Whether you're developing a partnership with your horse, trying to improve his trust, build his respect, or enhance his performance one thing is more important than any other when it comes to achieving success:
CONSISTENCY
Every moment of every day you need to work on keeping your horse in a respectful and relaxed state of mind. With horses things change minute by minute, and you need to stay on your toes so that your horse never has the opportunity to think that his relationship with you has changed. In other words, if he's acting disrespectfully or fearfully, you need to resolve the issue right away in order to preserve a safe and successful partnership.
Just this weekend I was getting ready to turn a horse out of his stall. I opened his stall door and he took a very deliberate step into my space while he carried his head "above" me in a dominant and dismissive way. Normally this is a very respectful animal, but he was excited about getting to go out and he forgot that I am the herd leader. It wasn't a huge deal. I wasn't in any danger and he wasn't being aggressive, however I know from experience that if I didn't reinforce my position as leader that I would have problems with him for the rest of the day and probably in the future as well. Since he didn't have a halter on him yet, I chose to "bite" him in the muzzle with my fingertips. Then I "bit" him in the chest and used a firm tone of voice to back him up a couple of steps to move him out of my space. He took it with a sense of calm understanding and acceptance, and he was an angel thereafter.
I am very uncompromising when it comes to equine behavior in regard to maintaining a cooperative relationship that is founded on trust and respect. That's how horses interact with each other. If they didn't the balance of power would be constantly changing in the herd. That kind of inconsistency would be unproductive, a waste of energy, and it would put the herd at risk.
Besides, I don't want my horse to be in charge. The risk is too great to me, and I'd rather do more with my horse than watch him graze all day!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What Your Horse Needs to be Good
Your horse isn't much different than you. He wants to be relaxed, comfortable, and be able to cope with the world around him.
Relaxation is important to a horse because it's the opposite of stressed. Stress triggers the fight-flight response, not to mention that it's just plain stressful!!
If you don't comfort, you have discomfort. No one, horse nor human, wants discomfort. So, to make sure your horse has what he needs to be comfortable chose properly fitting tack, a good therapeutic saddle pad, and ride your horse in a way that's appropriate for his level of condition and conformation. Also make sure that his feet are properly balanced. Try wearing crooked ill-fitting shoes while you stand on your feet all day for weeks on end. It's not fun! Oh, and don't forget your horse's teeth. An experienced equine dentist can take care of the points and hooks that can tear up your horse's teeth, the inside of his cheeks, and make it impossible for him to move his jaw properly when he carries the bit.
Last but not least, help your horse negotiate his world. Don't expect him to understand what you're asking of him or to brave all the time. Everyone needs a compassionate helping hand every once in a while. When you're handling your horse, he relies on your leadership and guidance to feel confident and capable of handling anything that comes his way.
Relaxation is important to a horse because it's the opposite of stressed. Stress triggers the fight-flight response, not to mention that it's just plain stressful!!
If you don't comfort, you have discomfort. No one, horse nor human, wants discomfort. So, to make sure your horse has what he needs to be comfortable chose properly fitting tack, a good therapeutic saddle pad, and ride your horse in a way that's appropriate for his level of condition and conformation. Also make sure that his feet are properly balanced. Try wearing crooked ill-fitting shoes while you stand on your feet all day for weeks on end. It's not fun! Oh, and don't forget your horse's teeth. An experienced equine dentist can take care of the points and hooks that can tear up your horse's teeth, the inside of his cheeks, and make it impossible for him to move his jaw properly when he carries the bit.
Last but not least, help your horse negotiate his world. Don't expect him to understand what you're asking of him or to brave all the time. Everyone needs a compassionate helping hand every once in a while. When you're handling your horse, he relies on your leadership and guidance to feel confident and capable of handling anything that comes his way.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
What Stress Does to Your Horse
Stress is a normal part of life for all living creatures. On the physical side stress stimulates our bodies to grow denser bone and stronger muscles. Mental stress teaches our brain how to cope with challenges. These are both positive outcomes of feeling stressed, yet if the stress is more than the body or the mind can handle the consequences are different. The physical body begins to breakdown and psychological strain puts the brain into a continuous state of anxiety.
Horses handle physical stress in the same way as we do. The strain muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This can happen over a brief period of time when a horse is used harder than his level of condition can handle. This might mean a day or two off work to recover, but if they use their body incorrectly over a period of time, they can become chronically sore and will be more prone to serious injury.
Emotional stress takes its toll on a horse as well. A horse's mind is programmed to perceive stress as a threat on his life. It's this "flight or flight" response that makes horses unpredictable and potentially dangerous to themselves and others when they become frightened. Low levels of stress, such as being handled poorly, all levels of abuse, being continuously confused, or any chronic mental or physical discomfort takes its toll on the horse's mind.
I have observed and ridden horses that were anxious and worried and calm, confident, and relaxed. The difference is profound. An anxious horse is unable to perform well and can be downright dangerous if he's "triggered" and releases all that pent up energy. It can be explosive. On the contrary, a horse that is comfortable and confident can focus and perform to his full potential. He is much safer to be around and on, and he can handle the unexpected with far greater ease. Not only that, he can be a true collaborative partner in the training process and want to participate in the training process with you.
That's why I developed my "Performance Through Partnership" training methods. I want horses to benefit from their lives with people, both physically and emotionally. I think that the alternative, horses being used at their expense for our own personal gain, stinks. It is unnecessary and benefits no one.
If you want to be a true partner to your horse, leave your ego at the door and always strive to do what's right by him. That's what being a genuine horseman or horsewoman is all about.
Horses handle physical stress in the same way as we do. The strain muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This can happen over a brief period of time when a horse is used harder than his level of condition can handle. This might mean a day or two off work to recover, but if they use their body incorrectly over a period of time, they can become chronically sore and will be more prone to serious injury.
Emotional stress takes its toll on a horse as well. A horse's mind is programmed to perceive stress as a threat on his life. It's this "flight or flight" response that makes horses unpredictable and potentially dangerous to themselves and others when they become frightened. Low levels of stress, such as being handled poorly, all levels of abuse, being continuously confused, or any chronic mental or physical discomfort takes its toll on the horse's mind.
I have observed and ridden horses that were anxious and worried and calm, confident, and relaxed. The difference is profound. An anxious horse is unable to perform well and can be downright dangerous if he's "triggered" and releases all that pent up energy. It can be explosive. On the contrary, a horse that is comfortable and confident can focus and perform to his full potential. He is much safer to be around and on, and he can handle the unexpected with far greater ease. Not only that, he can be a true collaborative partner in the training process and want to participate in the training process with you.
That's why I developed my "Performance Through Partnership" training methods. I want horses to benefit from their lives with people, both physically and emotionally. I think that the alternative, horses being used at their expense for our own personal gain, stinks. It is unnecessary and benefits no one.
If you want to be a true partner to your horse, leave your ego at the door and always strive to do what's right by him. That's what being a genuine horseman or horsewoman is all about.
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