Beeman's Better Deal

Understanding through acceptance

Here again Bohdi's uncertainty causes him to block and evade me being on his left side. Until he accepts me being on that side he will not be able to understand me directing him to move off to the right. Notice as soon as he tries I back off with the pressure to help him realize he did the right thing. These videos were shot over the course of a few days this summer, though not posted on the blog til more recently.

 

Evasion and blocking

Sometimes when a horse is uncertain he will block you and/or move away. Here this gelding is not sure what I want and is doing both. You can see he wants to know what to do but until he does he is keeping himself safe by blocking me from his left side and moving backwards.

Accepting Touch

This 4yr.old QH gelding's owner would like him to learn to drive. He is a good solid trail horse for his age but can be a little goosey to things touching him. This is his second session and he is getting more relaxed with it. By giving him the freedom to move if he feels he has to and backing off when he tries to stay still, he can learn to accept the touch at his own pace. I'll build on this until it is no bother to him at all.

Blaze finishes his training sessions

Blaze - a flashy but steady Quarter Horse gelding - has finished two months of training with Margaret. His owner Elaine has been practicing during the training so she develops some new skills to take home with her. Blaze had a past as a working ranch horse, but along the way had picked up some tension and bad habits that Elaine needed help addressing.

Ulrich and Lisa have a weeklong intensive

Lisa and Ulrich spent a week at the ranch in mid June.

They drove each morning and worked on riding skills each afternoon. In between Ulrich had fun getting pampered in the wash stall and playing games with the resident geldings.

Ulrich is a Cleveland Bay/Andalusian/Arab cross, and makes a very handsome and cooperative driving horse. Lisa and Ulrich also posed and demonstrated basic harness training exercises for some upcoming articles Margaret and Ona are writing for Rural Heritage.

Lisa test-drove the new Bunkhouse, which is almost done being renovated to take paying guests. It's an ideal place to stay for students bringing their horses in for training, but will be open to non-horsey guests, too.

Hard to Catch

Hard to catch horses are a common problem. Here's an example - a little flaxen chestnut gelding that is unsure about coming in for dinner. He's just been moved to a new paddock with new companions, and that seems to have brought out his shyness again.

You can see he wants to do the right thing. He's looking to me but is a bit shy around his head. By only approaching him when he's looking at me and walking away after I touched him he became more willing to try and let me go further.

Drill team 2010!

We finally had a new drill team workshop, to everyone's delight. Everyone in this group likes to trail ride and I use the drill team exercises to help them learn how to keep their horse's attention with the rider no matter the direction, speed or configuration of the group. It is fun and productive for all. 

You may recognize Merra (Arabian) and Dawn (Morgan in this clip. The group consists of a 3yr. old, 2 4yr. olds, a 7, and an 11 year old.

 

Here's the final exercise, after a few practice runs:

New Driving Safety Series in Rural Heritage Magazine

Several of the ranch horses-in-training have been featured in a series of articles in Rural Heritage magazine. In the articles Margaret describes exercises that can help a driver learn to plan ahead, communicate with his or her horse, and prepare the horse for the scary or challenging things they may come across. The first article demonstrated a useful yielding exercise, the second taught the importance of installing a good "whoa," and in the next issue developing good, clear communication through the reins will be the focus.

Future articles in the series will include introducing the horse to the cart and dealing with a variety of scary objects. The articles are illustrated with photos detailing how to do the exercises, and various horses including Solo, Dawn and Bodhi, have been put to use as models.

The series began in the April 2010 issue.

Rural Heritage magazine is available at Tractor Supply Company or other farm stores and larger bookstores, and has a website at www.ruralheritage.com.

'Merra and Dawn go home

'Merra and Dawn finished their three months of training and headed home this month. Both made excellent progress from preliminary ground work and manners to work under saddle in the ring and on the trail. It's always rewarding to see young horses come along in their training.

'Merra and Dawn's owner reports they are enjoying trail riding at home now. She said both are listening and following her lead very well.

Photos: Dawn (above) and 'Merra (below) on their last day at Broken Wheel Ranch.

Standing to Mount: Gradual Progress

You can overdo things trying to get your horse to stand at the mounting block. This little filly has ants in her pants around the mounting block and no amount of discipline is going to make her stand. Rather than make it a big deal I simply use it for more than just mounting before I ride.