5/29/18
Went out. yesterday and Fri. and
worked on Mikey learning how to ground tie.  Used Goodnight's method...with long lunge line. He's getting it.
Duchess: lead her about on Fri. and lunged her she on Tues. (yesterday)
Plato: cardio on Fri. and on Tues. he in a stall (mosquitos had been a problem) so I massaged his hind quarters.
Lily is gone to a new home. Yeah!

5/22/18
M: all tricks; took target far away and he came to it (ball on whip); back; still working on whoa...may add julie goodnight method of teaching to ground tie (with clicker added)
P: hand walked and trotted 12 min.
D: hand walked 12 min.
L: treated navel with Swat (she to be sold on Fri. to Tanya who lives in BR OR NO)

5/21/18
Mikey: began work with him using the dressage whip as a "baton" and directional placeholder. Also worked on lifting his 4 legs; yielding all 4 quarters, back, whoa. use of clicks/treats. Brushed him.
Duchess: lunge, gently. She starts gimpy with that left hind.  She is much better about yielding her forequarters to a nudge/tap.
Plato: wow! he likes to move! he even cantered for me briefly on the line! I walked him 12 min. Yielded all 4 quarters. Brushed him.
Lily: a bit "shy" about being caught. only using lead rope over her neck for now. Swat on her navel; around eyes; brushed her a bit. she likes treats. using them to encourage head down for now. trying to teach her head down more than anything else for. now. some TTouch.

May 18, 2018

Mikey: worked on asking him to slow down his picking up his front leg because I want him to HOLD it up for longer (3-5 seconds) and not just stomp it down!   My (click/treat) timing is slightly getting better…I’m trying to reward him just for measured, calm pick ups of his front legs. I also worked on whoa (I would walk a large circle around him).  He decided to add one tiny step back just as I clicked and treated for a successful whoa and then thought I wanted that tiny step back throughout...I had to clear that up for him. Also worked on  back and yielding his haunches to a touch of the whip. He seems to really enjoy the sessions.

Plato: He was (it seemed) excited to see me. He even trotted!  I carried my dressage whip and am using it much like a conductor with his wand…he has to stop when I raise it vertically…he has to back should I wave it horizontally in front of his face; and he must yield whatever quarters I indicate should I tap him lightly on those particular set of quarters (hinds/ fores). I made him move about for 12 minutes in his pasture…some transitions, some back steps, some yielding of his haunches and a lot of trot/walk transitions with me trotting alongside him…was encouraged to see his brightness and forwardness despite the heavy heat!  Did give him some treats throughout.  As I told you I gathered up the old hay string left in his new paddock and tossed it in the garbage can near the outdoor arena.

Duchess: she seemed to have thought about my request(s) that she move her forehand sideways should I touch, prod, lightly tap with the whip on the meat of her shoulder. She was SO MUCH SOFTER about yielding to this request.  She got my methodology from what I did on Tues. and did not take offense or get flustered such as she had on Tues. when I began this process of asking her to yield her forehand during ground work. I also lunged her at trot and a bit of canter.  She was (at first) wonky going left but I let it be and took time with her and I switched her back and forth direction-wise and by the end she was trotting better (less lame) even going left (counter clockwise).  I noted that in canter( to the left) she guarded her hind end a bit and was using both legs a bit like a bunny rabbit so I only had her canter 1/4th of a circle in that direction.  Going to the right she was much better in all three gaits. Very pleasant about answering my requests to halt and walk.  

Lily: I started lightly teaching her to p ut her head down. She also allowed me to simply walk up to her and slip a lead rope around her neck and then. lead her over to the water trough area because that is where I “hid”my fly spray. She allowed me to spray her body (I got real good up under her belly—the summer sore area) and I wiped fly spray on her face…particularly around her eyes. I praised the heck out of her.  Then slowly slipped the lead rope off of her. She seemed surprised that I did not make her do anything else other than that.  I am hopeful that tomorrow when I see her again I will have a better relationship with her and once again will work on the head down idea with her.

Tues., May 15, 2018

Mikey: took my old dressage whip with the tennis ball stuck on its end and played with fluttering it against his pastern to try to influence him to keep his front leg raised for longer than a half of a second to my request of “up.”  He kept reading this as if it was a fly and would stomp down.  I then took off the tennis ball and merely rested the tip end of the whip against his pastern and sort of lightly pulsed it against his pastern and he got better.  I got some diplomatic, slow leg raises and at times I was able to mightily reward him (give him 2 treats at a time rather than one…which is called “jack pots.”)  It was raining when I was working with him but we stayed under the tree in his paddock and he was fine. Also re-worked with him on 1. putting his head down to my lightly resting my hand on the upper crest of his neck (he was pretty good once again with this) and 2. backing to my request.  As usual, much use of clicks and treats throughout.  He was an eager student.

Plato: Walked him for 12 min. in his paddock and also did some yielding of his quarters for suppling.

Duchess: because it was wet out in their paddock I did not want to fully lunge her in case she slipped so I instead worked on some ground work with her. I opted to teach her how to yield her forehand to a light touch. She did not know how to do this so we worked on it consistently. Fascinating to see her process this info.  What I did was have a halter on her…Stand at her side and using (alternating) at first my finger pressure…and also a light tap with the butt end of the whip on the flat of her shoulder…I had to show her all I wanted her to do was take a tiny sideways step with her forehand…. I rewarded her with a treat once she clearly got it.  Note: I am NOT using clicker with the other three horses because I want to make sure they don’t get confused as they won’t be handled with clicker methods out in their normal lives.  She shook her head at times…she also backed up a few steps at times and she also balked sometimes…but I would gently bring her back to the same spot and we’d have a go again. I suspect on Fri. when I come back out she will have gotten an even clearer picture of what I was after as I will revisit this again with her. Also…in the end…after I’d played with Lily a bit…I went back to Duchess and she was better about taking a sideways step (got a treat, too).

Lily: When I first entered their pasture, both Sunni and Lily came up to me and Lily came right up to me and stood in front of me.  I went to stroke the side of her neck and she took off. I then did Duchess first and after that wanted to just apply some Swat to the fly area under her belly…and around the base of her eyes.  However, Lily started running away from me. I stayed calm…merely talked to her but I was not good this day about keeping my mind clear…After about 8 minutes she allowed me to approach her and all I did was lightly wrap my lead rope (no halter) around the back of her neck and used that to ask her to stand still while I very gently rubbed some swat on the rough patch of skin under her belly (a lot of flies were there). She allowed me to also gently dot some Swat in a semi circle under her eyes.  Because I did not use a halter on her there was NO issue about getting the darn thing off of her as all I needed to do was slip the lead rope off of her neck (I did not knot it or fully encircle it on her…all I did was use it to contain her so I could doctor her beginnings of a summer sore).  This gave me an idea, though, of when I begin teaching her to lower her head to take any head gear off of her…that I may begin the process in a similar manner (use of a lead rope simply on her neck so there is no big deal about trying to take any halter or bridle off of her head…). Next challenge: teach her how to lower her head upon command.   

May 12, 2018

Mikey: Seems to have caught on that I want him to lower his head if I lightly put my hand on the top of his poll!  He was very easy about going down with his head and I even got him to lower his head all teh way until his muzzle was below his knee!  A first. Click and treat definitely!

I asked him to back and he did. I worked on whoa…this needs better work. I used halter this time and longish lead rope and would repeat the verbal “whoa” and then lift the line quickly if he started moving around to get him to still his feet. He has a tendency sometimes to follow me around with his chest/head and neck. I got him to successfully settle down into “whoa” about 50% of the time.  

