How to get unstuck with your horse
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 чер 2019
- Do you ever feel “stuck” with your horse? Like you revisit the same behaviors each day and every day its like you are starting all over again? Or can’t seem to get steady progress? If so, this episode is for you!
In this episode of the Compassionate Cowgirl, you will learn...
+ The message behind frustration and why we should listen to it
+ What “shaping” is and how to use this tool with horses
+ How to break behaviors down into small “bites,” called approximations
+ Why progress can seem inconsistent when you don’t apply the process of shaping
+ How to shape the haltering process (especially for wild horses or “hard to catch” horses)
Free PDF download, "8 Shaping Guidelines": www.mustangmaddy.com/the-comp...
Do you want to learn from me?
I have wrapped up my entire life’s work (and heart’s offering to the world) into my signature online course & educational system: The Horse-Human Connection Academy (HCA).
We typically open enrollment to HCA twice per year. Take a look at what HCA is all about, and sign up for the early enrollment list at this link: www.mustangmaddy.com/the-hca/
When you join the early enrollment list, you will have the opportunity to enroll in HCA several days before we open up to the public, giving you the best chance at securing your spot in the academy. You will also receive valuable trainings from me, delivered right to your inbox! You are not obligated to purchase anything when you sign up for the early enrollment list.
We look forward to welcoming you into our Herd!
****************
Previous Mystic Experiment episodes
Episode #1
• Working with an "Untra...
Episode #2
• How to connect with a ... - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
This was so helpful, Maddy! I too, am a recovering people pleaser and workaholic. It was through my horses that I started finding the first small “bite”. I bought a mare that was very shut down and that is also one of my own problems. I came across a man named James French who teaches a way to become present with animals that helps horses in particular relax and open up towards the human. He calls it the Trust Technique. This started about 2 1/2 years ago and as I practiced being present I also found my relationship with God and Jesus opening me up to their love and acceptance. I hope this isn’t to woo-hoo for everybody but it made a huge difference in how I valued myself. I also saw a big change in all my relationships, horses, dogs, humans even Mother Nature. Thank you for the very helpful video on how to break down tasks into edible “bites”! By the way, I am 65 years young and determined to grow!
Oh wow this is beautiful Susan!! Thank you for sharing your journey here... And I am definitely looking up the work of James French, thank you for that! Much respect to you xx
amen sista
Oh man, "I am what I achieve" really resonates with me and I struggle with this consistently. I appreciate your honesty about your own struggles and goals. It's easy to beat yourself up about what you're not achieving or about what you THINK you're not achieving. I know that I consistently struggle between the fear of failure AND fear of success. I find that I will recoil from both, get overwhelmed, and shut down. I'm still finding my way out of this, but I'm finding that training my BLM burro Wyatt has helped me with my own "training". In learning to be more patient, understanding, and proud of him I've found the pathways for a little more of these things for myself ❤️ Thank you for your continued guidance and sharing of wisdom!
Ahhh fear of failure and fear of success... Totally!!! Love that Wyatt is teaching you so many lessons and that you are so receptive! Thank you tuning in!
Maddy, you are an incredible educator. This is SO valuable. Thank you for all your hard work.
Hello my name is Ashley from Cairns Australia I have 2 horses one is having alot lf trouble with hultering look forward to trying this. Thank you so much for sharing i feel this will help me so much with both of my horses.
I have watched like 4 hours straight of your UA-cams all have blown me away and helped me so much in how to understand my horses on all levels. In the future see my self doing your online course's Thank you.
Thank you for making these videos! I have been finding them so helpful with my new horse. You are amazing!
This truly hit home Maddy.
I've always been a people pleaser. I'm learning about boundaries and how beneficial they are.
great stuff on the shaping. Thanx dear Maddy
thanks maddy. you have an god given gift for teaching.
I love that I recognise things i’ve learned from other great horsemen.
Breaking something you want the horse to do into smaller steps.
And getting something right before you move onto the next thing. It’s really a principle instead of a method and that’s why so many succesful horsemen use them.
I am feeling so inspired to break down trailer loading into a bunch of mini-baby steps for a Morgan gelding I am working with! Thanks!
