Practice Just Hanging Out
Practice
Now, we feel that you have acquired enough Awareness and Knowledge to actually begin the Transformation.
It’s time to go out and practice what you’ve learned from the videos. Either inside or outside depending on what type of horse you have (which you learned on Day 2).
If you want to listen to one of the podcasts while doing so, this is a good time to do it! We suggest the following:
The importance of a Passing Grade podcast, episode 59
A reminder of how to use this course: click on Mark Complete below and tomorrow you will move on to Day 5.
I picked this up this for my younger horse who I’m just restarting to give her a better experience of humans than she’s had before, & finding so much new too for my older “black belt” horse who I went through the original WS plan with years ago & thought I knew pretty well. Thank you Warwick, for all the journey over the last 8 years & still to come
I love the fact that every time I listen to these videos or podcasts I pick up something new. I have just lost my old boy that I had for 22 years and have a delightful young horse to work with at the moment. I am learning and appreciating so much and it’s so much fun to be on this journey together. I just listened to the importance of a passing grade and it really spoke to me about some of the corners that we inadvertently cut. I’m going to be more aware with my new boy.
This is an interesting podcast. I have done matching steps and just hanging out with him. I had started walking my horse on a lead daily for at least an hour to create a better connection. I would go into his stall and he would come to me and want to go with me. It seemed to be going great, for a while; but then he just started stopping and didn’t want to walk any more. I got him to do small circles so he would want to walk away from that spot and continue on. That seemed to fix the problem for a few days; but then it started again. He is now reluctant to leave the stable with me now. I feel like I am constantly failing to listen to my horse or do the right things to help him.
“I had started walking my horse on a lead daily for at least an hour to create a better connection. ”
This part is about travelling together, with emphaisis on the “together’. If she stops and stands, you are still together. The video you are replying on is “practice just hanging out”, If he stops, just hang out. If he goes, go with him
When do you feel comfortable starting your horse under saddle? I have my 19 month old that I bought when he was 8 days old. He is growing every which way. I know they are still growing a lot at 2, however everyone at my barn starts them when they turn 2. I wanted to wait until he is 3. Still doing tons of stuff until then- he already knows more than most his age. Everyone seems like they are expecting me to start him at 2. Just curious as to your thoughts. I’m sure you’re going to say go with my instinct, lol.
Istarted Chance when he was 4
Good stuff. The first question about being sour when grooming was quite applicable to my mare. I had a recent incident just before I started this course. I had a good ride on my mare the day before and I went to saddle her the next day, the ears disappeared as I was tightening the girth. I don’t girth up quickly so I stopped. I knew something was up although didn’t quite know what it was. I was concerned it might be s I addle fit. Said something to my friends who were there and we discussed what could be the issue. I tried to girth up three more times and got the same reaction. At that point I figured things were NOT going to go well if I got on, so I pulled the saddle.
One of the friends was amazed and couldn’t understand why I just didn’t get on. Told her, because I know what my mare can do, I didn’t feel like dying and wanted to see my next birthday. I just had a gut feeling it was not going to be a good ride. After the saddle was off I ran my fingers down each side of her back and when I got back to the spot her ovaries are located, the ears disappeared again. This was on the left and there was no reaction on the right. She has painful heat cycles and since I had horrible cramps when I was younger, I totally could relate.
Interestingly after that day (she lives in a pasture with three other horses) she has started coming to down to greet me. She will sometimes canter down to see me. Prior to this she would not leave her friends.
It really does work to pay attention to them. Excited to continue on this journey.
I practiced just hanging out in a new paddock together and my horse grazed for about 10 minutes, before getting zoomies and trotted/cantered around the yard and got quite sweaty. Is that normal behaviour?
Also how do you know when you are ready to move on from the hanging out step?
Usually you will hang out where they live, you said it was a new paddock?
It may not jhave had anything to do with you being there, he may have done it in the new paddock anyway.
You’d like to hang out until your presence doesnt bother them any more, they may even come up and start to hang out with you.
