Odin's obstacle course
The trails are closed and so are most arenas. We cannot go anywhere to train or ride and frankly I frequently do not have time to go very far anyway because I have an old dog. Sure the old dog can be in her crate, in the truck for a few hours, but I would rather not leave her unattended for that long. She will not live forever so figuring out how to train with what I have right now has been good practice for Training during the Time of Covid-19.
Numerous times I have mentioned that when I get stuck for training ideas I turn to Alexandra Kurland's book on clicker training. She explains why clicker training can safely work for anyone, what tools you need and likely have available, i.e. your tongue to make the clicking noise, grain or carrot pieces for rewards, pockets for storage, and anything can be used as a target. I use empty plastic grain bags, rain barrels, old bath mats or towels, a bucket lid, an old lacrosse stick, dog toys that old dog does not use any more — just make sure the item does not have sharp or pointy edges. Pretend the toy is for your precious 6-month old niece or nephew — too big to swallow, lots of holes to prevent suffocation, and too blunt poke themselves. The book has a lot of pictures and step-by-step procedures, as well as what to do if things go wrong.
This book has helped me take goals I have with Odin (ride him long and far and fast some day, maybe herd cows, maybe shoot bow and arrow at stationary targets, maybe go drag hunting and jump over logs) and break the steps down into the tiniest pieces.
The first step is obvious: get on horse. What do I have to do to accomplish that? A million things: catch him, lead him nicely, ask him to go into the barn where the saddle is, ask him to stand still while I brush his coat and remain standing while I pick his feet, put on the blanket and saddle, accept a bit and bridle over his ears, lead to to the mounting block, stand still while I get on, move off nicely when I ask, be brave when he sees a scary plastic bag or garbage can or another goblin, ask him to be reasonable if I make a mistake, like let the lead rope drag over his butt or between his hooves. Riders ask a lot of horses and it continues to amaze me that horses are willing to do all these things that are against their instincts and have little benefit to themselves, except earning that paycheck of regular feed, water, and shelter.
That list did not seem like it amounted to a million; however, when you break down each step into the tiniest of steps it seems like a million.
For instance, the first thing on the list is catch him. What if he does not want to be caught because he would rather continue his nap or he simply is not ready for you to be in his space? How do you catch a horse that does not want to be caught? Let him catch you! Walk toward him until he looks at you. Then stop, maybe back away. If he looks away as soon as you enter, he may be telling you that he is not ready for you to be in his space. Be polite, stop, and give him a moment. When he looks at you back away. Pretty soon he will take a step toward you. Click with your tongue and offer him a treat. This is the beginning. Do this repeatedly over the next several days or week and soon he will walk up to you when you come in.
Break down the rest of the steps and then this happens:
So handsome in his English tack.
And then this:
Odin aiming for the next target, duct-taped lacrosse stick, with me on board.
What is next for us? Maybe some trotting to each obstacle after the mud dries out. Neither of us need our confidence shaken by him slipping in mud. Eventually we will get to his nemesis, the horse trailer but we are not in a hurry. We can do a lot of preparation here and still take care of the old dog in the manner that she deserves.