I also made it more clear that if I tapped his haunch on the flat side of his hindquarters that he should yield his haunches…and that a touch on his canon bone (of ANY leg) plus the word “up”meant that he RAISE that foot. He got more relaxed about this and I will continue to make the distinction clear for him that a yield over with the quarters comes from a tapping with the butt end of the whip (2x) on the SIDE of his haunch…or the flat side of his shoulder (to make him move his forehand over laterally…which he did happily today as well)

Now aiming to have him learn how to raise up a leg and HOLD it up for longer than a split second. I even went out to my car and looked through my clicker training book for any hints about this process (I know it involves DELAYING how. quickly you deliver the treat…but he has to give me a chance, an opening that he starts to HOLD his leg up for a tiny bit longer…the book by Alexandra Kurkland (sp) did not have any clues so I will research it online.  I was able to get Mikey to SLIGHTLY hold up his leg a bit longer…but it was not consistent. I did. not give him a click (or treat) for the microsecond(s) he held up his front leg.  I only rewarded for slightly longer holdings up.  But I need to see exactly what is a good process for this. Used one large carrot cut up into about 30 pieces (finger shaped) for most of his treats this time; used some other plain horse treats I got from Stemmons at the very end. But he did not ingest too much because basically he ate the equivalent of one carrot…yet he thought he was getting much more because he had to earn each piece.

{Jessie had a small cut on his(?) upper shoulder, left side, flies were working on it so I applied fly spray around it so they’d leave it alone.}

Plato: curried. him for 20 minutes solid with flexible curry glove. Got about 25 wads of hair and a ton of old dander off of him. Then put halter on and led him all around his paddock for an invigorating 15 min. walk with verve!  Also had him yield his various quarters about 4-5 times in all. Asked him to back up 2-3 x.  We did serpentines, diagonals, whoa’s, etc.  I fed him a couple of treats and left a couple more in the little low tub that I have his mini salt brick in.

Duchess: 13 min. of very active lunge work—all trot, canter, barely any walk or whoa…had to “race” her into the right lead at first (1/2 of a very large circle)…after that if she cross cantered, I’d. make her trot…LIFT the lunge line some as I asked for her transitioning into the right lead and she’d get it and then i’d relax the line and go with her.  I also banged on her feet some and made her waggle her legs (one at a time…would pick them up and “play” with them as if I was a farrier (ha).  Put Swat around her eyes (mostly underneath). Praised her a ton while she was working so hard for me. She is a true sweetie. Gaining confidence. I can see points in which her back relaxes and she has looseness to her joints as she trots. I hope with strength and suppleness she will gain moments of suspension in her gaits rather than the flat, Arab like trots and canters she gives forth now because she holds her back so tightly most of the time. Also, granted…the first 2 lunge circles she gave me a trot she was rather gimpy (this was going counter clockwise at the very start) but she seemed eager to go forward regardless and was trotting almost without me asking her to.  She also warmed up rather quickly and began to trot regularly early on in our lunge session. I could tell by her back that she had been used recently in a lesson so that is good, too.

Lily: First approached her with NO gear in my hands.  She came up to me and we exchanged nostril sniffs (one of my farriers advised me that this was a good way to greet a horse…I must be crazy!…) Then I asked her permission if I may touch her shoulder, neck. I used the flexible curry mit and would touch/stroke and back away.  Finally I lightly curried her a bit with it and then took off my gloves and did some T-Touch circle strokes on her neck side and upper shoulder.  I also stroked the crest of her mane but she did. not like me to go too far up (poll area/upper 1/4thof her neck crest). I then went and got my halter and lead and she let me put it on her. I led her over to where I had “hidden” the Swat (in a thin disposable cup I’d gotten from the barn kitchen…I hid the Swat behind their water trough where they couldn’t get to it because Sunni gets into everything I lay out there!  I also had my own bottle of fly spray and her lower back belly was covered with flies. I put Swat around Lily’s eyes very gently…and warned her I was going to spray her (first sprayed away from her body) and then covered her legs and entire belly with fly spray. I applied Swat to the place that the flies were congregating (making a summer sore). Will keep the rest of the Swat in my cooler (I got about 1 Tablespoon of it) and will continue to use it around the Fab Four’s eyes, etc. Then I took Lily for a little walk around the pasture while humming. She was okay with this and mellow (her head and neck were evben down as we walked…) until I continued on into the OTHER back pasture (through their open gate that subdivides their two pasture areas). Her breathing changed a bit and she 2x looked back at Dutchess and Sunni who were happily grfazing closer to their water tank.  I only walked her about 30 meters (in an arc) in the back pasture.  No need to make her anxious.  Then I took her back to her friends and thanked her and went to take her halter off.  The halter is large (it is the one I use for my own horse) but because she won’t lower her head, she considered the fact that I wasn’t smooth enough about getting it over her last (right) ear that I offended her so she shook the darn thing off, whirled and ran over about 15 yards to be closer to Dutches. Once again the humans had failed her! Augh! I put my stuff back in my car and went back into the pasture and sat down on the ground near Lily and Duchess.  Sunni came over and began nuzzling me, my shoes, my hair.  Lily started grazing (finally).  I just sat there and tried to do what that guy recommends in the trust-technique.com tapes…just be present and try not to have any words, thoughts come into your mind…just listen to the sounds around you and feel whatever you are sitting on…which in this case was the hard ground.  (don’t worry…I’m also waiting to be bitten by ants too!).  Slowly, after  about 3 minutes of this “communing with nature exercise”  I rolled and got back up and went back over to Lily and surprisingly she came right to me! I told her she’d done a good job. She and I exchanged another nostril sniff (!) and then she went back over to be by Duchess and continue grazing.

Fri. May 11, 2018

Mikey: clicker commands: back, 4 cone series, lift legs, yield all quarters, head down (moderately successful), come to me, whoa (needs more work on this). used no halter this time Going to work on asking him to keep a leg raised for 5 seconds. worked on separating the two requests about a. yield haunches vs. b. lift hind leg only quietly and small.

Plato: walked 10 min. cavaello boots did not fit him (he is 1/4 inch too large in the toe), lots of brushing, shedding (good) gifted him with salt block and left him treats in his new low bucket so he would have to "find" the small salt brick, made him yield all quarters 4x

Duchess: lunged; stretched pretty good both ways in trot (to my request via the line); made her canter 2x on right lead in a 30 m circle; very good about transitions

Lily: watched Adelle ride her: she dared to stretch at the trot and Adelle and her both were surprised and she suddenly came back up as if to say oh, no, this is not the real me!  Adelle had to stop her and shut her down temporarily because she got into a fluff about it; I went out and did the trust technique with her; she sniffed me again(!) and came right up to me and then I sat down on the ground in front of her, near her and she fell asleep above me (would not graze). I slowly rolled aside and stood quietly and eventually she began grazing. I also did some T-Touch on her neck and fronts of her shoulders. See where she has flies gathering and working on making a summer sore on her so I will address that tomorrow (Swat).

