Brain Games

Building confidence in the seemingly overconfident

A little back info: I am pretty sure in his past life Ragtime was a chestnut mare. His entire attitude screams it. He thinks he knows best all the time, hates to be told what to do, and is wildly independent. However, in our time together, I have discovered a lot of this attitude seems to be a sham for a horse that really lacks any confidence at all and doesn't trust anyone. Its not exclusively that he is a jerk (I mean he is), it is that he does not think anyone else will make the right call for him and because he thinks something is *hard* it can't be good. Introducing one of my favorite training tools of all time: obstacles!

Obstacles of any kind are pretty much the best thing to add to your training plan whether you are training dogs, horses, cats, etc. Because obstacles force thought. And every time an obstacle is overcome, there is reward, which makes trying worth it! So here are two important things to know when adding obstacles into your training regime:

1) Start simple. You will here me use the term "set them up for success" probably a million times and that is because that concept is wildly important. Setting anyone you are trying to teach, up for success instead of failure optimizes your time and effort with training. You will get results sooner and with much less frustration if you make the right answers easy and the wrong answers hard. Simple. I love using items like a single ground pole, a sturdy ottoman or stool for dogs, or a similar simple and stable obstacle.

2) Know the currency. Fun fact, not everyone or everything considers rewards to have the same levels of value. Ragtime is exclusively food motivated, Jessica thrives on physical recognition, and Addaichi loves verbal praise. It is important to know what each individual considers "worth it" when trying to train.

So with those two notes, I want to explain what it is that I like so much about the following exercise and how I feel it helped my horse build confidence.

I set up three ground poles, trotting space apart, and raised one end of each about 2" off the ground on alternating ends. This meant he would have to lift himself a little more through the poles than if they were flat, and since we are struggling with stretching and carrying through our back, the length of having three poles to get through extended the amount of time he would have to focus and carry himself correctly. By keeping Ragtime on the lunge line I made it difficult to avoid the poles, but could also extend his circle easily if he became tired or frustrated. As soon as Ragtime stretched and continued to carry himself correctly after exiting the poles, I switched directions. I wanted to keep the entire exercise short sweet and positive for him, reinforcing that stretching and carrying himself correctly resulted in much less work (setting up for success). Training exercises for anyone are really best kept short. I have found 20 minutes to be our sweet spot. I do not use these exercises to tire out my horse and I do not do them every day. Like any other sport or athlete, knowing limits, and working all different parts of the body and mind is important to successfully build strength and endurance!

If you try this exercise, tag me on instagram @threeredheadsandamoosephotog or on Facebook so I can give you some love!