Feeling Disheartened At The Moment

[drummers mum]

I've not posted this kind of thread on here before but you have such a wealth of knowledgeable people, I thought maybe I'd find some advice!

Basicaly, our schooling has gone to pot, Drummer has become nappy, sluggish and unresponsive.  He is only 6 and I am trying to get him to carry himself properly and track up (he does this in walk but not trot) He has started leaning on my hands and falling in on circles. I know he can be lively because if I get really cross and get after him like a demon he will do it but its no fun and not how I feel I should be riding!  We are also working on our canter transition and maintaining canter.

On a plus, our groundwork is brilliant and I have taken this through to my riding and we are starting to get nice light back up and turn on the forehand. (groundwork consists of a mix: Parelli, Kelly Marks, Clicker training and anything else I can think of!)

So when schooling fails, I think "nice quiet hack round our orchard" but he has started to spook at everything and when he is not spooking, he is on high alert looking for spooky things (I think this has come about from a combination of incidents; deer, YO's son on motorbike, being chased by dog, hearing a sprinkler but not being able to see it) but I'm a bit of a nervous nelly anyway and I think he is now playing on it because I will only walk in case he spooks!

I just wanted to add, although he is young and I am not super experienced, we have been doing fine up until now.  We have a brilliant relationship, Drummer is a fun cheeky pony, which is why this is all so disheartening. :(

Oh, and I had a pony club instructor but although she was nice, she didn't go my way of thinking, we are bitless, barefoot and treeless!

[Heather]

Hi Emily,

I am going to pass you over to Becky on this one- as she is probably best to answer it. She is not going to be around until later though- she goes back up to Manchester one week a month to teach, and then drives home in the middle of the night to avoid traffic, very wise with Devon in August! So she is not around yet!

Heather

PS where are you?

[drummers mum]

Hi Heather,

Thanks, I'm in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.  Poor Chloe (dollysmum) came to visit yesterday and I didn't half bend her ear!  She suggested a neck strap for hacking to help my condidence!  She has done so much with Dolly and I stuck her on Drummer yesterday!  He was quite good for her!  

[Foxfold]

Hi Emily,

I am going to pass you over to Becky on this one- as she is probably best to answer it. She is not going to be around until later though- she goes back up to Manchester one week a month to teach, and then drives home in the middle of the night to avoid traffic, very wise with Devon in August! So she is not around yet!

Heather

PS where are you?

Ooooh  Heather,
I didn't know Becky came 'oop norf'
I don't live far from Manchester (Rochdale) what are the chances I could have a lesson too?????

I'm in much the same situation as Drummers Mum

[drummers mum]

Foxfold, its nice to hear I'm not alone!

Saying that, I saw some hope tonight!  He was def more lively (we had a mad in and out the cone schooling session) but spookier than ever!

I tried to ride around the orchard (used a neck strap) but I think we are now winding each other up! :(  I had one whirl around and canter off, one shoot off forwards, 2 stop and reverse and got off twice because he rooted himself!! This pony used to plod round the orchard on a loose rein and its only a matter of time before I fall off and that would really dent my confidence. :(
 

[Cloud_cirrus]

You haven't changed his food or anything recently?  If his saddle and everything else physical is ok it seems a bit weird for a pony that sounds like he was quite laid back to suddenly become really on his toes.

No-one is feeding him any of the apples from the orchard are they?

Tracey

[drummers mum]

Been there with the feed thing, its not that!

Its so wierd.  Drummer had been "looking" at things all summer and been spooked once by some deer but other than that was his normal self even after being chased by a dog!!  

Then 4 weeks ago, we went for a day out to a friends yard (big thing for us, never been anywhere!!) and he was sooooo good.  We had a fab day!  The day after he didn't spook once on our hack, then a couple of days later we had the sprinkler incedent and then the bike and since then he as been awful!

[alfiedoodle]

Poor you!  I had a period of time like this after Alfie had been recently backed.  He was going fine and concentrating on his work and then all of a sudden he was spooking at everything, snorting and generally making a meal out of everything and consequently I was waiting for this to happen and was very nervous.  I perpetuated his spookiness not only by anticipating it but by dropping his workload as I was afraid to trot etc.  

My instructor seemed to think that it was either the fact that he was bored and needed to learn something new hence the sudden spooking and such, perpetuated by me dropping the pace through being scared and/or me getting the nerves and 'waiting' for him to spook.

