Gia - session 104 - Attitude adjustment!
Gia has been a bit of a brat lately. She has gotten a little big for her britches (and her britches are pretty big!), and is trying to boss too many horses and people around. I decided that she needed to be off by herself for a while to chill out, so I have moved her into a field where is alone, and can learn to be a bit more humble.
She spent quite a bit of time on Monday, running along the fenceline, trying to get the other horses' attention, and upset that she wasn't getting fed first and getting attention from the others. I think she was also upset that she couldn't stand in the corner and watch the lessons in the afternoon. I wasn't able to work with her on Monday, simply due to not having enough time that day, because I had to cover for someone else. And on Tuesday, I decided not to take her to my lesson to walk on the hot walker, because she had gotten herself so worked up the day before, that she was just too stressed. And I didn't want to add the stress of traveling on top of that. So, today was my first chance to work with her since putting her in "timeout".
One of my goals with her "timeout" is for her to become OK with being alone. Part of her problem is that she isn't quite sure of herself yet, so she is trying to assert herself with the other horses in ways that are not acceptable. Ideally, a more mature and bossier horse would help Gia learn how to behave properly in the herd. But the bigger, bossier horses in her field really like her, so they don't boss her around like they should.
My other goal for her is in regards to how she is behaving around people. So, today I worked with her in the round pen on an exercise that she has done MANY times before to work on respect and submission.
I started by asking her to move forward in a circle around me, with my first goal in mind of just getting simple submission - head lowered, and licking and chewing. She has done this exercise so many times, that she immediately knew what to do, and gave me the correct answer right away. That wasn't going to be enough for today though. I have mentioned in the past how she acts slightly aggressive when I'm lunging her by pinning her ears when I'm asking her to go forward. So, my second goal for her to achieve in order to get out of "timeout" will be to move forward in the round pen in a nice and polite manner, without any ear pinning, whenever asked.
That was definitely a challenge for her today. When I would ask her to go forward, if I even saw the flicker of her ears going back, I would move suddenly towards her face, forcing her to change direction. This move, on my part, demonstrates to Gia that I am the dominant being in our relationship. And anytime she behaves in a way that is unacceptable, I will do something to force her to move her feet, again exerting my dominance and my "alpha" status.
It didn't take her long to understand what I wanted, but it did take her a while to give it to me willingly. Being in charge is a hard thing for anyone to give up, even a horse! She got frustrated through the process, shaking her head, but eventually, she started to soften, and stopped pinning her ears when I asked her to move forward.
This may seem like a small thing, but the small things can be a big deal with a young horse. Once Gia stops running up and down the fenceline and throwing her "tantrums" in the field because she can't be with her friends, and once she can move around me in a circle without pinning her ears, then she will be able to go back in with the other girls. Time will tell how long this process will take ...
She spent quite a bit of time on Monday, running along the fenceline, trying to get the other horses' attention, and upset that she wasn't getting fed first and getting attention from the others. I think she was also upset that she couldn't stand in the corner and watch the lessons in the afternoon. I wasn't able to work with her on Monday, simply due to not having enough time that day, because I had to cover for someone else. And on Tuesday, I decided not to take her to my lesson to walk on the hot walker, because she had gotten herself so worked up the day before, that she was just too stressed. And I didn't want to add the stress of traveling on top of that. So, today was my first chance to work with her since putting her in "timeout".
One of my goals with her "timeout" is for her to become OK with being alone. Part of her problem is that she isn't quite sure of herself yet, so she is trying to assert herself with the other horses in ways that are not acceptable. Ideally, a more mature and bossier horse would help Gia learn how to behave properly in the herd. But the bigger, bossier horses in her field really like her, so they don't boss her around like they should.
My other goal for her is in regards to how she is behaving around people. So, today I worked with her in the round pen on an exercise that she has done MANY times before to work on respect and submission.
I started by asking her to move forward in a circle around me, with my first goal in mind of just getting simple submission - head lowered, and licking and chewing. She has done this exercise so many times, that she immediately knew what to do, and gave me the correct answer right away. That wasn't going to be enough for today though. I have mentioned in the past how she acts slightly aggressive when I'm lunging her by pinning her ears when I'm asking her to go forward. So, my second goal for her to achieve in order to get out of "timeout" will be to move forward in the round pen in a nice and polite manner, without any ear pinning, whenever asked.
That was definitely a challenge for her today. When I would ask her to go forward, if I even saw the flicker of her ears going back, I would move suddenly towards her face, forcing her to change direction. This move, on my part, demonstrates to Gia that I am the dominant being in our relationship. And anytime she behaves in a way that is unacceptable, I will do something to force her to move her feet, again exerting my dominance and my "alpha" status.
It didn't take her long to understand what I wanted, but it did take her a while to give it to me willingly. Being in charge is a hard thing for anyone to give up, even a horse! She got frustrated through the process, shaking her head, but eventually, she started to soften, and stopped pinning her ears when I asked her to move forward.
This may seem like a small thing, but the small things can be a big deal with a young horse. Once Gia stops running up and down the fenceline and throwing her "tantrums" in the field because she can't be with her friends, and once she can move around me in a circle without pinning her ears, then she will be able to go back in with the other girls. Time will tell how long this process will take ...
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