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Week 3&4 with VBA Summer have been fabulous! She has moved into the stable block with ‘general population’ and has started to enjoy being handled multiple times a day. Summer has now had her first few baths and she is sporting some pretty groovy plaits in her mane. We began filming our VBA Australian Brumby Challenge and this has seen her take Desensetising, jog circles, flexing, saddling and preparing to mount take place on camera. Summer has been earning to come off pressure and has spent some tied up with our other horses- she's been fabulous with this! I am yet to have my first ride with Summer, she's just a tick apprehensive currently of me being over her. My process from here is to take the time it takes- so that it takes less time.
What a few weeks we have had together .
Where to begin !!!!! From the moment he was dropped off to us by Breeze Brumby Transport I felt Courage was going to be special . And was I right !!!!
I chose the name Courage because I felt this horse was very Courageous, he was not showing any fear with anything I did , a little apprehensive but not fearful . Everything I have shown Courage he has accepted and tried with very little hesitation, don’t get me wrong he has a little temper , when he gets confused frustrated or is just plain having an off day he will test me , eg flicking his head pulling on the lead , not wanting to be caught . But considering a very short time ago he was out in the paddock with a herd he can be forgiven .. These past few weeks I have just worked on being consistent with Courage increasing his workload slightly each day , and giving him the weekends off . Courage now is soft in my hands , will lunge freely on lead and off lead following my signals and voice command , I have introduced a method I use with a large horse ball which he has found to be very interesting and when left alone he will have a play , he has also accepted the carrot stick which is a tool I use in my training and also tarps and plastic bags . I have worked on many of groundwork methods , in preparation for saddle transition. Courage has also moved to another new yard where he has some friends beside him , he’s very content and loves his grain feed. I thought he may be a bit hesitant to the new feed but introducing the new feeds slowly over a few days has caught his attention and he know knows what time feed time is and is first to the gate letting me know he’s hungry .
Week 4 I started increasing the exercises and stepping on and off no pressure just getting him used to me above him and movement in the saddle , after 3 days in of doing this I felt he was ready for his first ride .
I was just asking for forward movement in a halter in the saddle I’m not asking a lot I am happy for him to just be comfortable with me above him and happy to
Move forward . Courage was very responsive and relaxed with his first ride , walking , trotting and cantering both ways in the roundyard and responding to my ques for turning . He is very responsive to my hands and motions .
I have not had a horse show loyalty in such a short amount of time like this horse . I can now easily catch him , brush him , pick up all his feet , saddle him and now ride him . I am amazed at how quickly he has allowed me to do this . When I start a horse I spend a lot of time groundworking and will only ride when I feel they are ready and considering I was able to ride in just over 3 weeks is a credit to this little horse and his acceptance, Baring in mind I didn’t start him until the second week into the journey because of him becoming unwell and I only spend an hour a day with him 5 days per week due to other commitments he has simply impressed me !!!! This is the first Brumby I have ever worked with and I can definitely say he won’t be the last !!!!!!
I can now also state Courage health is 100 percent , he is eating well and I think has even gained a few kg , he’s settled into his new environment quickly becoming the favorite. We look forward to updating you with weeks 5 & 6.
Well this last two weeks has been uneventful. Rain, wind and more rain has kept us out of the round yard since day 2. I have only worked with VBA Lilac about 3 days in total. But she is such a superstar and is a very fast learner. She has accepted the bridle, saddle, long reins and even desensitizing with big scary
noisy tools. Pandora Equestrian Centre has had upgrades, so VBA Lilac had seen some large excavators and trucks, without a worry in the world. Given the weather holds up and the ground dries up next week, I hope to be riding her and enjoying some rides on her. Fingers crossed.