Brushed Mikey off first.  Then worked Mikey with tricks/clicks/treats.  I am now adding in “strings” of commands before he gets a treat. So he has to (for example) touch his nose to a target (in this case, a small cone I have on the ground) and then he has to lift a leg that I indicate to him.  Or he has to walk towards me (with my usual signal of a kiss sound plus leaning over a bit and stroking an imaginary rope towards my solar plexus)…and then I stand up and do my fingers like a six-shooter and say “back” and he has to back…then click and treat.  Made him move all four quarters (yield) and also he had to target a. mini obstacle course (touch his nose to a sequence of laid out cones)…got a click and treat…and I also checked in on him standing still at “whoa” while I walked a full circle around him.  He seemed pleased to see me and pleased he has a growing arsenal of new tricks.  Currently he gets confused if I tap him lightly on the flat side of. his haunch (asking him to yield his haunches just a step or two…) but he sometimes reads it as “lift up your hind leg” and he lifts it up mightly.  My cue for that normally is a light touch with the whip tip on the front of the cannon bone of whatever leg I’m wanting him to lift up…I need to separate out these two cues and get some clarity…but for. now super happy he is responding so well and eagerly.

Plato: brushed him off real good; walked him 13 min. At first he did. not want to be caught.  I asked him to step over with each of his hind legs 2x; then had him move laterally with his front end 1x just for suppling.  I will add on a rep or two of these over the coming weeks each time I go out. After our exercise session I left him grazing in a shady spot.  I also cut out some hay twine rope that was crusted, nested up against his back fence rail as I did not want him to get his foot caught in it.  Looks like it blew from the huge acreage that is up against his fence line.

Duchess:  Lunged her 15 min. Picked up all four feet (as if I was gonna clean them; trim them) And pounded on them with my bare hands and cooed good girl and gently allowed each foot to return to the ground.  In the lungeing: lots of transitions; lots of spiral in and out; only cantered her on her right lead and made her do in all 3 circles (large circles) in that direction. It was hot.  Did not want to get her too overheated.  Lots of trot though and she’s stretching so nicely at the trot now in both directions.

Lily: Since you said you had ridden her yesterday I figured I would owrk on her trust issues.  I used the techniques I saw in the trust-technique.com mini free course…basically you empty your own mind of any busy-ness and sort of enter a meditative state.  Lily actually came right at me (!) and then I stood still and she sniffed me all over!  I then sat down on the ground and moved very slowly. She never left my periphery and nor did she graze either.  She kept standing right there, watching me the whole time. Sunni came up but I gently brushed her away.  Duchess must of have picked up on the “calm” vibe and started rolling (in the course he has these horses sort of hypnotized by his “being present” state and they end up surrounding him and laying down(!).  I then stayed near Lily and asked her permission to gently stroke the side of her neck then soon the side of her shoulder and step back. Used the back of my hand.  She did not flinch nor turn away (she has turned away and LEFT in times past.  Finally she started grazing and wandered off.  I then walked tangentially to her and stood a bit off and tried just being present again (no language, or thoughts in my mind). She kept her eyes on me and then started grazing IN MY DIRECTION!!! Wow!  I thanked her for the trust she appeared to be putting in me and told her I would be back on Fri. to do some more of this type of stuff.  (note: I think I told you that on Sat. I lunged her slowly (walk, trot, halt) and she is so sensitive that all I have to do is lift the lunge line 2-3 inches and very softly say “whoa” and she stops immediately!—so sensitive. took me about 3 sessions to get her to stop this quietly…but working on the trust stuff is something entirely different.)

parelli

I watched this tape of Parelli’s a couple of times. It is an hour long. You may not have time.  Parelli has an “uneven” reputation…but in this tape I found his reasoning and how he dealt with the young man and the man’s horse valid.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quxsAnniUXU

I

this sounds like good progress!! I think its good to move on for a bit when he does it right so he knows it was a “yes”!

Yesterday went back out and did a re-do of what all I mentioned in the original post. My horse seemed to have caught on what all I was about and some of the exercises went more smoothly, quickly. I was able to get a few decent left lead canter departs yet those that did not qualify, I calmly told him no, would restart and go again. Once he gave me a good one, I'd quit and move on to something else. 

Ratio-wise it took about 4 tries to get to that result. The prep work (as outlined in the above post) did involve a LOT of asking him to mobilize that darn hind end of his. Back and forth, forth and back (or rather haunches in, back to the true circle line, haunches in, etc.) around the Ritter barrel we went… 

Then I took him over to the area where I had access to a good fence line/corner and I did the Ritter pattern as shown in the first comment to this post...with the keyhole part nestled right into the corner. All I had to do were three stabs at this and on the third stab HE GAVE ME A GOOD LEFT LEAD CANTER DEPART. I praised the bee-Jesus out of him and let him off for the day. Am not going to do all this again today (rain) as he really was worked so hard the last two days. At least I am seeing a glimmer. And he's answering me off of my outside seat bone slightly being weighted at the right moment. Only taken me 62 years of my life and 12 years of his life for us to get to this spot--74 years combined. 

One fascinating by-product of all this work lately is a change I felt in his RIGHT lead canter. We were working around the Ritter barrel, 8 meter volte at a walk, doing a haunches in for a few steps, then bringing his rear back to the true line of the circle and in doing so, asking for a canter depart. He gave it to me and I would ride the canter on the 8 meter line for perhaps 2 strides then allow us to enlarge the circle rather quickly to a 10-12 meter so he was not taxed so much. Suddenly underneath my seat I was feeling something new and different (in the right lead). I found I was able to sit much more centered; it was as if TIME slowed down (maybe only a fantasy in my own mind) and there felt like there was a new lift to each stride that was happening WITHIN EACH STRIDE! I brought him back down to walk, and tried it again and got the same (wonderful) result. 

Didn’t want to jinx this so I went on with the exercise and began to work him in the other direction (asking for left lead while doing the same process). In that case my focus was a calm, not popping up left lead canter depart. My priority du jour! It took a few tries but as I explained, once he gave it to me we went on to something else after a pat.

5/3/18
Four horses: lunged Duchess (saw her lesson with Ann and now know she needs more right lead canter work); lunged Lily (worked on compliance to "whoa"); groomed and hand-walked Plato; clicker training with Mikey (he is getting fabulous about "whoa" and back)...went through all his tricks.  Need now to add on.  He was offering targeting while I fiddled with grabbing some treats for him! (I was not fas enough to reward him after the treat!).

May 1, 2018

Rode Duchess in a lesson: main objective: rhythm and relaxation; some work over poles (horse shoe) Canter flat. 

long lined Duchess in large round pen.  got her to obey the line and bring shoulders out. walk and trot

Lily: lunged her in her home paddock. She is very very sensitive. Worked a lot on "whoa" response.  Walk and trot.  Nice horse.

Mikey: brushed him; did just about everything with clicker he knows: back, quarters, leg lifts, whoa! (he stood and I walked a gigantic arc around him! GREAT); he followed me back to the gate this time.  did not do head down this time. also had him target my tennis ball and he agreed to lift his nose (like a giraffe grazing from tree). he is better about letting me use whip on his body.

I include below a You Tube video of Mikey from today. Brushed him off first and he’s almost all the way free of his winter coat now. Dabbed a little fly spray UNDER his eyes.  He correctly “targeted” five cones in succession—it took a while because a couple of times he took a break and would stare out across the fence. I also did my “six shooter”movement with my fingers to ask him to back. He earned clicks and treats for all these things. Then worked on asking him to step sideways with his front legs, then his hinds to small taps of the whip. I try to just use 2 taps. I also played with asking him to lower his head to taps on his crest (eventually I will. just use a slightly cupped hand and “clapping” on the side of his neck in the same rhythm).  He does not like lowering his head (you know about this…unless it is HIS idea!).  I was intrigued to notice that the moment we were done with the clicker stuff and I had taken off his halter, he immediately left me and went more towards the mid area of his paddock. Normally he follows me to his gate to say “goodbye” to me.  This time, he’d had enough!  Not upset about anything in particular but he had a lot to process.  Earlier we had only done 2 cones in succession, I believe.  You will notice he stayed mentally engaged the whole time, though…but today once we were done he was ready to be on his own time, own turf!

