I have a love/hate relationship with tarp training. It has been a part of “kindergarten” for every one of our horses, and it simulates so much of what they might see on a trail or at home. I love that part.
Our horse trainer uses the tarp to get them used to things flapping on and around them, and they have to pack it on the saddle and be able to drag it. Epona just finished that work.
I haven’t seen Sarah ask them to step onto the tarp, but I’ll ask her about it when we pick up Epona tomorrow.
Why do I have a love…hate relationship? Well, some horses are just really confident in their feet. All of our mares have had that confidence, and most of our geldings, except my heart horse Cowboy and now Tweed. My vet told me once that Cowboy’s hesitancy was part of his good survival skills and would serve him well in the wild. And that’s true. If they lose a foot, they’re done in the wild. Their feet are their most vital asset.
Like Cowboy, Tweed challenges me to earn his trust over and over, but when I get it, I get his heart, too. Leah was confident, but I never really felt she gave me her full heart. Big difference.
I would test that theory over and over with indirect pressure, just coming into her living space and watching her body language. She would always turn her head away from me, like no thanks. I’d halter her anyway, and since she was such a compliant horse, we’d have good rides despite it.
In contrast, Tweed always turns his head towards me, and even leaves the other horses to come to me. He wants a relationship.
Cowboy did that, too.
Back to sweet, but no thanks Leah, she was extremely giving when it came to her feet. But we were at one of those despooking (Path to Partnership) clinics, and she went right over the tarp obstacle, but one of her feet went through and got caught in it. She pulled her foot back and the tarp came with it, “chasing her.”
Because she is such a calm horse, she didn’t back away from it very far, maybe 15 feet, and allowed me to approach and free her foot. Fast forward ten years later, and it’s always in the back of my mind as a possibility with the tarps.
Tweed has now done six of the seven steps, but is still hesitant about his feet ON the tarp.
The 7 steps from the video:
1. Follow the tarp.
2. Investigate the tarp by voluntarily touching his nose to it.
3. Touch the tarp to his nose and face/body.
4. Pack the tarp and be okay with it dropping off.
5. Move out on a circle wearing the tarp.
6. Step onto and over the tarp.
7. Drag the tarp.
Here they are:
1. Follow the tarp
2. Be curious. Voluntarily touch nose to tarp.
Regarding Leah, as a foal, and before I owned her, she put her back leg through a cattle grate and ripped half of it off. She didn’t suffer any severe injury from it, miracle!!, but she had major damage to the skin and needed constant wrapping. When I bought her it ripped open again, and I had to do the doctoring. That is one reason she was, and is, so trusting when it comes to her feet. She had lots and lots of handling of them from an early age.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry too much at this point about him stepping onto/over the tarp, just keep doing what you are doing and it will come. Another thing you can do is lay the tarp out in a way that he has to go over it- maybe with a barrel at each side, like a squeeze play- and start longeing him so that it is in his direct route. He will likely jump it or try to evade it somehow, and that's ok- eventually he will see that it isn't a deep pool of horse-eating sharks and will walk over it.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a good idea. It would also keep the tarp from flapping so much. I am going to continue to take his curiosity, and willingness to sniff the tarp, as a win. I think that as we move through these steps each day, he will invariably be forced to let his feet touch it, especially when he’s dragging it. We didn’t get to work with it yesterday, and I’m leaving soon to get Epona today, so tomorrow will probably be our next day to work with it, and I will have the tarp tied to a rope. I’m going to start talking to my trainers about other things we can do to build confidence in his feet/footing, too. He is cautious about water and mud as well.
DeleteI used the tarp as a place to rest with Carmen. She didn’t have to stand on it, just near it. This made her seek it and now she’ll head right to it and stand on it.
ReplyDeleteI like the work you’re doing. It reminds me to get my stuff out and start playing again.
That’s exactly what it should be: play.
DeleteI like the idea of resting near it. We have done that as part of “tarp training sessions,” but it might work better if I add it onto our other work, and make that our resting spot. My trainer talked to me about how she approaches it yesterday, which is different than I’ve been doing. I’ll write about it in the next few days.
Great lesson/s!! Tweed doesn't seem overly concerned about the tarp work so far. We used a similar concept to what Shirley suggested with Hope.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the tarp doesn’t bother him anywhere except under his feet. He can have it over his head. Doesn’t care.
DeleteI’m probably going to try Shirley’s method next, but in the round pen, where he has less room to evade. I plan to start by rolling it up like a log, then slowly expanding it. My trainer does that, and she said once they Nick it a few times jumping, they get used to the sound, which is what is most scary for them.