I love Waterhole Rituals by Carol Resnick. Her story is fascinating. I read it several years ago. I hang out with my herd often. After reading everyone’s comments, I’m a little confused. I understand this is about having no expectations or asks of my horse, hust simply being there. However, is it also about balancing the draw/drive concept? If he comes over and leaves, is that considered a balance? Basically I’m trying to determine what is the sign to move on? He almost always comes up to me to engage with me for scratches. He puts his head on my shoulder and nicely draws me closer to scratch his withers. I have had him since he was 5 months old. He is now 7 yrs old. It’s just a thing we do. I oblige him and then walk away. He typically doesn’t follow.
You are ready to move on. This exercise is mostly a lesson in patience from the person.
I believe Boaz and I are ready to move to the next step? Boaz is very clingy and pushy. Other family members and I have been sitting outside his pen then walking away when Boaz walks off and yesterday he ignored my daughter and today he ignored me-he did look at us but went about his own thing. I am a bit confused what should be the next step. Do I halter him then hold the lead rope through the panel bars and just stand there for 2 hours like Mary did? :)
Thank you!
Has he ignored you 3 days in a row, or just ignored you once? I wouldnt go to the next step until this part is solid
HI-
I went to the pasture yesterday and did the step matching exercise with my mare and had a really interesting herd dynamic happen. Sorry for the long story…but wanted to share the full dynamic.
My mares are pastured with two other horses which are not mine. I know them all well and am confident that I am safe in pasture with them, but don’t usually interact with the other two horses. I’ve had both of my mares for 2 years, both trained to ride, both excellent on the ground, both a bit anxious in the saddle. I’m working through this program to get to the bottom of the saddle anxiety.
When I went to the pasture, Maple walked away from me and Chocolate came up to say hi, so I decided to work with Chocolate. I was step matching with Chocolate, who is 2nd to bottom of the herd hierarchy in this group. We did this for about 1/2 an hour.
At about 1/2 an hour, the lead mare (not mine) and her 2nd in charge (Maple…my other mare), took off at a dead gallop to the other end of the pasture. They were followed by CiCi, the bottom mare. Chocolate picked up her head, watched them run off, then chose to continue to hang out by me. She slowly made her way to the other horses, but stopped to graze several times, while I continued to step-match with her. The others were clearly taken aback that Chocolate didn’t go haring off with them.
When we were about 1/2 way across the pasture, the two top mares came charging back to us, herded Chocolate away from me and sent her down to the end of the pasture. Then they came around to me, with lots of energy, as if to herd me down there, too. As they came toward me, they seemed to suddenly realize that they didn’t get to herd the humans, so they kicked up their heels and headed back to the end of the pasture, where all the horses were now gathered.
My question is, should I be pulling my horse out into individual space when I work on connection, so as not to interfere with the herd dynamic, or is it ok to do this work in the herd? (Maple does sometimes get nippy with Chocolate when Maple is getting attention and Chocolate approaches…I’ve never before seen her chase Chocolate off, not to get attention herself, but just to get Chocolate to join the rest of the herd).
I would.
Do we always let the horse dictate the pass/fail? For instance, if I am working with my horse in the riding ring and I open the gate to walk him in/out, when we first walk out, he resists because he does not want to leave the riding ring, but I push him out and we turn around and circle the ring and do this several times until he does it willingly. When he is listening to me and calm, that is where we end the lesson. I know he can do it, but alot of the time his first response is no, I don’t want to.
“Do we always let the horse dictate the pass/fail? ”
Im not sure what this means
What I hear you say is to pay attention to what the horse is telling us. If he is saying he is not ready for the next step, then go back to step one. If my horse is not ready to leave the riding ring, then I go back to ground work?? I’m a little confused. If my horse figures out that all he has to do is put up a little resistance then he does not have to leave the riding ring, then he will always put up a little resistance. With the 50′ trail ride, do I push him to go out the gate, even if he is resisting a little, going a little bit further each time, pushing him just to that point before he gets too uncomfortable for him and then bringing him back into the riding ring.
” If my horse is not ready to leave the riding ring”
Tell me more about this, most horses have the opposite problem.