Episode 331 It's Hot Pt 1 Managing Horses in Extreme Heat Plus Neck Ropes and Ground Driving
Itās hot. The day we recorded this conversation it was 105 degrees (Fahrenheit) where Dominique lives. My area was positively balmy by comparison. It was only 94 degrees.
So the weather is what we both wanted to talk about and more specifically how do we manage our horses when the temperatures are so extreme? We arenāt authorities on horse care. Weāre just two horse owners who worry a lot about our horsesā well being. In the first half of this podcast we exchange ideas about how to deal with extreme temperatures. Hot weather leads to talking about something else thatās very current for me and thatās ticks.
The first half of our conversation is about management. The second half is all training. I describe how to introduce a the use of a neck rope. Working in a neck rope is a great stepping stone towards riding. It also evolves into a lesson that helps prep a horse for riding in a trailer, and for ground driving.
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Episode 330 Muna Clough Pt 3 - Putting Principles Into Practice
This is Part 3 of a conversation with Muna Clough. Iāve wanted to have Muna on the podcast for quite a while. Sheās a participant in my on-line clinics along with her Irish Draft cross, Frank. One of the first videos she sent me showed Frank rearing up at her and then snaking his head around and biting at her legs.
In the more recent videos Muna has been teaching a calm Frank lateral work. The change in their relationship has been an absolute pleasure to watch. I wanted Muna to share with us the process sheās gone through to create this transformation. I can make suggestions, but we have an ocean separating us. It has been Muna who has done all the training. Sheās created the changes that weāre seeing.
In this episode we talk about the principles Muna has used to guide her choices with Frank. These principles let you weave a strong safety net under a horse. Iām always so appreciative when people share their training stories. Itās very much a pay it forward system. Thereās always someone listening who is where they used to be with a horse. Sharing what worked, what they learned, the process they went through to get where they are today - all of that helps the next person whoās new to this way of training.
It is always go to people for opinions and horses for answers. We canāt invite Frank onto the podcast but we can very much ask Muna to join us so she can share his story.
We ended last time with a discussion of principles and thatās where we pick up as we rejoin the conversation in Part 3.
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Episode 329 Muna Clough Pt 2 "Hot Potato" Horses
This is Part 2 of a conversation with Muna Clough. Iāve wanted to have Muna on the podcast for quite a while. Sheās a participant in my on-line clinics along with her Irish Draft cross, Frank. One of the first videos she sent me showed Frank rearing up at her and then snaking his head around and biting at her legs.
In the more recent videos Muna has been teaching Frank lateral work. The change in their relationship has been an absolute pleasure to watch. I wanted Muna to share with us the process sheās gone through to create this transformation. I can make suggestions, but we have an ocean separating us. It has been Muna who has done all the training. Sheās created the changes that weāre seeing.
Iām always so appreciative when people share their training stories. Itās very much a pay it forward system. Thereās always someone listening who is where they used to be with a horse. Sharing what worked, what they learned, the process they went through to get where they are today - all of that helps the next person whoās new to this way of training.
In this episode we talk about āhot potatoā horses. These are horses with issues somebody else didnāt want to deal with so they passed the horse on to some unsuspecting person who now has to figure out what to do with the āhot potatoā. I share stories of other āhot potatoā horses and Muna talks about how she worked with Frank to transform their relationship.
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Episode 328 The SABA Awards and Muna Clough Pt 1 Overfaced Handlersm4a
This is Part 1 of a conversation with Muna Clough. Iāve wanted to have Muna on the podcast for quite a while. Sheās a participant in my on-line clinics. She has an Irish draft cross named, Frank. One of the first videos Muna sent me showed Frank rearing up at her and then moments later snaking his head around to bite at her legs.
In the more recent videos Muna has been teaching Frank lateral work. The change in their relationship has been an absolute pleasure to watch. All of the coaching has been through emails and the monthly coaching sessions. I can make suggestions, but we have an ocean separating us. It has been Muna who has done all the training. Sheās created the change that weāre seeing. I wanted Muna to share with us the process sheās gone through to create this transformation.
Itās all well and good for me to say clicker training works. When youāre struggling with a horse, you can feel really trapped. When you hear from someone like Muna whose horse started out with very similar behavior, her experiences can become the light that gets you to the end of the tunnel.
In this episode I begin by talking about the SABA Award that I was recently given at this yearās ABAI conference. This is a very roundabout way to introduce Muna and Frank. The connection between the two is loopy training. Munaās other horse Sandro was featured in the presentation I gave during the Awards ceremony. So this seemed like the perfect time to invite Muna to join us.
She began by introducing Frank, a horse she bought as a two year old and then quickly discovered that she was in way over her head. Weāll be focusing on the work Muna did to transform Frank from a fire-breathing dragon into delightful equine company.
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Episode 327 Ken Ramirez Part 2 Treatless Clicks - Clickless Treats and End of Session Strategies
This is part 2 of our conversation with Ken Ramirez. For over thirty years Ken was the executive Vice President overseeing animal care and training at the Shedd Aquarium. He is now the Executive Vice President and chief training officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training. Those are impressive sounding titles, but they donāt come close to describing Kenās talent as a trainer and teacher.
Dominique and I were delighted to be able to spend an afternoon with Ken shortly after this yearās Clicker Expo. Dominique had a long list of questions for Ken relating to a talk he gave at the Expo.
In this episode the discussion centers around treatless clicks, keep going signals, clickless treats, and end of session signals.