis plus Eddie (horse).

Diesel was feisty and actually took a kick at the trimmer



besides being a bit of a handful all round. (haha, he is cute)

Mustang on the other hand did the introvert thing and stiffened right up, but was easy to trim. His eyes, however, were popping out of his head and I kept waiting for an explosion that didn't happen.

So I wonder if Mustang found the hoof-trimming to be stressful, and that carried over into the next time I took him out, which was Day 1 of his line driving training yesterday.

Oh, well, who knows - that's my story and I'll probably stick to it





I hope to have time over the next few days to keep at it with the two of them. Also Lacey - working on bending, bending on the circle, relaxation and stretching down, plus leg yield and shoulder in, plus figure 8s. The snowbanks sort of work like an arena wall. However, can't really do circles at the trot, due to the ice on the road.


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 8, 2013)

OK - last set of videos - I promise!

This has been a very interesting project and I found it to be very motivating --- also a great learning experience for myself. However, editing and uploading videos is time consuming and I have been skimping on some other work. So - back to work!!!

Thank you to you who have posted that they liked the videos and the training. I hope you will have fun with your little guys too.

Here is Mustang Day 2 and doing a lot better. No being introverted, although he does crowd me sometimes, so I shove him off.

My timing was a bit off, so I'm doing some nagging, oh well. Should have separated me asking him to do things with quicker and longer releases. I will be more mindful of that on Day 3.

Also Diesel and Mustang - the team (haha!). (Part 2 of Mustang Day 2, and Diesel Day 4 of advancing line driving). To get more forward out of Mustang without nagging him, I let Diesel help him go forward. Diesel is moving up into the contact more and really stepping out as we go down the road. I think Diesel is starting to look pretty solid sometimes - remember they are yearlings, just babies and I am not looking for precision. The main thing is to maintain their learning confidence.

We have a minor disaster in the middle. Mustang cuts across the lines heading for home, and Diesel panics. Then he remembers that he can come to me, I'm glad to have built that in. All worked out in the end.

Also I added a video of Lacey doing some long lining exercises (this is me advancing - you will see her being very patient.) We are isolating FQ and HQ, going sideways, also circles and figure 8s. This is Day 4 after not doing anything since October. We are improving the bend, improving circles and changes of direction, and I'm trying to improve steady and even contact on the lines (although she is still in the halter here - we're not using the bit right now, until my feel improves). There would be more precision with the bit, but I want to do some other isolations to improve her acceptance of contact when I bring the bit back into the picture (later).

Mustang Day 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh0HZlizUAg

The "team" (part 2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbC5LuMZ-Iw

Lacey 2-reining

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuHbLxWUlkU


----------



## paintponylvr (Jan 12, 2013)

Just wanted to say thank you! Great videos.

so you set the vid camera up on a chair or tripod while you were working? Could you PM me and give me some tips on editing the videos? I love what you've done - not just with the training but with the video footage itself.

In viewing someone else schooling babies, I'm learning that I still have "big movements" and am quite possibly too agressive (still - have had lots of instructors correct me on this, LOL). It's nice to see how others do it with "less". It's so funny - I could get it when I rode and was told I often had extremely "lite" riding horses both western and huntseat/jumping and dressage- but even as a youth i had a hard time with "less is more" on the groundwork aspect of training and having fun with your equine. I've learned lots since then - especially with the ground work and driving my minis/shetlands - but your videos show that I still have a ways to go myself in my learning.

Ah - it's so fun discovering yourself as your train your own equine. Your vids are eye opening and throught provoking!


----------



## lucky seven (Jan 13, 2013)

I started lesson 1 with seven today. I kept tapping his hip asking him to move and he just stood there, would turn to see what I was doing and acted a little bored. He did move eventually so I really praised him. He has a habit of turning to see what I'm doing all of the time. It takes awhile to stand at his side. I'm going to do the first lesson again tomorrow and hope that he understands what I'm asking better. This is really exciting and feel like I'm doing something constructive with him. Many thanks again.


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 13, 2013)

Hi lucky seven - hope you and Seven enjoy learning together. Even hanging out with them builds your bond, so take all the time it takes (so it takes less time later




). Also you can "train for tomorrow" - if he takes two steps today, he might take 4 tomorrow. Also, teaching him to allow you to stand beside his hip is as important as getting him to step forward. It is just the first step.

