IceRyder
The Seven Games
1) Friendly game - Teach your horse that you are not going to eat him. Get
him used to all manner of things happening all over and around his
body. This includes being touched by you and by the equipment, having
objects and activities of various sorts all around, and so forth. Keep
it friendly always--you don't want these events and objects to have
negative associations to your horse, or they'll just wind up being scary
instead of friendly. Remember to use rhythm.
2) Porcupine game - Teach your horse to follow a feel--to yield to pressure
in all six directions (up, down, forward, back, left and right). Allow
your horse the chance to yield to the lightest pressure possible before
GRADUALLY increasing the pressure. Reward even the smallest effort to
yield by releasing pressure--but not the contact--and praise. Give him
time between efforts to think over what just happened. This game, and
functional games based on Porcupine implementation, should use CONSTANT
pressure. Increase phases as you need to, but don't JAB.
3) Driving game - This is an intermediate step that Pat has introduced
since completing the book, which isolates a single component of the
Yo-Yo, Circle, Sideways, and Squeeze Games. Teach your horse to yield
to the suggestion of your driving (pulsing) rhythm--with hands, carrot
stick, or swinging rope. The horse should yield to this implied pressure
with hindquarters and shoulders, left and right, and straight back.
Once these are solidified, Games 4-7 will go much more smoothly.
4) Yo-yo game - Teach your horse to go backwards and forwards on a straight
line. Most horses have a broken yo-yo (they have just a YO). Some go
forward and won't stop or back up. Some back up lightly but won't budge
forward. It should be balanced to where 'whoa = go' and backwards
happens just as easily as forwards.
5) Circling game - Teach your horse not to change gaits or change direction
unless you ask. That's his responsibility - you should not have to be
driving him with a whip every 1/4 lap. If your horse changes gaits make
a quick correction and go back to asking nothing. Pass the rope behind
your back rather than driving the horse by turning. Minimum of two laps,
but no more than four--more than four will either frustrate or cause
boredom in your horse.
6) Sideways game - Teach your horse to yield sideways. The better your
horse goes sideways and backwards, the better he does everything else.
The converse is true as well: the WORSE your horse goes sideways, the
worse he does everything else!
7) Squeeze game - Horses are claustrophobic--teach your horse to squeeze
between you and the fence, or between two objects. If your horse can't
relax and walk between you and the fence, brushing you as he goes by,
what makes you think he'll be comfortable with a leg on each side?
Remember that your horse can go in six directions, so don't neglect
making use of them--squeeze over and under things as well, such as jumps,
poles, branches, or sheets. This will help your horse become braver.
Trailer loading is a breeze once you have gotten to the squeeze game.
Another description of the games:
1. The friendly game.
This game is the foundation for everything, and you can not do too much of
it. The horse learns that you are not dangerous. You must get to where you
can touch him in a 6 zones and with anything; your hand, the stick, the rope,
the halter and even things like a plastic bag. You should stroke with
gentle firmness, not pat like we normally do with horses. It is important
that you stroke in a friendly and rhythmical manner with everything you use
until the horse accepts it everywhere, even under the tail, the insides of
his thighs, on it's flanks, and it mouth, without tail swishing, tensing or flattening of the ears. Use patience; lateral thinking and approach and retreat techniques to achieve this. This game is used before and after any other game.
2. The porcupine game.
This game teaches the horse to yield to pressure in every direction. The
horse can move in six directions: up, down, forward, backward, right and
left. Begin with just a very light pressure from your fingertips, and
increase the pressure every three seconds until you get a response. The
pressure should be constant; it should not be a pulsating touch. The moment
the horse responses you stop the pressure, and go back to the friendly game
again on the same place that you just pressured. You can also play this
game with other things than your hands, like the carrotstick, or your feet
while sitting on the horse's back.
3. The driving game.
This is a development from game number two. You teach the horse to move
without touching it. Just by moving your hands rhythmically, swinging the
rope or pointing with your carrotstick you shall get the horse to move in
any direction that you want. You do this on different places on the horse
and you move the hindquarters, the withers, left and right, and backwards
and forwards.
4. The yo-yo game.
This game teaches the horse to go forwards and backwards in a straight
line. The horse shall learn to be equally responsive in both directions. It
is an easy game to teach the horse, once the horse is good at the three
first games.
5. The circling game.
In this game you teach the horse to not change gaits or direction until
told to do so. You tell the horse when you want it to change direction or
tempo, otherwise you do nothing as long as the horse continues in the way
that you asked. While he circles around you, you stand with your feet in
one spot, and just pass the rope around your back. When you get really good
at this game you can do it even without a rope.
6. The sideways game.
This game teaches the horse to move sideways. The better a horse can move
sideways and backwards, the
better he can do everything else. You teach this game with the help of a
fence in the beginning and
drive the horse sideways away from you by rhythmically swinging the rope
toward the hindquarters and the
withers depending on which end of the horse that is coming behind. Here it
is very important that the horse
is used to all the previous games so that it doesn't get scared, but
understands what you want.
7. The squeeze game.
Teach the horse to squeeze between you and an obstacle, or between two
obstacles. You can even go under or over something, it is important to use
your imagination. Could you get your horse to go under a clothesline
filled with sheets? Great! You have gotten your horse a little braver, and
made him trust you. Loading a horse into a trailer will then be a piece of
cake in the future.
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Email: iceryder@cableone.net
