Body language of horses; the calming signals - Barnmice Equestrian Social Community2024-03-29T00:12:12Zhttp://www.barnmice.com/forum/topics/body-language-of-horses-the?id=1773158%3ATopic%3A273020&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHmm, I don't think so, but I'…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-26:1773158:Comment:2796132010-09-26T03:45:51.081ZMegan Hammockhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MeganGarlandHammock
Hmm, I don't think so, but I'll pay closer attention if/when she nips like that again.. It seemed like an "OK, I reached my threshold of you touching me so... BLAM!" reaction, but it certainly could be the latter.. Good food for thought though.. She was facing me though, went for my arm while scratching--hmm?...
Hmm, I don't think so, but I'll pay closer attention if/when she nips like that again.. It seemed like an "OK, I reached my threshold of you touching me so... BLAM!" reaction, but it certainly could be the latter.. Good food for thought though.. She was facing me though, went for my arm while scratching--hmm?... Jennifer~~LOLtag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-25:1773158:Comment:2788562010-09-25T15:43:35.765ZShirleyhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/Shirley
Jennifer~~LOL
Jennifer~~LOL Megan, I wonder if D nipped a…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-25:1773158:Comment:2788532010-09-25T15:40:36.974ZShirleyhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/Shirley
Megan, I wonder if D nipped at you in a reciprocal way. Horses often share scratches on the back, could she have been attempting to do that? Just a thought~<br />
Great progress, happy for you and D.<br />
I'm happy to see someone trying to help an afraid horse. I love it.
Megan, I wonder if D nipped at you in a reciprocal way. Horses often share scratches on the back, could she have been attempting to do that? Just a thought~<br />
Great progress, happy for you and D.<br />
I'm happy to see someone trying to help an afraid horse. I love it. Coming over for an extended h…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-25:1773158:Comment:2788412010-09-25T14:01:22.577ZMarlene Thomshttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MarleneThoms
Coming over for an extended head scratch is fantastic Megan! It is very big progress. You were open to her signals, gave her some time to warm up. If food , or envy, is what draws her in, doesn't matter. As she has a moment of touching here, a moment there, she will find out how much better she feels. She will sense your kindness and gradually trust again, doesn't matter if it is slow or fast, just very gradually build on it. You don't need to make it happen, just be ready for her. It's also…
Coming over for an extended head scratch is fantastic Megan! It is very big progress. You were open to her signals, gave her some time to warm up. If food , or envy, is what draws her in, doesn't matter. As she has a moment of touching here, a moment there, she will find out how much better she feels. She will sense your kindness and gradually trust again, doesn't matter if it is slow or fast, just very gradually build on it. You don't need to make it happen, just be ready for her. It's also okay to fend her off gently if she gets a little pushy. You won't drive her away. Once she is drawn to you, she may overdo it, then you have to set the boundaries too. After a while the treats are not always necessary, she will want to come just for the attention and a scratch. Treats are handy in encouraging a new behavior, but horses learn very quickly, then it becomes habit and they work for a scratch. How relieving! I was thinking…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-25:1773158:Comment:2788362010-09-25T12:28:47.833ZMegan Hammockhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MeganGarlandHammock
How relieving! I was thinking it might be bad that she would only come up because of treats! Although, check this out.. Last night, I was scratching Kai and she was getting SO in to it.. You could tell she was in heaven.. D was standing by and watching, with this "hey, I want some of that.." look on her face.. Kai left, and D came up with a very cautious but curious look and let me scratch her head for the longest time yet!! She looked much less afraid than normal, too! DEFINITELY progress! Her…
How relieving! I was thinking it might be bad that she would only come up because of treats! Although, check this out.. Last night, I was scratching Kai and she was getting SO in to it.. You could tell she was in heaven.. D was standing by and watching, with this "hey, I want some of that.." look on her face.. Kai left, and D came up with a very cautious but curious look and let me scratch her head for the longest time yet!! She looked much less afraid than normal, too! DEFINITELY progress! Her nerves got the best of her and she tried to nip then followed Kai to the back of the paddock, but I was just thrilled:) Just wanted to share my excitement:)<br />
I will see what I can do to get her to follow with treats! May have to carry a crop (NOT used to tap or smack or anything) because she gets a little.. Shall we say, "overzealous" about snacks sometimes.. Haha:) If she is brave enough to tak…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-25:1773158:Comment:2785572010-09-25T03:01:29.515ZMarlene Thomshttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MarleneThoms
