This message is from: ceacy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hello again to all of you who manage to stay connected on the list once the
weather got nice. I am finally getting back to reading my e-mail after a 4
month lapse. My aplogies to folks who sent me messages that I never got.
The death of a close friend was what got me off track to begin with and
then there was foaling season, we had four lovely fillies, and then the
exhibitions Mass. Expo and Equitana, and then breeding season and fencing
and haying well I suppose its the same for all of you too. Anyway, I
have perservered and have been reading all the past list entries from this
and the other list I am on, which is a clicker training list. I have read a
few references to clicker training on this list so I thought I would post a
notice about an upcoming 5 day clinic I am hosting at my farm. Aug.9-13
Alexandra Kurland, the author of the book Clicker Training For Horses ,
will be
conducting a hands on clinic using clicker training. The first two days
will be an introduction on how clicker training works, shaping behavior,
applications of this method, and skill improvement. The last three days
will be under saddle and combines clicker with John Lyons one rein method
of training. I have been working with Alex for awhile and have found this
method to be very ,very useful with Fjords.
I gave a demo at the Mass. Equine Expo. with Alex last April and we used my
stallion Konggard at liberty in the arena. We showed the attention getting
stuff like fetching and retrieving stuff, and playing tag, but we also
demonstrated what I think is particularly useful for Fjords, which is what
I refer to as therapeutic gymnastics. These are ways in which you can use
clicker training to teach your horse exercises that will improve their
muscle tone, flexibility, and balance. For example, I used this method to
teach Konggard to raise the base of his neck which is an important part of
collection and self carriage. I have been using it to teach him how to rock
his weight back onto his hindlegs in the halt, and doing exercises to free
up his shoulders. The best part is that you can do this kind of work almost
anywhere and at anytime, despite the weather!
We also did the clicker demos with Alex at Equitana only this time we did
both in hand and under saddle with Konggard and we did a demo with my two
Konggard daughters, Tedra and Tara, who are both yearlings. They had to
walk through buildings and up a ramp onto a stage, and participate in an
hour long lecture/ demo. They both work at liberty and will stay at your
side while you walk, trot. halt, and back up. We use this method to halter
and lead train our youngstock, to teach them to pick up there feet for
trimming, and to learn to load. They are target trained and can also play
fetch etc. This brings me to my other reason for posting this lengthy
message. These two very pretty and well trained fillies are for sale.
Tara is By Konggard and Out of my Brusvein daughter, Elda. Her dam is the
Ster mare Unika.
Tedra is By Konngard and out of my other Brusvein daughter, Freya I. Her
dam is the Model mare Cindy.
For those of you who are not familiar with Konggard's pedigree he is the
son of the Elite stallion Myrstein, out of the Ster mare Fjellgard.
Konggard was bred by Bob von Bon,who still owns Konggard's mother,
grandmother ( Armgard a Ster mare ) , and his great grandmother , the Elite
mare, Sunngard.
Tedra, is a full sister to Vivian Creigh's two mares , Penfrydd's Nykka,
and Penfrydd's Oksana, and to Brian and Ursula Jensen's mare Penfrydd's
Rayetta.
Dick and Sue Giagiari have just purchased the 1999 full sister, Penfrydd's
Vera.
Perhaps some of the other folks who were at Equitana and saw both the
youngsters and the clicker demos can add their comments. I believe that
both of these fillies are going to be superb performance mares, very pretty
with excellent temperament as demonstrated by their ability to handle the
trip to Equitana.
All my mares are used in our summer program for kids, and both of these
mares are as reliable as they get. I would be happy to send out videos of
both sire and dam and babies for sale. I also have Elda's 1999 filly for
sale as well as another Konggard daughter out of a Norwegian imported mare,
Rosita. She is the grandam of Brian Jacobsen's young stud Arve. We have had
seven fillies in a row so I have no colts for sale.
I am not very good at blowing my own horn, but these are exceptionally nice
yearlings with really terrific breeding behind them. It would be nice for
them to go to someone who is interested in breeding or performance.
Sorry to be so long winded!
Ceacy Henderson, Penfrydd Farm, Colrain, Ma. 01340 413-624-8969
