I wonder how many 1000s of people...

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spotty_pony

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Have tried join up today after watching the Martin Clunes programme last night? Saw somebody doing it at my yard today and it got me thinking how many other people must have been inspired by it!
 
My mum did ask me if I was going to have a go! I have 1 that follows me everywhere anyway, and the girls would just laugh at me if I tried with them!!

I went to a MR demo years ago, and came home with the dualy headcollar and book....my mare just refused to walk forward....I dont think it has ever been used again!
 
Baha, I do regularly with Len, and yes, he follows me like a lost puppy :P He's a sensitive little soul though and any more than a walk and he gets a little too scared! We do gentle joinup.
 
My OH and I were discussing this today. She has already done some join up work with her mare, who has reacted well to it, but I think that Harry and I have such a good bond, it would not add much to our relationship. However, I have a serious question:

What is the thinking behind walking towards the horse, looking him in the eye and then turning away.
 
Although I would never do join up myself, I have a book where it explains the process. It says join up should not be done often and if done correctly, it should only needed to be done once. It says it is also important to do it correctly.

I am not sure what that bit is about exactly, but I know that looking into a horses eye directly shows you are a predator...as does chasing it around in a pen until it tires...
 
I would worry if someone with a perfectly good relationship with their horse did 'join up' as it is supposed to be done.

*NB I am just thinking aloud here about what I understand of the process as a common-or-garden horse owner*

As I understand it, it should only be done when the boundaries of a relationship between horse and human need to be clearly defined, usually because the horse in question thinks they are the dominant one of the two and as a result problems, potentially dangerous ones, are occurring.

Done thoroughly, 'join up' is a pretty intense exchange of views where the aim is to alter the horse's perception of the human to the extent that the horse decides to surrender dominance.

I (and I think many on this forum) have already achieved 'join up' without thinking about it: our horses look to us to make the decisions and therefore feel safe with us in that knowledge.

If I put my horse into a round pen and chased him away from me, I think he would become very anxious and want to know why was I sending him away, he would wonder what he had done wrong to warrant that punishment. I would not do that to him just to amuse myself or to copy something I had seen on TV.

He knows perfectly well from my body language and tone of voice when, on the rare occasion, he oversteps the mark and as a result I have the closest, most loving and rewarding bond with a horse I have ever had.

I guess all I am saying here is - enjoy the close relationships you have with your horses and don't try to test it un-neccessarily. :)
 
almrc said:
I am not sure what that bit is about exactly, but I know that looking into a horses eye directly shows you are a predator...as does chasing it around in a pen until it tires...
Click to expand...

That was my understanding, that's why I'm unsure about the turning away. I have seen Kelly Marks using the same technique with an unbroken youngster, to good effect and really was just wondering what the thinking was behind it, as it is clearly a technique that works.

Kate S: I agree; which is why I don't think join up would be of any benefit to Harry and I. My OH's mare, on the other hand, had loading issues which we had never been able to reliably cure. Under the guidance of a horse behaviourists she used a form of join up to establish a different level of relationship which has worked a treat.

Used under guidance and when required, I think join up can be of great benefit, used by the untrained, indiscriminately, I think at best you are going to have some slightly confused horses out there and at worse some relationships could be completely destroyed.

What is the phrase: Monkey see, monkey do!
 
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