Sweet Wild Syringa

[thistlebloom]

good pictures anyway. i hope things come along well enough. i know i couldn't do what you are doing and i'm younger than you are by a few years.

when you pat her on the neck and back are you gradually leaning more weight into it so she gets used to the idea of you being there and heavier?

Oh yes. I get on the fence above her and am teaching her to stand parallel to me, then I rub her all over and slide my foot along her back. The idea is to eventually ease my leg over and sit on her while keeping a foot and other hand on the fence rail in case she moves off. I am not at the sitting on her phase yet, I don't believe she's ready for that yet, and neither am I. But I do lead her to the picnic table and stand on the bench then lean my weight over her back and rub her opposite side all over. That's mentally comfortable for both of us.

She is reactive to sounds, and the jingle of the metal buckle on the cinch with the sensation of it flopping down on her side is what caused that explosive reaction with the saddle. I thought I had prepared her for that but apparently not.

Where she is now, measured against where she was when I brought her home, is reassuring enough to me to know that I'm right in going slow with her. And of course she can only progress as far as my own confidence allows, so we are a team in that respect.

It is slightly frustrating to me when I watch videos of mustang trainers and they are riding in less than a week. Makes me feel a little retarded, lol. But then we go back to who we both are and I'm content with my methods.

 

[ninnymary]

I don't remember when you got her but what is the reason she is the way she is? Or is this normal? Was wondering if she had been abused.

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

I don't remember when you got her but what is the reason she is the way she is? Or is this normal? Was wondering if she had been abused.

Mary

I brought her home last July 13. She's a mustang that I got from an adoption event in Missoula. No abuse, just a wild horse.

 

[baymule]

She sure is slick, shiny and pretty! As for her training, it takes as long as it takes. I'm not so sure about the "one week wonders" and think there may be a lot of holes in that sort of training. When you reach that day, she will be on a solid foundation, built on trust.

 

[flowerbug]

Oh yes. I get on the fence above her and am teaching her to stand parallel to me, then I rub her all over and slide my foot along her back. The idea is to eventually ease my leg over and sit on her while keeping a foot and other hand on the fence rail in case she moves off. I am not at the sitting on her phase yet, I don't believe she's ready for that yet, and neither am I. But I do lead her to the picnic table and stand on the bench then lean my weight over her back and rub her opposite side all over. That's mentally comfortable for both of us.

She is reactive to sounds, and the jingle of the metal buckle on the cinch with the sensation of it flopping down on her side is what caused that explosive reaction with the saddle. I thought I had prepared her for that but apparently not.

Where she is now, measured against where she was when I brought her home, is reassuring enough to me to know that I'm right in going slow with her. And of course she can only progress as far as my own confidence allows, so we are a team in that respect.

It is slightly frustrating to me when I watch videos of mustang trainers and they are riding in less than a week. Makes me feel a little retarded, lol. But then we go back to who we both are and I'm content with my methods.

considering where you've started i find this all facinating and also reassuring somehow.

 

[canesisters]

She sure is slick, shiny and pretty! As for her training, it takes as long as it takes. I'm not so sure about the "one week wonders" and think there may be a lot of holes in that sort of training. When you reach that day, she will be on a solid foundation, built on trust.

AGREE 100%!!

 

[thistlebloom]

Took my little Sweet Potato out this evening into her "classroom" and worked on something that I have let rest to sort of percolate in her brain for awhile.

I had been straddling/standing on the fence rails and teaching her to sidepass over parallel to me. Tapping her hip with the training stick to get her to move her feet away from the pressure usually resulted in her getting cranky and over reacting to even a light touch. She would go the right direction eventually and I would reward her with a cessation of the tap-tap and a good neck rubbing, but she wasn't accepting it with good humor, so I left it alone for awhile and worked on other stuff.

I haven't picked it up for a couple of months, but tonight wanted to take a break from the usual routine so thought I'd try it again. Interestingly she will stand calmly parallel to the picnic table when I'm standing on the bench, but I taught her that easily by just leading her forward as I stepped up on the bench. She doesn't have to swing her body around with that method.
I think it's the training stick (aka a whip, but whip sounds more like a weapon than an arm extension tool) that annoyed her initially.

So this evening I climbed up on the fence and made a request to her to sidepass over to me and she did it with willingness and a pleasant demeanor. I gave her a good rubbing (one of her favorite things in life. Especially her ears).

We repeated it a few times with the same good cheer, and I took my free leg and rubbed her back with it and over on her right side back and forth, touching her from shoulder to flank. She was good with all that, so I unstraddled the fence, and hung my right leg over her barrel even more, and she was still good with it.

I just about nearly put my weight on her,it was so so tempting!
But I withheld the urge, because the timing was not perfect and I learned my lesson with the saddle. I want her completely relaxed and so used to every incremental change that it's all stress free.
And I didn't have a helmet on. A very important point.

We're getting there and I'm loving every step.

 

[flowerbug]

who likes being poked or tapped? like the finger poke in the sternum, even if done lightly repeatedly enough it gets rather irksome. i'm glad you listened and learned.

 

[thistlebloom]

Her basic nature is defensive and reactive and she doesn't like being told what to do. She challenges leadership. This aspect of her personality is mellowing as she discovers that I can be trusted to not hurt her or let anything eat her.
I will still use the whip to tap. It's a useful cue for different teaching applications that she will learn and accept willingly as her confidence in me grows. It's just a matter of time and patience.

 

[so lucky]

Just getting caught up with this great thread. What patience you have, Thistle! If nothing else, you may just have to ride her bareback. I can see that!