Just spent the last couple of hours looking at the Join Up Lessons. I found them very inspiring and very intersting to watch. Unfortunately I do not have a horse to practice on but hope one day I might buy another one. I can see where I made mistakes in the past and would hope not to do so again.
I find the whole concepts of Monty's work inspiring and watching work at Flag is Up Farms is great. I visited from the UK in 2008 and it gives me good memories to see the round pens again.
I will hopefully enjoy all the other lessons as much as these ones and continue to learn more and more
I have a horse called sandy who is in field across the road
to where i live.There are 4 stables nearby, one of which i use when i bring him in also there is an outside paddock(WHICH IS OBLONG SHAPED AND FACES ON TO THE ROAD) where i do training.My question is does JOIN-UP have to be carried out in a round pen as i dont have this equipment and the ground to put one. suggestions please
Hi amnadajones66.
I suggest you to have a look at Q&A Feb 18.05 “Join-Up in a small field”.
As a matter of fact, scrolling through all the Q&A could give an answer to many of our pending doubts.
We only have an old square wooden yard. I cut off the corners with electrical tape, rope, I blocked off the entrance with a ladder and any other openings with chairs!! It sounds really rough I know but made sure there were no sticking out bits that could harm the horse. I was amazed when it actually worked. Our horses are pretty quiet though.
I have watched the standing still exercise and I am wondering about the cue for the horse in asking it to stand still. Everything else has been very intentional such as hand and eye placement and body position. In this case is the cue that you stand squarely towards the horse facing it?
Yes, shoulders square, eyes on eyes. Maybe you'd like the Read Extended Notes link? Here is an excerpt. Does this help?
"At the outset, the process of training the horse to stand still is executed by working from the ground. Stop your horse in a safe location (that is, where there is good footing and no dangerous circumstances in the environment) and step back away from him, leaving a bit of slack in the lead. I use a thirty-foot (ten-metre) driving line, and I recommend a minimum length of twenty feet (six metres).
Stand simply looking at your horse, and when he moves any foot school him with the Dually Halter. This means tightening the line and using the halter to guide the horse firmly back to the spot where you originally placed him. Repeat this process until your horse stands for twenty to thirty seconds without moving a foot."
There are so many things that seem important... I am still in the "watching the videos" process but I would like to know one thing; what if you have no one to watch while you try the first time? Should I practice squaring my shoulders in front of the mirror? I guess I won´t know Willow´s reaction to my taking her to a rounded end of her field until I actually do it but, will she think I am playing a new game?
I know it is more than "one thing" but one thing leads to another... and there is no end of questions. Thank you
Hi everyone! I'm new and it's nice to be here. Hope this is the right place for my question. When Monty say's to turn shoulders to 45 degree angle just where exactly do we turn them to?
Thanks much!
Vida
Hi, Vida; As I understand it he means that we must be perpendicular to his line of vision. Firm because we are supposed to be making him go away so square.
I´m also very new and very green. Hope I´ve got it right. Good Luck!
Christy