Baker training session 39 - first round pen work!

Yesterday, I worked with Baker for about 46 minutes. He has been getting a little big for his britches, so I decided it would be a good time to start working with him in the round pen. I started out by just getting him to move forward away from me. He was very distracted by working in a new environment, and all of the "new" things around him. He spent a lot of time looking outside the round pen, and trying to get away from me. My main goal with this first session in the round pen, was to get him to focus on me, and ignore everything going on outside of the round pen. Basically, every time he turned his back to me, or his hind end in this case, I would make him move away, usually at the trot, but sometimes he cantered on his own, so that he understood that to not focus on me meant that he had to work.  As soon as he would turn and face me, I would stop making him work, and allow him to have a break. Most of the time when he turned to face me, he would also come towards me, so he would also get some scratches and physical rewards that he loves so much. He also received a "Good boy!", every time he would turn to face me. As long as I stood there scratching him, he pretty much stood there facing me and focused on me. However, when I would walk away and towards his hind end , he would lose focus on me , and start looking outside the round pen for whatever was going on. When that would happen, I would start making him work again. Again, waiting for him to turn and face me and focus on me. This went on for about 20 to 25 minutes, before I finally was able to keep his attention even when I walked away from him. That was the main thing I was going for this first session out. As soon as I got that reaction, I praised him , and we left the round pen. At this point in time, he needs to learn that I am the one in charge and he should be submissive to that, and that whenever we are working together, he needs to stay focused on me and not outside distractions.  I also try to be aware of how hard he is working when in the round pen.  You have to be mindful not to work a baby's legs or lungs too hard or too long. 

When I brought him down to the barn and into the cross ties, he received a nice grooming session, and I worked a little bit more on his mane. He stood much quieter for that, probably because he had worked out some of his energy in the round pen :-). Throughout my work with him in the round pen, I used a lunge whip.  A lunge whip is a whip with a very long shaft, and a very long lash.  Most of the time swinging the whip or smacking the ground with the whip , would be enough to make him move away. However, a few times I did have to actually smack him with the whip. Especially, when he would get a little aggressive and try to go in the direction I did not want.  I always started gently with the whip, but got tougher on him if he was not responding.  I may have said this in a previous post, but a whip is not a bad thing in the right hands.  It is just a tool, and if used properly, it is perfectly safe and nothing to be afraid of using. When we worked together. I tried to make two things very clear to him - he had to go away from me if he was going to turn his butt to me, and I got to pick which direction he would go. These two things , are very important in helping to establish that I am the alpha between the two of us. It is very important that the horse understand that he is not in charge. Even as a baby, he still weighs way too much for me to let him be in charge. The good news, is that horses are easily made submissive, or made to be followers. Most of them are looking for someone else to be in charge anyway . It's just up to us to make sure they understand  that it is us in charge, and not them.