Any advice on the following would be highly appreciated:
The 7-year draft horse mare I'm working with during the last few months won't go forward as soon as I move in an angle behind her to initiate lunging. I have reached join-ups and follow-ups; she is comfortable having me near her and also initiates contact herself. She is generally learning quickly and behaving co-operatively, after my friend and I had a professional trainer teach us how to handle her dominance issues (without violence or pain). She's fine being led by a person walking in front of her, and she keeps her calm and reacts great during the first steps of riding that we train now. She listens very well to our voice, either from the ground (leading her) or from her back; only when it comes to lunging she seems to forget what I mean when I tell her to move forward. She either just stands still or starts walking backwards (she wants me next to her head, maybe to have a better look at me). When I make my signals stronger, sending her forward with arms wide etc, she takes off in galop, bucking, and turns directly around to face and challenge me. It's either zero or 100 % movement, and she seems to interpret my signals as an aggression. I try to calm her down by taking a short break, so as to give her a chance to get the adrenaline down, but as soon as we start again she's instantly excited. I have tried double lunging, but she did not move her feet at all then. I have heard that her previous trainer, who tried to teach her driving, gave her up because she wouldn't move forward with a person behind her. I can't figure out what her problem with that really is.
Looking forward to read your opinions.
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Horse Behavior and Training
how to encourage forward movement during lunging?
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Hi Chris,
Since you changed so much in the live of this mare, I'd stop listening to what problems former owners had with her. Please try to switch to longlining instead of single-line lunging and use the same techniques you used for sending her away during your Join-ups. Her being a big horse I assume she needs some space, so don't try to make her take speed when you're too close in a too small pen.
At some other point in this forum we spoke about the 3 zones of a horse, from the outside to the inside: awareness-,decision-, and pressure-zone. You might still be in her pressure-zone when she blocks, so take more distance and use your longlines to encourage her to move away from you. Any small try of hers should lead to your taking away the pressure, but keep your bodylanguage strong.
I have seen Monty encourage a gipsyhorse with a stick with plastickbags at the end of it, but I think you don't need to use that ultimate method.
I hope this makes sense,
Miriam
Hi Chris,
I agree with Miriam - perhaps re-watch all Monty's videos on long-lining, including the videos on long-lining for the single line lunged horse. Also, perhaps it might help if you are looking your mare in the eye to send her away? Maybe it would be worth watching the dually lesson on standing still? I hope that helps.
Best of luck.
Ruth
Dear Miriam and Ruthy,
that was good advice! Wow...
I had first read about long-lining some time ago in "from my hands to yours" and yesterday, watched the informative video's. Today, I got a very good reaction. In the first place, I think that we have built up more and more trust between us during the past months so that she would accept now much easier that I introduce new things. For example, she was not irritated by the outer line touching her hind legs any more. In the second place, I think the distance made a big difference (I did not know the concept of the "pressure zone" before). I stepped back to a 4 o'clock position at ca. 5 m distance, much more than I'm used to, in our 18 m diameter circle (should be big enough even for this big horse). She did not need more encouragement than just that and stepped away calmly and without any excitement. After one circle in both directions I stopped for today so that she knows she made the right decision. She was perfectly relaxed after this. I hope we can make this a good habit. It feels that we made another break-through in our learning process! Thanks so much again,
Chris
Hi Chris,
So good to read that you made the transition to longlining and opened the door to future cooperation based on comunication! Congratulations!
Let your horse find the right answers by making the desired easy and th undesired uncomfortable.
The conversation about pressure-zones can be found on this forum under "Icelandic pony" by maggie, not so long ago.
Let us know how you're doing!
Miriam
Sorry maggie and Chris,
since I worked with an Icelandic pony today, I wrote that above!
Of course it's a Shetlandpony....
Miriam
HI Chris,
Great to hear you've made such great progress! Well done!
Ruth