If she is brave enough to take food from you, that's all you need. You figure out what you want her to do, and set things up so she has to do it to get what she wants. If you want her to walk next to you, position the treat as she approaches, and she has to walk maybe one or two steps beside you before she can quite access the treat. Done. You just build on that, walk three steps, let her have it if she's stepping up next to you. It's hard to describe, easier if you've been shown. We do this…
If she is brave enough to take food from you, that's all you need. You figure out what you want her to do, and set things up so she has to do it to get what she wants. If you want her to walk next to you, position the treat as she approaches, and she has to walk maybe one or two steps beside you before she can quite access the treat. Done. You just build on that, walk three steps, let her have it if she's stepping up next to you. It's hard to describe, easier if you've been shown. We do this with puppy's teaching them to heal, sit, down without using a leash. To teach them to put on their own collar, we hold the treat in one hand, the collar in the other, they have to put their little nose and eventually their head through the loop to get the treat. No reason why this can't work with a rope in a loop on a horse. Just do it gradually, don't force anything, let them figure out how to get the treat. I've seen a video on the web of someone doing the same thing to teach a horse to "hug" them. Now the horse isn't expressing some special love, they are just learning to reach their head and neck around the human to access a treat. Eventually they will "hug" on command. To touch some body part of hers say her nose, position the treat so she will have to move her nose close to or up to one hand, as she is taking the treat from the other hand. A treat that takes her more than a second to pry out of your hand like hay means she has to linger a little longer under the contact, so it's better.<br />
Sharif used to be twitchy about me touching, rubbing, brushing his girth area (even with no saddle around for days). I just kept working around it, a little rub here, a little longer next time, etc. This summer we worked up to touching him "down there" and I eventually managed to wash his private parts (geldings get icky in there) without even a halter or rope on him.After that, I felt we were "special" friends. That doesn't mean you have to make the same progress in the same time as someone else, every horse, and every person is different. Just work on little things as they come along. Oh geez Shirley, I don't reme…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-24:1773158:Comment:2784992010-09-24T23:05:05.652ZJennifer Lammhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/JenniferLamm
Oh geez Shirley, I don't remember saying that and I'll never find that part now.... :( hm..... maybe I said it cuz my goofy horse gets goofy if we are far away from each other..... shoot.... I have no idea why I said that now... LOL
Oh geez Shirley, I don't remember saying that and I'll never find that part now.... :( hm..... maybe I said it cuz my goofy horse gets goofy if we are far away from each other..... shoot.... I have no idea why I said that now... LOL Blocking energy, eh? Is that…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-24:1773158:Comment:2784472010-09-24T17:34:03.434ZMegan Hammockhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MeganGarlandHammock
Blocking energy, eh? Is that just giving off a "vibe" of not tolerating the nipping?<br />
Haha Silly Toby! BEAUTIFUL Toby.. D doesn't really point her fanny at me any more.. She just... Eats.. They only get fed twice a day but she sure manages to stretch it out!<br />
Hmm, if I make Donoma be polite before I treat, she gets pissy and pins her ears, leaves and sometimes nips out. She's been pretty good about NOT doing that lately, but I think that's just bc I"m getting braver and she may not feel like she…
Blocking energy, eh? Is that just giving off a "vibe" of not tolerating the nipping?<br />
Haha Silly Toby! BEAUTIFUL Toby.. D doesn't really point her fanny at me any more.. She just... Eats.. They only get fed twice a day but she sure manages to stretch it out!<br />
Hmm, if I make Donoma be polite before I treat, she gets pissy and pins her ears, leaves and sometimes nips out. She's been pretty good about NOT doing that lately, but I think that's just bc I"m getting braver and she may not feel like she can scare me as much?<br />
I definitely think she's trying (at times).. I need to remember to be grateful for those.. I just wish she'd let me love on her to praise her, and I wish my "Good girl" meant something to her!<br />
No, I don't usually carry anything with me. I did carry a "wand" before and made them stay at least 4-5 feet away from me.. But it seemed like it made Kai sad that I did that, and I felt like it put a strain on our relationship so I stopped. I usually have a grooming brush in my bum pocket though.. Hi again, Marlene! Such a pre…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-24:1773158:Comment:2784452010-09-24T17:26:07.525ZMegan Hammockhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MeganGarlandHammock
Hi again, Marlene! Such a pretty name.. I like that..<br />
