CountryJackG

When I came back from doing a neighbor's morning chores I again checked on the horse herd at our farm - because of a new member being introduced into the herd, namely JJ the solid colored Paint (bay). I talk a little about operant conditioning and the difference between negative reinforcement (used by the herd boss) and positive reinforcement. I apologize that while I was talking I was not recalling the term "stimulus" which would be the correct term to use rather than "conditioning response." Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ - further into phase two of introduction into the herd - all three horses peacefully eating one to two horse lengths apart - 25 Sept 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ phase two of introduction into the herd - getting to know Hank - 25 Sept 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ throws a kick and rapidly learns that Avi is the boss - 24 Sept 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ - short practice trailer loading and unloading - 24 Sept 2022 Working to overcome anxiety - and BOTH load and unload calmly on command. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ crossing the Creek at Waterloo - 22 Sept 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ heading down the Switchback Trail at Waterloo - 22 Sept 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ unloading from trailer after Waterloo trail ride - 22 Sept 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This is the second session teaching JJ the solid colored Paint to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform. Yes the horse can be taught to be responsible to move itself into position so you can easily mount from any raised mounting platform. The objective is to get the horse to move itself over very very near to the raised mounting platform the rider is standing upon and then stand there calmly until told to move - no matter how many times the rider mounts and dismounts - no matter if a little kid is saddling the horse and has to get up and down repeatedly from the raised mounting platform to get it done. The objective is to get the horse to understand that his/her job is to move into position very very close to literally any object the rider is standing on and then stand there calmly while the rider mounts and keep standing there calmly until the rider gives a command to move. So once you have taught the concept then you just keep working on getting the horse better and better at it - until it will do it off your voice command alone. As it starts moving off voice command you start teaching that snapping your fingers is the reinforcer (which you follow with gentle taps of the dressage whip if it doesn't comply) - so that eventually you do not need the whip. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ had just stood wonderfully to be shod all around. So on the way back to the small lot where he currently resides I loaded him in the trailer and he went in well but then ran out backwards as if he totally forgot the past three sessions OR was simply not yet convinced that unloading calmly was his best option. I had thought he was going to do it well two or three times in a row - that we would be done in two minutes. But he actually fought harder this fourth session than he did in any of the previous three sessions - and he fought pretty hard on occasion in some of them. By the end he was dripping wet with sweat but he had hitched back on to me so that he would go the direction I was moving instantly - even if I switched direction. He again is driving home the point that "You don't practice until you get it right - you practice until you can't get it wrong." Obviously we have a ways to go yet before he can't get it wrong. Typically it takes only one or two sessions - so JJ is being a hard case. And that leaves me wondering what precipitated this bad behavior of blowing back out of the trailer. That mystery will likely remain a mystery I suspect but we just have to keep looking for yet burning embers/coals and make sure they are all cold out - so we know this bad behavior is extinguished. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ came to get some kinks worked out. One of those kinks is being quite frantic about BOTH loading and unloading from the trailer. This video shows the entire third training session working on loading and unloading calmly and properly. Each session he has made progress. But he still is holding on to - not completely letting go of - whatever his anxiety is - you see that manifest as he throws several fits here and there. We end this session when he finally connects up so that on a loose line he backs up when I am moving in that direction and if I turn and go the other way he immediately goes forward with me. JJ is a very good example of why "You don't practice until you get it right - you practice until you can't get it wrong." But that mantra applies to every horse and indeed every person. Getting it right - even getting it perfect one time and then being pleased and stopping does not mean that horse (or person) truly has that skill. To master any skill you have to practice until you can't get it wrong. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ came to get some kinks worked out. One of these is not properly loading and not properly unloading from the trailer. After two training sessions he has made a lot of progress but he has a ways to go yet. When unloading I expect the horse to stop any time it is asked and also expect it to immediately upon request change from backing out to loading back in - even if it has just set one or both hind feet on the ground. JJ is not quite to that point yet - still too anxious - but a LOT less anxious than when we started yesterday evening on the first session. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter had a week off from training. So this is a cold out of the pasture test to see how well he retained his "pick up your rider" training and to see what he tells me he needs more work on. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

If the horse is being trained for an elderly person, or a disabled person, in addition to learning to be responsible to pick up its rider from a raised platform it also needs to drop the rider off on a raised platform. This is showing that aspect of Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter's training. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

