The Fire-Breathing Winter Dragon and Clicker Training

It's been an awful winter. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would be convinced the gods of fate had it in for me. I got a horse in June and all was fine for a while, but in September the rains started in the desert. They increased in October. They obliterated the world in November. OK, realistically they only obliterated the arena where Lexi is boarded, but it felt like the world (though granted some of the other things going on at that time might have contributed to the feeling of world obliteration).

My friend Doris had a relatively dry arena for a while, so I had a couple of lessons with dressage instructor Meg Hayes there but couldn't do anything effective in between those lessons. I pulled Lexi's shoes, learned to put on EasyBoots, and rode in the orchards.

Then the snow fell. And fell. And continued to fall. A freeze-thaw cycle punctuated by freezing rain led to layers upon layers of ice on the road edges, on the lanes, in the arena. It never thawed enough to get rid of the snow, so the ice mixture got deeper. Lexi, who has a strong spirit of self-preservation, tramped herself a little track down to the bottom of the field, where she stamped out a spot to stand, and made herself another path to her hay-feeding tire and shelter (not that she's particularly interested in shelter). For weeks, she tiptoed up and down the field, and from the gate to the feeder, careful not to fall. I was grateful for her caution, as several of my friends had falls themselves when feeding or crossing parking lots, and others ended up with horses who fell and got injured.

To my relief, clicker training helped us both out. It's amazing what one can accomplish with clicker training while standing still. We worked on holding a Jolly ball, then with picking it up, with a "relax" cue to help her drop her head, with "smile," which means Stand quietly and prick your ears, and with "pose," which means Do your Pilates exercise. Lift your head, arch your neck and rock back so that you're lifting your core. We worked on standing and cautiously walking (on the less slippery days) with a tarp stretching from ears to butt. We also practiced the "bridesmaid walk" to the best of our ability on days it was less icy and we could do more than stand. The slow, steady clicker work kept me sane and it tired her mind out so she was happier overall than she would have been otherwise.

Practicing the "bridesmaid walk."
I love how we're in sync.

I taught her to drop her head when I put my hand on her poll, then cued the word "relax" so she would respond to the word alone.

Working on our Pilates Pose

Last week, I got clearance to ride after my surgery. We have no arena, no round pen, no place for Lexi to safely buck away the spring jollies. I've dug her gate free of ice and have been walking her in the orchards and she does her best to be good, but she's definitely not Little Miss Relaxation at this point. A few days ago, just over six weeks past my surgery, I saddled her, handwalked her up the lane to determine that she was in a reasonably calm state, then mounted. She stood like a rock for mounting and our flexing exercise (turn head and neck to left and right before moving off). We then went out on the lane for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. I used our clicker work to C/T lowered head and signs of relaxation. She was a bit rushed, an indication of tension, but she was willing to stop and breathe a moment and take a treat. Given the circumstances, I was impressed. (See video below.)

Cue several miserable weather days: Snow and more snow. Ice. Rain. More Ice.

Then today. Gorgeous blue skies, above freezing temps. Time to try riding again! And she was amazing. I saddled her, did a little ground work to determine her frame of mind, then mounted. Off we went into the orchards. We only went for about half an hour, mainly because neither of us is fit and I prefer not to trot until I've had at least a week of walking when I'm re-conditioning. My plan was to just walk, but Lexi had different ideas. She was 100,000 Kjs of energy, but I used clicker training to help contain it. We worked on a lot of walk-trot transitions and some lateral work on the lanes. I used C/T to reinforce the slower, more relaxed responses, including a long, low walk. 

And guess what?! She seems to have internalized "Relax" as a cue. I would hold the reins at the buckle and tell her "Relax." She'd drop her head and slow her walk. I'd C/T. When we walked off again she'd start off in her fast off-beat walk and I'd tell her "Relax," then C/T as soon as she lowered her head and slowed her walk. By the time we were home, she was doing more of the slower, steadier walk and stopping as soon as I C/T'd her. And she was chewing more calmly again.

For a horse who hasn't been ridden in weeks, and hasn't even been able to buck out the Jollies, that's pretty darn impressive. 

This is our first ride out after my surgery and weeks of ice and snow.