Ask Shawna: Getting Behind the Bit and Taking Over

In this video Answer I address a tricky situation. When a horse learns to get behind the bit they are making a choice to break contact. This is an avoidance behavior and can lead down a rocky road. With Bonnie’s mare it is still situational and not yet a habit. The key is to get her to accept and eventually look forward to contact with her rider. Luckily positive reinforcement can address her decision making process and her desire to listen to Bonnie.

As always, when starting to address a new behavior or issue, think about what you can do to help set her up for success and the small steps to take along the way. Since she only does this on the trail, I would suggest you get her started accepting contact and listening wherever she will be most cooperative. Granted, she may be just great in the arena or by herself on the trail but you still want to start there. The point is to build a good reinforcement history with the correct behavior. As the association gets stronger she will realize that doing the correct behavior may result in a reward, something that she values. If she does start to get behind the bit, lift her up a bit and encourage her to get her nose out a bit. When she does, click and reinforce. She may never show you the incorrect behavior in this situation. Nevertheless, you are re-establishing value with the correct behavior with each and every reward. This means when things get challenging and she has is tempted to take over, she will be more apt to make a good decision. By adding the positive reinforcement into the equation you will start to see her shifting more and more of her focus onto you and what you are asking of her. She won’t be as interested in the social dynamics or other things that may be going on around her. The important thing here is to recognize the correct behavior and to draw attention to it. With traditional training we focus on correcting what is wrong and with clicker training we have the opportunity to focus on what is right. I think it must be very refreshing for the horse to start to hear what they are doing right for a change, but it means we have to get ourselves acclimated to this shift in thinking as well. We are all the better because of it!! Also, slowly introduce the elements that have challenged her cooperation. Perhaps you don’t go out with a giant herd at first but maybe one or two horses. If that goes well, then slowly introduce more and more challenges. Recognize and draw attention to them.. Pretty soon she will be back On Target!!

Do You Wish Your Horse Had More Confidence?

I’m really excited!! The next FREE video on de-spooking your horse is up! Today we move onto introducing William to a new object. I am using a cluster of milk jugs for this exercise. I’m so proud of how much more confident William already is.

I know this next video will give you some great ideas for building confidence in your horse. It’s such a great feeling. I can’t wait to hear your success stories!

CLICK HERE: Do You Wish Your Horse Had More Confidence?

Enjoy getting your horse On Target!!

P.S. If you know of someone that could use some help de-spooking their horse or building boldness and confidence,
please feel free to pass this link onto them too!

CLICK HERE: Do You Wish Your Horse Had More Confidence?

Is Your Horse Trustworthy?

I am so pleased with all the interest in the De-spooking video series. I know you are on your way to great success and it will result in a more confident horse. If you haven’t had a chance to check out these complimentary videos, go here now:

CLICK HERE: Is Your Horse Trustworthy?

In the first video I work with Lucky Jack to demonstrate the basics. In the next video I move to ground work with William. I switched horses because William already knew the early part of the training and I really wanted you to see how to teach these manners with a brand new horse. After all, that is probably more what you will experience with your horse. I knew William would be more reactive to the ground work so I wanted to work through the more challenging lessons with him. So stay tuned.

Video 2 – Ground Work will be posted tomorrow, September 29. I would really love to hear your thoughts or questions as you follow along. Also, if you know of someone who may be interested in teaching their horse to be bolder and more confident please pass this on to them! If you haven’t had a chance to watch yet you can still join in. Just go to the link above.

And a big “Thank You” to you for tuning in. Pretty soon you are going to have yourself a trustworthy horse….what could feel better than that?

Remember, enjoy getting your horse On Target!!

Shawna

Do You Need Help De-spooking Your Horse?

It’s not fun riding a horse that spooks and shies at every “scary” object. But the good news is that you don’t have to be the victim of “spookiness.”

Check out this free video series that introduces you to an awesome technique I learned in my 10 years as a trainer at Sea World. It can help you de-spook your horse and build trust in the process! Just click the link below to get started.

CLICK HERE: Free De-spooking video

If you have a friend who could use some help with their horses, please share the link with them. I would love to hear tour thoughts and comments.

Have fun!

