Re: RC: Discipline timing..was Re: helmets

[Dbeverly4@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/8/00 3:06:16 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
tondi313@yahoo.com writes:

<< >I then go find a very steep hill
 > > and ride it up and down until my gelding gets the
 > > message that spooking at birds is NOT O.K.< >>

I don't know what the answer to the spooking thing is.  I just know that 
horses do spook -- its kind of inherent in them.  I don't think they have the 
kind of rational thinking that will allow them to say "Gee, I spooked, now I 
have to go up and down a hill a bunch of times, let's not do THAT again".  
(Training would be a heck of a lot easier if they could think that way 
though!).  I ride frequently with a friend who smacks her Arab on the neck 
(or elsewhere) with a crop when he spooks.  Funny thing....the horse has 
gotten even more spooky and incorporated a nifty little 180 manuver into the 
whole program.  My older horse (14 yo) Harca just doesn't spook much.  My 
youngster, Star (5 yo) does this "flinch in place" thing.  I've found that if 
I comfort him after he "flinches" (ok, sometimes its a spook :)  He settles 
really fast and the spookiness is pretty much being outgrown (never 
completely, I'm sure).  Sometimes I feel that he spooks just out of 
playfulness and youthful exuberance -- so then we ride a little longer that 
day :))  Just my thoughts on the "spooky Ayrab thing" :))

Sylvia