Some of Blossom's ''training'' ...

[Debbie]

Sunday, Aug 27, 2007: My 'darling' Blossom and I ran about the field yesterday....thhhhhpppbbbttt....mid day sun too. I thought I'd pop in, and just play a little with the electric fence poles. Hey that went well She promptly stomped right over them as much to say 'accomplished'! Great!!!

So I pointed with my arm towards the shade and a pile of hay, and asked her to go over so we could stand in the shade. Silly me, I thought it might be nice to give her some scratchies whilst she munched and we both got out of the heat. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....



She toddled off when I asked, I kept my body language relaxed, we were headed towards the pile exactly as I'd wanted....and then she got the gleam in her eye. I knew it before she'd turned, but my body doesn't move quick anymore. She'd done a rollback on me and scooted to the water trough as much to say 'neh, neh, neh!'

Sooo, I went back for her, disgusted, but here we go. Ditto. At this point, I got my lungewhip from the hay store. I managed to keep her aiming directly for the pile of hay and the shade that I was truly longing for....a l m o s t there and then the gleam, and did a rollback and took off the other direction.



She ran all the way to the top of her little hill, triumphant. No, she wasn't afraid of me, or the lungewhip little cheeky monkey....she was running circles round Mum, and she was gloating over the fact I could only do a little bit of running myself.



She got directed off the hill again, bucking into handstands, and enjoying herself thoroughly, I pointed to the other end of the field. She ran the way I pointed, and I relaxed....and then she reached the gate and planted, lower lip stuck out like a mule, ears tipped back to me as if to say "yeah, what are you going to do?". Snap the lungewhip behind your butt is what I'm going to do! After the second crack, she decided I wasn't going to back off and she bolted forwards again....the gleam in her eye.
...sigh....


Well this time I waited for to stop enroute to the shade and haypile. ( I was sweating heavily in the 90*F heat by this time). She did, and I totally ignored her as I stomped passed ..lungewhip, and electric pole dragging along the ground, and I stood in the much treasured shade, and simply beckoned to her. Game over. Mum's tired of running, and losing, and I'm fed up with being in the sun. Blossom looked surprised . We weren't playing the 'chase me' game anymore. And she came quite happily when I coaxed her again. Silly little girl.



Yep, she's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. I've got to keep thinking of very different ways of getting my point across, although she does better with positive reinforcement, Bill's words are always in the back of my mind with her, "Do not let her think she's gotten away with anything". Indeed.



At this point, I think Blossom's going to do better with leading games anyways, and any ideas I've got of possibly doing lunging/driving will need to be shelved for now. She may come round to the idea, and this Amish fellow up north might indeed know a way to make it all fun for her, but for now, I'm not going to be pushing those buttons.

We'll continue with sacking, and leading through puzzles. Blossom may change in the future, but she's currently in a phase that she seems to need to be led and shown , and she's not a pony that appreciates being driven. Its not just me, she did the same with Lady Bear, and I daresay she tried it with Maizy her mum, and most likely got plastered for her efforts.

I did do a little rubbing her with the lungewhip and electric pole (the bright yellow one), first left side, then I swung them to the right, to give her a hug, and try to rub on the withers. Yep, that got the reaction I expected....up went the head and she scooted away. She's very left side okay, right side spooky.

So I backed off, came up quietly, and as soon as she stood with me holding both on her, I walked off completely (her reward). Then repeated coming up to her right side. Once she stood still with me holding them at her withers, I had my head down, and walked right off completely, giving her some bravery. Then I tried once more to scratch with them in my lefthand at her withers, with the right hand scratching her favorite spot at the neck. She accepted that, and although her head was up, and she wasn't overly keen, she decided it wasn't all that bad. So we ended on a good note, and I went off all sweated up to overhaul the chicken cage. LOL, so much for my 'little' play session!

[PonyGirl]

Silly monkey!

[lucydales]

I'm knac*ard just reading that, Debbie!! LOL!

I think I'd have gone for the shade and let her come over in her own time! Can't do heat!!

[Debbie]

LOL...yes, she was being silly...and next time I'll just go for the shade sooner

[DalesLady]

she is just two! she will accept it in the end and you will keep out of the heat more often!

She sounds like our sort of pony, spirited and cute with it. Well done

just in case you are interested, our two year old is very similar, quite a confident little miss, so we have left her training to a minimum, she leads and she follows, she accepts stuff all over her body and she loads, that's enough for now. We took her to her one and only show this year on Tuesday. She was pulled in 7th out of 7 and stayed there, I didn't care, the little monkey took the whole experience completely in her stride, behaved herself impeccably and became the llittle monster again at home, but I am happy with that. She deserves to playup at her age, later it won't be as acceptable will it?

