Hi Chelsie,
I am doing really well with Sadie’s circling since you sent me the great free DVD explaining and showing with your own mini what I needed to do with her, but I do have some questions.
1. I have her going in a circle very comfortably, but it’s almost like SHE decides when it is enough, and all of a sudden, she will do a quick pivot and then will be standing facing me stopped, as if to say, isn’t this okay and enough? I have tried to see what I am doing wrong. I check my position, etc. and am kind of clueless. She is not pulling on the line or anything prior to doing this and I can’t see that she is slowing down either. I try and be as aware as possible and be proactive but sometimes if I do an extra click and raise my whip to be proactive, it seems to kind of make her lunge forward more and then she starts that sideswiping thing again where she ends up facing me again as well.
2. Okay, so now she is standing out there facing me, and I call to her to come to me so we can start over. But it seems like she knows she was not supposed to stop, because she won’t come to me, so I have to go up to her and bring her back to where I want to start again. Other times, like when she has done well trotting and I say okay, good girl, and she stops, and then I call to her, she comes trotting.
3. When I call to her to come to me after a good round and she comes trotting over, I pet her and give her a cookie. At this point, she is in front of me facing me. But then for whatever reason, she always then again pivots herself so the she is right next to me facing the same direction as me and glued right next to me. It is just a curious thing and I am wondering why she is doing that.
4. When I try the disengagement, sometimes we are successful, but other times instead of crossing her hind legs over, she ends up just backing up. How do I keep her in a circle to cross her legs over instead of just backing up?
I practice with her each day, and I know that patience pays off. I love spending this time with her and trying to do better each day. If you have any ideas to help me in furthering her progress, I would appreciate any ideas.
Thanks so much!
June
A:
Hello June,
I am so glad you enjoyed my DVD and that it is helping you and your Miniature horse.
Thank you for the question and I hope these answers help you out more.
One thing I would like you to do is watch the DVD over and over again. When we watch things the first time we only pick up about 30% of what we see and hear, then when we watch it over and over again we can pick up on a lot more things that we did not see and hear or think about at the time. So I think this will help with some of your questions. But I will go through them and answer them also.
- You might be getting ahead of her drive line a little bit and that might be stopping her. You might also be lifting your stick a little and that might be making her bottom swing away from you. Think about those things and try to stay back with your stick down. If she still does this, then immediately send her right back out on the circle as shown in the DVD. If she turns and faces you when you lift your stick and ask for a trot just keep it up and send her out and get your trot and then put your stick down.
- As said above and shown in the DVD, you do not need to bring her back in toward you to send her out when she is looking at you. Send her from where she is immediately. The longer she stands there the more she will think that turning and facing you was the right answer and then you will be training her to do the wrong thing. But if at any point when you are asking her to come in toward you and she just stands there, do not go and get her, make her come to you. Just start a slow and steady pull on the lead line, keep the same tension on it, do not pull and give pull and give, steady pull! If she does not come forward then, just keep pulling and pull a little harder and hold it, if still nothing, then pull harder and hold. Do this until she takes a step and comes in, then release the pressure and rub her.
- She is crowding you for protection. She is not asking for protection from you. She is guarding you from getting onto her other side where she does not want you to be. Just spend more time over on the side she does not bring over to you. And when she does come up to you side ways make her get straight and face you and then go over to the side that she did not bring you and love on that side. After time this will go away.
- This again is a protective thing, because she does not fully trust you yet. If she starts backing up just tap her hindquarters softly and pull a little on the lead line forward and she will stop backing up and start crossing. Don’t let her change what you are trying to do, keep doing what you are asking until she does it right. Then reward her for it. Then she will start understanding and trying harder to please.
I Hope this will help you June, and let me know if you have any more questions.
You can also call me if you need something.
Thanks,
Chelsie Kallestad
www.chelsienaturalhorsemanship.com
928-713-3468
Chelsie proudly uses and recommends “ActiVex” and “ActiSYN” products by “Brock Animal Health” as well as “E-Z Fit Saddles.” More info about these fine products is available on Chelsie’s website. Please visit Chelsie’s website at www.ChelsieNaturalHorsemanship.com to submit your own horsemanship question to “Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship”, to request your FREE DVD, or to subscribe to our newsletter. You can also reach Chelsie at 928-713-3468 or email her at Chelsie@ChelsieNaturalHorsemanship.com. Also please see our ad in this issue of Bridle and Bit.
