Level Up

Avalon and I reached two exciting milestones in our training yesterday! I didn't get any pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination.

First, I "lunged" Avalon in a circular circle.

Side note: I use my own exercise that combines the Parelli circling game with traditional lunging. I don't remember if I've explained it before. Maybe that will be a topic for a future post.

Ever since I bought her, Avalon has made egg-shaped circles, bulging toward the gate and cutting toward me when she passes a "scary" area. I've tried different methods to change her behavior and finally, I found one that works. I use my training stick to yield her shoulder out on the "scary" side of the circle to spiral out. On the gate side, I wait until she pulls the lead rope taut, then I ask her to change direction. I was able to switch from my 12' lead rope to the 22' and still maintain a circular shape!

The second milestone was walking all the way down the driveway. The driveway at the barn is long and stretches through the trees for 500' or something (I am bad at guessing distances). In the past, Ava's herd bound behavior kept us from walking more than halfway. As I drove up to the barn, I saw the trash and recycling bins sitting at the edge of the drive. On whim I decided my goal for the day would be to walk all the way to the garbage cans.

It took quite a while, but I combined Warwick Schiller's method with some tips I picked up from the TRT method. We began walking down the driveway. As soon as Ava showed signs of distress and anxiety, I yielded her hindquarters in the TRT method. I believe that Tristan Tucker says that puts the horse in a position of power over their emotions. If I understand correctly, by yielding the hind end (and flexing the head laterally) you ask the horse to bend and release their tension. Over time and practice, the horse learns to take responsibility for their own emotions by bending and releasing on their own. As soon as Ava was soft and responsive, moving properly into the bend, I released and we rested for a while. Then we started walking again.

There were times I wasn't sure we would make it. The barn owners were moving hay with the CAT. A loud white pickup drove past us twice, which caused Avalon even more anxiety. And when we finally got to the garbage bins her emotions absolutely sky rocketed. But we were finally standing next to the bins. I flapped the lids a little, until she lowered her head and cocked a hoof. At one point she called for her herd, but when no one answered, she brought her attention right back to me.

Overall, the day was utterly successful!