INTRODUCTION

This time we set the rags to form a continuous ‘rail’ to make it different from the first ‘Rags’ challenge. It is a good arrangement to see if the horse accepts that the rags are not the same as mats for standing on.

The purpose of this series of challenges is to play with communication basics in slightly different contexts. This mixture of familiarity and novelty encourages the handler to work on precision of timing and consistency of signals.

It allows the horse to consolidate behaviors he already knows in slightly different situations and in different sequences.

This routine has five basic tasks. Since we do them on both sides of the horse, the routine has ten parts in total (or more if we do more than one stationary task).

AIM

Smoothly carry out a sequence of tasks using a ‘rag rail’:

• Walk a circuit around all the rags.
• Halt alongside, parallel to the rags.
• Carry out one or more stationary tasks.
• Approach the rag rail at 90 degrees, halt, back up several steps.
• Approach the rag rail at 90 degrees and step over it with the front feet; halt, pause, then walk forward stepping across cleanly.

PREREQUISITES

1. We have ‘step on the mat’ strongly ‘on cue’ or ‘on signal’ or ‘under stimulus control’. (Using Mats: Parking or ‘Stationing’ and Much More: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5S9)
2. Smooth ‘walk on’ and ‘halt’ transitions staying shoulder-to-shoulder. (Smooth Walk and Halt transitions: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5TT)
3. Signals for counterturns are smooth. (Smooth Counterturns: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5WK)
4. Handler has developed a clear ‘Zero Intent’ signal so the horse knows when standing quietly is what is wanted. (‘Zero Intent’ and ‘Intent’: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5RO)
5. Smooth change of direction plus changing the side of the horse the handler is on. (Changing Direction in Motion: https://youtu.be/3oqPs4LM5AM)
6. Horse is comfortable standing across and walking across solid rails. (Placing the Feet Accurately Using a Rail: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5Wc)
7. Horse backs up confidently. (Finesse Back-Up: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5XL and The Balancera Exercise: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5Wm)
8. Horse knows one or more stationary exercises, e.g., head forward, head down, target knee, eye, ear or chin to hand, belly crunch. (There are several ‘stationary’ exercises illustrated here: https://wp.me/p4VYHH-5Un.)

ENVIRONMENT AND MATERIALS

• A work area where the horse is relaxed and confident.
• Ideally, the horse can see his buddies, but they can’t interfere.
• The horse is not hungry.
• Halter and 10′ (3m) or longer lead.
• A set of chunky rags. In the videos I uses five rags, but we can easily use more.

VIDEO CLIPS

#190 HorseGym with Boots: MOVEMENT ROUTINE 4: RAGS AS FOCUS: https://youtu.be/v3B8rZJf5jg

#191 HorseGym with Boots: MOVEMENT ROUTINE 4: AT LIBERTY: https://youtu.be/yr_0wAt5kWw

NOTES

1. Lay your rags in a long straight line touching each other, to resemble a rail on the ground.
2. Ensure that the horse is confident with each prerequisite before you begin to link them together.
3. I like to memorise the sequence of events by walking the patten without the horse and often visualizing the sequence (a good substitute for counting sheep!).
4. How often you click&treat depends entirely on where you are with developing each of these skills. To begin with, I opt for too often rather than not often enough. I want the horse to be continually successful as much as possible.

TASKS

4. Move to the horse’s left side and repeat 3 above (horse closest to rags).
5. Remaining on his left side, walk away from the rags in an arc to you can directly approach the center of the rag rail at 90 degrees. Halt facing the rags back far enough so the horse doesn’t step on them. Pause up to three seconds, then ask for three – five steps of back-up; either shoulder-to-shoulder or a finesse back-up (turning to face the horse).
6. Change to his right side, walk a loop and repeat 5 above.
7. Staying on his right side, approach the rags at 90 degrees again, but his time ask the horse to step his front feet over them and halt with the rags under his belly; pause.
8. Ask him to walk forward across the rags.
9. Finish with a jackpot or triple treat.
10. Repeat 7 and 8 on the horse’s left side.

GENERALIZATIONS

1. Vary how long you remain at ‘halt’ while standing in front of or across the rags.
2. Vary which stationary exercise(s) you ask for as party of task 3 above.
3. Set up your ‘rag rail’ in different places.
4. When if all feels smooth, play with it at liberty.
5. Do all the tasks on one side of the horse, then switch to the other side.
6. Change the sequence of the tasks.
7. Repeat using a solid rail instead of rags.
8. If you have a large tarp, use that laid out instead of a rag rail.