Week 3 & 4 have flown by, we’ve had terrible weather so we haven’t managed to do as much as I would have liked … but that’s the breaks in Ballarat in winter!! Despite the weather and limited sessions, I’m feeling positive about our progress and am sure we can build on it in the coming weeks. The biggest improvement is that I can now put a hand on Spice. She has made it clear that she was very reserved about being touched, so I changed tactics from my initial plan of using a whip as an extension of my arm to get a first touch at a distance. It has actually been more successful to slowly position myself next to Spice’s shoulder while feeding her some lucerne hay until she was comfortable with me down the side of her body rather than standing out the front. Once within arms distance, I’ve been able to reach out and rub on her. I’m still paying very close attention to her expression to make sure she is not getting overwhelmed. She is very good at doing the ‘consideration face’ as seen in this weeks’ photo. This seems to mean she is thinking about what’s happening, she’s not exactly comfortable but also not feeling the need to leave. The benefit of having such an expressive little red mare is that she makes it quite obvious what she’s
feeling! My goal from the start has been to teach Spice to be haltered in the big yard, rather than restrict her in a smaller area where she can’t get away from me if she feels the need. I’ve not done this before, and I’ve not trained an adult brumby before so this has really been a lesson in patience, positivity and problem solving. With Spice allowing me to touch her this week, I’m feeling more confident that I can achieve what I set out to do. I’m not looking too far ahead, but am hopeful that spending this time building a relationship and trust with Spice will pay off and we’ll be able to do some fun stuff soon
Teddy has come a long way in his training the past 2 weeks, even though the weather hasn’t been on our side most days! Following on from the previous update, we did a lot of work on the ground in the halter including lots of desensitising, yielding and flexing and lots of walks becoming familiar with everything on the farm. By day 14 of Teddys training he was feeling much more confident on the lead and was ready for his first brush and we introduced the saddle pad and picked up his feet. From the very first time I picked his feet up it was like he had been doing it from years! I have been constantly surprised with Teddy at how trusting and willing he is to learn and engage. We spent the next couple of days learning to move forward on the lunge which was the first real “speed bump” in his training. I had previously done so much desensitising with rope etc and having him face up that having him move away from the pressure of the rope moving was a little confusing to him. We worked on this for the next 4 days until he was confidently walking, trotting and changing directions on the lunge. Day 17 we put the saddle on for the first time, again Teddy was completely unbothered! I was able to take it on and off, do up the girth and lead him like he had been doing it for ever. He is just such a pleasure every time I introduce something new. It’s now day 24 and Teddy has experienced a lot of “firsts” this week, including his first trim, his first time with the bridle, first time long reining and yesterday his first ride! He really is such an old soul and I’m loving every minute I spend with him. His temperament is everything I could have hoped for and I’m so proud of how far we have come in such a short time. He is loving the domestic life that’s for sure!!
Nothing exciting to update on with week 3 and 4, we are still working on the same things as
the previous weeks.
Nightstar is still quite nervous of me in her bubble and only allows me to approach her face
– we are still working on her accepting touch from a hand, she loves scratches with things I
use as an extension of my hand (whips etc). She gives me cues as to when she starts to feel
uncomfortable with me in her space, if you push past these or don’t see them she will bite
and make sure she gets you out of her space. I don’t disregard this, we just find where her
distance threshold is for that day and work around closing that in and getting to where she
is happy. We also focused a lot on desensitising her to things these weeks, allowing me to
throw ropes and the whip over her, some of the farm machinery operating near her yard,
dogs running around near and under her. She handled it like a pro!
She also had a bit of time with the other horses which I think she enjoyed.
We’ve been blessed with plenty of rain recently, here's a photo from when we got drenched
during a session.
Week 3
The beginning of week three found us introducing the concept of haltering. It took a few days for Rumba to get comfortable with this new idea but she came through so well. I started by introducing Rumba to a rope around her neck, presenting a feel and waiting for her to find the answer I was looking for and asking her to search for the solution. There is so much try in her that it didn’t take long for her to grasp this idea. When it came to understanding what I was asking of her with the halter, Rumba found it really hard to search so I included the rope around her neck along with the halter to help her understand the new feel presented by the halter, and what I was asking of her. This really helped and it wasn’t long before she mastered the idea of haltering and leading.
Week 4
This week it was time to take Rumba out for walks on the lead. Initially she was nervous/cautious, but she held it together and even looked to me when she was really unsure. During her many walks Rumba discovered lots of new, scary things and even managed to comfortably meet new people. Rumba was able to maintain her focus on me during her walks despite the other horses galloping around the big paddock next to her. We finished off our week today with trailer loading which to my delight Rumba excelled at. I am so proud of how well Rumba is accepting the challenges I ask of her and trying to find the answers to the questions I present to her. She is such a wonderful little Brumby.
