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- Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!noao!stsci!scivax!rewald
- From: rewald@stsci.edu
- Subject: Re: help with immature arabian
- Message-ID: <1992Nov20.132909.1@stsci.edu>
- Lines: 43
- Sender: news@stsci.edu
- Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
- References: <1ej3ksINNi2d@bigboote.WPI.EDU>
- Distribution: na
- Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 18:29:09 GMT
-
- In article <1ej3ksINNi2d@bigboote.WPI.EDU>, broberts@bigwpi.WPI.EDU
- (broberts) writes:
- .background deleted
- > she needs.. she has picked up a bad habit.. when we are done working
- > out and i am taking the bridle off, she clenches her teeth so that the
- > bit clanks around in her mouth and this scares her so she starts
- > jumping around and usually ends up breaking a piece of tack or a
- ...
- Maybe you could start out by teaching her to lower her head for you
- whenever you ask. Once she stops sticking her head up (I assume you can't
- reach the crown of the bridle with her head up), take the bridle off by
- holding the bit securely with one hand (so it doesn't bump her mouth) , and
- reaching up with the other hand to slip the crown over her ears. DON'T let
- the bit bump around in her mouth - she's probably pretty sensitive, and
- could be why you have this problem. Also, try not to bang her teeth or gums
- when putting the bridle on.
- >
- > another thing i was wondering about is, those of you who have arabs..
- > how do your horses react to new things.. mine becomes a ball of taught
- > muscles and wont relax until at least a few minutes later when she has
- > discovered that it wont eat her.. i know its not because she was ever
- ...more background deleted
- How old is your horse? Shogun is a kind of fearful arab, or so I thought.
- As he gets older, he is getting less afraid. I do have to have "sessions"
- with him, (feed bags, big blue tarps and rustling plastic or paper are his
- big triggers), but he is going longer between de-sensitization sessions. He
- will be 7 in april, and given some other changes, I really think it has to do
- with his maturity level. But you have to be firm - talking in a pleading
- tone of voice seems to reinforce the idea that he should be scared of something.
- I sometimes have to growl a "walk up", and after once or twice, he is usually
- willing to ignore whatever was giving him a problem.
- You might also be promoting the problem by your tension. Sometimes, if
- I anticipate a shy, I tense myself so I won't fall off. My horse feels the
- tension, and says to himself "uh-oh, there's danger", and rewards me with
- a shy! Not the kind of training I meant to do! If I strengthen my aids
- to send him forward, he says "uh-oh, no fooling around", and goes past the
- monster (He might scoot past the first time or so, but since he's going
- forward, he has a harder time shying.)
- >
- > thanks for any reply.
- > -jen
- I hope some of this helps!
- Rosalie & Shogun
-