Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hello Nancy,
Ya I forgot treats can work wonders. I always try to have a treat in 
my hand with the bit when I put the headstall on. As the horse goes 
for the treat I lower my hand till the eyes are even with my chest 
and then slip the bit and treat in together and over the ears and 
never a fight.
Don Huston


At 05:52 PM 1/1/2006 Sunday, you wrote:
> I bought a nine year old gelding last spring that the seller 
> described as having "happy feet".  He was so fussy with her under 
> saddle that I wasn't even going to ride him.  She said something 
> like "Oh, you've driven all this way and you've never even ridden a 
> gaited horse, don't you want to just try him?"  Well I rode him and 
> bought him - he's the most remarkably handy mountain horses I've 
> ever owned, just a quick tough little horse, and he's never fidgeted 
> around for me like he did for her.
>
> But, he would hardly stand still to be saddled even when in cross 
> ties in the hall of my barn.
>
> In my other life, I would have considered the solution 
> as  "rewarding bad behavior", but I slipped the saddle quickly on 
> and handed him a treat all in one motion.  The next time I saddled 
> him, he wiggled a little bit.  The third time he stood stock 
> still.  He's been easy to saddle ever since.  It's sort of the idea 
> of catching them when they're doing something right theory.
>
> He was also horrendous to blanket - embarrassed me in ride camp by 
> knocking me flat when I went to put a blanket over him.  Same method 
> - I inched the blanket over his withers and quickly handed him a 
> treat.  He's still a little edgy about the blanket, but he does 
> stand stock still.
>
> He's a smart horse and loves treats and I think he has to come 
> associate standing still with a reward.
>
> Nancy Sturm


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=