In this video taken 31 Aug 2022 you can see the progress made in teaching Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter to accept responsibility to pick up his rider from a raised platform. Hank's first "pick up his rider off a raised platform" training session was 12 Aug 2022 - basically two and a half weeks ago. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Joel is heading off to college and Bella the Chestnut Mare is for sale. This video shows things she has done. Bella is an excellent road and trail horse - between 22 Feb and 27 Aug 2022 Bella logged 392.85 miles outside the arena - 324.5 miles on roads and 68.35 miles on trails. Bella has done many things with Joel her owner - Bella has ponied other horses - in this video you can see Bella ponying a pony ridden by a 6yr old rider on that child's first trail ride at Waterloo Recreation Area. In the arena and on trails you can steer Bella with just your legs. Bella is also pretty fast and very competitive if you race your friends. Bella also has the start of team roping training - roping and pulling Joel's RopeSteer dummy - doing two Novice Heading runs at an MRA competition - and turned at least 10 steers at practices (video from the first of those practice sessions https://rumble.com/v1fsrj7-team-roping-practice-on-live-cattle-11-aug-2022.html ). If you are interested call or text Joel at (517) 588-1353 Additional video of Bella you may wish to see Bella - Joel tying raincoat behind saddle while trail riding at Waterloo - 13 Aug 2022 https://rumble.com/v1fwdsx-bella-joel-tying-raincoat-behind-saddle-while-trail-riding-at-waterloo-13-a.html If you are interested call or text Joel at (517) 588-1353

In this video you can see progress made in teaching Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter to pick up his rider from a raised platform. When Hank is focused on the task at hand Hank is now responding to the vocal command "Come Over" and now the reinforcer if he doesn't instantly respond is finger snapping (dressage whip lightly tapping his hip is no longer needed). From this point the main emphasis of this portion of his training will be to clarify that once he moves into position to pick up his rider then he stands there UNTIL he is told specifically to move - even if that is a very long time - even if the rider gets up and down from the raised mounting platform, etc.. And that part of the training does take time to accomplish - to get the horse to reason out that portion of his responsibility. Teaching a horse to pick up his/her rider is a very helpful skill any time the rider cannot mount from the ground via the stirrups. This could be a small child, a disabled rider, an elderly rider, etc.. I am including links to the two "how to" videos if you wish to teach your horse. Teaching a horse to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform - Session One https://rumble.com/v1g0oft-teaching-a-horse-to-pick-up-his-rider-from-a-raised-mounting-platform.html Teaching a horse to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform - Session Two https://rumble.com/v1g3mw3-teaching-a-horse-to-pick-up-his-rider-from-a-raised-mounting-platform-sessi.html Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This is the second session teaching Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform. Yes the horse can be taught to be responsible to move itself into position so you can easily mount from any raised mounting platform. The objective is to get the horse to move itself over very very near to the raised mounting platform the rider is standing upon and then stand there calmly until told to move - no matter how many times the rider mounts and dismounts - no matter if a little kid is saddling the horse and has to get up and down repeatedly from the raised mounting platform to get it done. Immediately after filming this video I took Hank and had him pick me up while I was standing on several other things including: the fender of our horse trailer; a stump; a stack of firewood logs; four different boulders (large rocks); and a stone bench - each and every raised mounting platform looked different. The objective is to get the horse to understand that his/her job is to move into position very very close to literally any object the rider is standing on and then stand there calmly while the rider mounts and keep standing there calmly until the rider gives a command to move. So once you have taught the concept then you just keep working on getting the horse better and better at it - until it will do it off your voice command alone. As it starts moving off voice command you start teaching that snapping your fingers is the reinforcer (which you follow with gentle taps of the dressage whip if it doesn't comply) - so that eventually you do not need the whip. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Hank crossing the bridge both ways at Waterloo - he had crossed it both ways following other horses - now he is doing it independently initially going away from the herd then coming back towards the herd. This was Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter's first trail ride at Waterloo Recreation Area near Grass Lake, Michigan - Saturday 13 August 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This was Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter's first trail ride at Waterloo. He lead the way across the Creek on the way back to the trailer. He followed across the Creek on the way out. Zoya the Mustang and Avi the Pinto have been to Waterloo more than once - so nothing new to them. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This is the first session teaching Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform. Yes the horse can be taught to be responsible to move itself into position so you can easily mount from any raised mounting platform. This first session with Hank took less than 13 minutes and it is so much easier than trying to position your horse next to a mounting block then climb up only to have the horse move away and you get down again and move the horse back over - again and again. Yes make the horse responsible to move itself into position so you can easily mount it from a raised mounting platform. I apologize that the video quality is very poor. It was getting dusk to full dark when this training session was done - I did what I could to adjust the brightness, etc. after self-filming the video via my phone on a tripod. I hope it proves helpful despite the very poor video quality. You can see that Hank was concerned by me being up so high when I stepped up onto the picnic table. He was concerned enough that he initially acted like he had forgotten that being lightly tapped on the hip with the dressage whip means to move that hip over - but he actually had been trained that - his anxiety was simply kicking in. Once he settled in he then started yielding his hip as he knew he should. The objective is to get the horse to move itself over very very near to the raised mounting platform the rider is standing upon and then stand there until told to move - no matter how many times the rider mounts and dismounts - no matter if a little kid is saddling the horse and has to get up and down repeatedly from the raised mounting platform to get it done. Had it not gotten dark I would have taken Hank around and found MANY other raised platforms to stand upon and get Hank to pick up his rider from as part of the first session. Since it did get dark that will now get done in the second session - I will review on the familiar picnic table and then will go stand on a stump - go stand on the horse trailer fenders - go look for anything sturdy we can stand upon and Hank can safely pick up his rider from - until Hank realizes his job is to pick up his rider off literally anything his rider is standing on. And eventually the dressage whip will be replaced with finger clicking as the reinforcer to the verbal command. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