I have always paid close attention to thresholds in horses as part of my training but this brumby has shown me I need to have no expectations and just spend time really being in the here and now with no expectations, just spending time together sharing space. I'm working on increasing my awareness of the smallest signs and to go slower than what I would wish or like to do. I think the fact that I continued on with my usual work at liberty before she was completely comfortable with my approach and touch has set us back - using the lunge whip even if its an extension of my arm , I feel, was too hard for her to decipher when it was a tool of pressure to move forward or disengage and when it was a petting tool. Working at liberty gives a horse a lot more choice and control but with this horse she just wasn’t ready for it and even at liberty, even working just at the walk, was just too much pressure for her. When I work at liberty with a horse, I'm not insistent on correct answers during that process, especially initially, I let a horse say no, I let a horse turn the opposite way without correction, and I find when I'm pretty liberal with not many rules to my initial training it gets a horse to feel less pressured even at liberty to give me a “correct” answer. Over time, we develop our vocabulary, I ask for a little more staying with in the guidelines but I try to train with the attitude there are no wrong answers, just some answers are closer to what I'm looking for. I'm not really after perfection or perfectly correct either- My main focus is just having a wide vocabulary with a horse and a lot of conversation. I personally believe the reason I connect with horses is because I can’t handle a lot of pressure even though I feel like I am under a lot of pressure - I just know I struggle with it so I understand where they are coming from. Therefore, I have been sitting in the middle of my arena, hand feeding Maali hay and a small amount of pellets and as she is associating me with a strong motivator (food) it is enabling her to let down her guard and allow more physical touching. I'm using tools (stalks of hay) which I feel is a natural non threatening item and that has enabled me to stroke her with it. I am evolving this to now being able to stroke down her face and jaw and we have started to progress towards touching her on her shoulders too! Maali’s curiosity is building by the day and she is being brave to sniff me a lot now and really check me out. I sit quietly, I don’t use any strong smells on my clothing that might seem too foreign to her. Maali is now following me around the arena and approaching me with more confidence, Even though I'm in 'the brumby challenge “ I'm not worrying about our progress in relation to the other trainers, I'm just allowing our time together to unfold and progress at the speed that feels right for the both of us.
This fortnight has seen Flicka grow so much in confidence! We have been working a lot on strange sounds and movements, she has so much try but her “rabbit “ limit (Warwick Schiller) is only at around 2. The last 2 weeks she has had a bath and mane braid, learned to pick up all 4 feet and had them trimmed, she has worn a roller and saddle, and had weight in the stirrups and across her back. She can flex relatively softly both ways and can happily spend all day out in the big paddock with company and come in for dinner each night. Beautiful Flicka has a really long way to go with building her confidence in basically everything in the human world but to look back on her last 4 weeks and see how far she has come, really does blow my mind. She definitely has a forever home in our crazy little family
Working with horses sometimes goes by the old saying of two steps forward and one step back. The start of week three definitely felt like this. Initially, Primrose had partially let me into her bubble, allowing me to pat her but only on the left hand side of her body. We continued to work on this until she allowed me to pat either side. I then slowly introduced her to a halter. Once I got her halter on, inside I felt like this was a great win. But in reality it was a step back as it was too much of a push outside of her comfort zone. I left her with a halter on and a short rope on to allow her to work out pressure and release off standing on her lead. Week four definitely felt like two steps forward. Off a long rope I had Prim lunging around the round yard using very similar techniques and body language as to how I would get her to trot around the round yard without the rope. Introducing only one new thing at a time. I would pull and shorten the rope, relaxing it as soon as she would halt or face me. I’ve worked out in past couple of days, Primrose is a typical female and loves being pampered. So every morning, while she’s devouring her lucerne cubes she has a good brush and a scratch. After this morning’s beauty treatment we continued to work on leading and lunging off a shorter rope. As she was succeeding beyond my exceptions I thought today would be the day to venture out of the round yard for the first time. However, Prim had other ideas. As much as she allows me to move every foot, in any direction within the round yard, going out into the big wide world was a little daunting. After a little convincing and some scratches, our front feet could leave the round but definitely not our back feet. I’m okay with that as any win is a good win.
