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Field Agility 1

Field Agility
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Moving on from arena agility where we gain confidence and our connection to our horse, we then went to Liberty Challenges, using our ability now to keep that connection without a halter and rope. This next stage moves us into a bigger space where we can not only test our connection together but allows us more freedom to use canter and more transitions. Enjoy 🙂

Field Agility 1

Obstacles are:
1) Pedestal: front feet on then walk over
2) Pole/Log: Sidle over then sidepass off
3) Trot poles x 6
3) Rope circle in canter to left and right
5) Under archway in trot
6) Fig 8 with 2 x jumps in trot and canter
7) Cone weave with 8 cones in trot
8) Curtain: Walk or trot under
9) Tarpaulin: walk/halt/backup/walk off
10) Round pens: Fig 8 canter with simple lead change
11) Scary Corridor: canter through
12) Tyre on rope: drag behind you then turn horse and drag whilst backing up
13) Familiarisation: extreme with 2 x flags
14) added extra to calmly walk through scary corridor to end 😉

 

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

 

Liberty Challenge 11 (2018)

Liberty Challenges
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First Agility course this year (2018).

Arranged it in a serpentine pattern.

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Tasks:

  1. Front foot or feet into hula hoop or on a mat. Just looking for a foot connection.
  2. Under a flapping curtain. Looking for relaxation and bravery.
  3. Labyrinth. Here I’m looking for flexibility, straightness and specific foot falls.
  4. Jump. Looking for a nice transition walk/trot/walk.
  5. Halt between barrels. Great to have synchronised halt and not worried about squeeze.
  6. Trot weave. Connection from the side and for horse to be more independent than just following.
  7. Tarp. This can be where you transition, or do a turn, anything .
  8. Transitions: between tarp and log transitions and into sidepass here.
  9. Sidle over log. Looking to be specific with feet here.
  10. Trot through flag corridor. Can be any ‘spooky/flappy’ things really. Just looking for calmness and bravery.
  11. Trot poles. Hoping horse has some bounce in it’s trot and for it to look where it’s going.
  12. Pedestal. Looking for happiness to stand on something with a bit of height in it. If you don’t have a pedestal you can start with a carpet or a reinforced pallet.

 

Liberty Video with me and Solly (missed putting tarp down #7)

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

 

Training Tip Video: ‘Head Down pt 2’ – Relaxation with Treat Training

Training Tip Video's
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Here is an update on Sollys Head Down exercise with Treat Training. The first part of this was done 2 weeks ago and we’ve been practising his head down for a treat with me in front of him. He got this pretty quickly and I’ve been working on doing more each time before he gets a treat, bringing a gap of relaxation each time before asking for more. This helps him find relaxation with the ‘click’ I do more than the treat so that I can extend the time more and more before giving him the treat, the treat now is used as a BIG ‘WELL DONE’ and not a first time learning ‘YOU’VE GOT IT’ treat that we started with. 

I also gave it a break so that he didn’t get over enthusiastic about the ‘treat’ and forget the actual training we were doing. This helps us rebalance the issue that can occur of over ‘posturing’ for a treat or mugging. 

This week I’ve just been asking for more than just lowering his head and relaxing for a treat when I’m in front of him, I’ve been standing further away and asking him to walk towards me, lowering his head to my hand for a treat. Each time I’ve done this I’ve been further away than the last time and it’s gone really well, he gets that it’s about coming to me, relaxing with his head down. Here is a short video to show you how it’s working now.

 

 

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We have been building up the time and distance for this task and are at the stage where Solly comes to me when I give him my raised hand signal and he gets a treat only when I am leaving the field. Huge progress in a short time and task now in his repertoire. Here are pics I took of him working the task from a huge distance to me…what a super clever boy he is.

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  • Shelley – HorseSavvy