When your horse makes a “mistake”. Part 1
The breeder told me many years ago that I would have to be very consistent with drawing the line on acceptable behaviour as my Q was a sneaky cheeky foal that would take advantage of me very quickly. Being smart and dominant, this could be a slippery slope.
Four years later I can absolutely confirm that he is a cheeky fellow, but also adorable and charming ... so it’s easy to let the lines blur.
He is also a pleaser, and he tries really hard to figure out what I want and give it to me before I ask. He has allowed me short cuts in training that I never imagined possible and he has bolstered my confidence like no other horse before him.
He also makes a ton of mistakes. Most of the time he would not consider them “mistakes” (he is the benevolent king after all, and does not admit to mistakes lightly), but just testing the lines of yes/no. They are not mistakes for him, he just thought my request wasn’t serious and he wanted to offer another option. Q doesn’t make “mistakes”, he makes decisions.
Case #1: the creeping hoof. Q ground-ties exceptionally well, and even stands on his spot without halter for 30 minutes while I groom and tack and sometimes go around the corner to grab something. But every once in a while, if he hears me opening the peppermint jar, or if the vitamin containers of the nearby horse are smelling good, he will creep oh so quietly from his spot moving his hooves one at a time in slow motion to get a little closer. It starts with the neck reach, and then the hooves slowly follow. When he does this he is quieter than a mouse. And then he acts surprised when I say “hey!” And move him back to his spot.
Case #2: the abrupt turn home. Q has taken to power walking and even trotting through certain intersections while attempting a sharp turn down the trail to go home. I have now noted three intersections where this behaviour has taken root. Our newest spot is tricky as its while going down a steep hill. After I make him go forward down the hill and ignore the path home, he balks 2-3 times perhaps to “outsmart” me and do an about face. My old mare used to do this especially with beginner riders, so I know the drill. As they say, forward is always the right answer.
Case #3: spook to cross-firing. It’s only happened three times, but if we are cantering on the left lead (his favourite) and something spooky happens on the left, he will jump a stride to the right and switch in the front only giving me the washing machine effect of cross-firing. The first two times I stopped and proceeded to walk or trot, but yesterday I decided to do a simple change and continue to canter. I don't want to reward him for spooking or cross-firing.
The challenge with “mistakes” that are pretty predictable is what to do about it. Do you work to prevent them? Avoid them? Ignore them and keep going? Correct them? Go nuclear?
Four years later I can absolutely confirm that he is a cheeky fellow, but also adorable and charming ... so it’s easy to let the lines blur.
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| A beautiful stretch for a canter |
He is also a pleaser, and he tries really hard to figure out what I want and give it to me before I ask. He has allowed me short cuts in training that I never imagined possible and he has bolstered my confidence like no other horse before him.
He also makes a ton of mistakes. Most of the time he would not consider them “mistakes” (he is the benevolent king after all, and does not admit to mistakes lightly), but just testing the lines of yes/no. They are not mistakes for him, he just thought my request wasn’t serious and he wanted to offer another option. Q doesn’t make “mistakes”, he makes decisions.
Case #1: the creeping hoof. Q ground-ties exceptionally well, and even stands on his spot without halter for 30 minutes while I groom and tack and sometimes go around the corner to grab something. But every once in a while, if he hears me opening the peppermint jar, or if the vitamin containers of the nearby horse are smelling good, he will creep oh so quietly from his spot moving his hooves one at a time in slow motion to get a little closer. It starts with the neck reach, and then the hooves slowly follow. When he does this he is quieter than a mouse. And then he acts surprised when I say “hey!” And move him back to his spot.
Case #2: the abrupt turn home. Q has taken to power walking and even trotting through certain intersections while attempting a sharp turn down the trail to go home. I have now noted three intersections where this behaviour has taken root. Our newest spot is tricky as its while going down a steep hill. After I make him go forward down the hill and ignore the path home, he balks 2-3 times perhaps to “outsmart” me and do an about face. My old mare used to do this especially with beginner riders, so I know the drill. As they say, forward is always the right answer.
Case #3: spook to cross-firing. It’s only happened three times, but if we are cantering on the left lead (his favourite) and something spooky happens on the left, he will jump a stride to the right and switch in the front only giving me the washing machine effect of cross-firing. The first two times I stopped and proceeded to walk or trot, but yesterday I decided to do a simple change and continue to canter. I don't want to reward him for spooking or cross-firing.
The challenge with “mistakes” that are pretty predictable is what to do about it. Do you work to prevent them? Avoid them? Ignore them and keep going? Correct them? Go nuclear?
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