Now that you have spent the time to get the Leading With Energy very good on the left, you can go to the right side. Get this side as good as the left before moving on to the next step. This may take 1 day (because they know it well on the left it may take less time to get it on the other side OR it might take twice as long because they are less comfortable with you on that side. That is ok, it takes as long as it takes.)
A reminder how to use this course: click on Mark Complete below and you will move on to Step 21 when you are ready for it unless you started with the Focus & Bend, then you will move to Step 24.
One of my questions was answered while watching this..
Yes, indeed one can keep doing the stuff that must be done (feet, wormer, lead to where you need the equine to be… ride) but THIS work will improve everything, as time goes on and more is worked out.
I have an 11 years old Gypsy cob. He is very sweet, but also very spooky and insecure. That’s why I am restarting him and for one and a half months now I’m busy with the jumpstart program.
All the exercises are going quite well but I have a question about leading with energy. In the arena it’s going very well on both sides but when I am going for a walk outside I,m not sure what the best position for me is. Because he is spooky outside, I’m doubting whether I be in the leading with energy position, or maybe to keep my horse behind me. He can walk with me in both positions, but since I’m living in the Netherlands and we have had a lot of rain for a lot of months, there is grass everywhere when I go for a walk outside. That also makes him nervous because he wants to go to the grass the whole time. I watch the instruction videos about leading on the grass a lot of times. When I’m walking in the leading with energy position he keeps on pulling my arm out of the socket. I allow him to go to the grass just like you shown in the instruction video, and he connects much better when I ask him to walk with me again. But when I allow him, I have to allow him almost every meter because he keeps on focusing on the grass the whole time. When I keep him behind me, there is much more slack in the rope so he walks better with me, because he can also sneak some grass while walking.
So what is your advice when I go out for a walk? I’m as far in the jumpstart program that’s I’m training him now in different areas so that’s why I start walking with him outside.
I’m really happy with this 30 days jumpstart program. I was a member before but got a bit lost because of all the information there was. This is working really well now, We have done the exercises before, but we are now very much more precise with it 👍🏻😊
Thank you
Judith
“When I’m walking in the leading with energy position he keeps on pulling my arm out of the socket. I allow him to go to the grass just like you shown in the instruction video”
In the instruction video, they are not “pulling my arm out of my socket”.
You have to decide do you want him to come with you, or do you want to go with him. You cannot do both. Id suggest not doing the leading with energy around the grass UNLESS you are totally prepared to have him respond to that.
I last wrote about my horse, Cadillac, a 6 year old, not speeding up with me as I move faster (with me on his left side). You said to use the flag to speed him up. I saw that illustrated by Robyn in the next video I watched, Leading with Energy on the Right Side. Well, Cadillac is now basically numb to the moving of the flag or even tickling him under his belly. When I first started with Leading with Energy on his left side, I only had to look behind me and wave the flag a limited number of times, but he did react to the flag. I did not need to use the flag too much in the beginning because he would usually begin moving when I pivoted and now almost always moves his feet before I move my feet. Of course, I must make sure he is Standing Still and Present. As I work on his right-side things are not progressing very well. In 3 days of practice, he moved around me twice when I pivoted. Nothing else. Waving the flag does nothing. It is as if he is posing for a portrait. He licks and chews and is present. If I try his left side, he moves. Cadillac is a ranch horse and a trained team roping horse. I have owned him since September, 2024 and recently I have been doing most everything on the Right or Off Side: saddling, mounting, leading him (as much as possible). He has no issues with the Right or Off Side. I need help!
Ok, then switch to doing Focus and bend, and get the flag working again.
I started off with focus and bend. We accomplished that on both sides with walking, then we would trot. We went to leading with energy and we can do both sides, but I am now having issues with each one. When we do focus and bend he will go around me a couple of times walking or trotting, but comes back in, I will send him out again and he will walk around and then come back in, I will use the flag but it is like he is not paying any attention to the flag anymore, when we first started he paid very close attention, but now when I try to make him trot around on the focus and bend he is having none of it.
With the leading with energy, he does it, but when I start to get more energy so he will go faster or trot by me he falls behind and once again, using the flag to flick at him does nothing.
I am flicking the flag at him, making it bigger and bigger but most of the time he stands there with his head high and not moving.
:but now when I try to make him trot around on the focus and bend he is having none of it.”
What does “having none of it” mean? What exactly does he do?
When we are doing focus and bend, after we have done it a couple of times, and I try to get him to trot longer with it he comes back in, I try to send him out, but he just stands there, regardless of the movement of the flag. He does not move, no matter how big the flag gets.
On the leading with energy, I feel he is sometimes paying attention to my energy, but when I try to get more energy for him to walk faster or trot beside me, I feel like he lags behind or is in my space and once again, I flick the flag, and it does nothing no matter how big of a flickering.
“He does not move, no matter how big the flag gets.”
Check your posture and energy. Make sure you are stepping toward him, and leaning toward him. Any shrinking back will cancel out the energy of the flag. Prop your phone up somewhere and video yourself.
“I feel like he lags behind or is in my space and once again, I flick the flag, and it does nothing no matter how big of a flickering.”
I would not be trying this as the flag HAS to work for this to work, and in FAB its not working.
After watching the video with you and Chance on trotting I think I am not doing anything with my energy to get him to trot, but to start focus and bend, it is like after he does it a couple of times is when he just stands there and will not move, but I think maybe when he does it the couple of times I need to get my energy up trotting and see if he will trot along. I am probably not explaining this very well.
Focus and Bend-we do it a couple of times on both sides walking. Then I send him back out, he will do it, but then he comes back in and just stands there while I am trying to get him to go back out doing the steps and flicking the flag, no matter how hard I flick he does not move.
But if we are doing it the first couple of times, I am the one that is at fault because I am not bringing my energy up to get him to trot, so I will try that and see if it is better and of course, if you have any suggestions with the other, him just standing there and no matter how big my energy gets with the flag he does nothing.
Dont worry about the trot until he reads your energy and intent perfectly at the start of the walk.