Here’s the 17-minute link for You Tube: (the “action” starts about a minute into it): 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oidbbydlcE

 
Duchess: a lot more transitions, cantering and such...in and out (spirals) and the NOOR exercise (suppling the hips and shoulders from the ground)

Thanks again for letting me ride Monaco!!!!!

Here’s a quick recap of what I did with Mikey and Duchess this morning (Sat. morn):

started using other cones that I have in my truck and introduced to him the idea of sequencing…I have some small softer soccer cones that are designed to let the wind through.  He successfully touched (he still just goes down to the cone but BARELY touches them with his muzzle…he is much more willing to make contact if I use tennis balls!)…I had a 3 cone sequence and he marched up to each one that I indicated and touched them in sequence!  I put them about 8 feet apart. I also reminded him about backing up and he was much better (yes, of course clicking and treating for each segment)…and I tapped the crest of his neck in rhythm and he did lower his head incrementally.  He was much more accepting of me using the whip around him this time.  This (teaching of lowering the head to tapping in rhythm) needs more work. Also: I am going to add MORE cones next time I’m out there.  Fly sprayed his body and also wiped some around his eyes.

Duchess: lunged her; cantered her some; also showed her an exercise (done on the ground) of suppling her (only did it 2x in each direction)…in essence you get the horse to step over with its hind end AND step smaller (also over) with its front end…while keeping the horse’s poll flexed a tad towards you, the handler.  She took to t his like a champ.  Did spiral in and out in trot (on lunge).  Applied some fly spray around her eyes.

4/27/18
Brushed him off first. 
Today I tried a new cone with Mikey—one of the softer older medium sized ones rather than the ones that are currently used sometimes in the indoor arena.  He was very good about going right to them on the ground after I said “target” and would stand off to the side.  I even tested him and put one 8 - 10 feet away and he walked right over and lowered his nose to it.  Now, I do notice he does not as solidly TOUCH it with his nose like he does the tennis balls but he is about 1/32nd of an inch from it and taht’s a-okay in my book.  The intent is valid.  
I worked on “back” with him (waggling my fingers back and forth as if I was shooting a 6 shooter).  He’s getting better and better about response time.
(note: he’s getting clicks and treats throughout! for all his good behavior)
Used the butt end of the dressage whip after I laid it on the side of his neck and stroked him with it…then tapped it 2x on each shoulder and he easily stepped sideways with his fore feet. Yay. 
Worked on asking him to lower his head and neck. Revisited using the tapping method (lightly, rhythmically) tapped gently on his mane crest. At first he acted insulted.  Backed up some. A few times. tried to march forward (I did not allow this…Jeff Moore said all was okay…even sideways or a few steps of backwards but no forward…as that is often their flight/fight kicking in.  All I wanted him to do was experiment…until he started getting the message to lower his head to the tapping.  He started to get the idea.  I will revisit it again tomorrow morning.  
I also asked him to lift each of his four feet to command (“up” plus either pointing at said foot with my whip or in the case of the hinds having to touch the front of his cannon bones—he really lifted his feet WAY high!!! Oy vey! But it was one foot at a time as I asked so I clicked and treated each time and made a big fuss.

With Duchess: lunged her and made sure going to the left (counterclockwise) I walked out in a big circle with her so she was traveling trotting on a VERY large circle (30-40 meters) and this assisted her in being able to use her bad hind leg better. The other way she even was offering me stretches on her own at trot. I also spiraled her gently in and out ( both directions) at trot and walk.  And I played a bit with the voltes/small circles.  Made a huge fuss too out of her.  

4/24/18
Worked with both Mikey and Duchess.  Brought Mikey up to the r round pen and took off his lead rope. Then showed Brittany how active and precise he was about targeting.  I would hold the tennis ball (on the end of the old whip) anywhere and he'd seek it out. Click and treat. Yay.  Then asked him to come to me--kissed a bit, leaned over, made the scooping motions with my hands and forearms (towards my solar plexus) and he readily walked towards me. Click and treat.  I also asked him to back up using my voice and wagging my index fingers towards him. He did not get it so I lightly touched the point of his shoulder and repeated back. NO problem (later after I put. him away in. his home paddock, he easily backed away from the fence line to me just wagging my finger and saying "back."). He was a bit distracted because a car drove by and Brittany was watching...but it went okay.  I also used my shorter dressage whip to lightly tap him on the broadside of. his shoulder and rewarded him for ANY sideways with either of his forefeet (away from the direction of pressure, of course).  Click and treat.  However, when he just took a step back...no reward.  He is a bit reactive to the whip so I would lightly rest it on the side of his neck, say "whoa" and by now I had the lead line attached because sometimes he would take several steps back when all I wanted to do was lightly tap his shoulder over.  The moment he got the correct idea, click and treat. I also dropped the whip and then used the tip of one finger to very lightly press/poke into his shoulder and he easily stepped sideways, click and treat.  I then picked up the whip and showed Brittany where we were at with me tapping a certain foreleg and saying up and he got a reward for that too.  And I re-tested his ability to just stand there w/ me saying "whoa" and walking in an arc in front of him...click and treat. He used to try to follow me everywhere. Eventually I will build upon all this--these tiny things that I can marry up into longer sequences.  Right now we are just learning "a language" together.  Interesting to note: as I led him to and fro from his home paddock, he never once offered to eat grass. It is as if he is too mentally into things to even notice the grass! On Fri. I need to bring my extra tennis balls and work more on the sequential stuff and make him touch them in order. He's a bit proud of himself. Later, as I drove out for the evening, I stopped at his pen, asked him to come to me and then waggled my finger at him, said back, and he was a doll out it. I made a click sound with my mouth and of course he got a treat. Waved goodbye and told him we'd be at it again on Fri. He is almost done shedding out.

Duchess!  Adelle said that on Mon. I think she used her for a very light lesson with Anne.  The mare did not fret on the cross ties like she used to. Adelle found that of interest. I lunged her out in her field and I was amazed to see that she did not limp in the hind end!  True, she is still a bit short strided (the hind end) BUT she is much more even over all. All I did was walk, trot, whoa. Brittany was watching the last half of our work session and was impressed by the mare. She is getting the idea of whoa to the voice but I have to reinforce it for now with some movement of the lunge line.  Want her to eventually just whoa in her tracks, on the original line of travel as I don't like horses turning in on me as they come to a stop.  I like them staying on the 20m circle.  I waggle it upwards to enforce my asking her to come to a halt.  She is spot on with her transitions.  Very much on the money. All I have to do is say the word "trot" or "walk" and maybe add a cluck or say "EEEE---ZEEE" to reinforce a downwards and she's there with me.  Never pulls on the lunge line. Light, easy to handle.  A dream.  I told Adelle I'm going to work on teaching her to stretch as a way to help her build up her top line.  It's only been a little bit that I've been doing this with her but can see progress already. Will now start more spiral in and out and eventually add walking voltes...then will use the round pen to introduce her to long lining.

Fri and Sat. April 20 and 21
managed to work both of them. what I'd doing new with Mikey is making. him touch tennis balls on the ground and will sequentialize them. he's getting better about back to a verbal command.  also reinforcing whoa.
with Duchess: lunged her in the field. Found out from Adelle about her history (being abandoned; was always gimpy, forced to jump 3 ft.) she limps more going to the right. looks high up. maybe stifle. she actually stretched some going to the left. I told A I'd also long line her.

