Flaboys challenge

[Alan]

Now I am wondering if I screwed up in the last few minutes of round penning him. HE was doing so bad at the end that I would run him half a lap and turn him, run him half a lap and turn him. I did this maybe six or seven times. Then I got him to stop, approached him, praised him, lead him out. I never had to actually touch him or the filly with the rope and never did.

Where did I go wrong the final portion Sunday? Like I said he was picture perfect until the filly got out of site.

You may have pushed his mind too much by putting so much pressure on him in the half laps and turns. He sounds like he's bonding with the filly and loses his attention when she is gone. I have been guilty of doing the half lap thing too, but it sets me back a few days when I get frustrated. IMO and what I do now is when things start going bad I just round pen them at a canter (if they are warmed up) one direction until I get a good solid lick or chew and the ear is on me. If I want them to stop or change gears and don't get it we (he) runs some more. When they are being butts it might take a while. But the idea is to get the horse to realize that his focus needs to be on you and he needs to do what he ask you to. By making him go in a circle he may be fearful at first but well figure out that all he is doing is going in a circle and not being forced to flee in multiple directions to get away from you. You may try penning each horse out of sight of each other while you are working them, may take an extra day or two to work the kinks out but they will get over it and will have all their attention on you. Always end on a positive note, even if during the session all you did was go back three steps and you get him to do something good and right... great place to quit for the day.

I really screwed the realationship between my wifes TB and myself by being too hard on him a few times. It is still taking along time to get his trust back (months) but we are pretty close now... I still hate the &#^#&$ horse! I don't think you have this problem just going to take a few days to get back to the point you where at, especially if you take the other horse out of sight, but I think that will help in your training.

Good luck,
Alan

 

[Old Dog/New Tricks]

OK, I used a lariat rather than a buggy whip.

Did I miss someting? Why are you using a Lariat/rope? ONE OF THE LAST THINGS I WANT MY HORSES TO FEAR IS A ROPE!!!

I spend hours teaching a hoses that a rope is not to be Feared

If you don't want to use a whip (???) - - I have used this on dog, cattle, sheep, and horses.

Easy to show - Hard to type

Get yourself a 20' - 1" length of White PVC Pipe - glue a Cap on each end

I think you said you using a 30' Round Pen - - With 20' of PVC you can carry it in the middle and by sliding it back a forth reach each side of your 30' foot round pen

""Never Hit Them With This"

If you want them to Turn Back just put the pole at head hight in frount of them -
If that does not turn them let THEM hit the pole with their nose as many time as it takes

A light tap on the rump or ground will help getting a horse to move

Use with Caution -
Horses or dogs that tend to cut circles:
Horses that will not face me when they stop:
Horses that will not stop:

I have a bolt type EYE about a foot in on each end where I can snap an animal to the pole.

This way I can keep a animal out at the end of the pole

A friend has a foot of CAUTION tape on a snap that he clips in the snap - - gets attention - to much for me!

 

[flaboy-]

Old Dog, I am using the lariat because if they stop or hesitate I can just throw it out there at their feet and get them going again. I don't like to use the whip because that is the only time they will see it is in the ring.

I could use a hat, my hand, a flag, or an air horn. It doesn't matter. I just need something that gets their attention on me. When they get praise for doing well they get rubbed all over with the rope at the same time. I can hang the rope on the filly's head and she will just stand there looking at me. I doubt she is scared of it. The Idiot doesn't like anything around his head so it doesn't matter. I have laid the rope up on his butt and back with no problems. I usually rotate my starting devices also.

Alan, last night both did really well. Required very little pressure and stopped when asked. I didn't do any half lap turns and filly was present but I didn't see him looking for her as much as he did before. The filly is responding to pressure much better now and turning just on my body language. The Idiot is turning on my body language also. Slow but sure. I feel they are making pretty good progress. Now I will start working to get them to stop looking in my direction.

Thanks all for the input.

 

[flaboy-]

Well I have been working Idiot a few minutes every night and he is finally starting to make turns for me inside. He would do it in one direction but not the other. Last night I had him doing it both directions. He is now stopping most of the time without his butt pointing at me. Has his ear on me and turns his head towards me when I stop him most of the time now. He is making progress which is kind of nice. He will still try to bluff me on occasion when making an inside turn though. He still wants to be herd boss. :lol:

 

[flaboy-]

The Saturday training session was a great one. I took Idiot in the pen on a lead. I then let him go, turned my shoulders away to walk to the center of the pen and noticed he was following me. I then did a figure 8 and he followed every step. I then stopped and started circles facing him mostly with a little shoulder turn toward his rear. He would spin in a circle to keep his head almost on my wrist. I thought "where did this come from"? He is so hooked up I couldn't loose him. I had him spinning right and left and he kept that nose right on my inside hand. I can't explain why he did this as he did ok Friday but not great. I worked him Sunday also and he still did the same. I tried the rope coil on his rear but as soon as he started to walk and it moved, he bolted.

Now my question. If he is so hooked up in the pen, when can I expect this to transfer outside the pen? Outside he still avoids me and will sometimes still turn his butt to me. Most times outside the pen when I approach him he will walk off.

Oh, over the weekend I had the chance to see some of Chris Anderson's techniques on RFD. From what little I saw it sort of reminded me of some of the stuff I used to do in the old days. Any opinions on his trying to snatch the horses head off on the end of the 14 foot lead rope?

 

[clementine146]

I got a paint mare out of the kill pen and she was a fruitloop. couldn't catch her in the stall, pasture, anywhere without a fight. I finally blindfolded her for a week and kept her in a box stall. she had to trust me to find her food and water. Needless to say she didn't eat the first couple days but she came around and I could catch her and lead her anywhere like that and she learned my voice and to trust me. now she's a 4-h contest horse and great brood mare.

 

[Alan]

I got a paint mare out of the kill pen and she was a fruitloop. couldn't catch her in the stall, pasture, anywhere without a fight. I finally blindfolded her for a week and kept her in a box stall. she had to trust me to find her food and water. Needless to say she didn't eat the first couple days but she came around and I could catch her and lead her anywhere like that and she learned my voice and to trust me. now she's a 4-h contest horse and great brood mare.

She must of had some kind of brain if she didn't colic or try to kill herself.

Nice job!
Alan