How to start a horse.... not!

[monica1979]

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They sure did a hell of a job to teach the pony to buck like a bronco when introduced to new things.
Then again, pony might have settled sooner if they had just STOPPED THE DAMN SQUEALING!
However, in spite of the video description, something tells me they didn't do proper ground work prior to this.

Thoughts?

Comments

[ninjafingers]

Honestly, the screaming and swearing is the real problem here. And I don't care if that was not the trainer, the trainer at NO point told her to shut up.

If I'm working a horse and anyone, anyone starts making a noise like that, they get told to shut up. Or to shut their child up. And I suspect the trainer didn't really explain that, yes, some horses do that the first time you put a saddle on them and it's not alarming or unusual.

[suraineko]

I don't think the screaming or squealing really mattered for the horse. I would rather my horse in training get used to all aspects of random human behavior than have everyone tiptoe and whisper around it. Besides being obnoxious for the viewer (who heard it much louder than the horse being that the squealer was right next to the camera) I don't think it made that big of a difference.

[ninjafingers]

That's true, but loud squealing combined with first time a saddle is put on escalated the situation. I don't think you should be working on new stuff *and* desensitization at the same time...

[suraineko]

Putting a saddle on is desensitization. Almost all "new stuff" is desensitization. You can't say it escalated the situation if you don't know how the pony would've reacted in a quiet atmosphere - and who cares?

They wouldn't take this pony to her first show as a non-compete and ask everyone "shut their child up" (your words) because "[you] don't think you should (which implies morality) be working on new stuff *and* desensitization at the same time"

[ninjafingers]

They also wouldn't be putting a saddle on him for the first time at his first show, at least I assume not. They'd be working on stuff the pony *already knew well*.

The point is to keep the number of new things at a time reasonable. Loud squealing associated with a major new activity is inclined to make the animal think it's a "big deal."