April 15 and April 17: both horses report:
Duchess: round pen lunging. On Sunday (the 15th) pen was a bit wet so I kept it slow as she was making a smaller circle (to avoid the muggy outsides). I worked a lot on asking her to whoa and stay on the perimeter. She got better but not confirmed yet.  Good on her upwards transitions (to a verbal). Only walking, halt and trot so far. She is still a bit needing strengthening. Also brought her in and groomed her some.  One time she did a perfect halt on the perimeter and I got excited and praised her and she got worried because I was overly enthusiastic.  However, overall...she likes the formalness I t think of working.  On Tues., the 17th, she purposely met me in her pasture and let me collect her.  Very good work in the round pen.  I also am reinforcing that she whoa in her tracks when I lead her on a straight line, too.  Overall, she was much more keen and cued in on Tues. Better about staying out there in the halt...but I will have to keep after t his because I do not want her coming in at me when I ask her to halt. I have to be very quiet when I talk to her...deliberate with my movements.  She is sensitive.

Mikey: Sunday: groomed him fully. Oiled the tops of his hooves. Took. him into the covered arena. He did not want to enter at first (used smaller side gate). Easy to use the target to ask him to come forward in increments and easy to get him to get past his first resistances.  Once in there, he was a bit "high" (I suspect from being used to being jumped a lot in there)...it was a work setting for him.  Easy to get him to target.  I also worked on the tapping him on the OPPOSITE haunch but he still not getting this so it led to him getting confused. Decided to let that be.  Worked on asking him to just stand. click/treat. He was easy to move his shoulders sideways to one tiny touch (click/treat).  backing was good.

Tuesday, the 17th: worked with him in his home paddock: now teaching him to raise his front legs to a touch of the whip. Also worked on asking him to back to a verbal.  Reinforced the request to stand (click and treat...use the word "whoa" of course); he was easy to get to come to me via kissing, motioning towards my solar plexus with my hands.  I worked him this time with no halter just to see how it went.  All good.  He is a very focused student.

April 13, 2018
Spent bulk of the day at the barn helping Adelle. As I drove towards front gate, stopped by and worked with Mikey as I told him I would. I kissed at him and called his name and he quickly walked in my direction.  Click and treat the moment he began walking towards me. He's getting really good about being assertive about going after the target (tennis ball on old dressage whip). I can hold it out further from him and make him walk a few steps to touch the ball with his nose.  Click/treat. He gets that! I also groomed him in the middle of his home paddock.  Then I worked on asking him to back up by word and he did not understand it until I lightly touched the front of his shoulder and pressed lightly.  click and treat. We did this SEVERAL times and finally he offered on his own to take one medium sized step back. click and treat, of course. Along the way to getting him to do all that (the one step back) were attempts on my part to cue him via waggling my fingers parallel backwards (much like a guide on a aircraft carrier indicating direction to a fighter jet)...plus I tried wiggling the lead rope a lot to make it slightly obnoxious to him and suggesting to him (a la Parelli) that he might consider taking a step back.  Once he gave it to me...much coo-ing and the click/treat.  I also played with whoa, come.  I would target him so he came forward and then ask for him to whoa.  He finally got the idea that all he had to do was stand there and I'd reward him for his "whoa."  And I reinforced his coming to me by kissing, the ole slight leaning forward and stroking the imaginary lead rope to my solar plexus.  He easily understands that concept. I explained I needed to go on home so I undid his halter and lead (most of the time I did not even use the lead...just let it dangle)...and once I was out of his paddock, I made him take a step back (away from the fence...and at my behest (word "back" ) and clicked and treated him.

4/10/18
Mikey:
Drove into main gate, stopped by his paddock...called to him from his front fence and clicked and gave him a Jolly Rancher for him coming to me. I moved my location and made him come to me from a different vantage point.  I also said "whoa" and he had to stand still and then I would back up a few steps...he had to stay...and click and treat. I also kissed and bowed over a bit and made the come to me move (like pulling in a rope to myself solar plexus) and he complied. Click and treat. Then I drove in and took my lesson.  Went back out afterwards and gathered him up (halter and lead) and took him to the round pen. Using my longer whip, I tested him on the idea of tapping him on his RIGHT haunch by reaching up over his back  and hoping he'd yield to that and step towards the left. Nothing doing.  He was still stuck on the idea that no matter which haunch I tap (should I stand on his left side) he is going to move to the right regardless. I even tried reaching my uber long whip up underneath his chin and tapping him while I still stood on his left shoulder and tapping his right haunch and he got excited by this change of maneuver. One evasion he uses is backing up...raising his head, etc.  I then went back to more plebeian requests: yielding his fore to the side to my simple prodding with a finger tip (no problem there) and he is very clear about yielding his haunches right or left as long as I am tapping and standing on the same side as where the whip is touching him...no problem with that either.  He did get a bit flummoxed when I tried a couple of times later on my "difficult request" and then refused the Jolly Ranchers(!)...however later, after he was back in his home paddock and doing my oral requests that he take a step backwards (he did this...and he got a click and Jolly Rancher...no problem then with him accepting the Jolly Ranchers).  He was accepting of the other horse treats I offered, though. Only when he got flummoxed did he start spitting out the Jolly Ranchers.  So, duly noted.  I also did the target thing (tennis ball) and am now working on offering it more away from his head space and he's going for it. He definitely has the idea of what "target"means...and I make sure he actually TOUCHES the ball with his muzzle and not a cheating way of sort of touching it.  In a wonderful test...in the round pen...I said whoa.  Then I walked ALL THE WAY around him and he just stood there and I praised the heck out of him...click and treat. He did not move a muscle. Will play with that concept again on Fri.  With my own horse I can say whoa, walk in a gigantic circle in each direction about 30 meters out...he just stands there...this is something I can teach Mikey.