Actually, if you had a horse that wouldn't stand still, your first step would be to teach him to stand still. (Maybe only 2 seconds at first, then longer!) Then you would get him to accept standing in his "hip pocket", then you could start ask him to step forward.

Mustang is like your Seven and doesn't really have any motivation for going forward. Therefore I have decided to make it easier for both of us by ONLY leading him down the road 40 feet or so, then asking for forward as we face back toward home. He has incentive to go back there because A) Diesel is tied up to the entrance gate, and B) the treat bucket is there, although I am really cutting down on the treats because their noses are ALWAYS trying to get into my pocket.

Expecting him to go outward away from his buddy when he's not confident is just going to lead to failure, will make him sour and me frustrated!

paintponyluvr - yes, it is very interesting discovering myself as I train them - haha! I don't always like what I learn either.

I will confess that I see I got into nagging Mustang instead of accepting his first tries - why did that happen? Probably because Diesel had 7 days under his girth and I was expecting Mustang to be as eager as Diesel is. Thank god I laid off the nagging and got some forward movement by having him come along with Diesel as we went down the road.

I also mulled over what Mustang is doing - he goes from unconfident (crowding me, wrapping around me) to confident ("the mud on the road is so interesting!") to disinterested ("I'm leaving now... I think?") to interested ("Ok, you want me to do what - I can do that!") to pushy/dominant, etc., etc.

IMO he is like Eddie (an arab type rescue horse I have). Last spring he was just like Mustang - almost impossible to get him to do anything. So all I did with him was at liberty around the barnyard, and take him for a few walks down the road, not asking for anything other than going in the direction I wanted, and to stop and start when I did, and not run over me.

In the fall (2.5 yo) he was suddenly easy to teach. Now he is as rewarding as Diesel is.

So I think Mustang is just not ready to concentrate - too immature. I will do a few more days with him - I did start two-reining him the other day, but the biggest thing was to keep his nose off the road surface. I would bump his nose softly with the reins until he lifted his head, then leave him alone.

Diesel is doing amazing - he moves out down the road in either direction and has lots of confidence about it. Yesterday I did something different - I took Spinner (paint horse) and my non-horsey friend Myra took Diesel. They were both just on leads, and Diesel took the initiative and stepped out up front like he was being long-lined (i.e. no one asked him to, because Myra doesn't even know enough about horses to do so. I just told her to allow him to go up front like he wanted.) We went half a mile out and back. Most of the way he was up front of all of us like a little driver - so cute! He also had a really nice contact on the line most of the time.

PS I just download the camera videos to the computer - it's a Macbook which has the iMovie program. I just select the sections I want and drag them to the "project". Then you can add text - there are several styles you can use for the text. Then also they give you several styles of connecting each piece of the action (fade to black, cross dissolve, plus several more but I really only like those two.)

Once you get it the way you want, you "share" or export the movie, then that can be uploaded to YouTube.

I really like the video camera for personal feedback!!! I set it on the arm of a chair and hope that blinkin' cat Hobbs doesn't knock it off.

The first time I video'd myself with Lacey I thought I did really great until I watched it - Yikes! I found I had some very strange habits, like folding my arms and looking at the sky. So weird!



I also saw that I was very ineffective in some ways.

PPS if I do anything really bad, I delete it and don't look at it! Make a note not to do that again and get rid of it! Only look at the good stuff and make sure I keep doing that.


----------



## lucky seven (Jan 14, 2013)

I would love to be able to walk seven away from his paddock but his big buddy is very attached, and pitches a major fit. I've tried weaning them but he is so hyper that seven gets all worked up. So I put my saddle up on craigs list to see if I could find anyone interested in trading an unwanted mini for it. Best lead so far is a chestnut mare with flaxen mane and tail (just like seven) but she's in foal and I really didn't want to go down that road.


----------



## studiowvw (Jan 14, 2013)

Then you're probably best to work right next to his buddy until they both realize it's no big deal. Good idea about getting a third - I have always found that I need to have 3, because if there are only 2, they get far too bonded. Even if the one I take out is fine, the one left behind gets so hysterical that I can't stand it

Hope you find another mini that fits in!

Paintponyluvr - regarding being too "big" with your movements - a good challenge for yourself is to continually try to start lighter or softer than you think you have to, and release quicker than you think you can!

I'm gearing up mentally to do a few minutes with Mustang this afternoon - that will be my challenge (as well as to only do things that I will have success with).


----------

