Decisions, Decisions...

One of the biggest issues Harley has had in the past is impulse control.  He would get upset and just explode, thinking something horrible and out of his control was going to happen.  I think what has made the most positive impact on this issue was in working him at liberty in the big ring.  He was able to make choices on his own, good or bad, without any negative consequences.  Given the choice, most horses will choose to do the right thing, although not without trying a few wrong things first ;) 

Harley began making good choices when he realized he could just walk away from me rather than circling around me.  Instead of chasing him down, or driving him into a gallop to punish him, I simply waited for him to come back.  Once he realized I was not going to run after him, or worse, punish him for walking away, he would come back to me, something the entire length of the ring from about 100 feet away.  I would act like nothing had happened and just continue working him in a circle around me.  After a few quiet circles at the walk, I would call him in to me, tell him he was a superstar, and we were done.

Being allowed to make his own decisions gave Harley confidence, and removed his fears of failure and punishment.  It also made him feel safe, knowing that no matter what, nothing bad would happen.  It also taught him to respect me as the leader, because I did not react to his incorrect decisions, but highly praised the good ones.  I feel like I'm seeing the real, original, "the way he was meant to be" Harley for the first time, and it's wonderful!

More progress

It's now January 2012 and Harley is doing great!  We are working at liberty in the round pen with little or no bucking, and he is walking, trotting and cantering both directions.  Also, Jane is now lungeing Harley in the ring in small circles at the walk and trot both ways, with no explosions or tantrums.  When I let him move around in the round pen before I ride him, he is 100% better under saddle. 

Harley also got his best report ever from his chiropractor on January 18.  No adjustments in his neck and poll, his pelvis was good, just a couple tweaks in his scapula and hoof and one on his back.  The combination of chiropractic and free work in the round pen have enabled him to be loose, get the kinks out and have helped him mentally to blow off steam, canter without a rider, and just feel better all over.  I've never seen him happier or more relaxed!

When Everything Comes Together

The month of September has been full of discovery, solutions, and progress!  Harley is now working happily in the ring, and we are cantering on the trails.  He is completely relaxed under saddle, accepting leg and rein contact, and we have been practicing a dressage test that we plan to do in a couple weeks.  Harley, I'm sure, will do fine.  Me remembering the test?  Not so much...

Next week, we will start cantering in the ring, and working over ground poles.  Once that is mastered, we will begin jumping. We also plan to trailer to a local cross country facility just for fun.  I think Harley will love cantering around the field and maybe even try a couple little jumps.

It's been a challenging 2 1/2 years, but so worth it.  I've learned more in that time, than in the 40 years before that I've ridden, trained, bred and shown horses.  I've learned more from my trainer just by watching and video-taping lessons and clinics, than I ever imagined.  That makes it so much easier to apply the principles when riding, when I've actually seen it done. 

Here is my beautiful boy, after a nice haircut and shave ;)

The Benefits of Liberty Work

During the month of August, I began working with Harley at liberty, without even a halter on.  Since I don't really like round pens, we worked in a very large riding ring.  Although Harley could have gone anywhere he wanted in the ring, he chose to stay near me, walking and trotting a circle around me as though he were on a lunge line.  He has never charged me, or tried to run me over (a sure sign of a lack of trust and respect).  Sometimes he canters on his own, but calmly, and I let him as it is good for his back and works those muscles.  He responds to voice commands to walk, trot and halt.  When I ask him if he is "all done" he walks to me, follows me to the gate, and waits quietly while I put his halter on, and then walks calmly and happily back to his stall.

The liberty work has cemented the bond and relationship we have to the point where he is now doing extremely well under saddle, and we recently went over a jump.  Although unplanned and a result of Harley being distracted by people walking by carrying a jump rail, he handled it beautifully, and the canter after the jump was awesome.  We are going to start working over ground poles, which he very much enjoys.  We still do a lot of road work, and he is always completely relaxed and happy trotting around the ranch, visiting his friends, taking in the sights and stopping at everyone he sees to beg for treats. 

I've learned that you have to meet a horse wherever they happen to be, and work with them at that point until they are ready to move forward.  It has paid off tremendously with Harley, and I am looking forward to the time when he is ready to jump and even trailer to a local cross country course to have some fun!

Training Scale Refresher Courses

The Classic Training Scale is like an escalator.  It goes both ways, up and down.  Sometimes you have to take a step or two, or three, back as you move up the scale from Relaxation to Rhythm, to Contact and Impulsion, and finally to Straightness and Collection.  Harley reached the beginning stages of contact, and yet we have gone back to reinforce his relaxation in areas where he hadn't quite gotten there.  Although he is relaxed in most situations now, including riding on trails, it has always been difficult for Harley to relax in any riding ring, in a round pen, or on a lunge line.