Shawna

Ask Shawna: Proper Paddock Manners & Relaxation (w/Overview of the Basics)

Video answer: I address how to teach a horse to walk quietly on the way to the paddock and when being released for turn out. Jeffery has an Arab who gets too excited, bolts and doesn’t know to rein in her energy. This is an issue that comes up often with horse owners. The good news is: This is very easy to fix using positive reinforcement (clicker training). By putting something into the training equation that your horse truly values, you will get her to be an active participant in the re-training process. If you are there most everyday you can get it under control in about a week once you have the basics trained (clicker and target). If you go to the barn less often it may take longer for the reinforcement history to be established. It is really a matter of repetition vs. duration when it comes to this type of training. The horses remember these lessons for years. So she won’t forget what you have taught her if you get to the barn more sporadically.

You can also work on her relaxation in all that she does. Focus on reinforcing her when ever you feel or see her relax or soften, even the slightest bit. The beauty of the clicker is that it is a great tool for communication (at Sea World we used a whistle). While you will most likely not be able to offer reinforcement her at the exact moment she does something you like, you will be able to book mark that moment with the sound of the clicker. Once she knows the clicker it will be a sound she will strive to hear. The clicker tells her “yes, what you just did is correct and you have earned yourself the potential for a reward” So always click on the behavior that you want to see more of and follow it up with a reward. If you always click when she is relaxed or in the process of relaxing she will put together that all clicks(read: Reinforcements) come when she is calm. That is the attitude that will soon be the norm for her. As you see this change in her demeanor you can then begin to fade out the clicker and the high reinforcement schedule.

If you don’t know about the clicker or target portion of the training don’t worry it is simple and your horse will enjoy it. It teaches your horse to be patient about the reinforcement, establishes a solid form of communication, the target gives you a way to help set her up for success when walking to the paddock. In addition, the task of targeting teaches her to think and become engaged in the learning process. This early training also strengthens the trust and focus that she has on you. This new focus and desire to please you will have a profound impact on your relationship with your horse. It doesn’t take long, about 10 minutes a day for 3 or 4 days. You can do the training where they live whether it be paddock or stall. For more on this watch for a FREE 3-part video series I have coming out in the next couple days. It is on spookiness and shying but it also addresses the basic lessons of clicker and target training. The first video is the one that covers this simple and fun process. If you are on my mailing list you will get a link for the video sent to you. Okay Jeffery, I hope this has helped you out. I know that you will be quite pleased with her progress. Thank you for letting me offer assistance. Please keep me updated and if you have more questions as you progress, please don’t hesitate to ask. Enjoy getting your horse On Target!

An Update and Important News!!

I have missed being in touch with you and working on the Blog! I love answering the Ask Shawna questions so I am feeling a little out of sorts. But… I have been working a a couple projects that I am really excited about! There is just not enough time in the day.

Keep Asking Shawna!

I have been getting some great questions in the past few weeks. I have resumed filming the answers and I am going to try to get a bunch of them out in the next couple weeks so I can get caught up a bit. I try to be as timely as possible but due to the nature of the technology there is always a lag time in getting them posted. This drives me crazy since I excitedly answer the questions in my head as soon as I read them. I don't want to wait the time it takes to get them posted. It's funny I am so patient with the animals but can be so impatient when it comes to other stuff!

FREE VIDEOS!!!

Over the next week or so I am also going to be sending out some FREE video content. It is a three-part series that addresses de-spooking your horse. This exercise will help your horse to remain calm in new situations. As a result your horse will become much more trustworthy! I know you are going to be tickled with your horses’ progress when you are done, so keep an eye on your email if you are signed up for news from me. If not please go to the box in the corner. Enter you name and email address….You are not quite done yet, be sure to check your email account for a confirmation, click the link and your done! Then you will receive the free video series on de-spooking your horse! If you know someone who has an issue with spookiness or shying please feel free to share.

As always, enjoy getting your horse On Target!!

P.S. - Many of you have asked about Bugs and Mint: they are doing great. Bugs has been working on his flying changes. We have been going slow since he is eager to do his new behavior. He really is enthusiastic and seems like he wants to please. He was anticipating a change of lead as I would come to a jump on the diagonal so we are working on him waiting until he is asked. Counter bending and counter canter seem to be helping Bugs to pay attention. He is doing great and has a stellar attitude.