Lupin Farm ~ Updated photos of the goat pen in progress

[patandchickens]

You don't NEED a roundpen to work with her in that sort of way, you know, nor do you need to fork over a gazillion dollars to the Parelli industry.

Just get you a longish fat-cotton leadrope (or make one), and Do Stuff with her, pretty much the same kind of walk/halt type work that you would be doing if you were in the roundpen. The leadrope is basically just to keep her from leaving, and should be loose. Learn to move her around, front-back-side-side move-each-foot-individually lower-the-neck type stuff. Once you have learned to do that (and it really is mostly YOU doing the learning, finding out how to give correct aids without *incorrect* ones), you will find you are MUCH more on the same wavelength on the horse, for any other kind of work including ridden work.

And it only costs about $20 and can be done literally anywhere any time

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[hwillm1977]

Yep... when I started doing the Parelli stuff I got photocopies of the books from someone who already had them, bought a generic rope halter and 'carrot-stick' kit from ebay for $12 and away I went...

I find the Parelli stuff WAY overpriced (like $70 for a rope halter) , and they just recently re-vamped the whole program, making people working their way through the 1-2-3 levels need to re-purchase a whole new thing...

I also find that the Parelli 'devotees' are a little over-zealous in the 'it's the only way to do things' mentality... but I do like the parts of the old system I have

Like Pat said the games that you play in the natural horsemanship levels are just doing things with the horse... teaching manners, personal space, getting rid of spookiness, and playing to build a relationship. I work my horse at liberty now and we're working on riding bridless and bareback... I'd LOVE to do a demo at one of the dressage shows we go to next summer of an entire dressage test with NO tack on the horse

 

[lupinfarm]

Well I know that Pat, I just felt that a round pen would be a more secure way for her to be worked with than in a gigantic freaking field. Yanno? It also gives me somewhere to put her for the farrier, vet, and to get her into a routine of feeding her outside of her field... kind of like when you feed in a stall. Also means I can give her pasture a little break lol and move the pony up.

ANYWAY, We went and put a deposit on my roundpen TODAY so yes I now have a roundpen LOL, I'm picking up a nice 50ft steel roundpen on Saturday next week, woohoo!

I have a carrot stick around here somewhere, rope halter... Daina is going to be here either today or tomorrow and wants to ride her, but IMO, the ground is way too mucky for that so I think we'll settle for some on-ground work and some lunging maybe. If it dries up a bit.

 

[ksalvagno]

Congratulations on your roundpen. I'm sure you will get plenty of use out of it.

 

[big brown horse]

Yup, congrats!

 

[patandchickens]

Well I know that Pat, I just felt that a round pen would be a more secure way for her to be worked with than in a gigantic freaking field. Yanno?

It is great that you are getting a roundpen.

All I'm saying is you needn't have *waited* to get one (and still needn't wait for it to be delivered) to start working with the horse, yanno? Which is how horses get better-trained, not by standing in the field...

Have fun, congrats on the upcoming roundpen,

Pat

 

[Farmfresh]

You don't NEED a roundpen to work with her in that sort of way, you know, nor do you need to fork over a gazillion dollars to the Parelli industry.

Just get you a longish fat-cotton leadrope (or make one), and Do Stuff with her, pretty much the same kind of walk/halt type work that you would be doing if you were in the roundpen. The leadrope is basically just to keep her from leaving, and should be loose. Learn to move her around, front-back-side-side move-each-foot-individually lower-the-neck type stuff. Once you have learned to do that (and it really is mostly YOU doing the learning, finding out how to give correct aids without *incorrect* ones), you will find you are MUCH more on the same wavelength on the horse, for any other kind of work including ridden work.

And it only costs about $20 and can be done literally anywhere any time

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat

Pat - I have to say I do agree with you and this is the method that I used for YEARS and YEARS, but the difference in working in a round pen with a completely untethered horse is astounding.

As long as there is a tether on the horse he feels physically restrained. With only a round pen he is free to focus his mind on the trainer and then becomes MENTALLY attached to the trainer. That same horse that I mentioned above that took 45 minutes to halter in a stall would work freely around me in an open field with only my voice and hands to "hold him to me" YEARS after our round pen sessions ended. He was not even my horse, so I only seldom saw him later, yet the connection was still that strong. Horses can get all of the physical training they need to become fine horses on the end of that longe line, but you will never get that kind of mental bond.

 

[lupinfarm]

Oh I totally agree, its quite a bit different when you're asking the horse to focus on you. It creates a bond that lunging could never create, IMO. Changes the dynamics enormously and that is what we need and want with Mylie.

On top of that, I'm a little PO'd right now, gotta get up bright and early tomorrow to put some electric fence rope on the bottom of my buck fence cause I just watched Mylie eating under it and lifting it a bit so if I can keep her from eating under it, then she can't lift it lol.

 

[valmom]

Congratultations!! (I want one- I am jealous)

 

[patandchickens]

I'm not sure where y'all are getting "longeing", I was NOT talking about longeing at all in any way shape or form. Totally totally unrelated. Horse is not 'restrained' or 'tethered' in what I'm talking about.

But if you don't know what I'm talking about and would rather use only a roundpen, that's ok too of course, although it seems to me much more limited in utility in most ways.

Congrats on the roundpen! I bet that will come in handy in all sorts of ways for all sorts of purposes

Have fun,

Pat