23rd September, 2013 Solo Career

I decided to ride Theoden home to Fritham. This is seven miles on his own so not what you might think of as incremental training. With his recent change in attitude, largely as a consequence of clickering him, I thought it was worth a try knowing that I could get off and walk if I needed to. Well, he was superb. I asked him to halt after 50 paces, then 100, then 150 and then 200 in order to give him a clickered reward and in no time we were well on our way and I could dispense with the clicker other than the odd random halt.  It was really quite funny when we came back into the area he knows - he had a good look round, checked his internal map and then trotted on very happily. Up the drift-way we met seven lively middle sized pigs and back at home another three and it appears that the desensitising I did at HorseWorld, where Theoden had his breakfast every day with Dominic the pig, has really paid off.

21st September, 2013 A Rose By Any Other Name...

...is still not a Petra. Theoden is slightly bemused by his second move in one week. This morning we went out for a super ride with Rose and both of them were beautifully behaved. The training we have received this week meant that Theoden was more soft, willing and balanced than he has ever been before.

Back across the Forest and I was saddened to see a mature pony had been run into and killed. I struggled to make sense of what I was seeing at first and then realised that it's intestines were stacked up on top of it's poor body. That's 62 casualties on the roads so far this year with three months still to go.

A happier sight at Fritham...

No photos from my afternoon job - a nine year old pony called Skamp who can be awkward about having his feet picked up. His automatic, non-thinking, instinctive behaviour is to kneel on you instead! Anyway, it was relatively easy to solve once he had been taught how to pick them up.

"Thank you for your report and for working so beautifully - and patiently -with Skampie and me. You weave a kind of magic."HS

20th September, 2013 On the Buses

It's been a busy day from start to finish today what with more lessons, travelling Theoden to his next stop and picking up Nettles. Theoden is learning to follow his nose without bracing and there is no doubt whatsoever that clicker is helping with his attitude to this. When we left it out for a while, sorting out how to set up a particular exercise, Theoden became most disheartened and only perked up again once we restored it. Whoops!

Forwards, backwards and side-to-side...

Next Charly had a lesson on Lorraine's Hobbit - lovely to see the other Tolkien brother in action again.

Nettles positively skipped on to the trailer and seemed to be delighted to be amongst his friends again. Charly and I are looking forward to completing his education. Slowly but surely.

My last stop was nearer to home with Oscar's final motorbike session. His field mates were completely unperturbed by the bike and the good news is that Oscar is now able to stand still while the bike overtakes him in any direction. The intermediate clicks ask him to stand still while the bike goes by and three clicks means that he has been brilliant and can have his treat.

Jacqui's shopping arrived just after we had finished and I think Oscar thought it was his own private horse-box since the sign writing was most apt...

Poor David was knocked off his bike by a motorist this week (unable to see him in his hi-viz gear!). Fortunately it was a slow speed accident and David had all his protective gear including his leathers. Even better he was being followed by a First responder who as well as avoiding running him over, made sure that he was taken good care of and went off to the hospital pretty promptly. Luckily he was uninjured, if a little stiff, but the bike needs some repairs to its near side.

20th September, 2013 For the Sake of Clarity

It's not just the horses that need clarity. One of the great joys these days is hearing just how many people are now engaged with some form of 'natural' (how I hate that word) horsemanship, based on the psychology of the horse. In the end a horse is just a horse and all of his behaviour is a horse's behaviour. Even staunch traditional forums like Horse and Hound, echo with the sound of 'natural' techniques even when no credit is given to the person that came up with the idea or the concept, or at least penned it for the first time. When I used to visit yards there would be just one person practising IH techniques or something along those lines and it was hard for them to be a pioneer. It's not always easy even now.

The down-side is that there are lots and lots of people who offer training without necessarily having studied their subject thoroughly in the first place. That doesn't have to mean one 'brand', set in stone, but it does help if there is a strong framework running through their work. There's a lot of mixing and matching now so that concepts can be diluted or a concoction. Others have done most but not all of the training and set sail without having ever been assessed, examined, approved or even insured.

We can over analyse, intellectualise and ultimately boggle the minds of anyone coming to this for the first time. I like to keep things simple and consistent. Whilst there are no black and white rules, the four basic concepts I work to are straightforward and easy to understand. They underpin everything. And I have been assessed, examined, approved, recommended and evaluated and of course, I am insured for everything that I do. It's been ten years since I got involved with Intelligent Horsemanship and I've lost count, in particular, with the number of horses I have worked with called Molly!

19th September, 2013 Seeking Clarification

Another great session with Theoden working on clarity, clarity, clarity all the way. Here he is really concentrating on what he is being asked to do.

Then, a short journey across the Forest to a wonderful short person called Iggy. Just two years old he is an absolute delight, passing and being passed by the most massive traffic without as murmur. We working on forwards meaning forwards and his tendency to go into pressure if anyone tries to lead him from his right hand side. He should make an amazing driving pony in the future.

18th September, 2013 No Fear, No Force

With the sales of semi-feral ponies just ahead, please let people know about this book. I've now lost count of the number of foals and ponies it has helped. It includes a chapter on clicker training if that's a direction you fancy, otherwise it offers a common sense, gentle approach to training the wild or worried foal.

Available through Amazon or my own website www.logicalhorsemanship.co.uk

18th September, 2013 Lunch is at One O'clock

First day today of a three day riding clinic with Amanda Barton. I love these clinics because they give me stuff to work on for at least a month and usually a year! Lorraine and Zak have done some remarkable things this last year including team cross country and dressage. Their session concentrated on removing any brace in Zak's turns with some lovely canter work as a 'holiday' in between.

After a year's worth of happy hacking and migrating around various parts of the country, Theoden now understands that forwards means forwards, and the recent more regular use of clicker in his ridden work has brought about a real change in his attitude. With greater willingness on his part it was possible to switch from a democratic decision about what time lunch would be to a benign dictatorship without him wanting to cause a revolution. Amanda explains that quite often a group will discuss when best to have lunch and various views will be expressed taking into account when people are due to arrive, what time the caterer is booked for and who wants to go first and second; what suits everyone best. In a different group, someone may simply decide lunch is at one o'clock. This takes a lot less time and yet everyone still gets to eat. In the same way, when I ask Theoden to go forwards now I can employ much greater clarity without him minding at all.

Telling Amanda she has got it right and then telling Theoden. (Really must get those longer jeans!)

Following lunch, it was time to go across the Forest via one of the quiet back roads to meet up with Jacqui, Semota and some new friends. 

Semoto has always been afraid of pigs ever since he arrived from Portugal some years ago. Today we introduced him to a Preliminary level pig called Sophie. Although huge (Double Gloucester Old Spot perhaps), she is quite slow moving. She made lots of lovely grunting noises which astonished him for a while but his curiosity overcame his fear. He also met goats for the first time. We are now looking for an intermediate/ advanced level pig(s) to introduce him to.

Always room for a picture of a glorious dog...