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TRAINING

I believe young foals can learn a lot. I am not yet convinced about imprinting but I do believe in "environment enrichment". That means presenting the foal with situations it finds challenging but not so scary that it can't cope. They learn to deals with fear and are rewarded when they over come it. All young animals learn naturally, so it makes sense to guide them through channels which lead to them learning things that will be of use to them and their owners in the future. Read on!

Ponies don't tend to be dog shy at The Morrich Stud!

Morrich Finn meets the pack. (Click on the picture to enlarge it)

Erosion of fear of the unfamiliar is one of the cornerstones of training any animal at the end of the food chain.

Initially, the ponies might chase the dogs....but the dogs are used to that, they simply side step, and eventually both get bored, though they occasionally they may have a game just for fun.

Teaching foals to tolerate scary things

Highland ponies never miss a chance to eat. So here at the Morrich Stud we exploit that to teach them to tolerate things they might otherwise find scary. When they see a fluttery plastic sheet every day, it becomes something to ignore.

Teaching a foal to load

Here are the foals learning that trailers are nice places to be! They have FOOD inside.

Here are a few pictures of Aza, the German Shepherd, and Fergus, the gelding, showing Morrich Finn the Foal that trailers are fun! There is nothing like starting them young and letting a young animal's natural curiosity do the work in a gentle and gradual manner! But if trying this at home be aware of safety. Always have the trailer attached to a suitable vehicle or have the jockey wheel and stabilisers firmly in place. And make sure all catches are secured so there are no sharp points to hurt your pony. You can help things along by putting food inside the trailer but never use force.

Aza (the German Shepherd): "Come on it, this is fun!"

Finn: "Well...I'm tempted but it smells funny".

Finn: "OK, if you are quite sure it's OK".

Aza: "There, you see? There's nothing to it!"

Finn: "Hey, this is fun! A bit scary too but maybe I'll try it this way this time...."

Finn: "Well, I don't know why I made such a fuss! I can see so much more up here!"

Free Loading
Training a horse to load by itself - on command:

As a dog trainer and falconer, I am fascinated by the learning process! Two of the mares (10yo and 13yo) had real problems loading into a trailer when they arrived. One would stop when she was led within 25 yards of the trailer and the other would just stop on the ramp and freeze! Three of us more-or-less lifted this last one to get her loaded to go to the stallion and it took two of us 2.5 hours to load the 13yo to bring her here!

The usual way to load a horse is to lead it in. But that is a problem because most accidents happen when a handler is in a confined space with a nervous horse. I read of another way; simply train the horse to load itself! So the mares have been trained to load on command. The first step was to familiarise them with the trailer which was left attached to an old Land Rover and left in the same field over winter. Then hay was left in the trailer so they learnt to go in and out to feed.  Next, the trailer was left backed up to a gate. To get to fresh grass every day, as the electric fence was moved, the ponies had to go in at the rear ramp and out of the front ramp! Initially, they'd do that at the gallop, then after a while, they'd walk through, then would linger to pull at a hay net.

When they reached that stage, the front ramp was closed and the ponies were worked in a small corral. If they so much as put a foot on the ramp, the pressure was taken off and they were allowed to rest. Everything up to this point was done with the centre partition removed. Gradually, they were asked to go further into the trailer. Each day, the pressure was removed when they put a foot an inch or two further up the ramp. After a while, they would go half way in -- but come out immediately. This is all part of the process and I read that they should be allowed to come out without any force being applied. It reassures a prey species to know that it has a safe escape route from danger.

Gradually, the ponies relaxed and would pull at a hay net hung part way down the trailer. Inch by inch, they were encouraged to feed further and further in.  Each time they went to go into the trailer I'd shout "Load up!". Finally the day came when I had a visitor. As we stood leaning on the outside of the coral I explained what I had been doing. Then I shouted "Load up!". Molly obligingly walked straight into the trailer on cue. My visitor was most impressed. Now, at this stage, the mares are taken from the field to the corral where they go into the trailer for treats (a small ration of bruised oats, chopped apples and carrots). They canter down the field and go straight into the trailer without being asked while I bang the sides, clatter bum bars, and generally de-sensitise them to strange noises. Molly is even tolerating my rocking the trailer from side to side on its springs!

The mare and foal were put through a similar routine. At first, the foal would not go into the trailer, but after mum had gone through, he was pushed through and soon got the idea. After a few goes he was walking through quite unconcerned. Success!! I really do enjoy training as it makes me think how the animal's mind is working and that is always interesting.

Stop press: Since having an accident when two wheels came off the trailer with Molly and Breagha on board, Molly is again reluctant to load. Breagha couldn't care less and loads without hesitation which is an interesting insight into how the horse's mind works! More work needed on Molly!

(The pictures to go with the above text have been accidentally deleted!).