Thank you for sharing. They go so well together. I think they would work all day for you without objection . All this w/out bit or blinkers. Can’t ask for much more! 🐴🐴😷👍
Barry, you actually bring me to tears with your empathy for these wonderful animals. I thank goodness that there are people like you taking such great care with the trust they give you. You certainly deserve my respect.
Sweetie and Ettie are just gorgeous ponies,and the thing's they need to learn they will most certainly get it from you Barry .Thank you for letting me ride along with you and given me and others your knowledge and experience and so much informative information.Thank you Barry so much God Bless 🌹🐎🐎👍
You made me giggle..when u said they were blaming each other ,cos they’ve stopped. They keep looking round and saying ,come on dad..I want me tea. Thanks Barry.
Impressive. To stand is the most important lesson to teach a horse. It could save your life. It could save their lives. A horse that won't stand is not safe.
I always listen to my mare. Just the other day I noticed she was a tiny bit sensitive in her back (long term issues) and decided to ask her to come out and do stuff anyway. She refused so hard. She wanted nothing to do with that pain, and wasn't even willing to be lunged probably. Tried for 5 minutes to get her out of the pasture once I got her. She just politely stood there. Took the bridle off and just gave her a massage. The next day she was feeling better and came right out no trouble at all.
What a beautiful matched pair!! For me, rehabilitating the horses that come to me, is if they are on stall rest, I start building my trust up then. So that when I get upon their backs after the vet clears them, we have already established a certain amount of trust. And I always ask my students, When you learned how to drive, what pedal were you taught about first? The gas pedal or the brake pedal. They always say the brake pedal. And I say, Exactly!! And it is the same for your horse. You know you can make him go, but can you stop him without yanking on the reins? If the answer to that is no, then that is why we are working on it at the walk, then trot. Because if you are on a trail and can't stop your horse from any gait without panicking, then we work on it. That usually gets them thinking, and I don't have any issues about the lesson plan I have set out for that student. All the best barryhook2!! With Sincerest Regards from Ontario, Canada, Jenn.
Proper groundwork is skipped all-to-often. Too bad, because good groundwork lays the foundation for everything else and you can always return to it to smooth out problems. "Proper preparation prevents p**s poor performance.". :)
i love the rubber bits you show a lot in your videos. i have mini shetlands and need them in the width of 9,5/ 10 cm....do you know where i can buy them? unfortunately i only find them in bigger sizes in germany....thanks a lot!!😊🙏
I don't have a lot of driving experience, but the horses I drove and learned to drive were always without blinkers. Thus my (probably quite stupid) question: what are blinkers actually for?
I'd agree with your body language reading - I think she caught sight of the metal sheet with her offside eye and was pulling her pole chain tight to one side to check it out. At a slower pace, the sheet jerks up and down more rather than drags smoothly, so the movement will have been different for her to see. Of the two of them, she was more cautious about "new" things, which explains why her sister does not show the same response. Obviously she had seen it at a walk before, but having gone from speed back to a walk, she was probably a little concerned at a glance, yes. Earlier in her training, she probably wouldn't have coped with it as quickly as she did here - seeming much better at a walk with the sheet further up the road as she has realised / remembered what it was.
@@barryhook2 I *thought* that's what she was looking at but because she'd been fine with it before I thought I was wrong in my assumption. I'm much better with dogs lol but I'm learning about horse body language.
I notice the nearside mare has a habit of traveling with her head cocked a little to the right. I'm thinking she likes to keep an eye on the driver and carriage because she's a bit of a " caretaker." BTW, if you can work w/dogs, you can work with horses; just be observant as you are and use imagination!
@@comesahorseman That'll be a hangover from her tooth issues! She's expecting a bit to be there and cause her discomfort. The more she realises nothing is going to hurt, the less she does it.