They eat in the paddock (they don't have stalls) and I will sit and fiddle around with her hay.. I don't pay attention to her at all unless I am offering her a bite, which she almost ALWAYS accepts.. She seems to think it tastes better out of my hand. Haha:) BUT, then she is back to "spooooky human.." after she eats it. Should I not offer her food like that? Or is that good that she gets that close? Just confusing since she's not scared to…
Hi again, Marlene! Such a pretty name.. I like that..<br />
They eat in the paddock (they don't have stalls) and I will sit and fiddle around with her hay.. I don't pay attention to her at all unless I am offering her a bite, which she almost ALWAYS accepts.. She seems to think it tastes better out of my hand. Haha:) BUT, then she is back to "spooooky human.." after she eats it. Should I not offer her food like that? Or is that good that she gets that close? Just confusing since she's not scared to get it.. She trusts me to give her food.. Just not anything else.. Heh:P<br />
I've tried sitting out in the paddock, and she just kind of looks at me from a distance.. Maybe I just don't do it enough?<br />
I don't drink coffee, but that sure made me want some.. Jennifer, HI! Nope, I've neve…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-09-24:1773158:Comment:2784422010-09-24T17:17:24.788ZShirleyhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/Shirley
Jennifer, HI! Nope, I've never been hypnotized but I have considered it.<br />
When Cash takes off like I've told here, he is not afraid of me. It's totally boredom, spunk and excess energy when we are on home territory. When we are away from home, he has not 'yet' pulled away from me at all. I believe this is for a couple of reasons. If something scares him he wants to stay with his herd and that's me and the other horse and rider that go with us. I do wear gloves and a rope halter for safety…
Jennifer, HI! Nope, I've never been hypnotized but I have considered it.<br />
When Cash takes off like I've told here, he is not afraid of me. It's totally boredom, spunk and excess energy when we are on home territory. When we are away from home, he has not 'yet' pulled away from me at all. I believe this is for a couple of reasons. If something scares him he wants to stay with his herd and that's me and the other horse and rider that go with us. I do wear gloves and a rope halter for safety reasons. How horrible what happened to the lady whose horse got hung in his rope. I do plan to take him out and about more around the barnyard . We've probably been out about 15 times now that it's cooling and we've had one spook in that time that was controlable with the rope halter and gloves. This instance was when the horses in the pasture we were going around got excited by Cash being outside of the pasture and they started running with enthusiasm. I believe doing these things successfully with Cash helps his confidence to grow. In time the spookie things should become 'no big deal' But in the meantime, I don't want to loose him in the woods if he should get over excited and run off. I am anxious but I'm listening to Cash and not pushing forward till this all feels 'good' He generally does not pull on our rope. His spooks that used to be major are now prettty minimal. Cash will be bored to death if all we ever do is hang around the arenas. A couple weeks ago wehn I did ride up and down some of the lanes at the barn that I feel pretty safe on, he was so happy. and he blew and blew, the kind of reaction you get when they are contented. Not the same as snorting.<br />
I don't have any idea why you think Cash is afraid of me at 12 ft? Maybe you can explain more what you are thinking on that point.<br />
I'll have to get some videos posted on here so anyone that wants can look at what goes on with Cash and I.<br />
<br />
Marlene: I'm with you on 'needing a job'. He does have excess energy and I believe that contributes to the spookiness. I did use a grazzing muzzle this summer when the grass was lush and he was geting to heavy. But now that fall has arrived and most the pasture has dried up we have the opposite problem, he's been going nearly 20 hrs with almost nothing to eat between breakfast and dinner. He was getting a handful of grain before going outside in the morning and then 3 flakes of hay at night. Now they are giving a little bit of hay outside in the morning and then they graze all day on very little pasture and then dinner time is their big meal when they are brought in for the night. The later is much better and soon they will put out more hay in the morning feeding too so it will be better then. In the meantime, I will be continueing to go out in late afternoon to either give him a flake or graze him where there is more grass to graze on. I do that for an hour or more 4/5 days a week. The lack of food mid-day has got to make them a little uneasy. In nature they'd roam off and look for somewhere with better feeding.<br />
Ellen: I agree with you that Cash is trying to tell me something and I need to try to figure out what that is. "Isn't that interesting?!" Some things I DO over-analyze for sure but the things I'm looking at seem logical to me for the most part. I will try to get some filming of us doing various things. One of my favorite things we won't be able to film cause we do it when it's dark. We walk (I'm on foot too) down the barn lane to the road, eat a little grass at the end and come back. It's a relaxing time for us.<br />
Looking forward to more conversations by all. Thanks for all your input.