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Re: [RC] horses won't drink - Barbara McCrary

On the other hand, the trainer I use and like so much uses carrots all the time.  For example, if a horse is one of those that cannot stand to be left by a buddy horse by so much as 50 feet, she pulls out a carrot to draw the horse's attention to HER, not the buddy horse.  Gradually, over a period of time and lots of rides with another person on another horse, she overcame her mount's fear of being left behind.  She keeps a pocket full of carrots with her on every training ride.  On principle it seems like a bad idea, but in practice it works very well.
 
Barbara McCrary
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Typef
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 8:26 AM
Subject: Re: [RC] horses won't drink

This trick is working for me also with my new Arabian mare. She's 11 and been on her own for the last 6 years and never been ridden in her life. She just got back from 90 days at the trainer and is very rideable now but she's a sensitive thing and fearful of everything (was abused in a past life). I had a dickens of a time getting anywhere near her feet by myself to doctor a bad case of scratches and the first time after I brought her home a friend helped me do it. I nicknamed our sessions "The Medicine Dance" since we went through contortions for every set of the operation, shampooing, picking, washing, drying and medicating. After two days of trying to do it by myself without much success, I got out a little bag of Equine Senior out and every time she remotely stood still, let me touch her leg, anything, I'd give her a few grains and tell her what a good girl she was. The absolute next day she stood perfectly still. I have a clicker and did one day with her with it and she seems like a really good candidate for it. when I get some time, I'm going to work with that again. In the meantime, I've been using the few grains of Equine Senior to help me pet her someplace else besides her head (she moves away from you if you touch her anywhere else), brush her, etc. and things are moving along. My trainer is not for the treat thing and pretty much shook his head at me but I figure I want this horse to be my friend and she has a lot of trust issues. Whatever I can do to become her friend I'm going for it!
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 7:56 AM
Subject: [RC] horses won't drink

 
 

How cute! A bunch of horses standing around in mud puddles looking for
carrots. What would they do if you threw the carrot in the water??

I use horse cookies for rewards in training. After I mount I give them a
cookie. It teaches them to stand for as long as you want after mounting.
It's hard for a horse to walk off when he has his neck bent around getting a
treat. Is great for working with their flexion and stretching. And if you
have a horse with no woe? Try saying woe. Wait till they woe and give them
a cookie. My filly will go from a trot to a dead stop on a woe now. They
try to second guess you after a little bit, but keep the legs on them and
they soon figure it out. I watched a tape called "on target" so figured I'd give the treat reward a try to see how it works. My filly really liked it and worked really well the first time I tried it. The second time I got
on her, I cleared my throat. She stopped. I coughed, she stopped. I couldn't
stop giggling to myself about how she was acting. Was pretty hilarious.  She finally figured out that the word "woe" is what she needed to hear before she got a cookie. I know alot of people would be totally against it, but I like it and they learn 10 times quicker what the right response to a
cue needs to be for a reward. It's a pretty interesting training technique.
Shelley

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Replies
[RC] horses won't drink, Shelley Kerr
Re: [RC] horses won't drink, Typef