|
|
Post by brookes on Jun 24, 2015 14:42:11 GMT -1
The Dales I ride is very genuine friendly willing and forward going (if he thinks what he's doing is worth while,) I've hunted him and he's fantastic safe and forward, hacking anywhere interesting in company he's the same, not as cheerful as hunting but still pretty chipper.
Unfortunately he seems to think any other activity is frightfully dull and really not worth the hassle and while here make some vague effort and conciliatory cooperation he soon seems to get bored when he'll get slower and slower and then stop.
He's quite polite about this as he grinds to a halt sighing and gazing at the view hoping that I'll grasp his polite hints and decide to give up and do something he likes instead. He does the same about hacking alone although I think this might be more due to nerves, quite reluctant and if things get too scary grinding to a halt unless I get off and lead him past the scary part.
I've done a small amount of schooling and if it's kept brief, often extremely brief, he's quite obliging but not so obliging that you might get the impression he's doing anything but doing you a huge favour. He feels pretty similar about ground work, unless it involves food in which case he's significantly keener. I've got friends who are very keen on agility but he seems to view it too as exposing himself to pointless hazards and although he'll subject himself to each obstacle once he then gets increasingly fed up (usually I quit while I'm ahead but if coerced even quite lightly he gets increasingly comotosed until he stops completely).
Any suggestions for motivating him to actually want to school, hack alone or do similar dull/dangerous activities?
|
|
|
|
Post by maggie on Jun 24, 2015 15:49:50 GMT -1
Convincing a Dales to do something he thinks is pointless is ....................pretty pointless!  He has a pony brain, so you need to be out-thinking him all the time to get him to see the point in doing the pointless thing. Sounds like food is your boy's motivation (how unusual!), so try making exercises fun and rewarding. I would only be feeding him when a schooling session is finished and finished on a good note, so no routine morning and evening feeds, if this is what you are doing. Hacking out alone can be because he's worried on his own or it might be because he can, without knowing him it's not possible to say. The Dales default on scary stuff can be to stop and stare rather than run away, so it may be this. How is he when you've led him past and get back on? His age and how much of the world he has seen will be big factors in finding the way to have him enjoy working with you. Good luck |
|
|
|
Post by valerie n scout on Jun 24, 2015 19:21:18 GMT -1
My old Dales would only go the way he wanted WHEN he wanted... |
|
|
|
Post by harveydales on Jun 25, 2015 5:02:24 GMT -1
Maggie has summed it up very well and I can't think of much more to add! The trouble is our ponies are too intelligent! My Harvey needs lots of variety. I've had him 14 years and he is so bored of hacking at home that I now trailer him all over the place to ride with various friends - even this is wearing thin now because we're running out of new places to explore.
I thought of agility too but Harvey is the sort who is/pretends to be scared of strange obstacles and grinds to a halt or runs backwards at speed. Schooling wise, even though we used to do very well at dressage, he gets bored and I've found introducing a little jump or 2 in the arena motivates him and then he can be schooled without realising. Also he loves lateral work, even if he can't do all the moves correctly, he loves attempting them. Anything to test their brain - Harvey loves puzzles.
The other thing I did was join our local endurance group so he can have faster, hunt-like rides in groups which motivates him - some times too much!
The last couple of weeks I haven't been able to do much with him and he's been getting slower and grumpy in the field. So I booked a half hour SJ practice session the other day and he loved it. He's a different pony again.
|
|
|
|
Post by brookes on Jun 25, 2015 9:04:10 GMT -1
Maggie I think your spot on sadly! Perhaps I should have entitled this help my pony is smarter than me (and better at training me not to do things than I am at training him to do things) it doesn't help that he's so reasonable and polite about it. What sort of excercises do you think he might enjoy schooling wise and do you think I should involve food during the session or only afterwards? He gets dinner normally after he's ridden anyway but I have to admit this is normally a hack am trying to gear myself up to having a go at convincing him schooling is fun but thought I'd try and get some tips before I started. Hacking I think your probably right he hasn't seen as much of the world as he should have and although he's fine with all but the heaviest of traffic in company (when he's a bit nervous but doesn't really do anything) without the security of another horse he's not that happy. If I lead him past and get on again he'll proceed slowly and reluctantly until we meet another insurmountable obstacle, odd shaped tree, scary lamb, stray child, when he'll stop to be led past again or politely suggest that now might be an excellent time to go home he might point in that direction as if suggesting I've taking him out and got lost and need him to guide me back. If I try getting cross with him he gives me a look as if I've gone slightly barmy and the best thing to do is stand very still and contemplate life until I'm willing to be reasonable again, he's very patient. Maybe Valerie most Dales are born knowing that there much brighter than humans and need to guide them through life, with their imput politely considered but generally ignored! HD I might see if lateral work is more appealing to him, it might well be as the only bit in agility he seemed to like was the pole maze I suppose it's is whether he gets to engage his brain. I think the trailering about would suit him too as would the endurance type rides, our trailer being refloored at the moment but once sorted I think he'd enjoy that. I haven't jumped him much only over logs or ditches which he's cheerful about as he seems them as obstacles he needs to overcome to continue his hack (and proudly leaps them) but he seems to view showjumps as anther area where I'm a lunatic attempting to get him to expend energy going over an obstacle he could quite easily go round. Will definitely see if he'll take to lateral work though, Bird would probably tell Harvey not to bother with agility why endanger your life for no gain  |
|
|
|
Post by dalesnfellfan on Jun 25, 2015 17:01:54 GMT -1
If he is food orientated how about trying clicker training, I've started it with Connie and she loves it, will do anything for a single Lucy nut.
