Meredith's Resistance Free Video Series
07/16/2006

How to Use My Resistance-Free Video Series

I developed the video series, Training Mules and Donkeys: A Logical Approach to Longears, to help you train your own animal using resistance-free techniques. Mules and donkeys bond closely with the person who trains them. Therefore it is critical that you be involved in the training process and have the right tools to achieve your training goals.

How to use the program
In order for the program to work, you must use it correctly. Regardless of the age or experience of your animal, I encourage you to begin with Tape #1 for training and Tape #8 for care and maintenance, because what you feed your animal and how you care for him will determine his responsiveness to training. Use the training series in sequence. Each tape includes activities designed to facilitate a good working relationship between animal and trainer at each stage of training. The exercises also help strengthen your equine’s muscles at each stage of his physical development, to prepare him for things to come. Remember, when we’re training, we are preparing the animal physically, mentally and emotionally. This is why it is important not to proceed too quickly and to do things in their natural order. Please note that if you take the tapes out of order, you will not get the same result.

Each tape should take six months to a year to complete, though rates of progress may vary. You may buy the tapes one at a time, but there are benefits to purchasing the entire series. In addition to receiving a substantial discount off the purchase price, you will be able to look ahead and understand fully how exercises in Tapes 1 and 2 build the foundation you’ll need for more advanced techniques in Tapes 6 and 7. However you approach the process, you’ll spend considerably less than what it would cost to send your equine to a trainer.

What the program does
This series will help you get the best from your equine, whether he is large or small, a donkey or mule, or even a horse. Whether your equine is a foal, an older animal with partial training, or an animal that is new to you, this system will:
• Help you and your animal build a relationship based on trust.
• Establish a reward-based regimen designed to build confidence and help your animal succeed.
• Begin your equine’s athletic conditioning with appropriate exercises that develop the muscles and strengthen tendons and ligaments for more advanced work.
• Make your animal happy and cooperative, because he understands what you want from him.

Back to school
My program is like grade school for equines. I begin with simple tasks that build on each other. For example: in Tape #1, I teach haltering, tying and leading and other basic tasks, but you will also learn how to use a reward system based on the tried and true principles of behavior modification. You will learn to recognize and reward your animal’s good behaviors and set up situations that can be rewarded. This not only teaches the animal to do what you ask in a reliable fashion, it also teaches you to become more prompt and appropriate in rewarding positive behaviors to get the best results. I never use the reward system (crimped oats) to bribe or coerce. Oats are given only after the animal completes a positive task. When you do this correctly, you’ll find that your animal will rarely, if ever, exhibit resistant behaviors.

When your equine has learned to lead easily, follow at your shoulder, and negotiate obstacles with ease, coordination (no stumbling) and balance, and you have learned to dispense rewards promptly and appropriately, you are ready to proceed to Tape #2. In this tape you will introduce him to the saddle, bridle and other tack and begin more active exercises in the round pen. You will learn how to make sure that he is developing muscle in the proper frame, and you’ll begin to learn how your own body language affects his responses, both during grooming and tacking and in the round pen.

Your equine will learn all the preparatory cues he can from the ground, so that when you finally ride him, the only new cues will be from your legs. He will also be better prepared to begin harness training. It is at this stage that you will decide whether your equine is a candidate for driving and whether to proceed to Tape #3 on driving or skip it and go directly to saddle training in Tape #4.

Driving is a potentially hazardous activity and should not be taken lightly. Tape #3 will take you through the exercises necessary for your equine to become a quiet and dependable driving animal. You will learn the correct sequential process of training, all about fitting harness, reinsmanship, how to select the right vehicle, and about the many uses for driving equines. Be aware that in order to minimize danger, you should spend at least two years in a controlled area before driving your equine on public roads and in parades.

Saddle training seems simple enough, but if not taken slowly and in a logical order, you and your equine might experience all kinds of problems due to loss of balance, ill-fitting equipment and a lack of sufficient communication. Tape #4 will get you started off on the right foot. By this time your animal should be able to perform longer in between rewards. You will learn how to school your equine to avoid adverse behaviors like running off, bucking and other negative avoidance behaviors.

Now that your equine is beginning to understand how to move in good posture with a rider on his back, it is time to not only attend to his balance and coordination, but to your own as well. In Tape #5, I give you exercises to develop harmony between equine and rider and to further strengthen and improve coordination in both. This will promote good balance and strong forward motion in preparation for more advanced movements.

