Eastern Sierra Chapter Back Country Horseman, "Sensory Clinic" May 2009

It's the simple things that we forget as well as take for granted with the horse. Things as simple as handing a rider something from the ground. The horse's confidence is "built" through the rider as it suceeds in each task, followed by a stroke from the rider for a job well done.

The horses learned that their rider was not going to allow them to get hurt, and stimuli such as rubber balls and sponges were utilized to get the horse accustomed to objects touching it that were not abrupt. The session culminated with the horse eating ball (utilized to teach the horse to push and not listen to the person on the ground) and gunfire exercises.

It is interesting in these clinics to see the transformation of the horse as it suceeds and receives strokes from it's rider, that in the end, the animal no longer is interested in strokes from me on the ground and prefers their rider.

The group did an outstanding job and got their horse to do things it really didn't want to do in the beginning, but did because the rider asked and rewarded him/her for the successful effort.

New Found Rewards

A Quiet Partnership

Note: No plastic bags, sticks, or poles utilized for the partnership.