Always amazed at Maddy- she really loves her horses
This is wonderful!! The single most important thing I use now for not just my horses but my dogs as well...breaking it down to the smallest steps possible!!! It is like a light bulb went on and BOOM...cant get my pup to sit stay for 10 steps...back up and do it at two steps, then three, then four!! WOW.....Maddy, you have given me more light bulb moments in the short time I have been following you than all of the 48 years of horses I have been through. LOVE THIS!!!! THANK YOU!
Loved this episode!
Thank you this will be a hige help for me with my little mustang.
A pattern I find myself repeating deals with conflict. I tend to shut down as soon as a person becomes aggressive or loud. I find myself "freezing" and unable to speak, engage, or leave. I stand there, listen, and when the confrontation is over, I feel immense guilt over my inability to engage in the moment. A layer that I need to incorporate is recognizing when I'm entering this state.
I can relate 100%!!!!
Thank You Maddy!! This series is so excellent, I’ve just discovered you. As we get better, our horses get better! I’ve started a few mustangs and am currently living with two rescues who are now good citizens. Major issues for my personal growth with my horses are lack of consistency. And then there’s the feeling of “lack” not enough time, money etc... Awareness is the first step. So glad I stumbled on to your Mystic Experiment!!!
Thank you for sharing Peg! Can totally relate to those fears coming up... Glad you are bringing the shadows into the light. Much respect!
Maddy, I have been around horses all my life but never gentled or trained a horse before. But I adopted a mustang from Utah and I live in Florida and because of you I have been able to gentle my mustang. My mustang adores me and I give you the praise for that by providing your knowledge to all of us to use❤️ I'm looking forward to seeing how you get Mystic to let you pick her feet up and let you care for each of her hooves. My horse will let me touch her all over, including her hooves, but she doesn't want me to pick any of her feet... As far as myself I'm a recovering over achiever. It took different things occuring in my life over a period of time for me to realize I was that and to start making changes in myself. Thank Maddy for all that you do for all of our mustangs, and for all of us.
This resonates so much with me. “I am what I achieve.” I think this has held me back so much with my horses and I can’t say I’ve made a ton of progress, although I have peeled back some layers. When I don’t achieve what I think I should in the time frame I should, I get very discouraged and then question if I even know what I’m doing/have any business training my horses. It is definitely a terrible cycle to be stuck in!
No way, you took time to talk about ourself as humans. This was so much appreciated. Thanks!!!
I am going to try this with our Grace! Maybe get to the root of why she doesn't want to leave the barn. I love that you are making us think about ourselves as well as our horses, and how to be better people. I am an over-achiever too, and have always been. I was taught that if you are not working or being productive, you are wasting your day. Since retiring, I have opened an online store making and selling horse costumes. I am working 12 - 18 hour days, trying to please all my customers. Since getting this mustang, I have been taking more time to be in the barn and with my husband instead of working all the time.
I love your teachings Maddy! I’m so happy I’ve found your training methods! I’ve got a south steens mustang too! And boy is he a difficult guy to train!
Ahhh thank you for being open to them! So neat you also have a south steens mustang...I have heard they can be extra sensitive for sure!
I love these videos. I really enjoy the psychology aspect of working with horses and your insight is so helpful. A destructive pattern I found myself in was over eating, or emotional eating. I was using food to satisfy boredom, anxiety, and stress. I finally was disgusted with myself and knew I was not going to improve as a rider if I was over weight. I needed motivation, so I joined Weight Watchers. The program really worked for me and the meetings gave me lots of information regarding my poor eating habits and how to change them. I have lost 35 lbs. It's been a slow process( 10 months), but I feel confident that I will keep it off now that I am aware of the food patterns that caused me to be over weight.
Really enjoyed this episode. 🥰
Ahh thank you so much!! :D
I would definitely say I am overworked, and I am definitely a people pleaser
I love the creativity of finding what it takes to communicate what I want to my horses when they are not "getting it." Yes, I get frustrated, but that cues me to look at what I'm doing. Sometimes reviewing videos of what I'm doing as if I'm coaching someone else. I see my mistakes. And sometimes again, it's the creativity of finding the solution. I love the haltering example for Koko since she pushes herself through her fear, but is still fearful, even thought she's doing what I ask. That makes it too unlikely that she'll blow up and my entire goal for her is to create a safe horse.
My layer at age 54 on this journey with my new horse is being able to receive advice without having a defensive wall go up. I appreciate and even asked for help but never looked at my own internal dialog until now. I am curious about my reaction and am trying to figure it out. Love your videos by the way! Your never to old to learn and change❤️
First! I love these series!