Now your equine should be responsive to subtle cues from your body with very little support from the reins. In Tape #6, you will learn how to negotiate more advanced movements that will further condition your equine and perfect balance and coordination through the use of lateral movements and changes of direction at all three gaits. Whether riding English or Western, the principles of good horsemanship are the same. In this tape you will see how balance, coordination and good communication makes it possible to perform well in any equine discipline including Dressage, Reining, Western Riding and Jumping.

By this time, you will notice that you and your equine are becoming more confident as a result of the work in the preceding videos. As balance and coordination develop properly, so do confidence, motivation and competency. You might even decide that jumping would be fun to pursue. Tape #7 will help make your jumping experience safe and enjoyable. You will learn about balancing and conditioning your equine to help him jump safely and efficiently. You will learn all about the different kinds of jumping, how to construct jumps and evaluate courses. Jumping is a wonderful way to get your equine in peak condition.

No training program can work if your equine is not fed and maintained properly. In Tape #8, I address the components of good equine management, with special attention to the needs of donkeys and mules. I also include a section on perfecting your showmanship techniques—always important, whether for showing or just learning good ground manners for general handling.

Sometimes donkeys respond to certain training techniques just a little differently than mules and horses do. In Tape #9, we cover the basics of groundwork, with modified techniques for donkeys. This tape is designed to be used in conjunction with Tape #1. You will learn how to measure your equine for athletic aptitude and how to assess your equine’s trainability. In addition, it covers raising jacks, teaching them to breed mares and related issues.

Tape #10 addresses training the donkey under saddle to be a quiet, responsive and dependable mount. Again, sometimes donkeys like to do things just a little differently than horses and mules, and here, I familiarize you with these modified techniques. Tape #10 should be used in conjunction with Tapes #4 through #7, covering everything from round-pen work, patterns and lateral work to jumping your donkey. As an athlete, your equine can experience stiffness and soreness just like humans do. This tape also covers the benefits of massage for your equine.

The trainer is in
I encourage people to form their own strong relationships with their animals, so they can get the best from them, and I’ve given you the tools you need to succeed. However, I know that sometimes everyone needs a little extra help. That’s why I am available to my students by phone or e-mail, should you have difficulties along the way. I make it a point to be prompt with my response, so we can deal with problems when they arise, and I make many of the answers to your questions available on my web site. Remember, your trainer is only a phone call or e-mail away!
When you use this training system correctly, your animal will want to please you. He will enjoy his time with you and actually look forward to each training session. The result will be an obedient, submissive, dependable companion and athlete, capable of performing English, Western, Gymkhana, Driving or any other equine activity.

The following books serve as an abbreviated form of the video series. They are good for general information concerning mules and donkeys.

TRAINING MULES AND DONKEYS: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO LONGEARS (Hardbound) is a general approach for all equines and should be used in conjunction with the video series.

DONKEY TRAINING (Hardbound) is to be used in conjunction with the first book and the video training series when training donkeys.

TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE (manual) is a collection of the workbooks from Tapes #1 through #7 and EQUINE MANAGEMENT AND DONKEY TRAINING is a collection of the workbooks from Tapes #8 through #10. These manuals offer an affordable substitute for the video series. The manuals are also translated into French, German and Spanish. Non-English speakers may want to use the manuals to follow along with the videos, which provide the greatest detail. Begin with Tape #1 and take the training in sequence, regardless of your animal’s age or experience. I recommend that owners go through this series with each new animal to develop that personal relationship.

In addition to these books, I have written A GUIDE TO RAISING AND SHOWING MULES. This comprehensive resource serves as an ideal complement to the video series. In addition to training, it covers:

• Mare and foal care.
• Color genetics.
• Common diseases and treatments.
• Horsemanship.

It’s the perfect resource for 4-H participants and beginners of all ages.

We also offer an entertaining new series for children beginning with Jasper: The Story of a Mule. I wrote the series in order to introduce children to mules and share with them all the redeeming qualities of these wonderful animals. I hope the books will help teach children how to relate to all animals in a kind and compassionate way. The adventures of Jasper continue with Jasper: A Christmas Caper and Jasper: A Precious Valentine, with more to come. And don’t miss the animated version of Jasper: The Story of a Mule, available on DVD. For more information about Jasper, click on the “Jasper” icon on our homepage or go to www.jasperthemule.com.