Disco Escapes!!

Saturday May 9 - Melia is performing with her mom in a hula show on South Padre Island this evening, so I finally get to have a turn with Disco :)  Dad

  After a long morning of surfing lessons then surfing some great waves, I go to Disco's corral with some alfalfa, and he gladly meets me at the gate. I sit with him, grooming him with a curry comb to help him rid his still furry winter coat from the cold Oklahoma winters... he won't be needing any of that here in deep south Texas. Ever. I rub him all over with the halter while he eats so he won't be worried about it, he stands calmly next to me while I groom him from head to hoof, not even a flinch. What a change from day one just one week ago, where he would jump at the slightest movement and not let you near him. Melia has done such a great job so far. 7 consecutive days of training and the results are almost unbelievable. Its very important when training to be consistent, both in your body language and cues, as well as repeating the lessons daily.
   
   So as Disco is finishing eating, I walk over to the truck to grab the lead line, turn around, stopped dead in my tracks and took a deep breath... I left the gate open! Too late, Disco sees it, starts to walk slowly out with ears perked, I just look away like I don't care, then Disco calmly walks out of his corral towards our other horses at pasture. My heart was pounding, I knew he could bolt and run, jump the ranch fence, get chased by the others, oh man Melia is gonna kill me... instead he walks over to the herd, sniffs one of the horses, drops his head and starts grazing. Now to approach him without spooking him, I walk slowly not directly at him, head down, and stand by a different horse. He picks his head up and looks at me, it was the moment of truth.... so I leaned over and looked at his rear end as in the Yielding the Hindquarters lesson, and Disco immediately yields his hq and walks up to me just as he would on halter in a lesson! Wow did that really just happen?! He let me rub on him and clip the lead on, so I rewarded him by letting him graze with the boys for a little while. What a relief!

                       Disco the Wild Mustang?!

   The evening before, I had to spend some time with Disco in the roundpen. He demonstrated to all of us and Comanche that although he is a small horse and wasn't aggressive,  he sure wasn't going to be pushed around either. He grew up with a bunch of much more aggressive horses. So, once he realized we weren't going to eat him the first few days, he did what most mustangs and domestic horses do, they quickly become pushy and dominant. He weighs 700 pounds, Melia weighs 70. He figured that out and started to drag her around by lifting his head and running away which she handled very well, but after a few similar occurrences it was time for me to step in and correct what would escalate into a big problem. I let him know immediately that when I point to move, he better move now. When he realized that I would step up the pressure without backing down, he said ok you are the boss, I will move my feet whichever direction you point. So I then went back to very softly asking with a light point, he said yes sir, I rewarded him with lots of rubbing and rest and called it a day.

   After capturing Disco from his brief and surprising escape, we went to the roundpen and began lessons, repeating everything Melia had taught him the first week. I noticed at once that he was very responsive and willing, no head tossing or fits, the roundpen exercise went very well so I ended quickly with him not even breaking a sweat. As I rubbed him and desensitized him to my tool which was the stick and string, his head was dropped and eyes calm, he really seemed to be happy to do his job with no complaint and be rewarded with lots of attention. Most of the remaining lessons went the same way, willing and relaxed, except sending.

   The sending exercise is one of the most important of all. You stand a good distance from the fence, facing the fence, and ask the horse to walk between you and the fence, then yield his hindquarters as he passes in front of you, then send him back the other way. This exercise will allow you to load your horse easily onto a trailer, go over obstacles, and many other uses while haltered. This is where I learned, or rather Disco taught me one of the best lessons I have ever learned. Melia was having problems with Disco tossing his head up and backing up, refusing to walk forward. I had the same problem. Point, cluck, pressure pressure pressure... he freaks out. Ok, this isn't working, now what?
Maybe I need to back off the pressure instead of increase or even maintain the steady pressure? So I point, his eyes bug out, so I take a step back to ease the pressure without clucking to increase the pressure, he looks at me for two seconds, then walks calmly forward!!  That was it! I tried the other direction, same thing, first he reacted, I stepped back and released the pressure while continuing to point, again he walked calmy by and yielded. A few attempts later and I didn't have to step back, in fact I moved closer to the fence and he still moved through the gap easily. Lesson learned by both of us.... not forcing the situation, but taking a moment to allow the horse to think and respond to what you are asking, and even then our cues may be confusing, so we often escalate the pressure out of frustration and we both lose. Recognizing when to release, maintain, or increase pressure is something that only comes with mistakes and experience. Thanks Disco for being patient with me!!

   Horses are highly intelligent and very capable of learning from humans, our country and most others were built on their backs. In my short few years with horses, I have been totally consumed by learning about them, and understand that where your knowledge ends, your frustration begins. I also see many if not most horse owners have very little or any education on horsemanship. The Clinton Anderson Downunder Horsemanship Method is a fantastic educational program, with dvd's, easy to follow books, and more to bring you and your horse together in a safe respectful partnership. Our children are required to study it in their homeschool curriculum, and have successfully trained their own horses from age 10 using this Method. I would not own horses at all if it weren't for this program, it's primary focus on safety is essential for me and my family.

Gene