The last two weeks have been far from smooth sailing gaining this girls trust. Towards the end of week two she had three days off due to my work. I do casual work as an actor in film and TV, it’s mainly extras stuff. I had a 3 day job on a tv series that required me to be up at 4:30 am some mornings and I would get home at dark. I am lucky that my older son can take the school lessons for two days and my husband was home on the third. Hence my family are very supportive of my job
and always keep the wheels turning at home when I am away. I noticed the change when I came back to working her. Where I could get close and touch her nose, she was making it very clear that not only was she not going to let me near her, but also not stand still. I did not let this worry me as I knew I would have a few hurdles getting her back into routine after being away. However this continued for over a week. It was like her own game of “catch me if you can.” I’d had this before years ago with my first brumby I broke in. I used these sessions where she really tested me as opportunities to teach her knew things. I thought “well if your not going to let me near you, I will use this lesson to teach you other stuff,” like moving her shoulders and hind end
around using my body and hand cues. I brought in cones and had her trotting at liberty around them. I taught her to do a full 360 deg circle on the spot. I wanted to keep her brain working. Just when our place had finally dried up enough I could work her in our smaller yard when I hoped to get much closer and make some bigger progress, it rained. It rained like the clouds had been storing up months worth of rain ready to spill out in one long night. The next morning the place was like a wetlands for native birds. The yards were ankle deep in water and in no way safe to use. I felt so defeated and like I had this puzzle to solve and thinking day and night how to get the answer. With help, I moved the smaller yard into my bigger yard and coached her into there. He was far from impressed when I tried to get closer. So after a day of tears and doubt, I said to myself. “Don’t push, don’t worry, this will take as long as it takes, safety come first, you can do this.” So with my horsey son we slowly began to gain her trust more and more. We got a rope on her neck and she allowed me to rub her neck and shoulders. She enjoys eating grass from my son James. She is very fond of James and he has grown in confidence watching me work and being a part of helping this mare trust people. She is a very wary horse, if she does not like it she kicks, snorts or paws. But slowly I am making progress. Not as much as I had wished for, but training a horse is like asking “how long is a piece of string.”
Being a little bit time poor this week. Athena was often worked in the dark. As being night, many prey animals are more on edge due to the lack of vision. Some nights even being windy which is a disaster in itself, the wind makes it hard for prey animals to smell the predators which also makes them apprehensive. However, Athena worked as best she could, considering the circumstances. Ground work has improved a fair amount since her arrival. She has gained respect through the daily exercises of disengaging the hind quarters and moving her feet in every direction. She is leading through the slightest pressure and is ready to move up a stage next week to saddle work. Groundwork in my eyes is up most importance, it sets the foundations of riding and builds respect. Once you have gained control and respect of the horse on the ground, it makes ridden work safer and the horse has more respect in what you ask. Athena still is very alert at times, desensitisation is where we are currently at. She has already improved so much from being such a flighty horse. However we still have a long way to go.
This fortnight, Tango has come a long way. We have still had a couple of ‘no’ moments, but overall, huge improvements with lots of licking and chewing. This fortnight Tango has learnt to lunge, had his feet picked up, taught to load and unload off the float calmly. He has also been meeting new people, and going for walks in new areas of the property. Tango is becoming more comfortable with being rugged and unrugged daily. He has also accepted bridle
and roller very well! Call me old school, but I’m really big on long reining and mouthing horses correctly. I do not back horses until they are working in a consistent rhythm in all three paces and started leg yielding, which is what I will be working on in the fortnight to come.
Tango can still be unsure about things, but is fast learner, and really quite accepting.
• My Brumby
You have scared my inner child
you have made my heart love
You show me where I’m at
Your ability to cope with this new world
makes me feel unkind
You take what I ask of you
You try o how you try
If only I was as brave as you Yindi
You make my heart sing
I can’t wait until the sun comes up
I can be with you again
• Yindi
The last two weeks have been quite progressive for Dawn and I, the weather has been horribly wet and windy but I have still managed to do something with her every day.