Possibly! We asked our followers on Facebook to let us know what countries they came from and bought flags from all the places to decorate our arena with :)
If a pony has always been barefoot, there is no 'transition period' to get them sound and comfortable out of shoes, but there is still the 'conditioning period' for the extended work on tarmac (or other surfaces) as most horses will not have had access to that previously or been asked to travel that far in that timeframe. Building up slowly is the key. Georgie has always been barefoot (except for the initial 6 weeks when she was sent to Barry to be trained for driving, over 2 years ago now, when she had one set of shoes for that duration) but we still needed to condition her hooves to the mileage we were asking her to do. We hit no problems with lameness, hooves wearing down too quickly etc. as we monitored how she was going, how her hooves were coping and kept an eye on the milage so we could keep track of what she was capable of. We never pushed her to her limits, but considering we could cover 75+ miles a week when in full work, we think she could clear 100 miles a week with no problems. We always have boots on standby, but have not yet needed them.
@@barryhook2 that's what I figured with Rosie. To my knowledge she's never been shod and at the moment I don't do much with her but next year I hope to be stepping things up. If I notice any soreness or issues, I will put boots on her. I'm learning so much from these videos.
@@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim Sounds like you're doing the right thing with her! If you have any questions you think we might be able to help with, feel free to ask away :)
Another curious question :) Have you folks any experience with the newer plastic or hard rubber shoes? They seem like a good idea, but I wonder about traction.... Thanks!
@@comesahorseman Hi John, we haven't tried rubber or plastic shoes, but we have used hoof boots (which are plastic) and had no problem with traction. They actually are more 'grippy' on the road as obviously metal has less friction, a little like an ice skate on tarmac!
Thank you for sharing. They go so well together. I think they would work all day for you without objection . All this w/out bit or blinkers. Can’t ask for much more!
🐴🐴😷👍
I just love these two Shetland's! They are such sweet mares!
Barry, you actually bring me to tears with your empathy for these wonderful animals. I thank goodness that there are people like you taking such great care with the trust they give you. You certainly deserve my respect.
Sweetie and Ettie are just gorgeous ponies,and the thing's they need to learn they will most certainly get it from you Barry .Thank you for letting me ride along with you and given me and others your knowledge and experience and so much informative information.Thank you Barry so much God Bless 🌹🐎🐎👍
Watching your videos in covid lockdown, it's a tonic, thank you!
You're welcome! That's what we're here for!
Lovely kind training xx
Lovely ponies. Their hoofbeats sound like flamenco music as they go along.
You made me giggle..when u said they were blaming each other ,cos they’ve stopped.
They keep looking round and saying ,come on dad..I want me tea.
Thanks Barry.
I loved watching this.
Grandma Sue in central Indiana and Izzi Too
Two little beauties they really are. Xx
Impressive. To stand is the most important lesson to teach a horse. It could save your life. It could save their lives. A horse that won't stand is not safe.
I always listen to my mare. Just the other day I noticed she was a tiny bit sensitive in her back (long term issues) and decided to ask her to come out and do stuff anyway. She refused so hard. She wanted nothing to do with that pain, and wasn't even willing to be lunged probably. Tried for 5 minutes to get her out of the pasture once I got her. She just politely stood there. Took the bridle off and just gave her a massage. The next day she was feeling better and came right out no trouble at all.
You are a braver man than I!!
I love them more every video!
do i see right and there is a ring in between the crossed reins? never seen that before...what is it for? thanks😊🙏
What a beautiful matched pair!! For me, rehabilitating the horses that come to me, is if they are on stall rest, I start building my trust up then. So that when I get upon their backs after the vet clears them, we have already established a certain amount of trust. And I always ask my students, When you learned how to drive, what pedal were you taught about first? The gas pedal or the brake pedal. They always say the brake pedal. And I say, Exactly!! And it is the same for your horse. You know you can make him go, but can you stop him without yanking on the reins? If the answer to that is no, then that is why we are working on it at the walk, then trot. Because if you are on a trail and can't stop your horse from any gait without panicking, then we work on it. That usually gets them thinking, and I don't have any issues about the lesson plan I have set out for that student. All the best barryhook2!! With Sincerest Regards from Ontario, Canada, Jenn.
Proper groundwork is skipped all-to-often. Too bad, because good groundwork lays the foundation for everything else and you can always return to it to smooth out problems.