April 7, 2018
The Mikey Report
It was lightly raining when I got there about 10:30 in the morning. I decided to just work with Mr. Mikey in his own paddock. I donned a rain coat and hat and grabbed my tools: a regular short-ish dressage whip, a much longer flexible whip, my "target" (tennis ball stuck permanently on the end of an old dressage whip), my clicker, a couple of fanny packs filled to the brim with treats and a shedding blade.
I walked up to his paddock from the parking area and he met me at the gate of his home paddock. I took his halter from the hook just outside his main gate but did not put it on him etc. From there, I walked all the way towards the back of  his home paddock to see what it was like in his run in shed just in case the rain escalated. I was wearing very good mud boots (a blessing).
Mikey followed me all the way to the back side. I groomed him all over and checked his chest (skin healing just fine) and he just stood there (no halter) while I did this.  Got some old winter hair off of him.  I found a spot of high ground (no puddles) and put on his halter.  Then I tested if he was willing to step sideways with his front feet if I touched him in the middle of his shoulder. Yes and yes. Click and treat! Then I worked on asking. him to yield his haunches to a slight whip touch on the same side as I was standing on and he readily stepped sideways with his haunches to whatever way I indicated. More click/treat. Then I tried taking the LONG flexible, light whip and tapping him on the OPPOSITE haunch from where I was standing (note: I had to reach over his back, traverse wise; also note: I use the command "over" as I ask for any traverse steps from him coupled with tapping or finger tip pressure) and he finally got it if I asked him to bring his left hip right ways (step counterclockwise) but he could not make the mental leap to do the other way. So, I tried several times and he kept offering that he yield just the left hip towards the right even if I was tapping him on his right hip (and I'd also step back and revert to the "regular" way of asking him to yield his haunches with. me on the same side and he was fine with that...).  So, I then took him closer to. his run in shed and used it as a "block" so he would not want to step his haunch into the building from that position, I stood at his left shoulder, reached over his back with my uber long light whip and tapped his right haunch hoping he'd make the leap and step over towards the right. He did it and I gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up and a click and TWO treats (a jackpot).  But that was the only time I could make him do it in that direction.  However, during this training session, I could not get him to recreate the same move as he refused to stand near the run in after that. I tried some out in the open but he kept just going back to yielding the left hip to the right (despite being tapped and "prodded" to do the opposite)...so I gave that up and pledged to try it another day. At one point he got a bit mad at me so I decided to go onto something else.  He is an overachiever and likes getting the right answer.  He also likes to experiment.  I am jazzed that he did rather comfortably make the learning leap that if I stood near his right shoulder and tapped onto his left hip (reached over and across his spine) that he could manage that aokay.  Then I tested him on "target" and he got jackpots for correctly touching his nose to the tennis ball even if it was way up in the air about 3 feet from his face...but at the level of his ears...and he also got a click/jackpot for reaching down to the ground and correctly touching the tennis ball after I would say "target" and offer it to him.  In the future, I'm going to try to get further and further away from him and make him "work" for his click and treat more on this one.  At one point he was nuzzling the old dressage whip instead of the tennis ball and I did not give him a click or treat...so he figured that out and immediately went for the tennis ball with his nose. Click and treat!
I also checked in with him on lowering his head. He was better than yesterday. It is not confirmed...but at least we were starting from him having a more level head/neck carriage...I would gently place my hand on the upper third of his crest and NOT press down but say "put your head down."  His eyes were blinking slowly during this part of our session...and he even appeared almost to yawn.  I tested him from BOTH sides about this and did my best to avert him turning his nose into my space (I would either use my finger tips and gently prod him away as all I want is for him to keep his head and neck centered to his chest and put his head down to that...sometimes I held my arm so my elbow pointed down to the g round and if he tried to turn his big head into my space he would end up touching my forearm instead and it served as a sort of "guard" so he would go back to more neutral straight head carriage).  ANY semblance of lowering the head was rewarded. A few times he took a slight step backwards coupled with lowering the head and I felt compelled to reward it anyway because at least his head was going DOWN. And then I noticed he began to VOLUNTEER dropping his head (a few times to the ground) and I rewarded one of those despite the fact I had not primed him or requested it...I felt it was a step in the right direction. Click and treat anyway at least in that case.  I also was sure to give him his treats (after the click) in a space LOW so he had to release his head and neck in an even more downward position to get his reward.
I also did a quick check in on"whoa" and "come" and told him whoa and walked about 5 feet off and did a semi circle in front of him. He just stood there. Click and treat. Then I stepped back, curled down a bit and made the stroking motion as if I was winding an imaginary lead rope into my solar plexus and I kissed at him and he immediately broke rank and walked towards me. click and treat!
I then began to make motions that I had to go (I'd spent about 40 min. with him).  I took off his halter and he followed to the front. I made him back 2x (to verbal) as he had no halter on. And he got rewarded (click first, of course).  Then I exited the paddock and asked him to back one more time away from his fence line and he did so so I gave him a click and treat and told him I'd see him on Tues.
Ms. Toye, his owner, said he really likes Jolly Ranchers so we are going today to buy him some.  I used a lot of carrot bits, some horse treats and some rock candy today for his treats.  He loved all of it of course.

April 6, 2018
The Mikey Chronicles, cont'd.:
Walked over to his paddock about 2:00 and he let me halter him just fine. He was very very dirty. We went towards the main barn.  He spied the automatic walking wheel in motion (it had Duchess in it) going and even though we were a good distance from it (basically near the pond) he took umbrage with this device.  He raised his head up high and kept it there and watched in amazement as she walked/trotted with the pieces of hurricane fencing coaxing her along. All I wanted to do was to lead him to the cross tie area so I could groom him first.  This was the last thing on his mind, though.  As we neared "the torture device" he got more animated. This gave me an idea. I got him to take a step with me and clicked and treated him. He totally forgot about the device for a moment. We'd go a few more steps, etc....more clicking and treating. He did the "trumpet snort" for good measure. Duchess couldn't have cared less about him. She was huffing and puffing and had more important things on in her mind...like moving.  I attached him to the crossties and he made sure he could (from time to time) look over his shoulder at the walking wheel.  Duchess started ignoring the hurricane fencing so Adele corrected her 2x from the side and urged her forward.  She explained that it was not good to strain the motor if a horse was going to flat out stop and let the pieces of fencing drag over her back!!! Ah, Duchess!  Mikey took all this in and was a bit put out that Adele had started clucking to Duchess and correcting her and such!  I kept on scrapping the hair and mats off of him till he was much cleaner/smoother; treated his front chest scratch area with Corona (it is almost all the way healed) and felt for his beginnings of a summer sore and that was just about all gone (I put a touch of Swat on it, for good measure). I also cleaned out his feet and applied Koppertox to the back ones (frog crevasses) as there was a touch of thrush starting. The fronts were good, though! Then I put him in a school horse stall across from the crossties, unclipped his lead rope, and pulled out my clicker, dressage whip and bag o' treats.  We worked first on head down. This time I did not do the Jeff thing of taps...rather I gently placed my head up near (not on) his poll, the crest of his mane and waited for any glimmer that he might drop his head.  For every nuance of a head/neck drop, I immediately clicked and treated. One thing he started doing that I had to start "reshaping" was the tendency to turn his head into my space and look for a treat.  I began only clicking when his head went down (in any form or fashion) straight in front of his own chest.  After about 10 segments of this he was getting the idea. I also worked at it by standing on the other side and he got the idea of "head down." For my own horse, I say literally, "put your head down" and by now I do not even need to touch. him...but he's been conditioned for years to do this before he ever gets ANY treat at all (when unmounted).  So, I was happy to see Mikey was getting the idea of head down and for good measure, I was saying the phrase just to pair it up so that perhaps one day I won't have to place my palm on the upper crest of his mane at all.  Regardless, he appreciated getting the praise.  Then I did a mini version of "whoa" and "come" in the stall. The challenge was that he had to stand still (NO FEET MOVE) no matter where I moved in the stall.  That was for the Whoa part. He the idea (we have done this before) and I "tested" it about 4-5 x and he only once moved towards me (I shrugged up my shoulders at him and he immediately took that step back).  Then I said whoa and walked a corner of the stall, slightly leaned forward and made the cooing sound and also fashioned my hands and arms so that it appeared I was reeling in a rope towards my solar plexus and he immediately walked towards me. Click and treat.Yay!  Then I tested his willingness to step sideways (NOT backwards) to a slight pressure from the butt end of my dressage whip to the middle of his shoulder and he willingly and IMMEDIATELY have me the exact correct lateral step (inward, towards his mid line) I was looking for. Click and treat for both directions. Very happy.  I praised him. He was now cleaner and wiser.  We walked back out to the front paddock and I let him graze for just a couple of minutes because it began sprinkling and I knew Eladio had put his feed out there for his dinner and I did not want his grain to get wet.  Once we were in the paddock, I asked him to first back 2x to voice only and he remembered and got a click and treat. Then I undid his halter and lead and stepped aside so he could eat his dinner. He was very mannerly about all this.  Super cool horse.