The biggest change I have noticed is how much more Dawn wants to be with me, catching her has become a lot easier and quicker each day. Now she doesn’t have to wear a halter full time because she is no problem to catch and even makes a game of following me around, she is so sweet. Dawn has some rain scald on her back which is a rather large, ugly bald patch so she is probably appreciating staying dry under her rug a bit more. When I first showed her a rug she was a little frightened and tried to keep as far away as she could. I dragged it around and touched her shoulders with it and when she relaxed I slowly moved it across her withers. Her eyes were watching every move but she was standing still. Every morning I take her rug off and every evening I put it back on, she is now really confident with her rug. My old pony Hugo is very kind and doesn’t mind me leading young ones off him. I have started doing a few lead laps with Dawn, she is wary of Hugo but happy to follow him around when Mum gives her a little encouragement from behind. I like how Dawn will touch me with her nose rather than Hugo
because it shows she is comfortable with me. Dawn enjoys me taking her for strolls down the road where there is lovely green grass and she has found the taste for carrots.
Week 3 we spent a lot of time strengthening our relationship on the ground. Jazzy has proven time
and time again that nothing is so hard for her to have a go. She is very smart and in tune with myself
and what I ask of her. She is sensitive to new things but looks to me for the “ok”.
This week we have introduced long reining, a lunge roller and a saddle. During our long reining
sessions Jazzy was soft and supple, showing confidence and willingness threw out each session. She
accepted the lunge roller easily and girthing was no issue. We long reined threw the yards and out in
the paddocks.
When I introduced the Saddle to Jazzy she wasn’t so sure, it’s a different girth system to the lunge
roller so felt a bit different and our first session started with some decent pigroots and a few bucks.
After a few minutes Jazzy realised it wasn’t going anywhere and it wasn’t going to hurt her and she
started to lick and chew! I took Jazzy for heaps of walks with the saddle on out threw the paddocks
at a walk and a trot so she can feel the saddle moving well on her back!
This week Jazzy also learnt to lunge, this is a great tool if used correctly to see how she is moving
out, to make sure she's not sore, and the saddle is sitting in the correct spot on her back. Jazzy is
quite sensitive to the saddle and if its not sitting in the right spot for her she will make sure I'm aware
that something isn't right!
She really communicates well with me, whether its playful or serious, She is very respectful in
communications with me. Towards the end of Week 3 I took Jazzy down to one of the many creeks
that cross threw out property where she has a nice big drink, and a small pick and play in the water.
Week 4: Week 4 with Jazzy is a big one. We had another first; Her first ride!
I also make sure my horses can move there feet with weight on there backs in the safest position I
can be in as possible- which is one foot in the stirrups and leaning up and over so if the horses wish
to buck or spook I can step down and out of harms way. I did this exercise with Jazzy for two or three
days prior to hopping on fully. I like to ensure they are completely relaxed with that before sitting in
the saddle. Jazzy proved to be cool calm and relaxed threw out which did surprise me due to her
reaction to the saddle initially. Once I had her feet moving small circles from this exercise I was
confident that she was happy and relaxed I finally stepped up and sat in the saddle. At first its just a
sit. Then we progressed each time to a little more and more, By the end of week 4 Jazzy is walking
small circles in the yards. Stopping well when asked and moving off with little fuss.
Jazzy continues to show her cheeky side more and more everyday, If her breaky and dinner aren't on
time you can see her staring up at you from her yard! If I call her name she neighs out to me! She's
really come out of her shell and its great to see. She's very loving and will follow me around all day if I
let her.