YAYYYY
well said.
I have been enjoy watching your video content. It’s also nice to listen to the way you speak. Not a lot of um’s, uh’s, or other distracting nuances.
Hi Maddy, In my life I was emotionally abused by my Mother who made a deathbed confession that she hated me because when she got pregnant with me my Dad didn't want to marry her. I think that this experience has made me aware that children and animals are completely vulnerable to adults and their issues. Thank you for bringing awareness to being compassionate to our horses. ❤
I believe they also call it " Back chaining" (at least when training dogs, that's what it's called).😊👍🐎🐕
Also mystic seems a lot like my gelding. I haven’t been able to gentle him yet but this series and everything in the intro to r+ has helped me learn so much! But I’m still having so much difficulties with him!
I am working on a Gentling Pathway that you may find to be super helpful for him! Hopefully it will be up on the academy membership by late August :D
Yay! I can’t wait for that!
Ah....a pattern that has repeated itself through out my life....Putting other people and their horses before myself and my own. It finally hit home with my boy Dillon. I have had him since he was born. He is now 14 years old and I failed him so much the first 12 years of his life. I was always helping others on rides, instead of helping him. it started with helping a friend with her mustang. I would concentrate and her and what she and her horse were doing (giving her pointers and such during our rides) and not really give much thought to what my poor horse was telling me. What I now have is a 14 year old that lacks confidence in himself and worse....his rider. We are good on the ground, but under saddle not so much. It has been a work in progress, but I am finally putting us first. I have to say, the results were slow coming, but this year, I really feel like we are making GOOD progress. It is very hard to admit that I failed my horse, especially one that I have raised since he was born. Being honest with myself brought me to tears more than once. But I own it and now I am fixing it.
Hi Maddy. I am just starting to watch your vidoes with Mystic. I had a thought that maybe you've addressed in the past or maybe will in the future, but I'm wondering about whether you could incorporate the camera into the target training to get her very comfortable with the camera being there so that it's a total non issue for her. I love your work and it's opened up a whole new world with myself and my horse. Thank you for doing what you do!
Wonderful video and I realize I need to go back and rebuild on certain behaviors. I have a lot to look forward to. How do I find your course to join. Thankyou Maddie
Hi Maddy! How do I know the difference between being stuck and being slow? I've been working on desensitizing my horse to plastic bags and he's improving but painfully slow! You information is super helpful and he's loving all the positive reinforcement.
I feel I am stuck in the pattern you were, over booking, people pleaser. I worry about what people think and I don't speak up for myself when there is conflict (I shut down). It's very hard to break free of all this baggage
This was so topical right now for me! I'm in your academy, and working with my first Mustang....not my first horse by any means....however she has been a real challenge for me. My "type" of horse has always been extroverted and hot. What's interesting is that I knew from her :33 second video before I adopted her that she was introverted and "slow", and I mistakenly thought it would make it easier for her to be gentled....boy was I wrong!! My personality has always been I see the big picture, end result, and don't like the details......oops! Maddy you are teaching me a better way of communicating. I am having to really, really, slow down and shape, shape shape. I have got to tell you, this has not been easy for me. So yes, my onion layers are really being exposed...right down to the middle. I have a lot of personal work to do to get where I can really get my 6 year old Mustang to trust, bond, and be the great horse I know she is, and I will certainly be a better person, and horsewomen because of it. Thank you so much.
My horse is an introvert, too. It's not easy at all!
LOL 22:17 when she gave us the wiley eye, she definitely stared that camera down. With a completely wild horse would you start with the halter or on being able to touch them everywhere, lift hooves, etc?
I would definitely start with touch first! Can work on lifting feet and haltering simultaneously but touch is pre-req for me. And I would start working on picking up the feet without a halter on anyways!
I'm trying to figure out the approximations with my gelding. He moves away from the mounting block. I need a shaping plan. It's making my head spin.
