CONTINUED

Sylvia continues moving the QH's training forward in her training program

 

The horse learns to unwind and change eyes rationally

 

 

 

 

 

The horse learns to wind down from movement to a one-rein stop.

 

Bonding in the "safety zone" after the one-rein stop. No surprises here!

 

       The horse is being step-by-stepped into planting rational movement and the safety zone into his foundation which will keep all future riders much safer on him, as this is the place the rider will return to in support of him if he ever gets upset or afraid with rider on his back. Riding a horse without the one-rein-stop/safety zone planted deeply into the foundation, from the ground up, is like driving a car on black ice -- i.e., it's an accident just waiting to happen! The one-rein stop can usually stop a runaway, rearing or bucking horse, so this is crucial to have in every horse's foundation before ever stepping up into the saddle. The horse is doing great and he's enjoying the learning journey!

Next, to teach the horse how to be ground driven from the rear rationally, Sylvia puts him against a fenceline to rule out all directions except forwards and backwards. But first: back to bonding to relax him readying him for his next-step-up foundational lesson!

Bonding with the horse deeply before tackling the next segment of training

 

 

Sylvia uses pressure/release to teach him how to be driven from the rear.

Sylvia rewards with an instant release for the smallest try, the slightest change in

the right direction to help baby-step him to understanding this new expectation.

 

The horse learns to be driven from the rear on both sides

 

 

Sylvia next tackles plastic desensitizing by rubbing a plastic bag all over the horse's body, accustoming him to the sound and feel of it. Then she desensitizes him to plastic on the end of her training wand waved all around him. He surmounts his fears there nicely. After that is accomplished, Sylvia decides to raise his confidence bar even higher, which will go a long way in creating a quiet, willing horse, and she works to desensitize the horse to tarps, starting small at first and building up incrementally, stopping to bond often when needed.

Starting with the plastic tarp folded up small, Sylvia rubs the horse with it all over

 

Sylvia stops to bond and relax the horse in the safety zone if he ever feels afraid.

 

Using advance/retreat, taking tarp on/off, Sylvia helps the horse digest his successes

 

 

Sylvia casually passes the tarp from blind spot in back to blind spot in

front to get the horse accustomed to having Sylvia out of sight for a second.

 

Multiple repetitions of passing the tarp over the head and eyes and off again gains increasing confidence in the horse to handle the challenge, and along with confidence comes calmness.

 

 

For more Clinic Pictures and to continue to follow this horse's amazing transformation from an aggressive horse to cooperative horse click here: