Post by bellajack on Mar 17, 2007 21:16:06 GMT -1
I did a lot of Parelli with Jack and Bella before I backed them and, among other things, it involves a lot of going backwards.
Bella thinks that she is the cleverest pony in the world and constantly strives to prove it. (In actual fact she is not, Jack is, but I daren't tell her that).
On about the 3rd time I climbed aboard her, out in the field for the 1st time, I gave her her due reward for standing still (a mint, she wont move until she gets one which is great for teaching them to stand until you get on without any in your pocket!) and asked her to walk on. She immediately went into reverse. I resisted my almost overwhelming impulse to reinforce the forward aid, as experience told me it was too soon for her to be deliberately being disobedient; that comes later!
While debating with myself what on earth was going on and was she going to stop before her rear end connected with the electric fence, which would definitely reinforce the forward aid for me, it suddenly dawned on me that she felt as though she was really concentrating on something. I looked behind and some distance away there was a pole on the ground. We had done a lot of going backwards over and around things in hand, so I sat still and waited to see what would happen.
Sure enough she kept going until she had backed over the pole with all 4 feet, then she stopped and waited for the praise to be heaped upon her. I told her that she was brilliant, guessing what I was going to ask her to do like that (I wasn't but that's irrelevant).
I called my OH, David, over to watch and asked her to walk forward over the pole then halted some distance away, dropped the reins onto her neck and asked her to move in a non-specific way. She duly backed all the way back over the pole and then stopped expectantly. We both told her that she was wonderful, which she is, and then I asked her to walk on and she went off pleased as punch and smug as a bug!
Had I given in to my 1st impulse and got after her, not only would she have felt hurt, indignant and demoralized, but it would have confirmed her worst fears that I am of inferior intellect to her and that she should be giving the orders, not me. As it is she still suspects this to be true, but I don't think that I have done anything to prove it to her - yet!!!
Bella thinks that she is the cleverest pony in the world and constantly strives to prove it. (In actual fact she is not, Jack is, but I daren't tell her that).
On about the 3rd time I climbed aboard her, out in the field for the 1st time, I gave her her due reward for standing still (a mint, she wont move until she gets one which is great for teaching them to stand until you get on without any in your pocket!) and asked her to walk on. She immediately went into reverse. I resisted my almost overwhelming impulse to reinforce the forward aid, as experience told me it was too soon for her to be deliberately being disobedient; that comes later!
While debating with myself what on earth was going on and was she going to stop before her rear end connected with the electric fence, which would definitely reinforce the forward aid for me, it suddenly dawned on me that she felt as though she was really concentrating on something. I looked behind and some distance away there was a pole on the ground. We had done a lot of going backwards over and around things in hand, so I sat still and waited to see what would happen.
Sure enough she kept going until she had backed over the pole with all 4 feet, then she stopped and waited for the praise to be heaped upon her. I told her that she was brilliant, guessing what I was going to ask her to do like that (I wasn't but that's irrelevant).
I called my OH, David, over to watch and asked her to walk forward over the pole then halted some distance away, dropped the reins onto her neck and asked her to move in a non-specific way. She duly backed all the way back over the pole and then stopped expectantly. We both told her that she was wonderful, which she is, and then I asked her to walk on and she went off pleased as punch and smug as a bug!
Had I given in to my 1st impulse and got after her, not only would she have felt hurt, indignant and demoralized, but it would have confirmed her worst fears that I am of inferior intellect to her and that she should be giving the orders, not me. As it is she still suspects this to be true, but I don't think that I have done anything to prove it to her - yet!!!
