My young colleague CMC and I have had daily discussions on forward hind leg walks/hops, and we have reviewed many videos. I have stressed the most important components to the behavior is your body position rocked back, setting a tempo, staying out of their way/face, and anticipating/reading them and their intentions and adjusting. NEVER, EVER, go on the defensive. It stops forward motion which is what you want, and it goes against the principal of forward hind leg walks/hops, as rollker contradicts forward motion in dressage. ANTICIPATE!!! Which will come with knowledge and experience. Casey or Darryl or Steve or any others, of these three still photos who is doing a forward hind leg walk/hop, and who won't see one in a 100 years? Casey has two well on their way, now he just needs to refine them and retain the knowledge, because he may not realize it but his next ones are going to react different then his first ones. HE has to remain the constant and guide those individual differences.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
For Casey
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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20 comments:
Picture on top is a very nice forward hop. I am assuming she called the cat to her from a distance, as she doesn't look to be moving backwards yet.
Middle picture, this cat has "sprung" from "pressure" being applied behind, but yet there is a whip butt rite where the cat should end up from that "pressure" I am guessing this cat came to all fours immediately after this hop.
Last picture I don't think this cat was "hopping" but rather walking, judging by the cats hind feet not being side by side, but instead one after the other. I also think her distance from the cat is to close for the lean of her body for the cat to be moving very fast. Could have been a good walk, I am not sure.
Casey has asked me to take my comment off, and wait and see if Darryl, Steve or others care to give their thoughts.
Wade Burck
Dion,
I wasn't excluding you from the hind leg walk discussion, I just didn't realize you were still around.
Wade
I agree with Casey!
Sorry was late joining this had to unload meat LOL
Darryl,
Close. Which cat looks like it has had the most heat applied. You too Casey, enlarge them and look at the eyes body english of the animals.
Wade
Gentleman,
Also is it easier to walk a cat on it hind legs if you are short or tall. Think of who was know for having some of the best before you answer.
Wade
Darryl,
A little more insight then, I agree with Casey. What do you see?
Wade
Hard to see eye's, but the middle pic just does not look comfortable for the cat or trainer. Middle also not graceful looking. One would think a taller trainer would be able to get the cat to extend more upright, But GGW and Josip had some of the best. Guess training is more important than size of trainer. How about which is harder to train forwards or back. Hop or walk?
I'm by no means an expert as only have worked one hind leg cat in an act and only trained one as well.
Wade,
I am not able to answer your question, but I do know who these women are: Sarah Houcke on Ringling, Susan Lacey on Cole Bros., and Mary Chipperfield. I eagerly await the answer to your question. :)
-Chris
Like Casey stated, with the whip stock in front of face you are giving mixed cues I would think. Like something I've seen with elephants often, Smack in head stand in front and tell animal to move up.LOL
Hard to tell for sure but think middle cat is walking and not hopping.
Is that Mary Chipperfield in last pic? This tiger could be walking backwards.
Darryl,
You are correct on the middle animal. Guess who is revered for their gentleness and kindness? Look who has the biggest stick? Guess who was taught by Marcan, and had only done it a short while. Shorter is easier, and you hit the two I was referencing. Yes of course training skill is paramount, but when short you have the eyes(if open LOL) and the neck/shoulders looking slightly down which is giving you your forward motion naturally. Tall you have to be careful you don't tower over them and intimidate any motion at all. I and the good ones I have observed work the ribs/hips and only steer the head. I crouch to compensate for my tallness, which gives me access to the ribs like a riders legs. Backward is easier then forward, as it is easier to get something to go away from you, then to come to you. Hopping, walking the same, you get the hop by standing further away, and the walk by standing close and holding back. My preference is hopping as it gets a better crowd reaction as anything fast will. The middle cat went from across the cage when it was trained to 4 to 5 steps for the rest of its life. It walked not hopped. Mary is doing a backward rotate, more then a pivot, but less then a backward around. Nothing to do with her ability, sometimes you take what you can get, and you have to have th props cleared out of the way. Adam can only do his in a quarter of the cage, as his props are in the middle, where as I could use 3/4 of the cage when I had her as my props were in the back 1/4.
Wade
Darryl,
Worse and more amateurish then hit come here, is to chase them hitting as they are running away.
Wade
Darryl,
I may have answered this but the middle cat is walking. It has raised to it's tip toes to get away from the stick coming up. Not the left paw crossed over the right, and the upper body leaning away from the stick. That move is an effort to keep it from coming down, and blowing through the middle of the pyramid to its its seat which is the first one to the right of the chute door.
Wade
Darryl,
In the picture by it's self, it was when the person was first learning to do the act. You will not the stick back, out of the face, and he whip turning in the right hand bringing the animal. In a short time as a lot was expected of her as she hadn't developed the cute and charming patch, in the lower picture you will note her "stretching" herself and using the same hand rotating in the same direction the whip rotated, to call the cat come here, come here. She listened to at least that from one of the best.
Wade
Sorry Wade - I've just got here and I'm going again so a quick comment.
Lady #1 appears very relaxed and calm about the whole deal.
Lady #2 does appear to be on the defensive. I can't see her cat's feet but her own upper body posture and butt position [WHIP butt] indicates that she doesn't enjoy this part of the act!
Lady #3 appears to be totally at ease with this. I agree with Daryl - I think that this cat is going backwards.
Steve,
Pretty good mate. Look at the progression and learning in the top person from the photo in the thread above it. The tiger had been walking one year.
Number 2 that isn't the butt of a whip, it is a 4 ft stick. The tiger had been walking for 4 years.
Number 3 is yes a backward rotate.
How many animal act's in your country Steve have evolved into nothing due to lack of skill. And the public illusion of gentleness given to compensate. How gentle is inconsistency and animals always fighting each other given that inconsistency? It is why the rodeo industry and other animal industry's address mental stress, as a leading cause of physical deterioration in an animal. It is the "inside" that I mentioned some time ago, that our industry hasn't addressed.
What is the standard to qualify somebody to train/work an animal? Or are they equipment to be used in the production of a show? If my son Adam but on his resume, "Assisted the head trainer for 9 years", is it relevant that the head trainer is his father?
Wade
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