Hello Alexandra --
I spent the Thanksgiving holiday immersed in your books and the Series 1 DVDs...the change in my horse after 20 minutes is amazing! Spirit is a 4-year old Foxtrotter, trained with basic ground manners and to the trail. She is very bright, extremely communicative, usually good natured, very brave, trusts me, and is will do anything for treats. Unfortunately, some of her ground manners have gotten a bit sloppy, and I didn't really know how to correct some minor bad habits that were progressing to be downright annoying. I got her when she was two, but as you said in the DVD, I knew how to ride but not how to train.
With the clicker and treats in hand, we worked on targeting and letting me put my hand on her nose and just holding it there without tossing her head around and resisting; the results were unbelievable. Then, when the session was over and I was saddling up to ride, she began her recently-developed behavior of bending her head around to me, giving me displeased looks, and pushing at my pockets. I ran to the tack room, got a handful of treats, and started another session. I waited until she moved her head away from me and straightened up (distracted by something outside), then instantly clicked and treated. In 3 clicks, she was standing perfectly still, head away from me, calmly being saddled. I finished my handful of 20 treats, and we were off. She gets it! She loves the game, and I love having specific things to do with her to make her a better pal. This is SO COOL!
I can't wait to keep on with this training. I have never gotten so much out of information presented to me on working with a horse. You are very clear and specific in your DVD, and I love learning from you. I want to apply it to trailering, to more ground manners, to lateral movement, and then to under saddle work.
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please do a video about using the clicker under saddle! I learn best by seeing and imitating.
I look forward to every minute of learning and working with the clicker method.
Leslie T. Dunn, MO
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This question was posted to the clickryder list:
>> Are there any clicker books that would start from the very beginning and progress in a logical fashion, listing the steps. Something that would help with the very basics would help. <<
I know others have already reponded saying the same thing but I want to add my vote for the Click That Teaches - Step By Step Books in Pictures by Alexandra Kurland - especially the first one for you right now (the second one is the riding book). Alex's style and explanations are wonderfully readable. She is sensitive, caring and understanding, and anticipates almost all of the difficulties you may encounter. Many of us use her books like a manual because the progressions build easily one after the other, and the sequence almost assures that training "holes" are minimized.
I read and re-read different parts of the books periodically - each time with greater awareness - and [amazingly] each time I find fresh information there. My copies of both books are so dog-eared, underlined and highlighted that I'm having trouble lately finding margin room for my additional comments anymore. That's because (and I think many of us using Alex's training progressions have experienced the same thing) every one of the exercises has multiple layers that seem to bring you to higher and higher levels of advancement as you and your horse get better and better.
I now realize that there is no such thing as a "simple" basic lesson. You'll probably find that you'll be practicing those "basic" exercises forever (in some form or other) in your everyday interactions with your horse ... they just continue transforming into something more and more beautiful as more layers unfold. I started two and a half years ago ... a green, too "soft" older person with a green, unstarted pushy horse. but you should see her now! She makes me proud. I started with Parelli NH but my relationship with Charm my horse really took off when I discovered and began to use Alexandra Kurland's website www.theclickercenter.com and her books and videos.
After a while you may not even notice how far you've advanced because the process is so much fun ... so remember to keep a journal/diary - even if only to jot down what you worked on each day. Your progress will probably surprise you.
Regards,
Arlene Colon & Charm