But can your horse do THIS, eh? (Tiny but fascinating!)

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JAK

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MD is fly spraying the Baggage tonight whilst she eats her tea from her bucket! (Pony that is, not MD!) MD says she must spray pony's face as flies are so bad at the mo & I point out that as fly spray is full of vinegar, to wait until she has finished eating!
Not a problem says MD & says 'Upsy!' (or something similar)! Pony's head comes up out of bucket. Very funny I say, what a coincidence! (MD looks at me like I'm some kind of moron!)
Show us the other side then, I say! Ha ha, now we'll see! Round she goes - 'Upsy!' - pony's head comes straight up!
I am quite impressed & working on the principle that 'simple things please simple minds', demand one more final proof! 'Upsy' - pony's head comes straight up out of bucket! Huh?
Wait, there's more! 'Head down!' says MD & pony's head dips, so she can spray the top of her head & forelock!
Well, bl**dy hell, I am now mega impressed! Just shows the power of being consistent, I guess, as the Baggage knows all MD's words & little ways now!
Kinda cool & sweet, I thought!
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lol thats really cool!! must teach that to horses...

my pony plays with the zip of my coat and on command you say "up" and he zips me up! trying to stop him from chewing the ends off though...

any more tricks?
 
hehe! my pony knows that when he sees his feed bucket, he has to take a few steps backwards and has to wait until i say 'ok'. then he knows he can eat! i taught him this as i was so fed up of him barging me!
 
I hope that we will be able to develop it into further practical uses such as giving wormers or washing her mane & neck, which she really hates!

What surprised me most was that she did it for no reward other than verbal praise & then being allowed to carry on eating? In other words, no titbits or anything, so what motivated her to comply then?
Is she simply conditioned to a certain response or what?
 
I have to admire the dear child's consistency in handling & excellent sense of timing if nothing else! I think kids are brilliant at this sort of thing though as they don't 'hold back' as adults do & are very spontaneous in their praise etc.

I have watched others on the yard picking up their horse's feet - they seldom praise & just 'expect' compliance, only actually interacting with the horse with a negative response for slowness or disobedience, seldom with a positive one for a correct response!

I have often heard MD whispering or muttering 'Good girl, clever baby, well done!' as she moves from foot to foot , with a quiet request of 'this one!'. She never takes a positive response for granted & any 'extra' effort (e.g. picking the correct foot up instantly on only a verbal command), gains the pony extra praise, so it is a constant ongoing process of improvement, isn't it?
 
MD spends a lot of time talking to & interacting with her pony, not just when she wants something out of it either, to MD, she is another 'friend' & when you're with your friends, you pay them attention, don't you?

The pony is thus very receptive to her every move & word, though she doesn't always respond positively of course but it does help keep her attention on MD & if you have something's attention, you are already halfway there, aren't you?

LOL @ 'clever marketing'! We just need a 'catchy name' then & we'll be up & running!
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I have said it before, and I will repeat: I do hope MD will make use of these inherent skills later in life. She has a talent which could do so much good.
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I have watched others on the yard picking up their horse's feet - they seldom praise & just 'expect' compliance

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I so agree - mine are asked to lift on the word "hup" and then told to "hold", I always praise them for doing so - even Chancer now starts to lift up as I ask rather than having to give a pull on the feather. Cairo lifts on voice command - great when those big hairy feet and legs are covered in mud so I can just hold the tip of the hoof and pick out while he holds it.

Very very impressed with head coming out of the bucket - mine would if I made a harsh "get up" (maybe) but I very much doubt like BB did. Generally once heads are in buckets that it is. I just get on and spray, pick out etc whilst they are scoffing - actually better for me if Cairo's head is in bucket - I can then reach it
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Your daughter really does have a way with them - once again I so wish she was nearer me.
 
My TB does this. If she's noshing and I say 'Hope up' she brings her head up. I say 'head down' to cut her bridle path but she does ignore me if I have fly spray in my hand! I do say it when we are out hacking and we have to dodge low branches etc. I automatically say 'head down' each time but I suspect her actions are more to do with not getting swiped by the tree than by what I'm saying!

She also goes 'back' when told without any prodding and I can move her sideways by clicking my fingers and pointing to where I want her to move. She is very bright but yes consistency is the trick here.

Must have been lovely for you to watch MD and pony interacting
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ETS I also worm my horse without a headcollar - although I'm sure many others do as well. I do have to sneak the wormer into the stable without her seeing it as she's a bit crafty at hiding in the corner if she spots the tube or packet even
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When I put Pidge in his box for his tea he still has his headcollar on so whilst he's eating I say "head up" and he'll leave his food and put his head over the door so that I can take his headcollar off. Which for me is a big thing as he is a bit protective over his food and never normally comes up for breath!
 
It's that old "special relationship" thing again! Children who are besotted with their ponies seem to be able to do things like this - I see Megan doing the same stuff with Cloud and you're right it is rather freaky. Children often have infinite patience and will say the same words over and over again without getting bored, whereas us adults would just pull the horses head up out of the bucket without even considering to say "upsy", LOL!!
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Thats amazing. I think its that children just dont care about being pushed for time or getting bored.

When Amber was on box rest I taught her to "wait" in the corner of her stable for her feed and also "back" when I wanted to do her haynet/water.
 
Maybe it's that adults talk to & treat their horse as they would a child, whereas kids tend to treat them more as a peer, an equal, a friend, so have a higher expectation of them wanting to 'join in' (that's 'in', not 'up' folks! lol) with their activities & are therefore on a slightly different level of interaction with them, as they have a different perspective on the whole relationship thing?
(Not sure what that says about the adults on here whose horses do this sort of thing too though? lol)
 
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I have watched others on the yard picking up their horse's feet - they seldom praise & just 'expect' compliance, only actually interacting with the horse with a negative response for slowness or disobedience, seldom with a positive one for a correct response!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is a bit of an eye opener! I think I praise horses for the right things, but after this I will be sure to make a conscious effort to do it more often.

Doubt MD needs Parelli, she seems to be working on her own NH discipline
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Isabelle
 
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe it's that adults talk to & treat their horse as they would a child, whereas kids tend to treat them more as a peer, an equal, a friend, so have a higher expectation of them wanting to 'join in' (that's 'in', not 'up' folks! lol) with their activities & are therefore on a slightly different level of interaction with them, as they have a different perspective on the whole relationship thing?
( Not sure what that says about the adults on here whose horses do this sort of thing too though? lol) [/quote ]

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That we've maintained our child like enthusiasm for life
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Good for MD, sounds like she's well on the way to just looking at her ponies feet to gain a lift
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