Thank you Maddy! I am a new follower of your methods and techniques and I just love them. I am a TIP trainer for the mustang heritage foundation and I was looking for some new; more compassionate and positive techniques and I found them. I'm currently rehabilitating a domestic gelding that's past is full of fear and he's doing great with the R+ techniques. I've watched over 30 of your videos since last Wednesday! Lol, I just can't get enough. I also picked up a cute 2 yo gelding mustang last Friday from the Delta, UT facility and I started with your barrier, target, C/T, feed pan method he's doing fabulous but so far he's only interested in hay! But that's ok someday he'll discover the hay cubes and pellets and grain taste good. He is already touching my hand when I approach and retreat. This episode of Mystic really spoke to me because tonight I got stuck with Mocha (domestic gelding) during TRM. he will not allow me to move without him moving. I've tried 1 second, 2 as many times but the moment I take a tiny step back he follows. I'll try breaking it down and maybe go to having him tied while in TRM. About your question. I have been stuck in a pattern of getting bored in my current job within a year and want something else. I have changed jobs every 2 years for the past 10 years. I dislike working for other people. I'm currently taking measures to be able to just run my small business in a few years. I will download the shaping guideline. I took the free 5 golden rules course and I'm currently saving to become an academy member and take the full 5 golden rules course. Thank you so much for enlightening me to this new way of doing things.
Christine, I'm so excited about you trying these methods and the success you are finding with them! Thank you for having an open mind! About Mocha--Try mat training! Also try C/t-C/t-1/2 sec-1second as you break down you stepping back (which could be weight shift back or 1/2 step back). So more approximations in the beginning + the visual of the mat for the hold would really help I think! Excited you will be joining the Academy I can explain much better there! Yay! :D
@@MustangMaddy I am watching the Mat intro again right now! You make it look so easy! I'm sure with practice I'll get better and he will also. I will work on this. Right now as soon as I step back out of what I call the Showmanship pocket he goes with me. So he definitely needs confidence to stay put. Thanks!!
I'm also stuck with catching my horse in the pasture and haltering. As soon he sees me coming or I get anywhere near him, he runs or hides behind other horses and then runs away. Sometimes he''ll let me get close but as soon as I get the halter near him or touch his head/neck, he runs so I have to break this down more and that's what I need to learn. How do I get him to want to come to me willingly?
I find myself wondering - with a personality and horse like this - tho shes responding so wonderfully to r+ = is her personality one where she will always need an advanced rider or...?
Please help me. The pdf is not working😢
I tried to download the free PDF but nothing happens. The link takes me to Maddy's site and I click on download free PDF, and a box comes up that says "We don't like Spam either and we won't use your email...." but there's nowhere to go from there. Nothing else to click on and no PDF comes up. Has anyone successfully downloaded this??
I have watched some of your videos here and there. Have you had trouble with horses getting mouthy after getting rewarded so much? I have a gelding that after 1 treat he gets mouthy and can tend to end up biting bc he demands more. My other horses are not like this.
Some horses are definitely more stimulated by the food than others! I find it useful to isolate R+ and R- with these horses. Also taking down the value of the motivator, so i.e. using timothy hay pellets. Also checking environmental set up, does the horse have 24/7 access to forage. Working on lots of emotional control with TRM (treat receiving mode) and standing quietly for example. In the beginning you may have to C/t-C/t with no pause. Then 1/2 sec, 1 sec, etc. Trick is to C/T BEFORE horse turns towards you and you gradually can build this up to several minutes. So opposite of what we think, these horses need less food they actually need more to train the behavior in the beginning. I have how to videos on TRM and starting R+ to avoid/solve the problems you're describing in the Academy Membership. Here's a link if you want to try it for a $1... Get in there and take a look at the positive reinforcement pathway and I'd love to hear back if it helps you and your horse!!! www.mustangmaddy.com/monthly-membership/
@@MustangMaddy thank you; will check out! He is a people loving horse so I want to be cautious and not change that.
I’m struggling with the idea that I’ve never been “great” at anything. Good enough, but never great. I’m working to reframe that self fulfilling prophecy.
A pattern that has repeated in my life is being lazy. I want to accomplish all these things with my horses and in my life and I just shut down and become lazy and put it off for the next day. When the next day comes...I put it off even more until when I finally decide to do it my heart isn't fully in it and I half heart it. Not sure how to peel back those layers
you are 100% adorable.
My horse will butt against my arm to tell me she wants out of her pen to go eat grass. Or if I am on my cell phone and she wants my attention usually to take her out of her pen for grass also. She is not mean but she gets rude.
I know it's been over a year and no one will read this, but I can't let go of the belief that I will always be mediocre. I am stuck at the level of potential and never reaching the level of being fully capable. Intermediate, non-pro, good but not great, sub-par... =/