Parelli Yo Yo Game

No_Angel

No_Angel

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2003
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Ireland
My mum has recently started Parelli with her mare but had a few issues with the yo yo game tonight.
When she 'waggled the rope' (if that's the technical term for it!) her mare did it the first time, but one other goes got a bit stressy and then started moving sideways and not backwards.

Does anyone have any tips on how she could improve or what she could be doing wrong?
 
If she's just started she may be expecting too much too soon? When first learning as soon as they even start to think about moving back, release pressure immediately. If you get one good step reward it and that may be the place to stop for today. For some horses shifting weight may be enough for the first day.
Also make sure the phases are clear and logical and slow - you would need to do each phase for a few seconds before upping the pressure in the beginning. Your focus and intent have to be 100% clear too. If you're not sure what hope has the horse got?
Hope she manages to fix it. If the horse does go sideways I suspect its also looking a bit worried. Its great that the horse is asking questions and trying to figure out whats required. I would stop, reassure them with a little pat or allow them to munch for a second so they dont think theyve done wrong - make sure you drop your life entirely during this. You need to reward the fact they are trying even if they got the wrong answer. Then start again - focus, life up, intent and phase 1...
 
Horses don't 'naturally' back up, so don't (in my extremely limited experience), find it that easy initially. Try against a fence line and if the fence is on your right and the mare swings out to the left direct your energy or 'carrot stick' if you are using one to the left of her to get her straighter.

Am sure someone will explain it better than I have.
 
She is only asking for a one foot to move backwards, or a try of backwards, and is releasing the pressure immediately.
She already easily backs up from nose, chest and voice, so she knows what backing up is all about.
 
Then I would guess she is trying it on and your mum needs to increase her pressure levels.
 
She upped her pressure levels, but wasn't comfortable with it, and her mare got stressy and went sideways.
My mum wasn't happy using that much pressure to force her to do it, and horse wasn't happy with that much pressure, she is a sensitive girl and if you push her to do something she takes 3 giant steps back. I told my mum to work on the friendly game more as she was getting stressy with that game, her mare stood perfectly for the friendly game before having the rope thrown on her, but after the yo yo she had a fit and ran sideways.
I have been reading on the web that someone else had similar issues with using so much pressure and they used the stick more on the chest, I think she will probably try that see how she gets on.

I caught my 3 year old after she had played her her mare so she could have a practice with a different horse, my girl only had to have the pressure upped once on the first go and was moving a couple of steps backwards off a wiggle of a finger after that, so she was obviously doing it correctly, it's just her mare wasn't happy with it.
 
We can back up the same as you NA, but not via waving rope - madam finds it frightening and panics. Always has done. Much better with it, but the fear/panic over rides her sense of puzzle solving and she goes sideways flashing whites of eyes looking scared. Escpecially if there is a clip on the rope. I think desensitising and putting the cue elsewhere (ie if you are backing up at chest, then wave rope at same time, same with nose etc) then perhaps the cue can be associated
 
In my opinion she wasn't starting off with a strong cue, she asked for one step backwards using her nose and them waggled her finger and then upped the pressure on the rope. Her mare just stood still and didn't move till she upped the pressure a little more and then her mare got stressed and ran sideways.

Her mare is a right brained introvert if that makes any difference? (I don't do Parelli myself but I do use NH so it isn't new to us)
 
Make sure your mum's focus is forwards, belly button forwards etc and she has 'energy' ie not slouching.

Using the rope in a side to side motion can make them go sideways as they think that is what is being asked I would use the phases of finger, then waggle finger up and down, to up the pressure more then that I would use a stick/whatever in the space in front of you to in a rhythmitic motion on the ground but with energy. I don't like increasing the pressure on the rope because of the clasp.

If your mare already understands backwards from pressure on the nose and is being 'stubborn' then sometimes if your mum walks forwards confidentaly while asking for backwards they will put in a fastish reverse and are more awake for when you ask standing still.

Again, I would release each time a backwards move is made but maybe ask for 2 or 3 steps backwards (with the release each time).

Once they have gone backwards let them stand at the end of the rope and relax. This re-inforces they have done the right thing.
 
Yes I was telling her to 'increase her presence' as she was slouching a bit to start with.

Will get my mum to try stepping forwards and see if it helps her to take a step back :happy:
 
I wouldnt up the phases either, just keep it at the phase where the mare starts to get a bit uncomfortable. You'll see the cogs start to go in her brain. Just hold the same pressure until she starts to 'try'. Reward this try even if it's wrong and start again keeping the phases low.
 
I have the Clinton Anderson fundamentals series which is very good and he shows several ways of doing back up - not Parelli, but I guess it is all about and about.

I know with Tobes, once he cracked backing up, turn on the forequarters, yield the hindquarters etc., he just got fed up being asked to do it. He is a very bright horse and I see where he is coming from. He is fab at backing up for gates or something that needs to be done, same as all the other movements, but just not for the sake of it. For instance we had to cross the river that separates out field this morning. He lept over it akicking and abucking as he clearly thinks he is Badminton material. I don't appreciate that behaviour and waggled my rope at him to instill a bit of respect. Backed up as straight as a die like a repentant child and then walked calmly beside me. Praps your mothers horse is the same. Praps if she has to back up to get out of a gate then she might see the sense in it? Or back into her stable - we did a lot of that when we intially started NH and it made sense to him.

NH can be pretty black and white sometimes, and certainly Clinton is very black and white, they are either fat lazy and disrespectful or over reactive. Depends which class your mother's mare falls into as to what she does pressure wise.

Just my thoughts!!
 
We very rarely use much 'force' or pressure on her but I believe it said to up the pressure on the level one vid she watched when Mr Parelli was demonstrating. I didn't watch it so don't know for sure,
 
Does your Mum really focus on where she wants her mare to go? I find with my chap that if I really try to bring my life up and look over him towards where I want him to go then he responds better (not good mind you, but then he's very dominant and doesn't particularly want to go backwards away from me lol).
 
learningcurve said:
Genuine question, if this horse backs up using other methods is there any reason for using another.:unsure:
Click to expand...

You took the words right out of my mouth.

The so-called Yo-Yo game is surely the most ludicrous way to get a horse to back up. It causes much confusion and sometimes panic in horses, and usually ends up with a horse which is prone to throwing its head about and offering resistance.

It's showmanship. Give the horse a break and allow it to learn to step back in response to other, less antagonistic cues.
 
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AengusOg said:
You took the words right out of my mouth.

The so-called Yo-Yo game is surely the most ludicrous way to get a horse to back up. It causes much confusion and sometimes panic in horses, and usually ends up with a horse which is prone to throwing its head about and offering resistance.

It's showmanship. Give the horse a break and allow it to learn to step back in response to other, less antagonistic cues.
Click to expand...

I do find it useful for backing a horse out of a rear unload only trailer as well as getting a horse to back up when being led off of another.

It does have uses. I'm not saying that you shouldn't teach it in other ways just that if you want to teach it because you feel it would be useful then why not?

My horse doesn't throw his head about at all either and is happy to back up as long as he understands what he is being asked to do.

I don't want to be confrontational but if i only taught my horse the things that are easy for him to do (physically and mentally) then i would be doing an awful lot of just his terms and not have a horse that is maybe as well prepared for physical activity. Not saying you HAVE to do more but not sure why it should be a case of if its diffficult/there is resistance for whatever reason then don't bother.

*goes and dons tin hat - really not looking for a argument*:help:
 
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