Chyverton Park Demo
Saturday 28th July 2007
My aim for the day was to increase communication, maintain safety and promote confidence in both horse and owner/rider.
First in the arena was Bracken, she was very nervous and this was exhibited by the the constant movement of her feet and her inability to be led. Possibly she did not know how to relax and stand still, on the other hand maybe no one asked her. Using the appropriate equipment, I went through a range of techniques and skills using body language to communicate to Bracken that I was her leader and I could take care of her.
It was wonderful to see Bracken let out a big sigh and just STAND STILL. Throughout this interaction, I was talking to the audience pointing out various signals that the pony was displaying.
Her owner Janett was encouraged to take over, we went through the techniques and she then walked Bracken around the arena stopping and starting to make sure the connection was there.
Next was Bo and Jenna. Bo was assuming the role of herd leader, but could not cope with the responsibility. His past behaviour reflected this, with him being unpredictable, biting, kicking and unaware of spacial boundries. Again I wanted to see if Bo was listening to me so I worked through the ground skills, with great success. I also worked offline, he responded very well to this, even following me around the arena, wanting the contact and safety with me as herd leader.
Jenna, was encouraged by his behaviour and with a little tuition, came into the arena and took over. Bo responded to her new found confidence as leader, and Jenna grinned all the way around the arena.
Bo and Bracken share a paddock at home and prevous behaviour meant that the owners were a little intimidated when collecting either horse. After checking with the owners I decided to set up a scenario with Bo loose and a colleague Emma Tarrant (also a trainer based in Devon) leading Bracken around the arena.
The purpose of this set up was to show the owners that they can collect their horses safely by ensuring that the other horses respect a leaders space. Emma, in Brackens eyes protected her from Bo by maintaining her boundries. Bo recognises the body language and signals from Emma and maintained his distance.
Unfortunatly due to unforseen circumstances the next candidate, a yearling called Sassy was unable to attend. but her owner Cheryl Truscott was there giving her support.
Finally it was Fern's turn to demonstrate with Kia what she had learned after having only two sessions.
I was initially consulted by Sarah Roberts (Ferns mother) regarding Kia due to a catching problem. Kia was not connecting to Fern, making any attempts at communication difficult. After successfully working with pony, further improvements were made over the subsequent weeks.
Fern went through the ground skills we had covered and we still had time to introduce a couple of new ones. Equipment was introduced (an umbrella and a carrot stick) that were known to send Kia into a quivering mess.
She took her lead from Fern, who stood there quietly and confidently, encouraging Kia to be more inquisitive.
it was lovely to watch!
Alas the day came to an end, there were lots of smiling owners who felt empowered by their new confidence and skills and were eager to try them at home.
It can be very frustrating, scary and isolating when your horse/pony is displaying behaviour that you dont understand. Especially when you recieve lots of well meaning advice from other horse owners, eg. bigger bit, bigger stick.
I would like to thank all of the owners and horses/ponies for taking part, and their open mindedness in looking for an answer.
A big thank you to all of my students, friends and family for their support, time and confidence that enabled me to embark on such an adventure.
Karen Thursfield
