Training at Liberty

So I've been asked to write a weekly blog on the progress of our training with Skippy Sky. I think I should start a little background information, i will try to make this quick :) Sky is a rescue horse, my sister has her on full loan, I've always helped in every way possible to help Sky and my sister from mucking out to ground work training etc etc for the past 6yrs. Skippy Sky was in no way an "easy" horse to handle, train or ride. she forced me to look outside the box and for that I will always remain grateful to her, when others told us she was evil I replied that she was simply misunderstood .Thankfully over the years there have been many that have remarked how much they like her and admire her, I always have admired her strong will and spirit that's just part of her. shes extremely clever and loves to use her brain so I started (with my sisters permission) to use positive reinforcement with yummy treats to tackle issues such as mounting, tacking up and manners, I have to point out that every physical reason as to why she would kick out at you when trying to put her saddle on or coming at you with ears right back and teeth bared whilst trying to put the bridle on was tested for and tested again. I won't go into the rest of the issues we had but needless to say using positive reinforcement worked. yes i was doubtful and yes I worried as to whether I was going to create a biting monster but she did bite anyway so i decided it was worth a shot, it was such a fantastic turn around it truly was' the day I mounted from a mounting block and she stood still and didn't move until I had checked my girth and asked her to walk on I was over the moon and little by little it all began to slot into place.



so we come to the present, well almost. I really missed the whole learning and teach sky something new from the ground I had heard about clicker training horses and working at liberty so I asked a friend for some tips "like how do you teach them that the click means a treat I knew with dogs you "charged it up by click then treating over and over again" but with Horses you had to do something called targeting. then the following night whilst browsing at facebook up pops this link to a video a facebook friend has made "how to teach targeting and pickup" by Ayesha and the beautiful Navara and well I've been bugging her ever since. That was end of February beginning of march and she is without doubt the most wonderful online tutor.


so where are we at now, well we are still targeting objects following objects at a great speed ie me running up and down with a scarf on the end of a schooling stick, with Sky following at the side trotting trying to touch the scarf (please if you try this at home, beware that running up and down with a big pink and black scarf is not the safest thing to do,  sky shares her field with only one other mare whom i asked to join in using body language to place her on the other side of me at a safe distance. also be respectfully of other peoples horses in neighboring fields) this was a step forward as before it was extremely difficult to ask her to walk to touch the scarf.

Also this week I began using scratching as a means to direct her and reward her, we have achieved 3 steps of back up using the vocal cue and hand signals given from standing just in front of her hind leg to her side. Also we have achieved walk on to halt to walk on using body langue and vocal cues, not exactly subtle cues but its a great start and I'm so very proud of her.


so plans for next week are more of the same and trying to achieve 4steps of back up, then again it could all go horrible wrong and i end up teaching her something else but that you see is the beauty of working at liberty, ultimately its all down to what Sky wants to learn today.