She put me to work thinking hard about my position and had me thinking of so many things at once I didn't have time to anticipate Alfies spooks and at the same time was getting me and Alfie to learn new things like going over poles, simple lateral work - anything to get his brain working and to stop him making his own fun.  She also asked me to do some more of the exercises in Kelly Marks book, the handling techniques just to reinstate our 'bond' and get the high level of trust back.  I'm lucky to have such an intelligent boy and lucky to have an understanding instructor!  We only had one major incident after that when he took a dislike to a certain rock outside the school(gawd only knows why!) but that was solved with groundwork.  He will always be a horse prone to finding monsters in the hedges but now he tries hard to believe in me a bit and me him and I ride him past things with his head bent away from the hedge monster and my leg on on that side and to keep him going forwards.



 

[Mossy]

Monsters in the hedge. Know all about those. We have issues with gorse bushes, makes life interesting on Dartmoor! Look at it as a way of making sure you are awake!  

[drummers mum]

Lol Mossy, Drummer is a Dartmoor hill pony, I think he misses the gorse!!

Alfiedoodle, he is fine in the school area and jumping paddock, I have the oppposite problem!  Its just round the orchard that I get problems! :(  

[DollysMum]

I like it when you bend my ear - it makes my brain work :P You're doing a great job with Drummer - the difference in him was amazing! He's already much softer and more responsive than the first time I rode him. I'm hugely impressed. He's a fabulous pony with so much potential (his jump is great when he decides he wants to do it!)  

[drummers mum]

Thanks Chloe, you always see the good things and not the bad, you make me feel much better!

A little bit of trying it on proof yesterday.  Drummer followed his field mate round the orchard without a care in the world. They are getting on better and bettter since they have been alone and I was wondering if this is half my problem?  Any thoughts?

Anyway, stood next to Bill to change my stirrups for jumping and then asked Drummer to move off, he refused, shook his head, backed up, twisted round.  That is just plain naughty!  I had a good growl at him (something like don't you bleep dare you blee bleep!!) gave him a very light tap wth the whip and he shot off like a scalded cat, lol!  He knew!  <_<  

[Becky holden]

Hi Emily
I've only just noticed this post, like Heather said i got back from Manchester last week. You say as well as other methods you have used the clicker on the ground, what kind of things have you covered? Is Drummer as spooky in hand in the orchard? Clicker Training will help a great deal with your ridden work and also with the shying, you will need to click and treat every small step in the correct direction at first untill you can increase the concentration and time inbetween clicks. When using the clicker whilst he is busy looking for "monsters" be sure your timing of click is correct, be sure not to click to gain attention and only click the behaviour you want to store. It is best to say nothing at all when he is spooking try not to acknowledge it at all. Then click and treat the second he calms down, this is why you will be best to do a little work in hand so you can stay relaxed and calm yourself, which is easier said than done!   :P If he is confident hacking in company again give lots of clicks and treats. Also looking in the opposite direction to what Drummer is looking at can help, very often we see a plastic bag in the hedges and fix our eyes on it waiting for it to move in case our horses shy, the fact remains if the bags going to move it will anyway and our horses feel us fixed on to it so they do like wise, try looking away, it really does work. Let me no how much clicker work you have done with him, we can take it form there,
Becky  


Hi Foxfold
I have clients in Rochdale and will be going to see them at least 3 times when im next back in Manchester because they have a new horse they want me to work with, im back the 19th Sept for a week, let me no if you're free that week and i will fit you in.

Becky  
 

[jvt]

Oooh! Drummers mum - What a small world! I live near you, between Stratford and Warwick!  

With regards to your problem, have you tried having someone on the ground in the orchard when you are riding?  To 'coach' you through the difficult moments?  

As Becky said, you can instill your horse with confidence by not allowing spooky things to affect you, but it can also help to have someone on the ground...  even if they are only there to offer you support, not neccessarily 'teach' you!

Good luck with him, it sounds like you're doing a great job!

Jane.
 

[drummers mum]

Thanks Becky,

I think I have let my clicker training slip a bit.  We started it last winter as something to do on dark winter nights but I have to say that with all this gorgeous weather we haven't done much lately.  He targets well and seems to "get" the whole thing, I taught him to bow and used it to reinforce basic lateral groundwork.
I have never thought to take it through to riding as I think I would drop it!! :blush:

Anyway, a slight update:  I did some groundwork and then took Drummer for a walk inhand on Friday evening.  He started off a little spooked but settled down and was more interested in trying to eat the fallen apples .  I noticed that he was more worried about things behind him than anything else.  This was a little worrying for me as he insisted on walking with his nose in the centre of my back (even though all our training has been follow the hand!) and I kept expecting to be mown down!

So, yesterday, we ventured out riding round the orchard and he seemed much better, only one root to the spot over some new pile of sticks!  I did what you suggested and looked at anything but what I thought was scary and if he hesitated I just asked him to walk on but didn't make an issue out of it.  I will see what he is like next time!

jvt, where abouts?  I tried soneone else on the ground but he acts like they aren't there!!