As I mentioned in a recent post, Harley has improved dramatically at liberty in the round pen, where he no longer runs around frantically, bucking and squealing, but can now wander quietly and enjoy our time together there.  A few days ago, we had a HUGE breakthrough in one of the rings where I had turned him loose to stretch his legs and, hopefully, get some exercise.  In the past, he either stood by the gate, or walked to the other end and back and wanted to leave.  When I had tried to move him around, he became upset and raced around, bucking, kicking, skidding into corners, and getting more and more worked up as he ran, until when he finally stopped, he was shaking and sweating, and was difficult to lead back to his stall.  A few times he actually pulled muscles and was lame for several days after an outburst.  Because of that, I ceased any attempt to make him move faster than a walk.  But he needed to be able to gallop around and use the muscles we aren't using yet during rides.  Once again, advice and examples from my trainer, Jane Armour, worked magic.

I turned Harley loose in a large ring, and he quickly walked down to the other end.  I hung up his halter and lead on the fence, and walked that direction.  He came to me and began following me, hoping to go back to his stall and eat, but I just talked to him and walked away.  He followed me a ways, and then wandered off on his own to explore.  At one point, he was walking parallel to me, so I decided to use some gentle lungeing cues to see what he would do.  He looked over at me, and I pointed to my right, clucked to him, and said, "Harley, Trrrrrotttt!"  He looked like he was unsure what I was asking, so I repeated the cues, and off he went at the trot in a large circle around me.  I said "Good boy!" over and over, and then he began to canter.  My first thought was, "Oh, no, here we go with the mad tearing around again," but he didn't take off.  he cantered quietly, so I kept telling him what a good boy he was, and then asked him to trot, and he did!  Then he slowed to a walk, went to the rail, and looked over at some horses who were going by.  I walked towards him and asked him if he was "all done" which is how we end our round pen sessions.  He turned and walked calmly over to me, I patted his neck, and we walked together to the gate.  I haltered him, led him out to have some grass, and then took him back to his stall.

This might not seem like a big deal to most people, but those who have dealt with an abused horse, especially one that has been beaten in a round pen or with a lunge whip as Harley has, will understand what a tremendous amount of trust it took for Harley to not react negatively to my cue.  In the past, my attempts to get him to trot or canter at liberty in a ring was, to him, me driving him away from me which he took as punishment, and it frightened and angered him.  Rather than wave my arms or the lead rope at him, or clap my hands, or chase him, I simply asked him to move, and it worked.  One more puzzle piece has slipped into place.

Best Chiropractic Report Ever!

Harley received an excellent report from his Equine Chiropractor, Dr. Jenny Johnson, on June 8.  The issues in his poll and neck are almost completely resolved, his walk and trot were nearly perfect, and the few adjustment that were needed were minor.  Schooling him properly, having a saddle that fits, and doing our neck and foreleg stretches have worked very well.  He also received a good report from his farrier.  His feet are strong and healthy.

We continue to work on transitions, and he gave me an almost textbook perfect walk to trot transition yesterday, quiet, seamless and accepting contact.  Of course, he still becomes distracted fairly easily, and will probably always be that way, but that's Harley.  As long as he comes back to me and does not fight, I'm happy. 

We have also had some very good session at liberty in the ring and round pen.  Harley no longer panics, running blindly and risking hurting himself.  He walks around quietly, rolls, explores, eats whatever greens he can reach, and then comes to me when he is ready to leave.  This is very important in helping him forget his fears from the past, and making him more comfortable in the ring.  I am also learning to discern between actual fear and putting on an act so he can go back to the barn.  To which Harley says, "Curses, foiled again!"  :)

The Return of Contact

Harley is doing great!  I was concerned that he would go back to fighting contact, tossing his head, and other habits from the past, but he has surprised me.  He is keeping rein contact at the walk and trot, through transitions, and even from halt to walk.  He will occasionally toss his head for a few seconds in walk to trot transitions, but then drops his head and accepts contact without a fuss.  He seems to especially enjoy the leg yield exercises we do, when he isn't tripping over his own feet because he is rushing.  The key to these exercises is to go very, very slow so that each step is deliberate and he can organize his feet properly and perform the exercise correctly.  Harley has a tendency to anticipate and will often try to do what he thinks I'm going to ask next, and he gets it right about half of the time.  Slow and steady is the key to keeping him relaxed and focused.

It still works like magic to bend, turn, change direction when he begins to get anxious or distracted.  We will continue to work on bending right, which was difficult for him in the past, but has improved a lot with bending exercises, and with the help of his chiropractor, Dr. Jenny Johnson.  He received the best report ever after his last treatment, with the issues in his poll and neck dramatically improved.  He is now almost straight tracking right, but we will continue to do the exercises to support his development and keep those left side muscles long and supple.  We are also walking over ground poles, and a few days ago, Harley walked calmly over 3 poles without touching any of them.  Good boy, Harley!!