Sunday, July 13, 2014
Operation Waverley-Update on Me and The Negotiator
One of my favorite movies of all time is "White Christmas". It's the story of two entertainers who meet during World War II and become a successful duo after the fighting stops. On a trip through New England around Christmas time, they stop at a Vermont ski lodge and discover that the general who led them in the army is now the owner of the lodge. His business is failing due to lack of snow and skiers to fill his lodge and he feels sorry for himself, wishing he could return to a military career with all the respect and recognition that comes with the title of general. His last name is Waverly and the plot of the story continues with the two entertainers recreating their New York production on the stage of the lodge, drawing customers from far and wide, filling the lodge and the pockets of General Waverly. As part of the plan, one of the entertainers goes on TV and calls on all of his army pals to come to the Christmas show and let Waverly know he's not been forgotten. He calls the whole enterprise, "Operation Waverly".
I figured that was as good a name as any for my latest equine project with 6 year old Arab gelding Waverley. His birthday was the 4th of July and now that he's another year older, he's showing signs of reaching his full maturity. I'm certain that he will become a confident, athletic and playful addition to my life with horses. Having just retired after 30 years in medicine, I am looking forward to making horses my full time occupation. While it will never pay as much as practicing medicine, it has already given me more rewards than I thought were possible and has changed my life for the better.
I've already changed my routine with Waverley. We are now together at least an hour a day 5 days a week. Each day we work on his emotional, mental and physical development. I usually start by playing with him at liberty which includes the ball he loves, jumping over small obstacles and companion walking, always finishing with a reward of either treats or a good rub down. So far, he likes the treats the best...go figure.
It's hard to start over again, no matter what it is you've chosen-a new job, a new relationship...a new horse. Once the novelty wears off, it becomes apparent that in order for the new experience to work, you have to put in the time. I have to remind myself that my beautiful, well trained lesson horse Chanty did not "come out of the box" ready for anything. Waverley has the benefit of all my years of trial and error with other horses as well as many hours of practicing my techniques in order to be able to communicate with horses.
I've been taking him to the park near the Columbia River-we're both on the ground walking and he's wearing a saddle, but the intention is not to ride. It is simply to gain his confidence and develop a bond so that he will trust me no matter where I take him. There is so much to see at the park and on our last trip we got as far as the beach and as close to the water as he's ever been. His eyes got bigger and bigger and he seemed to say"Whoa, this is AWESOME!" but his equine nature said, "Whoa, that's far enough!" I know that the more we travel to the park and elsewhere, the more he will learn to respond to new things with the thinking side of his brain instead of the reactive side.
The other day I witnessed first hand just exactly how well he knows how to think his way through a situation. I now have a nickname for him, "the negotiator" that describes exactly how he convinced his pasture mate to let him drink from the water trough soon after I had let him loose to join the herd. His buddy was lying on his side in the sun just before we arrived at the gate. Wave was obviously thirsty from his recent workout in the arena on an unseasonably warm day. He only had to walk 10 feet from the gate to the water trough to quench his thirst. That was just long enough for his herd mate to get up on his feet and meet Wave at the water source. They greeted with noses touching and it seemed that Wave would be allowed to continue with his long drink. He lowered his head and sipped for a few seconds but it was apparent that the interaction between the two horses was not over. Again and again, Wave would raise his head and gently touch the neck or shoulder of the first horse and without truly engaging him in any other physical behavior, was able to take a short drink of water. As if to say, "buddy, I'm not here to fight, I just want a drink", he stood his ground without being aggressive. If the other horse did move Wave's feet it was only for a short distance after which Wave would turn back to the trough and dive his head in again. He persisted with his passive behavior and finally convinced his mate that it was just too hot and there was no need to exert themselves unnecessarily when it would be easier to just allow Wave to get his drink and move on. He had done this same persistent "negotiating" with me in the past, to get what he wanted-usually a treat-but watching it unfold in a pasture between two similar beings was much more compelling and gave me greater insight into the mind of a horse. It wasn't the first time I had said to myself "horses can really teach humans a few things about relationships and communication."