"Proper preparation prevents p**s poor performance.". :)
I’m learning a lot thanks
I'm particularly interested in bitless and blinkerless for Merlin. Plus I've never been one to do things just because "that's how it should be done".
i love the rubber bits you show a lot in your videos. i have mini shetlands and need them in the width of 9,5/ 10 cm....do you know where i can buy them? unfortunately i only find them in bigger sizes in germany....thanks a lot!!😊🙏
Hi, the smallest you can get easily is 4.5in. An Italian company called Popocini make them to order, but they are quite expensive!
😊 Horses respect people who can influence them to move their feet. Or, to not move their feet.
I don't have a lot of driving experience, but the horses I drove and learned to drive were always without blinkers. Thus my (probably quite stupid) question: what are blinkers actually for?
23.53, the nearside one seems to be a bit worried? Have I read the body language right?
I'd agree with your body language reading - I think she caught sight of the metal sheet with her offside eye and was pulling her pole chain tight to one side to check it out. At a slower pace, the sheet jerks up and down more rather than drags smoothly, so the movement will have been different for her to see. Of the two of them, she was more cautious about "new" things, which explains why her sister does not show the same response. Obviously she had seen it at a walk before, but having gone from speed back to a walk, she was probably a little concerned at a glance, yes. Earlier in her training, she probably wouldn't have coped with it as quickly as she did here - seeming much better at a walk with the sheet further up the road as she has realised / remembered what it was.
@@barryhook2 I *thought* that's what she was looking at but because she'd been fine with it before I thought I was wrong in my assumption. I'm much better with dogs lol but I'm learning about horse body language.
I notice the nearside mare has a habit of traveling with her head cocked a little to the right. I'm thinking she likes to keep an eye on the driver and carriage because she's a bit of a " caretaker."
BTW, if you can work w/dogs, you can work with horses; just be observant as you are and use imagination!
@@comesahorseman That'll be a hangover from her tooth issues! She's expecting a bit to be there and cause her discomfort. The more she realises nothing is going to hurt, the less she does it.
@@barryhook2 OK
I think it's hearing a sound unfamiliar it is only intimitance as left mare relaxed her head down .
Was that a Dutch flag I saw you flying :D?
Possibly! We asked our followers on Facebook to let us know what countries they came from and bought flags from all the places to decorate our arena with :)
@@barryhook2 awesome :D
Thumbs up for Slovenian flag 😀👍👍
What about if a pony has always *been* barefoot?
If a pony has always been barefoot, there is no 'transition period' to get them sound and comfortable out of shoes, but there is still the 'conditioning period' for the extended work on tarmac (or other surfaces) as most horses will not have had access to that previously or been asked to travel that far in that timeframe. Building up slowly is the key. Georgie has always been barefoot (except for the initial 6 weeks when she was sent to Barry to be trained for driving, over 2 years ago now, when she had one set of shoes for that duration) but we still needed to condition her hooves to the mileage we were asking her to do. We hit no problems with lameness, hooves wearing down too quickly etc. as we monitored how she was going, how her hooves were coping and kept an eye on the milage so we could keep track of what she was capable of. We never pushed her to her limits, but considering we could cover 75+ miles a week when in full work, we think she could clear 100 miles a week with no problems. We always have boots on standby, but have not yet needed them.
@@barryhook2 that's what I figured with Rosie. To my knowledge she's never been shod and at the moment I don't do much with her but next year I hope to be stepping things up. If I notice any soreness or issues, I will put boots on her.
I'm learning so much from these videos.
@@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim Sounds like you're doing the right thing with her! If you have any questions you think we might be able to help with, feel free to ask away :)
Another curious question :)
Have you folks any experience with the newer plastic or hard rubber shoes? They seem like a good idea, but I wonder about traction.... Thanks!
@@comesahorseman Hi John, we haven't tried rubber or plastic shoes, but we have used hoof boots (which are plastic) and had no problem with traction. They actually are more 'grippy' on the road as obviously metal has less friction, a little like an ice skate on tarmac!