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dfboothe
Registered: 06/01/09
Posts: 2

09/12/09 at 02:26 PM

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Hey Mr. Tim sorry i haven't been in touch, they took that rod out of my leg,

i started riding chili again and he hasn't had his stops that he dad before, idk if i'm doing something wrong ot not.

any tips you could gove me?

Dylan Boothe

Tim

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Registered: 08/12/08
Posts: 279

09/12/09 at 05:20 PM

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Remember, since Chili had such bad habits, when you ride him, you need to do a quick review of his new lessons so that he operates under the new rules instead of the old ones. You won't be able to just hop on and go straight to cantering for a while because you have to continue to work him attitude first so that he doesn't become worried and get flighty which is what causes his stop to go away on you.

It's not really his stop he's having trouble with. Of course, that's speculation on my part because you didn't say if he was working soft or not but if he was working soft, his stop would be there. So I'm gonna assume it's a speed rate issue.

If you've gone back to holding pressure on the bit to rate his speed, he's gonna go back to trying to build speed and his stop will be non existent. So you're gonna have to back up and do some speed rate work.

That's the one-rein work. It shouldn't take but a few minutes to remind him that he'll be expected to be responsible for his own speed. At first you'll start at the standstill, with a completely.... C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E-L-Y slack rein and dare him to walk off... If/When he does, one rein stop to a full stop then, immediately, the completely slack rein again and if/when he walks off, do it again and again until he understands that he's not to walk off unless you ask him to. If I want you to move... I'll ask you to move. But we're not going to hold him still with the bit... Because that's where all your problems with Chili come from.

Don't worry if you have to do it several times because the more you do it, the more reluctant he'll become about moving forward without a clear cue from you.

The key is to be able to trust him not to do anything that you didn't ask him to do and he needs to be able to trust you that you will let him know when you want something and that there's no point in doing anything that you didn't ask him to do... and that goes for everything.

The cue for getting him to stand and do nothing is.... Not asking him to do anything. The 'standstill' cue is NOT holding him still with the bit, the cue to stand still is a completely slack rein and no leg pressures or voice commands. He'll soon learn that when you want something, you'll ask for it, until then, he's not to do anything more than what you've asked. If he won't standstill when you throw him the rein, that's a good time to work on his backup. Every time he takes a step when he's supposed to be standing still, have him back up enthusiastically, lower his head, soften on the bit, then give him a chance to stand still on a completely slack rein again. That's really good for any horse. Two lessons for the price of one.

Then we'll do the speed rate work at a walk. Chili's had lots of this so he'll recognize the routine but if/since you've gone back to holding constant pressure on the bit, he's gone back to ignoring it. So, make sure the rein is slack and ask him to walk off. The rein should already be slack because he should be standing still on a slack rein. Until he'll stand still on a slack rein, there's no point in going to the walk. Then we'll work on the one-rein stop at the trot. After he's consistently walking on a slack rein without building speed, we'll do the same at the trot but instead of bending him to a stop, we'll bend him to a walk every time he builds speed at the trot, then once he's walking on a slack rein again, we'll ask him to trot and repeat until he's trotting, relaxed, on a slack rein.

Once he's remembered those lessons, we'll go back to the canter but we'll always work him up through the gears in this manner, with the emphasis on his good, soft, polite attitude, until the old bad habits are mostly gone.

Yes, we do want to do lots of cantering but only if we can work him in a very controlled, soft, polite canter which comes with the speed rate work. Once we're cantering again, you'll go back to the vertical flexion/softness work which he knows well and does well provided that we didn't start him on the reactionary side of his brain.

The review work will only take a few minutes if you're doing it effectively with high expectations. In fact it will take you less time than it took me to describe it, so, start slower, with higher expectations and work up to the canter.

Then, review the stop. Remember, there's not really a stop cue. It's a backup cue, so every time you stop him, don't fully release the presure until he's given you a couple energetic backwards steps and softened in the bit. As soon as you get the enthusiastic backwards steps, release the pressure on the bit to slight which is the cue for lowering the head and softening on the bit, and when he lowers his head and softens to the bit, then you immediately release ALL pressure and let him relax... Then you can do it some more. If he walks forward when you throw slack in the rein, back him up again, lower head, soften to the bit. Don't pick the rein up, or hold slight pressure on it to keep him from walking off. That will confuse him and teach him just the opposite of what we want him to learn. Throw that slack and dare him to walk off. The more he tries to walk off, the more training opportunities you get and the sooner he'll learn the lesson.

But work the stop (backup) from a walk til it's solid before you go to the trot... Then the trot til it's solid before you go to the canter.

He knows the routine so it shouldn't be any problem getting back to it but as long as you're even holding the slightest amount of constant pressure on the bit, you're gonna be fighting with him. He has to know that he'll be expected to do only what you ask when you ask it... Nothing more... Nothing less.

Try that and let me know how it goes. If you're still having problems with it, you can always bring him over here any time you'd like and we'll work on it together. That's the problem with allowing a horse to ever get a bad habit in the first place, or trying to work a horse with a bad attitude... Horses never forget so you have to make sure he's following your rules and habits instead of the rules and habits of the guy before you. Work efficiently and keep your expectations high and he'll get past it pretty soon. If you continue to allow the bad habits and fight with him... He'll never get past it.

And make sure you stay calm/assertive, not agitated/pushy... It'll make a big difference. Slow down and think your way through it and it will come much faster. Always make sure you know exactly what you're saying to your horse and what he's hearing. He don't mind doing whatever you ask but if he's confused, he'll go into self preservation mode and that's where the energetic flighty behavior comes from.

If he's confused... Who's fault is it?

And don't be expecting him to be a pain just because you haven't ridden in a while. He didn't forget his lessons, he's just checking to see if you've forgotten yours. Time off is no excuse for misbehavior in a horse. Always enforce the rules and he'll always follow the rules.

Let me know how it goes.

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dfboothe
Registered: 06/01/09
Posts: 2

09/12/09 at 06:49 PM

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Thanks Mr. Tim,
if it isn't raining tomorrow i'm gonna step up on him, and do what you said,
Hopefully the rain will stop so i can ride and then resume when i'm done with him

next weekend i'm prolly gonna call and ask if i can help you work horses if you don't mind

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