Hi,
In yesterday’s email, I described how to use the starting point that we identified in question 2: ‘Where are you now?’ to build towards our target behavior.
I decided to start in the paddock, where she is focused and calm with a trained behavior that she knows well: Standing on a mat.
Using multiple mats, set out in a circle, Blondie learned to go from one mat to the next independently of where I was going.
The next step was to make the mats even more relevant by introducing cones.
Lesson 2: Adding cones to the mat circle
I place a set of cones on a smaller circle within the mat circle.
Blondie continues to go from mat to mat as before. Adding the cones to the training environment does not disrupt the base behavior. They are in the environment but irrelevant to the behavior.
Now I begin to shift the cones in tiny increments into the path that Blondie takes to get to the next mat. The idea is to make Blondie aware of the cone and maintain her mat circle behavior.
I continue moving the cones outwards until Blondie has to shift her balance a little bit to go around the cone to get to the mat.
This has several benefits:
- the cones become relevant
- the mats act as “tractor beam”
- Blondie needs to adjust her balance to maneuver around the cone
In the video below, you’ll see what the lesson looks like.
Here are a few pointers as you watch this, in case you want to try it with your horse:
- Shift the cones gradually to always maintain the base behavior
- Wait until the horse has passed the cone before you move it. It’s not fair to change the position just before reaching it.
- Feeding to the offside of the circle helps your horse to manage the turn around the cone.
At this point, I feel confident about adding another, more significant change to the environment.
You’ll discover what that is in the next email.
Enjoy,
Michaela