This message is from: Rovena Kessinger <ro_k...@yahoo.com>
Hi Debbie, I missed this email some how. Odi loves me to rub his ears like that too. I am having to work on Bam-Bam being comfortable with touching his. That's funny, you carrying the rabbit like a baby. I know how you can hold them like that, but if they get scared and kick, they can really scratch! Clicker training with horses is pretty new, I think. To really appreciate how well it works, you'd just have to try it. The part that makes it works so well is the marker (some people use a click). It lets the horse know exactly what you are rewarding him for, which speeds up training. They don't get it wrong. --- On Mon, 6/24/13, Debby Stai <debby.s...@earthlink.net> wrote: From: Debby Stai <debby.s...@earthlink.net> Subject: horse training To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Date: Monday, June 24, 2013, 4:58 PM This message is from: "Debby Stai" <debby.s...@earthlink.net> Iâve really enjoyed a lot of the read, the different methods, different of opinions. I remember my Lang hanging his head on my shoulder, when he was ill, not well, head on my shoulder, that heavy head, and me rubbing those long âmuleâ ears I teased him about. And he with his eyes closed. I think he and my âmomâ were the only two that enjoyed this. I recall over the years with Lang, getting shots when heâd had a terrible infection in his gut, a few years before I lost him, many shots, given by the vet, and many pills, to save his life. And me rubbing his ears to sooth him.   If any have had a domestic rabbit before, one can lay them in your arms much like youâd hold a baby, and rub their tummies and it sooth them. I had one, was a temporary rabbit. He was passed from family to family when we were stationed in Hawaii. We were lucky to have him for a bit. I remember rocking him to sleep in my arms rubbing his tummy, just like a baby. Forgetting even that he wasnât a baby, while I visited with neighbors. What a good laugh we had about that. My first horse I lost, ruptured intestine, had him at a University vet clinic, he was heavily sedated, but able to stand and his head on my shoulder, having to switch shoulders off and on, his head was so heavy. But talking to him, a familiar voice. I do know that Ynde, had tried to use my shoulder to rub or dry her chin, after taking the bridle off, and that was not allowed. Lang use to love to have his butt scratched, with a rubber curry, and would back me into a corner so had to not allow that. I would take him to the cross ties and curry and curry, and curry. Ynde too loved to be curried. All had their favorite spots. Usually places they could not reach. Iâve never done clicker, just had my own way, a mix up of different methods, different trainers, things that worked for me, threw out the rest. I never liked training that scared the horse. Never liked running a horse until it gave. It seemed to me, too much the horse doing it out of fear. Iâve seen some of the top trainers training horses to load on trailers, lunge lunge lunge, until they run them into the trailer. And the horse sweating and breathing hard. It seemed a lesson learned in fear. I remember watching John Lyons many many years ago, and another trainer that followed his line of training, just use a whip the length to reach the butt, or the hock/back leg. And one stood beside the horse to lead the horse in, if he stopped, then one would tap tap tap, not hit, but just tap. Enough tap to irritate. When the horse lifts the leg, stop, rub, and then tap tap tap. I always kept the horses head facing into the trailer. I think I only had one horse this did not work on. âmomâ she was running away as soon as she saw the trailer. I didnât feed treats, there was hay and treats in their hay bag once they were in.   Sometimes this would take hours when first starting or working with one who had fear, many times one would do it day after day after day. And if theyâd not been hauled for awhile and I planned to haul, then Iâd do it for several days, just to remind. Iâve seen some horse trainers on RFD, running the horses in the roundpen, saddle on them for the first time and then running them. I guess that works for them. Works for some people. Just wasnât my way of doing it. A lot of different ways I suppose. As far as the herd mind of a horse. I guess I never did that with mine. I always kept only those together that got along and separated those that didnât. All had neighbors, horses each side of them. I donât like one being the boss and one being the one bullied. Just seems stressful to them, something for them to worry about. I took that away from them. After all, mine were not in the wilds, on many many acres, out 24/7. Mine were stalled, mine were fed in their stalls, I had runs, I had paddocks. Some will say horses are happier out 24/7, being a âhorseâ. I say to each his own. Mine were happy creatures of habit.  Yes, horses can be happy. Happy is crunching their hay, out on some grass, playing with their friends and happy to be worked. Not necessarily âourâ happy, but they indulge us. Thank God for that. Debby Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
