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.