She also loves to please and work things out and come up with solutions, last week in our lesson we were working on shortening and lengthening her stride over trotting poles, she is long striding so had no problem cutting one stride out but couldn't shorten enough to fit an extra stride in. So after 2 attempts through the poles on the 3rd go she stopped before the last pole, very deliberately lifted her leg and pushed the pole further away with her hoof and fitted another stride in. She had cottoned on to what I was asking her to do and said " I can do this if we move the pole out a bit".
They are definitely very bright.
|
|
|
|
Post by Debbie on Jun 27, 2015 14:40:52 GMT -1
LOL, Connie's illustrated that beautiful Dales pony mind. I shared it with a horsey/mule friend and she was gobsmacked. "Do you think the pony really knew what it was doing?" Oh yes! This is what I've tried to explain to Americans, but they simply don't comprehend the agile pony mindset. If you can frame it so he thinks it's his idea, and it's fun, so much the better. Could you possibly dovetail the schooling exercises in hacking sessions? Perhaps you could explain to your friends what you'd like to do and you could all practice different schooling techniques on a hack out? Not a lot of schooling of course, just maybe one or two tiny exercises partway through the hack so the pony won't object  |
|
|
|
Post by dalesnfellfan on Jun 27, 2015 16:18:51 GMT -1
Yes, I'm sure she knew exactly what she was doing Debbie, Sam thought so too, she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing, she is very quick to weigh up what's wanted and work out how to deliver it, even if it's not quite what I had in mind.
Although she was advertised as a Dales X the man I bought her from thought she could be pure Dales, just not registered and now she has muscled up she is looking much more Dales, either way she definitely has the Dales character and mentality.
|
|
|
|
Post by maggie on Jun 29, 2015 21:27:48 GMT -1
Sorry Brookes, I haven't been on here since my first reply. Personally, I never feed during a session, just afterwards. One thing I've found works is to keep taking them by surprise - so lots of changes of direction, transitions and pace, have a small cross-pole in one corner and ask him to jump it every so often, walk to canter, trot to halt, figures of 8 and serpentines, spiralling in and out etc. Keep the sessions short and always finish on a good note, if something isn't working, do something easy that he does well and finish there.
Remember too that you can school as you're hacking out.
Good luck
|
|
|
|
Post by yanny on Jul 3, 2015 10:20:01 GMT -1
I had a cob who was just like this but more volatile (he'd rear or buck if you pushed him!) and I found teaching him new things really helped. I think these "lazy" horses are actually really intelligent most of the time, and they have a good point. Why get excited over work? I taught mine walk to canter and he became so enthusiastic about it (trot to canter either took half an hour of attempts or just would not happen!) that he would arch his neck and snort, prancing about and hotting up! He also loved lateral work so I second that. Have you tried pole work? And I was going to suggest jumping but it sounds like he doesn't enjoy it...maybe he hasn't done it enlught to realise it's fun? My lad didn't like it when I first got him and would crash through the tiniest cross pole but now he gets really excited and it gets him really lively and responsive. I sometimes found lunging would help before I got on as it got him into a forward thinking mindset. Just keep trying different things, poles, obstacles, opening gates, halt to trot, walk to canter etc. make it fun and interesting for him.  |
|
|
|
Post by nedales on Jul 5, 2015 23:33:10 GMT -1
Clicker is really fun with savvy Dales. They are so up for games and have elephant memories. Recommend Alexandra Kurland's work if interested. CT is how we spend our 'locked-in' winters -which means anything from learning how to deliver an all-done feed tub over the door to perfecting a free walk under saddle.
|
|