April 3, 2018
Did 3 mini clicker sessions with Mikey today. First I drove in and parked next to his paddock.Got out and called to. him. He nickered and came to meet me from where he had been standing all the way in the back of his paddock.  I put his halter on. him.  Used my shedding blade on him and got more mats and old winter coat off of. him.  Then used the clicker and worked on "whoa" and "come."  What I did was ask. him to stand where he was standing and would say whoa and then click and reward for him NOT moving any of his feet. Naturally he did reach out and beg some...and at first he kept taking a step or two towards me. I then began rewarding him much closer in so he was set up for success.  And, each time he broke protocol (walked towards me), I asked him to back to his original spot.  (and would click when he backed up to my request).  Then I told him I'd be back for. him later after my lesson.  I did go back and collect him.  He was not super good about whoa yet.  I took him first to the tack up/cross tie area and groomed on him some more and put some Corona on some spots he had (that are getting better).  Then I took him to the round pen and did the same lesson.  He got pretty good about backing up, actually.  He still did not totally grasp the whoa. part. To instill "come" I would lean forward a bit (tip forward) and comb the lead line or the lunge line in an inviting gesture towards my solar plexus and kiss.  He caught on to the immediately.  click and treat every time!  Then I used the lungeline to ask him to back up a bit (shook it a lot...made his halter vibrate on his face)...would quit the moment he backed to my request...click and treat.  Then worked again on the "whoa" part.  He finally was standing when I walked about 3-4 feet in an arc around his forehand.  click and treat.  Took him back to his paddock...let him graze for just a few minutes before I turned him in to his paddock. Then once inside...took off. his halter and now for mini session #3...I tested him on back, whoa and come (kiss along with inviting arm gestures) and he was perfect!  Much praise. Will see him again on Fri.

Friday March 30, 2018
Mr. Mikey actually nickered to me when I went in the mid-afternoon to collect him from his home paddock. I slowly led him towards the cross tie area in the main barn and then groomed him more free of any mats (winter coat and all that).  Tended to a tiny area of scratches he'd formed on the front of his chest probably from rubbing against a top rail...his new coat is coming in and he has awfully fine, soft fur and thin skin.  I led him to the round pen and then played a bit using a dressage whip and the clicker.  Basically I reinforced the idea of yielding his quarters to pressure.  Then I tried 2 things that did not (yet) firmly take hold: 1. I worked on asking him to move his haunches TOWARDS ME while standing on the OPPOSITE SIDE via taking a uber long whip and tapping him on the outskirts of his haunches.  He did not understand this. With my own. horse this took a while to "get" as horses are usually told not to move into humans...but with my own horse I can make him do shoulder in while working in hand and have him march down a rail...I had to first teach him, though, to yield his haunches towards me as I took a slight step BACKWARDS.  It was just a test.  Mikey did not get it and I did not keep after it.  I will work on that later.  I did, of course, re-establish the response that he yield his haunches to the slightest tap of a tip of the whip and he was super light and willing to move his haunches...often 3 strides worth! (more than I wanted but hey, it was towards what I wanted so I clicked and treated)...as long as I was standing on the same side that he needed to be moving away from. I am sure I can get this established sooner or later. It is not majorly important. Just a question...
The second thing I played with was something I've seen clinician J. Ashton Moore (Jeff Moore) do many times in clinics and that involves teaching a horse to drop his head to a rhythmic tapping of a cupped hand on either the neck or anywhere ON THE TOP LINE.  How you start this (and I was using the clicker and treats to back it up) was you take the butt end of a whip and tap about every 3/4th of a second...very "neutrally" either on top of the crest of the mane (can go low or high) and it is sort of like water dripping....tap, tap, tap, tap.  You reward the horse for the SLIGHTEST dip of his head.  Even if he goes to snort.  Jeff did not allow the horse to barge forward...and all you need is a halter and lead or a bridle on the horse.  He did not mind if the horse siddled sideways or went back a few steps.  He simply brought the animal back to same spot and returned to his endeavor of the tapping.  Once the horse began dropping his head or even just momentarily dipping it, Jeff would stop, stroke the side of the horse's neck usually with the same butt end of the whip and then begin again.  Usually w/I 15-20 minutes the horse got the idea and would drop his head all the way to the ground.  Mikey did not respond to this much if at all. I tapped for about 2 minutes and he simply kept his head and neck ramrod straight sort of up and his eyes wide open.  I decided not to mess with this for now. I tried applying light hand downward pressure on his poll but he just resisted that too.  So, perhaps another day. Jeff liked to bridge this "lower the head" thing into a tapping with a slightly cupped hand because he found that with rearing horses from the saddle one could use this stimulus and response as a way to make a horse go into "downward head" position merely by tapping as little as 2x right in front of the withers (while mounted) and the horse would almost nonchalantly just drop his head rather than rear.  Not that Mikey has a rearing problem...it is just a nice "trick" to have up one's sleeve. I use it with my own horse sometimes to encourage him to bring his head down for bridling.  I put Mikey away with some treats and love and used my target ball as a way to encourage him to walk with me 10-15 steps, click and treat...so he was so busy with this, he forgot to barge downwards to try to grab any grass! (ha).

Saturday March 31, 2018
Went out to Mikey's home paddock, used a de-fur scraping blade I have in my car.  Then put on my own leather training cavesson (really just a dropped nose cavesson and made sure it did not come too low on his nasal bone) and a light lead.  Again, he had nickered to me when I parked my car up next to his paddock. I had my dressage whip with me and my special tennis ball stuck on an old dressage whip (my "target"ball).  I only used my target ball a few times at the very end and Mikey definitely has the idea now about that. I stood about 4 feet away and said "target" and he eagerly stretched all the way forward so he could nuzzle the target (and thereby get the click and treat!).  But in the interim, I worked on this diligently...I took the stab (butt) end of the dressage whip and rested it into the middle of his shoulder and then applied periodic (lightly thrusting) pressure onto his shoulder...and would say "over." My intention was that he step sideways with his forehand.  I rewarded (at first) even if he moved his OTHER front foot more sideways away from me and this "pressure."  Then he started backing up thinking that might be an answer. I just said "no" and kept on with the mildly throbbing prod prod prod.  ANY movement of that front foot towards his midline (navel line) was a "go" as far as I was concerned.  He began giving me like 1.5 inches of movement in that direction. Yes, click and treat. And finally he gave me a GREAT full sideways step with the front leg I was indicating I wanted moved OVER.  I just was so delighted. I squealed my delight and clicked and treated. He looked almost p puzzled about my reaction but he knew he'd done something good. I then went to his other side and worked on his other shoulder...we went through the "several steps back" phase but suddenly, he had like an epiphany and stepped fully with that foot towards SIDEWAYS.  I praise the heck out of him and gave him a click and several treats...(what is called "a jackpot!").   Then I put on his regular halter, led him to the pond and let him eat a lot of grass for about 20 minutes and kept praising him.  Put him up.  Tuesday will have another go at this. I was worried about asking him to move his front feet sideways a step because I know he is not super comfortable on his fore feet but since it was just for about 5-7 minutes of me asking him and he finally gave it to me...I am happy with that.  I may revisit it from time to time if I need to use it as a building block in something else...but for now...will play with something else clicker-wise on Tues.