And so, I continue with "Operation Waverley". We're working on trailer loading as well; something that he has done numerous times in the past, but NOT with me. I've gone back to some of my wonderful videos about trailer loading and I was reminded that first and foremost, it has to be about the relationship, the confidence and trust that the horse has in you as you load them onto a metal box on wheels. With time and patience we will be able to take trips to lessons, clinics and trail rides. Me and the negotiator! I have added a video to the blog with a recent liberty session with Wave. More to come.....
I figured that was as good a name as any for my latest equine project with 6 year old Arab gelding Waverley. His birthday was the 4th of July and now that he's another year older, he's showing signs of reaching his full maturity. I'm certain that he will become a confident, athletic and playful addition to my life with horses. Having just retired after 30 years in medicine, I am looking forward to making horses my full time occupation. While it will never pay as much as practicing medicine, it has already given me more rewards than I thought were possible and has changed my life for the better.
I've already changed my routine with Waverley. We are now together at least an hour a day 5 days a week. Each day we work on his emotional, mental and physical development. I usually start by playing with him at liberty which includes the ball he loves, jumping over small obstacles and companion walking, always finishing with a reward of either treats or a good rub down. So far, he likes the treats the best...go figure.
It's hard to start over again, no matter what it is you've chosen-a new job, a new relationship...a new horse. Once the novelty wears off, it becomes apparent that in order for the new experience to work, you have to put in the time. I have to remind myself that my beautiful, well trained lesson horse Chanty did not "come out of the box" ready for anything. Waverley has the benefit of all my years of trial and error with other horses as well as many hours of practicing my techniques in order to be able to communicate with horses.
I've been taking him to the park near the Columbia River-we're both on the ground walking and he's wearing a saddle, but the intention is not to ride. It is simply to gain his confidence and develop a bond so that he will trust me no matter where I take him. There is so much to see at the park and on our last trip we got as far as the beach and as close to the water as he's ever been. His eyes got bigger and bigger and he seemed to say"Whoa, this is AWESOME!" but his equine nature said, "Whoa, that's far enough!" I know that the more we travel to the park and elsewhere, the more he will learn to respond to new things with the thinking side of his brain instead of the reactive side.
The other day I witnessed first hand just exactly how well he knows how to think his way through a situation. I now have a nickname for him, "the negotiator" that describes exactly how he convinced his pasture mate to let him drink from the water trough soon after I had let him loose to join the herd. His buddy was lying on his side in the sun just before we arrived at the gate. Wave was obviously thirsty from his recent workout in the arena on an unseasonably warm day. He only had to walk 10 feet from the gate to the water trough to quench his thirst. That was just long enough for his herd mate to get up on his feet and meet Wave at the water source. They greeted with noses touching and it seemed that Wave would be allowed to continue with his long drink. He lowered his head and sipped for a few seconds but it was apparent that the interaction between the two horses was not over. Again and again, Wave would raise his head and gently touch the neck or shoulder of the first horse and without truly engaging him in any other physical behavior, was able to take a short drink of water. As if to say, "buddy, I'm not here to fight, I just want a drink", he stood his ground without being aggressive. If the other horse did move Wave's feet it was only for a short distance after which Wave would turn back to the trough and dive his head in again. He persisted with his passive behavior and finally convinced his mate that it was just too hot and there was no need to exert themselves unnecessarily when it would be easier to just allow Wave to get his drink and move on. He had done this same persistent "negotiating" with me in the past, to get what he wanted-usually a treat-but watching it unfold in a pasture between two similar beings was much more compelling and gave me greater insight into the mind of a horse. It wasn't the first time I had said to myself "horses can really teach humans a few things about relationships and communication."
And so, I continue with "Operation Waverley". We're working on trailer loading as well; something that he has done numerous times in the past, but NOT with me. I've gone back to some of my wonderful videos about trailer loading and I was reminded that first and foremost, it has to be about the relationship, the confidence and trust that the horse has in you as you load them onto a metal box on wheels. With time and patience we will be able to take trips to lessons, clinics and trail rides. Me and the negotiator! I have added a video to the blog with a recent liberty session with Wave. More to come.....
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