...and
Its been oddly hot and cold for the past week and Yankee's poor body can't decide if it should grow fuzzes or stay sleek ( I vote sleek, thanks).
I wish there was some way to stem a coat from growing but I've tried everything (yes, even lights) but NOTHING works. And I swear to god my TB grows the fuzziest coat I've ever seen on a TB. Ever. its unfortunate.
Getting sidetracked.
The bowing has reached a plateau.
While I retaught him how to bow..
(switching from this...
..to this...)
I can't really get him to do it any better.
I WANT to be able to command him and he bow, but I'm not 100% sure how. He will literally learn any trick for cookies. But I don't know how to transition from begging for a bow with a cookie bribe, to asking for one with a word. Even with the clicker...not sure.
You cookie whore, Yankee.
 |
| I knows you has moar cookies. Give. |
Also, there is literally a horse in the back of this car. A fucking horse. Why?
Also, also, I uploaded the totally wrong video in my last post. That was a jump off round, not the actual round. I suck.
That's fantastic. I think I'm going to pull out the hold "horse tricks 101" book for Brantley this winter. Riding in the indoor is going to get boring reeeeaaalll fast.
ReplyDeleteI can barely get my horses to do carrot stretches! So I'm most impressed.
ReplyDeleteUse a clicker to train the bow - with a whip for the command. Now that he knows the basics...you can easily switch to the clicker and "mark".
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the way to prevent the coat from growing is to start blanketing earlier then you think, anything under 50 should have a lightweight sheet, then progressively heavier from the temps down. From 50-45 light sheet, then below move to medium, etc etc. If he is stalled then do the same with the stable rug. My horses never grow coats in the winter...even when they used to be wooly mammoths!
Use a clicker to train the bow - with a whip for the command. Now that he knows the basics...you can easily switch to the clicker and "mark".
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the way to prevent the coat from growing is to start blanketing earlier then you think, anything under 50 should have a lightweight sheet, then progressively heavier from the temps down. From 50-45 light sheet, then below move to medium, etc etc. If he is stalled then do the same with the stable rug. My horses never grow coats in the winter...even when they used to be wooly mammoths!
like point with the whip? I will try that!
DeleteAnd blanketing right now won't exactly work...its still 85 degrees. We had 3 days that were 60 and nights that were 50, but its back to 85/65. WAY too warm for even sheets. And their coats are already starting to come in. You seem my dilemma.
It's possible that I worked in an animal cognition lab in college and taught pigeons how to moved boxes around to specified spots in an "arena." I also taught them to climb the boxes... You can transfer to a command (or clicker) pretty easily. Just do you normal cue to bow and say "bow, bow, bow, bow, bow" (or whatever random cue you want). When he bows give him a big good boy, good bow and a cookie. After a few times, start the verbal cue before his current cue so that he hears it first. Eventually he'll associate the verbal cue as part of the "bow" sequence and will "hopefully" start his bow off the verbal command. If he starts the bow, REWARD immediately. Then slowly make him perform more and more of the bow off the verbal cue and VOILA, smart pony. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll take some of his fuzzy coat in exchange for O's sleek coat... she lives out 24/7 with no lights whatsoever and she has not even remotely considered growing any hair at all, she just suddenly is darker!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I haven't taught a horse to bow yet so I'm not help lol. I hope you figure it out. :)
ReplyDelete