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Re: [RC] Spooking and punishment - JL ThompsonAh, see....this is what I was thinking, and why I asked my question. I've done both -- ignored the spook (and the intense pain in my foot) and after a few times, tried quickly punishing him for the spook (only when it involved jumping on me). I still don't know what is right here. I guess I could just play the whole thing safe and only hand walk him in very familiar areas, like the arena, so he doesn't get surprised by anything. And like someone else told me privately, invest in some steel toed boots! LOL I think all this time in an enclosed space is making him more spooky and leery of the outside world. This is a horse that just last year ACED a police de-sensitization course. Flapping tarps, flags, mylar balloons...he could not have cared less about any of that stuff. Now he's jumping out of his skin at the slightest strange sight or noise. Arrghh! Jennifer -----Original Message----- From: Lif Strand <lif@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Jul 12, 2004 9:10 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] Spooking and punishment At 09:13 PM 7/12/2004, Ed & Wendy Hauser wrote: My feeling is that the invasion of space (which is dangerous, obviously) trumps the spook. The rebuke should be instant, effective and short. A whip of the lead rope at his nose, a quick slap with a whip carried in the other hand can be used. Getting mad usually results in a punishment that instead of lasting < 1 second, lasts > 30 seconds. After he no longer spooks into you, you can start on a program designed to despook, but not before.
Why I disagree with Ed (with respect to 'true" spooks, even if they involve
invasions of space):
I believe in the Golden Rule when it comes to horses (I do unto them as I
would have done unto me). I have actually had the experience of walking
down the road and as I was about to step over a (dead) rattlesnake, I saw
it and literally launched myself straight up into the air and to the side,
happened to smash into the person I was walking with. It was a totally
involuntary response - I was as surprised as my friend that I had done
that. I'm still amazed that I could get myself airborn like that!
I've had people talk to me when I wasn't expecting it and spilled my coffee
in surprise. The coffee goes where it will - sometimes on the person who
surprised me.
I've reached out to grab something and felt something
furry/fuzzy/moving/slimy/wrong and snatched my hand back without even
thinking about it. My hand has then smacked into other things - generally
resulting in a black and blue bruise on my hand, but maybe a black and blue
bruise on another person if they were close enough.
One time I had my head poked under a desk and someone was kneeling next to
me with her head poked next to mine trying to see as well, and I I saw
something move (or thought I did) and I jerked back and smacked into her
head with mine. Ouch!
These are all examples of things that have happened to me that could be
called spooking. I can tell you that if I was rebuked instantly, whipped
on my nose or quickly slapped for those events just because I invaded
someone's space, I'd get resentful very quickly. Rebuke is for a voluntary
behavior. Rebuke for an involuntary response seems to me to belong on the
list of Very Bad Ideas.
________________________________
Lif Strand fasterhorses.com
Quemado NM USA
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