Blossom is doing fine and you sound to be really enjoying the challenge she sets. It sounds a match made in heaven to me

[Debbie]

Thanks Penny Yes, I certainly think we're a match made in heaven. She reminds me so much of myself, so much of how I think now, and thought as a youngster, that sometimes she sits there with a shocked expression that 'somehow' Mum read her mind! No, its because Mum's either done the exact same thing in the past herself, or I can see where you're going with this. ;D

I know she's only two, which is why I'm only doing itty bitty playing sessions with her. Most are only 5 to 10 minutes long, just small games really. LOL, the whole hoohah the other day sprang from both of us being determined. I might be slow, but I'm persistant. Eventually I'll win, but I'd rather not get into fights. I want it to be a win win for both of us. Besides, part of the other day was just part her playing, part testing me out. I wouldn't expect her to be a normal pony if she didn't from time to time. And I wouldn't have her any other way

[greydales]

Just wondering why you think you won't be able to lunge her at the mo Debbie - at this age they are just cheeky and playful but they do very quickly cotton onto what you want if you are firm and consistent. By firm I don't mean heavy handed - just assertive. If Blossom is free and in a relatively large area then she will just see all this as a game - have you tried using a lunge line so she's not free to run away to wherever she wants, or perhaps make the area you are working her much smaller and use body language to direct her?

Cherry has been extremely feisty since a weanling and always the one who would sidle up to you and walk right behind you around the field - then suddenly tank off at 100mph with her hind hooves whistling past your ears (as many friends will testify!! ).

However once you start ground work it does build up respect and they soon realise it is easier to co-operate (most of the time lol!). Positive reinforcement is great, but sometimes I have to resort to putting my point across more firmly as 'being nice' doesn't always work!!

Even though Blossom may only be two she is still old enough to understand the basics - I was teaching Cherry from the age of 6 months and she picked up walk, trot and whoa very quickly via clicker training

Blossom sounds like a very intelligent and cheeky pony (I like this sort ;D) and I'm sure you will have lots of fun with her - bearing in mind Bill's wise words!

[Debbie]

At the mo I don't have any form of a smaller arena to lunge her in, so its the whole field or not.

I've tried fencing off a section with electric fencing, and let's just say that didn't go as planned I ended up with a rather tangled knot, and the electric charger I've got now has me a bit gunshy of the wire, let alone Blossom.

Nancy with Knight's kindly sent me along a lungeline, and I may give this a go in the field, so she can't just tank off, like you say. ...crosses self...

You're utterly right, I realize it can't always be 'nice', and I am firm and persistent when I have to be. However, I've found with Blossom praise and the positive reinforcement gets me SO much further down the line. She wants to work with me then. If I force, she just shuts down. I can get the end result, but she's surly for days afterwards. I'd rather work with her personality, and bring it on gradually, rather than take the more normal route with her.

Unfortunately, as I said, I watched her with Lady Bear, so its not just me. Blossom tends to act back to force with a matching force, and I watched the two girls really escalate into some horrid bouts....and neither were happy with the results! However, she's insanely curious, and has a high drive to please. When coached towards the right response, and encouraged, she comes about much much more quickly. LOL....reminds me of a mule!

[PonyGirl]

She sounds like a girl after my own heart.

[greydales]

debbie said:

If I force, she just shuts down. I can get the end result, but she's surly for days afterwards. I'd rather work with her personality, and bring it on gradually, rather than take the more normal route with her.

I don't mean to use force, as this will get you nowhere - but by shutting all the doors the way SHE wants to go and only leaving the way YOU want her to go open, via body language and lunge whip (as an extension of your arm). This is why I mention working her in a smaller area so you have much more control and influence over where she goes.

Hopefully you will achieve better results with the lunge line! You might find it easier if you position yourself in a corner of the field so you have two fencelines to act as a barrier.

Good luck

[rose]

She sounds very cheaky! Could you try any parelli activities with her to enhance her ground work? It's all about trust and working together really. It can also take their minds of other things as they're having to be submissive and work with you as a team.

Edited to add:
www.parelli.com/content.faces?contentId=1

Might be useful

[Debbie]

Hopefully you will achieve better results with the lunge line! You might find it easier if you position yourself in a corner of the field so you have two fencelines to act as a barrier.

She was actually IN a corner when she got past me In other words, even with the lungewhip, she was getting past me. Its not a matter of timing, or distance, its a matter of....I've still got a kidneystone lodged at my hip level, and I cannot make the moves I need. I wish I could, but this could exactly be where having her on the lungeline could reverse the tables too

Rose thanks for the extra ideas of the Parelli stuffs. Some of his groundwork techniques I like, others I hate, but I won't go into that here. Like with any trainer, you take what works for you and the horse or pony in hand, and leave the rest.

I'm actually trying to work her through groundwork mazes, puzzles on the ground, leading over, backwards, through stuff to keep her mind engaged, and to do the partnering work. LOL, but really its only the very beginning of it all.

[taffydales]

She sounds a real character Deb, and I,m sure in time she will come around to your way of thinking, I have to say I have been doing a few exercises with Tommy boy based on natural horsemanship techniques and the difference is amazing we still have a way to go but Tommy is far more responsive but calm and has picked up very quickly on what I,m asking from him.