In this video you see Zoya the Mustang crossing the Creek at Waterloo Recreation Area Equine Trails near Grass Lake, Michigan. Elano Polyblank, Zoya's owner is riding Zoya. Since Zoya started training on 31 May 2022 she has logged 125.8 miles outside the arena on roads and trails in addition to training done in the arena. We very strongly believe it takes REAL miles going somewhere (in addition to arena work) to make a good horse. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Bella the Chestnut mare is an experienced road and trail horse - Joel has logged 370.85 road and trail miles on Bella from 22 Feb 2022 - 13 Aug 2022. Obviously Joel has a lot of confidence in Bella. Joel is heading off to college in early Sept 2022 and Bella is for sale. If you are interested call or text Joel at (517) 588-1353 --- This is the link to Bella's sale video https://rumble.com/v1f1wlf-bella-the-chestnut-mare-sale-video-posted-6-aug-2022.html Please don't try this if you are inexperienced OR on an inexperienced horse. And as is true with any and every horse activity - you are choosing for yourself AND thus you engage in them FULLY at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Bella the Chestnut mare is an experienced road and trail horse - Joel has logged 370.85 road and trail miles on Bella from 22 Feb 2022 - 13 Aug 2022. Obviously Joel has a lot of confidence in Bella. Joel is heading off to college in early Sept 2022 and Bella is for sale. If you are interested call or text Joel at (517) 588-1353 --- This is the link to Bella's sale video https://rumble.com/v1f1wlf-bella-the-chestnut-mare-sale-video-posted-6-aug-2022.html Please don't try this if you are inexperienced OR on an inexperienced horse. And as is true with any and every horse activity - you are choosing for yourself AND thus you engage in them FULLY at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This video shows Joel on Bella the Chestnut mare making a heading catch and turning the steer. Bella has just started roping live cattle very recently (two Novice Heading runs at an MRA competition then this practice) - so she is still in training as a team roping horse. She definitely has the speed to do it and she was also willing to pull every steer Joel caught - including the very first one. Joel is heading off to college in early Sept 2022 and Bella is for sale. If you are interested call or text Joel at (517) 588-1353 And this is the link to Bella's sale video https://rumble.com/v1f1wlf-bella-the-chestnut-mare-sale-video-posted-6-aug-2022.html Jack on Avi the Pinto mare did not get close enough to make a heeling toss this time - got close enough one time but missed. This was Avi's very first session learning to rope live cattle and when the steer made the turn she generally hung back and she generally could not be convinced to close the distance in time though she definitely has the speed to do it. Avi is not for sale. "You don't practice until you get it right - you practice until you can't get it wrong." Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Be part of the solution - Learn Founding Principles https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html