Friday March 23, 2018
I begin working with clicker training with Mikey.  I have a light working knowledge of this as I have used it on and off with my own horses--read books, watched videos (You Tube), etc. I had become familiar with it first about 20 years ago at a dressage clinic when one of the organizers made all of us buy Alexandra Kurland's book "Clicker Training for Your Horse."  The organizer was fascinated with how wonderfully Kurland had broken down ("chunked down," as she called it) the process of training a horse to do...well just about anything.
Mikey is a fully retired Grand Prix jumper, I believe,  who later in his life was used as a school horse doing 2-6 and 2-9 with the more advanced students at a barn in Lafayette, LA.  I was told he is up in years (maybe 20-ish) and a Belgium WB X Thoroughbred.  Due to on and off lameness (front end, pastern) he is now enjoying a quieter life.  He is an affable soul, but a bit suspicious and highly picky about what he will and will not do with his muzzle! (more on that later).  After getting permission from his owner to play with him in this manner, I did 2 micro sessions on this day with him. My intention is to do clicker training feats with him and work with him for short periods of time each time I visit the barn.  I fantasize that I may be able to get him to do more exotic tricks such as side pass (at liberty or with a LOOSE lead line) over a pole...and maybe to pick up small objects IN SUCCESSION to earn his treats.  I also would like to see if I can teach him to maybe raise a leg and hold it...things such as this.  Nothing too taxing but just for his mental mini challenge. The first session, my friend (Brittany) went over to his paddock with me and she watched while I introduced the concept of "targeting."  Because Mikey had just finished up eating his late afternoon grain, he happened to be standing near his entrance/gate so it was super easy to simply start working with him right then and there.  I had rigged up an old dressage whip with a soft tennis ball stuck on the end.  We put his halter on but did not really need it. I brought along two clickers that day.  For this first session, I used my newer clicker (made of plastic and purchased from Petco for $3.99).  Treatwise, I offered him segments of rock candy or some oversized pellets that are specifically horse treats. Within about 90 seconds he got the idea that if he touched the tennis ball with his nose, he'd get a click and a treat. I would present the tennis ball to him and say "Target."  He was not mugging me over this...he was a bit conservative with his head and neck but yes, by goodness, he was touching the thing with his nose and seemed to get the idea that this was a way to earn rewards.
Then I went off and did other stuff at the barn. As I headed out for the day (2-3? hours later) I decided to stop by his paddock with my clicker.  Just as I started to enter his paddock, a friend called me and I took the call on my ear buds (which in retrospect was probably a mistake). She was grousing about problems she is having with selling her house and I quietly was assuring her, and listening to her issues.  In retrospect, Mikey may have even felt the "negative energy" that was coming from the phone call. Horses are so sensitive this way. So, I won't make that mistake again. He was munching on a pile of hay up by his run in shed and looked up and whinnied at me. This time I simply brought in my tennis ball on a stick plus my older clicker that is shaped like a small match box and is more metallic in sound and feel. Mikey met me halfway in his paddock but was eyeing me suspiciously. He had no halter on, of course.  I decided to chance it and held out the "target" in his vicinity and said "Target."  Mikey did not cotton to this.  He acted suspicious and turned to almost flee.  My friend was still talking my ear off on the phone about her problems. I used a soothing tone and tried 2-3 more times. He BARELY would touch it. I clicked and he almost flinched (the sound was different from the first time) and then again, acted like he was going to go away.  I tried about 2 more times and finally got him to touch it, so I stopped on that note after giving him a treat (that I almost had to coerce him to take!).  I wondered what the huge change was but it was definitely a change.  Either the fact he did not have a halter on was part of it; the time of day; my manner perhaps; or the bigger issue of the problematic phone call I was handling at the same time.  So, I ended our 2nd micro session on a relatively, yet not so confirmed note and decided to stop right there.

Saturday March 24, 2018
I returned to the barn that morning and did not see Mikey in his paddock. I found him having a spa day courtesy of a former rider and fan of his named Sarah. She was grooming him to the nines and getting ready eventually to give him a nice bath.  I asked her permission if I assist her and she showed me how to properly pull his mane plus care for his tail.   Brittany had already spent 2 hours currying him in the recent past. Sarah got more off of him. I did some currying myself that day. She clipped the cross ties in front of his chest and in that manner I gave him a 3rd micro clicker training session using the tennis ball.  I believe I used the softer sounding (more plastic) clicker this time.  He was a bit standoffish but he "permitted" me to entertain him. I got the distinct feeling he did not care too much for whatever treats I was using...he seems to be more of a rock candy man. I asked Sarah what he liked and she said peppermints worked.  We re-clipped him to the cross ties because a 2nd horse was brought into the bay next to him and Sarah did not want Mikey messing with his next door neighbor. We groomed some more.  Then she went out to get another grooming project (Lily) so I did a quick 4th micro clicker training session with him and discovered he was okay about turning his head towards me if I stood next to his shoulder in the crosstie bay (and touching the tennis ball) yet he was ho-hum about it if I worked more standing in front of him.  I still was using the word "Target."  Overall, though, he was better about and less suspicious of me than he had been the evening before. Sarah warned me that he watches everything and if you are going to use any new grooming tool on him it is best to let him examine it first(!). Such was the case with my British mane pulling tool.  Sarah and Brittany also explained to me that Mikey is very fearful of the sound of clippers.  So, perhaps that may be something we can one day work through using the clicker...no promises...just a thought.

Tuesday March 27, 2018
I had more time and so I went to his paddock and stood at the gate. He nickered at me and I just stood there and greeted him. He walked down to his gate and allowed me to put the halter on him. We calmly made our way to the barn. First I hand grazed him for a few minutes outside of the covered arena while brushing and currying him off.  I put him in a stall and had brought in some small plastic cones.  I kept the halter on him but put the lead rope outside of the stall.  Using the PLASTIC clicker, I then introduced the idea of target using the plastic cones and would hold one up about 2.5 feet from his face and a bit off to the side so he could see it.  Several times he came VERY close to actually touching the plastic cone but he never fully made contact with it unlike the case with the soft tennis ball.  I never rewarded him because he was not connecting with said target at all. Then, I held out my gloved fist and said "target" and he definitely touched it with his nose...so hence--click! and treat.  We did this 3x and I was happy with it.  The next thing I did was to gently use a finger tip and prod him in the middle of his shoulder and ask him to step over (one step only). The moment he shifted his weight, I clicked and treated. I made him manipulate EACH of his four quarters this way (yield the haunches one way...click and treat!, etc.). I noticed he was much easier to yield his right haunch as compared to his left haunch away to my touch.  I also asked him to back (touched his chest) and he got the message (plus a click and a treat). I verbally said "back" as well.  All this was very simple stuff and he probably had been shown this years and years ago but what is new and different is he is getting a click and a treat for it.  Out in the parking lot I retrieved my tennis ball on a stick and walked back to his paddock with it. After I led him back to his home paddock, I re-did the "target" lesson with the softer tennis ball and he was earnest in touching the ball to get a click and a treat.  I used rock candy mostly during this session plus some large horse pellet treats I keep at home that are said to be apple flavored. He seemed to like those, too.  But he is not a real mugger.  He sometimes will stretch his neck out and cock his head one way, then the other for a treat (but in these instances, I want him to do something first before he earns a click and a treat...). Overall, he is rather circumspect about taking any treats...a bit gentlemanly about the whole process.  I can tell he enjoys chomping on the rock candy, though.  the pieces are small but he appears to savor them. So, now I know he prefers soft things to touch his nose to.  I also asked him to "back" to earn a click and treat and he actually backed up to just my verbal request.  All I wanted at this point was one step backwards.  Praised him for his efforts and will pick things back up on Fri.