We are really excited to see what we Accomplish during the next 2 weeks
The last fortnight has been steadily progressive with Pirate. I am enjoying seeing lots more of his playful personality now that he is becoming quite comfortable with his new life. Catching is usually fairly easy, sometimes he will meet me at the gate or follow me around his yard. Other days he will have a bit of a
game before he faces up and lets me approach him. A carrot or a handful of pellets would have him at my side quickly but because he’s still a bit nippy I would rather use pats as a reward. Pirate is leading very well, he is confident to walk alongside me and is moving his shoulder/hind quarters
from a slight touch. He has a nice forward walk and a lovely big neat trot. Lungeing on a 12ft rope is fun for Pirate, he likes to do this bold trot around with his head held high. When he does this I’m sure he is
feeling very proud of himself! Rug wearing came quick due to the terrible wet and wild weather. I let him smell the rug first and hear the noises it made when it flapped, then he allowed me to put it on and off several times before doing
up the straps. I was surprised at how well he took to this. The roller was also fairly straight forward, I can rub him all over with the saddle pad. The girth was really
loose for the first couple times and there was no buck or running off in a panic. He is ok with the bridle, still a little unsure of the bit when I’m putting it on or taking it off but I am gentle and patient so this is improving every time. Pirate has had a few long reining sessions to learn steering, stop and go. I attach
the reins to the rope halter loops (not the bit) to keep any pressure off his mouth at this point. I am impressed at how quick he has picked up on this and find he not only responds to the reins but my voice
as well. I am really happy with Pirate and how hard he is trying. The biggest and best change so far is his behavior towards me, he was somewhat defensive and quick to randomly lash out at first. Now its wonderful to see him trusting me more, being so willing and interested to work with me.
In the days following our last report submission, Flynn has been allowing me to approach him with his feed and pat him on the neck, back and forearms with a kind and quiet approach. He has been accepting pressure on the halter and stepping forward, encouraged with his bucket to show him
what I expect and that he will be rewarded. A week ago, Flynn was unsure and unwilling to move too far from his known area. We made it about 10-15metres down the lane way, he pulled away once but allowed me to re catch him and start again. He then pulled away a second time and ran back into his old yard and proceeded to call out to me for his food…I guessed he's not quite ready to move out at that time!. I found it a little amusing, bless him. I fed and patted him in his yard with the gate still open. He showed no interest in going out so we called it a day. I left the yard open for him to come out on his own and found him there later grazing happily, having found his way out in his own time. In the days following, Flynn has been more confident and accepting with each session. He is, more recently leading to and from his yard to the round yard very well, sometimes needing some time to Mull over the sights and sounds around him but he is now looking to me more for guidance and he is more confident with me touching him all over including picking up his feet and putting a roller on him in the last few days. I have also started introducing him to the float, allowing him to investigate, no pressure or expectation. He Is quite intelligent and curious, a little quirky at times. I find he still learns a lot better and quieter if I start all new things from the offside. We are still working on the near side when he gets his confidence on the opposite side. He has been introduced to tarps, pool noodles and lastly, today, an umbrella. He is curious even if a little wary. I now leave him in the round yard each day to get accustomed to/ play with new things after we have worked together. He is going to take time and consideration of his trepidation of myself (as previously stated, his actual eye/ vision seems fine but he still doesn’t like me touching around that area or approaching on that side) and his surroundings but he is obviously a smart, level headed fellow over all and I think we are working each other out nicely!
On reflection on the past two weeks I’m happy to say that we continue to progress well. Queen keeps trusting more and more and the relationship and willingness continues to grow. We ride out regularly, and at this stage Queen takes me for a ride. She will head out into the 100 acer paddock and pick the destination and all I do is ask for a few circles on the way and blend in when she wants to stop and look, and I’ll ask her to move on when she feels ready. Picking out her hooves daily has helped me give her first full trim and she is allowing me to brush her on the spots she didn’t in the past. Float training has started which is feeding in the float morning and night slowly moving to the front to allow her to get comfortable in confined spaces and now she is willing to load. Playing with tarps is fun and I look forward to seeing how that progresses. Queen has adapted well with feeding and has gained some good condition. She gets along with the
rest of the mob and seems happy in her environment.
Daily tasks now are…
Brushing and cleaning out hooves “everyday”
Leading fast trot, slow trot, fast walk, slow walk, stop and back up. “everyday”
Tarp play “most days”
Ground work “getting much better with flexion and her being able to separate her fronts from her
hinds”
Saddling “most days”
Riding “most days”
Float training “everyday”
Victorian Brumby Association
Brumby Junction Sanctuary, Glenlogie, Victoria AU
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